[C4D]

Did you contact your vet for the initial correct dosage of peroxide to use? If you did, it’s common for dogs to vomit for a short time after. Did you feed him immediately after the first vomiting?

[C4D]

Red, maybe you should read the ingredients more closely, even if it gives you a headache.

[C4D]

Hi Trevor,

As I stated earlier, what you decide to feed is totally your decision. If you have only used 1 formula of NV, you might try switching to a different protein. You could also find a grain free that is slightly lower in protein as DF suggested. NV Instinct carries limited ingredient diets that are lower in protein and are specific proteins, so if it is food intolerance, that could solve the issue.

I found that when my dog had an allergic reaction to a specific protein and I switched to a different protein and added a small amount of fiber until the stools adjusted, the anal gland issue was resolved. She did see a vet and had a bad issue including an abcess. This happened quickly. It was a combination of allergic reaction to food and antibiotics, which created diarrhea, causing an anal gland problem.

What you need is a food that gives her a solid, normal sized stool (barring any medical issue relating to the anal glands). That’s the reason some added fiber was also suggested. I hope this helps your dilemma.

[C4D]

Hi Trevor V,

I’m just curious, do you only feed one formula of the Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost? There are several different proteins. As DF said, it could be an intolerance to a particular protein, or possibly something in the food that is causing a soft stool, if that’s the case. Stools that are too soft and/or loose or too small and dry can cause the anal gland issue, which is why I suggested adding pumpkin. You can add any type of fiber, as long as it works. It is highly possible that NV Instinct just doesn’t work for your dog. Just an FYI, the three foods recommended by your vets are all made by the 3 most common vet formulas. Hillspet, Purina and Royal Canin. I’m not saying use or don’t use, but that’s probably why those brands were recommended by your vet(s). It’s likely that’s what they’re most familiar with. It’s up to you to decide what works for your dog.

Red,

I’m not sure why you included the skeptvet links as neither of these links have any direct articles on anal gland issues. Your link on the “oops” comment leads to a search engine for DFA anal gland discussions rather than an actual discussion.

It seems that you simply like to discredit any alternative or natural methods other than what you believe in. I’m not sure if the “Dr. Google” reference was to me, but if it was…….I have spent many years owning and fostering a lot of dogs with many different conditions, including CCL, liver and kidney disease, every type of worm and parasite, broken teeth, and a host of other medical problems, too many to list. I’ve also dealt with a lot of personal and foster dogs with social issues as well, involving a lot of time with trainers. I’ve used MANY vets, both for my dogs and whatever vets are used by the various rescues. I think there is value to both the traditional and alternative methods of treatment. I’ve used both and have found that both have flaws and both have value. I’ve had vets completely misdiagnose a dog or be spot on and I’ve had natural and/or alternative methods cure in a much less toxic way or not work. There is room for both.

[C4D]

DogFoodie is absolutely correct. If you start expressing the anal glands manually, you are just setting up a lifetime of possible problems. I have a foster that has these issues occaisonally, so I supplement with some additional fiber in her diet. I use pure canned pumpkin. It has taken care of the problem for over a year.

Here’s Dr. Peter Dobias’ link:

http://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11014181-holistic-approach-to-anal-gland-problems-in-dogs

[C4D]

Hi Judith B,

I cook for my dogs frequently, but it’s always fresh, not canned, meat with a few organic veggies, generally carrots, celery and fresh parsley, sometimes broccoli or squash, depending on what I have in the garden or is on sale, NO SALT. I add this to a premix, like The Honest Kitchen, Sojos, or Grandma Lucy’s, which has the vitamins added. I also feed my dog’s a regular diet of commercial kibble, canned or raw that are complete and balanced.

I appreciate that you want to provide some healthy fresh cooked food for your dogs, but, IMHO, I don’t think you should be adding canned soup and broth. There’s a lot of sodium in those and dogs (or people) don’t need that much sodium. Regular Swanson a whole can has about 50% of the normal human daily intake. Tomato soup is also high in sodium, I just linked Campbell’s, but I’m an avid label reader and they all tend to have about 33% or better per serving, which is less than 1/2 the can.

http://swanson.campbellskitchen.com/broth/beef-broth/

http://www.campbellsoup.com/Products/Condensed/All/2341

This is the nutrition data of Cheese Whiz. I didn’t know which one you use, but they are all very similar in salt content. This is for 2 tbsp, not the whole jar, which would be a lot more.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/160/2

These are not healthy products to be adding to your dog’s diet. If you want to add some broth, cook fresh meat with a bit of water and use the cooking water as the broth. I do this all the time. I even use it as stock to make soups for my family.

I truly appreciate what you are trying to do for your dogs, but if you keep it to some fresh meat and vegetables in the crock pot, your dogs will be much healthier. I would still use this as a topper to a balanced dog food to keep your animals in the best of health. The balanceIt website, Whole Dog Journal, or dogaware has some recipes to give you an idea of what a balanced meal or supplement to their diet should look like. Good Luck!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by C4D.

[C4D]

Red, I agree with you on the kibble essentially being cereal.

DogFoodie, you are so right! My dogs love tripe in any form. It smells terrible, but maybe that’s why they love it so much! LOL! 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Larry A,

I’m not sure why you decided to switch from Wellness Core, but if you look at the G/A on both foods you are actually feeding about 75 kcals/cup less with the Ideal Balance. The fat is pretty comparable as there’s only 1.1% more fat in Wellness than Ideal Balance and the protein is considerably lower in Ideal Balance. Older dogs actually need more quality protein as they age since they don’t metabolize it as well. Lower protein causes muscle atrophy.

I would personally go back to the Wellness, since Senior dogs usually need less fat due to underactivity and overweight issues, but this is not true in your dogs case. Also, they often do eat less and can’t smell as well as they age so adding fresh food as Red suggested and bone broth as Bobby Dog or canned food as Dog Foodie and C4C suggested are good ideas. Adding a bit of wet food (canned, etc) to all the meals and mixing it in with some warm water. It might entice your girl to eat more and more moisture is always better for any dog eating a kibble diet.

Good Luck with her! 🙂

[C4D]

Andrea P

You might take a look at Earthborn, Fromm, Zignature or Canidae Pure Grain Free formulas. I’ve had good luck with them in my rotation. They would be similar in protein and fat to what you are currently feeding.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by C4D.

[C4D]

Hi Mark C

I’ve used Zignature occaisonally in my rotation. It’s a decent food and my dogs had no problems with it. I’ve used Acana too. It looks like the kcals are about equal to Acana. Why not give it a try and see if it works for your dog? A lot of people (myself included) do rotate their dogs between a few foods and it never hurts to save money in the process! 😉

Good luck with it if you decide to try it.

[C4D]

I agree DF!

Shawna you rock!

Red, you are the official booster to skeptvet. 🙁

jan f, good luck with your dog. I have nothing to offer as treats, but you might want to choose something simple, like dehydrated sweet potato or a treat from a single protein that your dog can handle.

[C4D]

Hi Lynda W,

Being a Lab lover and owner (Chocolate and Black), you might want to look into large breed puppy food both on this forum and on the DFA’s reviews. While Costco’s brand gets a decent rating (3.5 stars) there are many on this site that don’t use it because of Diamond’s history in regard to recalls. Here’s the link for the review area:

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

While economy is on many people’s mind, you will save money in vet bills and help your pup live the best life possible if you feed the correct foods. Good luck with your new pup!

[C4D]

Shawna,

You do rock. When my old boy was diagnosed with CRF, my vet suggested the Balanceit website, along with some homemade recipes, when I said K/D was not an option. I did my own research and found dogaware and the CRF FB page. I never realized that Balanceit’s protein was so low! When I was referring to tripe, I meant frozen raw, not the vitamin enhanced version.

Also, for Sheila23, you can’t use the bleached human version found in grocery stores.

LOL on the typos and grammatical errors. If I’m ever accused of editing my comments, that would be the reason why! 😉

[C4D]

Hi Mias’d

What Pitlove gave you were the LID diets that are commercially available. LID means Limited Ingredient Diet. That’s what they are and if you look them up you might find one that is most similar to what you are currently feeding. You could try any of them to see if they work. Good Luck!

[C4D]

Shawna, all I can say is well done, as always! 🙂

[C4D]

InkedMarie is right, Shawna is very knowledgable on this situation. I’ve only had experience with CRF in an older dog. A few things I can share are that when in renal failure, a wet diet instead of dry is much more beneficial since your giving the kidneys more moisture to work with. You might want to check out Grandma Lucy’s website. I believe their food is made with low phosphorus. Tripe and egg white are low in phosphorus, while organ meats tend to be high in phosphorus so you might want to avoid foods that contain liver, etc. I also found a FB page called CRF Dogs that has a lot of helpful advice, although it isn’t as active as it was a few years ago. Good luck with Alvin!

[C4D]

I’ve gotten some dented cans (different brand) when ordering online and haven’t had an issue. They were only slightly dented. I would probably contact Amazon and ask to return/replace, whatever the policy is. Did you check the code on the cans you mentioned to see if they were the same production or different? If the dates are different, they would be a different production.

Hope your pups get better!

[C4D]

Hi Lisa B,

InkedMarie and Pitlove gave you some good suggestions. I’m curious, what food is your dog currently eating? You don’t want to switch to something that’s too radically different if she’s been eating the same food all her life.

I have had and currently have some “senior” dogs (large breed)as well as adult large breed, but I don’t feed any senior foods ever. The only reason people might consider a senior food is if the dog is overweight, and that’s not really a good reason either. It sounds like your dog wouldn’t need it. Try to avoid the potatoes in any of the food, as InkedMarie said, as they worsen arthritis by causing inflamation. Fish oil is an anti-inflamatory, and is also helpful with arthritis, but add it slowly. I use human grade fish oil pills as they tend to be more pure than traditional dog fish oils.

Some other things you might consider feeding is some fresh and/or wet food. This would help keep your dog more hydrated and might encourage eating since they often lose their sense of smell as they age. Again, a word of caution: only change or add one thing at a time, including supplements. They can change stool consistency and you won’t know the cause. Good luck!

[C4D]

Awe, so sorry Pitlove. I kept my old boy as my laptop BG pic for a couple of years after he died. He was on my old phone too!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by C4D.

[C4D]

I can totally relate. :'( I clicked on your photo and saw your dog’s names and breed. They are so cute!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by C4D.

[C4D]

Congratulations and good luck with the new puppy! Be sure to post some pics of the little one when you get it home. Does this mean you’ll be changing your profile picture? 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Reewa R,

Some of us have to sleep and work, so answers are not always immediate. Your posts were in the middle of the night in my area and I work as well.

I can’t answer your questions on feeding a puppy raw since I haven’t had a puppy in many years. I have adult dogs. I do feed kibble and raw as I have several large dogs. I feed canned/kibble for 1 meal and raw/cooked for the other meal. Some people feed raw and kibble together in the same meal. I don’t supplement with vitamins since I’m using commerical foods that already are complete and balanced. The links I included in the earlier post may be able to answer that question.

[C4D]

Ugh! So true weezerweeks!

[C4D]

Hi Reewa R,

Although aimee and I don’t always agree, I do agree with her in feeding a commercial raw as it is very important to make sure the diet is balanced. This is particularly important since you have a very young dog who could suffer some serious deficiencies if he doesn’t get the correct vitamins and minerals in the right dose.

You could feed homemade raw or homemade cooked, but you need to follow a diet that is balanced. Whole Dog Journal has several articles on balancing a diet as does dogaware.com and as Jonathon said, Dr. Karen Becker has some balanced home made diets. Here’s the link to dogaware:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_7/features/Home-Prepared-Dog-Food-Nutritional-Information_20568-1.html

http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade3.html

[C4D]

David T,

I went back and read through your links and I still find them unclear, but I may be missing something. I do find several problems with your site. You state that you carry premium foods, yet the only choices you have are very limited (2 choices of dog food, not 4) subpar options, something I would never choose. So I would be paying $39/month for nothing I would buy. You state that you are different as I can schedule whenever when I want. I am signed up on a website for autoship and yet I can go back and change my delivery to a different time, any day I choose, sooner or later than the original autoship date. I can also change the products I want. So how is your ordering policy different?

I find it very difficult to believe that you would carry a true premium brand (Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Merrick or Fromm) as shown on your site and sell that for unlimited shipments of large bags for $39. A medium size bag of many of these brands sells for more than $39, yet you say the customer can order either a medium or large bag. I think most customers would be ordering large bags of the premium food that costs $100+. I see you do have a requirement of ordering 2 days after receiving the shipment. I’ve ordered online from several sites and some delivery times are better than others. Some come in a couple of days and others come in several weeks. Unlimited is without any qualifications but you have qualifed it by adding a requirement that seems to disallow unlimited bags ordered. This in itself is a bit deceiving.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unlimited

I’m sorry, but this still doesn’t make sense as a business, which does appear that either you are very inexperienced in business or it’s a shady operation.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by C4D.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by C4D.

[C4D]

David T,

Just to add to the craziness of your site, Meow Mix (double UGH!) 16 lb is only $9.99 @ Petsmart! What kind of spammer/scammer is this? You’re charging 4 times the price? I seriously hope that your info is deleted as spam!

[C4D]

Pitlove,

I understand what you mean. Everyone around my area are all priced about the same and usually comparable to online. The only difference in pricing is when they are discontinuing a line or having some kind of special pricing to promote a new line. I do take full advantage of this. 🙂

[C4D]

I’m sorry David T, but I do not believe this is possible. I fed Orijen for many years and this was several years ago. I can’t even remember when Orijen was $39.99 for the large bag. This seems like a scam. Pedigree is cheaper on several other sites than you’re charging. Links (because it’s me):

Pedigree:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pedigree-Adult-Complete-Nutrition-Dry-Dog-Food-50-lbs/42425073

Purina Dog Chow (UGH):

http://www.pet360.com/product/275/purina-dog-chow-complete-and-balanced-total-care-nutrition-dry-dog-food

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Purina-Dog-Chow-Dry-Dog-Food-Complete-Bonus-Size-50-lb-Bag-Dogs/38056050

I’m not going any further. All of these prices are well below yours and I think you’re only on here to promote your website, which is selling garbage at overmarket prices. You are using the good brands as an enticement, and hopefully people will be smart enough to catch on, but I posted this in case they’re not.

[C4D]

Hi Kristin C,

I’m in complete agreement with you on dogs being fed a more natural, balanced diet and that is the building block to fending off diseases. It often helps dogs that already are diagnosed with various conditions such as diabetes and seizures, etc. It sounds like your doing all the right things for your dog with the heart murmur too.

I also believe that way too many chemicals are being put on our dogs and personally use minimal, if any topicals. I actually just pull the ticks off my dogs, identify them (we have deer and brown dog ticks in abundance in my area as well as Lyme Disease) and try to keep them out of areas of known infestations. My guy that got the ticks got no less than 6 in less than a week’s time. I’ve also used some natural repellants on my dogs after getting ticks with great success.

I’m not disagreeing with you. I’m just saying it would be interesting to hear what happens if you decide to try omitting the Advantix. Here’s an interesting link on fleas from Dr. Peter Dobias:

http://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/34542021-can-feeding-a-raw-diet-prevent-fleas

Good luck with your pups!

[C4D]

Hi Kristen C,

It’s an interesting theory. I do think a healthy immune system could be a great help. All 3 of the dogs @ my house eat identical diets, including fresh and raw as 1 meal per day. The only dog that got ticks this year is the one who insists on going through all of the tall grass in a known tick area. I think you might have gotten lucky, but I’d love to hear what you do & the subsequent results next year. 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Ella,

Please do some research before you make up a diet for your dog. Whole Dog Journal, Dogaware.com and Karen Becker, among others have several homemade balanced diets for dogs.

[C4D]

Shawna, I completely agree with you on DE. It also works for fleas in the home if dusted on the carpeting (very gently, using a mask) and especially in the baseboards.

Red, I actually agree with you in the comment on tall grass. I live in an area that is “crawling with ticks”. Of my 3 dogs, only 1 gets any ticks on him and I literally have to drag him out of the tall grass near a wetland that is notorious for ticks.

I don’t agree with you and skeptvet on most issues, no surprise that aimee does. I’ve used many of the “natural” treatments and they do work as DogFoodie and AquarianGT have said and have found that they work quite well, including using a natural treatment for Demodex mange and the dog has been clear for 10 months now.

Kristin C, I do think the immune system might possibly help fleas, but ticks just seem to attach if the dog is in the right place at the right time. However, if you’re using Advantix, even at a half dose, that would negate your assumption as you are still using a pesticide to curb a possible problem. You would have to not use it to see if it works.

[C4D]

HAHA on your Lab! Yep, I’ve used slow feeders on my older girl too. My Labs try to convince me that I didn’t feed them, fortunately they’ve been trained to never touch anything that falls to the floor. I don’t feed grained food because my almost 11 yo girl gets ear infections with any grains! I’m curious why you think grain free has more carbs than a grained food. When you subtract the protein and fat away from the food, the balance would be carbohydrates (minus moisture and ash).

I do agree with Aquariangt, I used to love The Great Dane Lady but her information seems a bit outdated.

[C4D]

Pugsmomsandy, you would truly be the right person to “weigh” in on this. Sorry, I had to do that. 😉

Pitlove, Haha! I agree! 😉

I do need to correct, I feed about 5/8 cup not 3/8.

[C4D]

Tami S,
I have seen pugs that are the correct weight when not overfed. I have Labs, which could possibly be the among the most notorious of overeating breeds. I’m amazed that you feed 1 cup per day to such a small dog. My 13 pound foster gets about the equivalent of 3/8 cup per day and looks great. My 65-80 lb active Labs get 2.5 -2.75 cups per day and are at a perfect weight. I think you are overfeeding.

[C4D]

A couple of my dogs have food allergies to specific proteins. They’re symptoms included ear infections, excessive itchiness, a red rash on tummies and a bit of hair loss (most likely from butt rubbing). I tend to feed individual proteins so that I can see a problem fairly easily. If someone is suddenly becoming itchy, etc, I switch to a different protein. It generally solves the problem. One of them had what looked like a seasonal allergy, but cleared after switching the protein. It’s so difficult to tell sometimes, you do have to look at all of the symptoms and timing.

[C4D]

Hi Kelly,

I don’t have any particular recipes for you, but I have cooked for my older dogs in declining health. The crock pots are great for making a week’s worth of meals or additions to food. I don’t know who’s telling you it’s time for tough love, but IHMO an older dog with health issues deserves to enjoy their golden years and whatever time they have left.

Kibble obviously doesn’t taste as good which is probably why she’s spitting it out and is harder to digest than fresh food. When my dog’s health was declining, he didn’t want to eat many things due to not feeling well. Rather than just take a tough love attitude, I chose to do whatever I could to make him as comfortable and happy as I could. He lasted much longer than expected and I believe the fresh cooked meals I made specifically for his condition contributed to the extended time he had. Good luck with your girl!

[C4D]

You might take a look at Victor, Pro Pac Ultimates, 4Health, Pure Balance, to name a few. They get good ratings and are budget friendly.

[C4D]

Peggy, I didn’t address your question regarding weight loss. You need to feed less to cause weight loss. You will have to include the calories in any treats you feed in the daily intake. There is a calculator on this site to give you an idea of how much to feed. You should base the amount to feed on the ideal weight.

When trying to feed for allergies, you must make sure everything you feed, including canned food and treats are the same protein as the food you feed. You also need to make sure there are no grains in the treats. This is basically an elimination diet. Most of the time this method works. If that doesn’t work, you may have to consider intradermal testing.

[C4D]

Have you tried using a limited ingredient food? Nature’s Variety Instinct, Zignature, Merrick and Natural Balance all have limited ingedient formulas. Some with unique proteins as your veterinarian suggested.

[C4D]

Are you using the kefir to help treat a problem or just as a general probiotic to keep the gut healthy? I give my 12 lb dog a tsp once a day as a general probiotic since she doesn’t have any health concerns.

Here’s a couple of links:

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/so-long-yeast-hello-kefir/

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/05/foods-rich-in-probiotics-beneficial-for.html?m=1

[C4D]

I actually use l theanine for my dog that has anxiety.

Here’s a link:
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/January-2012/Supplement-Can-Bolster-Pets-Anxiety-Treatment/

[C4D]

Hi Faith,

Losul did give you some good information, as always. The others have as well. 🙂

Heart is technically considered a muscle meat. It is loaded in natural CoQ10 as well as a host of vitamins. Giving any dog fresh food will make for a healthier dog. I do feed mine a combination of fresh and kibble, simply because I have too many pounds of dogs at my house, otherwise it would all be fresh/raw. Here’s another link from Primal, a reputable raw food company confirming that heart is a muscle meat, even though it’s considered an organ.

http://blog.primalpetfoods.com/post/19313616133/muscle-meat-vs-organ-meat

Another raw website explaining what the organs are:

http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/offalororgan.htm

Good Luck with your dog! I wish you the best! 🙂

[C4D]

Susan,

I cook this often. It does smell just terrible while cooking, but it is supposed to be very good, I’m not sure that it will help the heart murmur though. 🙁

Faith,

I don’t know that the chicken hearts would do anything special to help, but feeding more fresh food (cooked or raw) is better overall for any dog. It’s not that expensive to buy some fresh meat and vegetables, cook it in a crock pot and add a bit of the mix to his kibble.

Here is Karen Becker’s link on heart murmurs just to give you some additional info:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/07/21/what-your-vet-looks-for-when-listening-to-your-dogs-heart.aspx

Good luck with your pup! 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Nick,

I tried to find the info on eggshells as we had this discussion on another forum. I can’t find it, but yes, they are essentially all calcium plus essential minerals and if you use the entire eggshell, it throws off the calcium/phosphorus ratio. That’s why you dry the egg and grind it up. I’m including a couple of other links regarding eggshell as they really need to be cooked to kill the possible bacteria, particularly if you store them.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/490605-eggshell-calcium-as-a-source-of-calcium/

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1145333/2

This is a good site for recipes as well. This is the calcium discussion:

http://dogaware.com/articles/dwcalcium.html

This is a cat site but it discusses the calcium/eggshell quantity:

http://www.holisticat.com/en/raw-feeding/2-esp.html

Good Luck with it! 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Cheryl,

I agree with Red in that many dogs are considered senior at 7 and it is always a good idea to run a complete blood panel, urinalysis, and a thorough checkup at that age, if you haven’t done it before. I run these on my dogs every year regardless of their age. He is also correct about the water, but really all dogs should be getting some fresh or canned food mixed in kibble to help keep them properly hydrated. At the very least, add warm water to the kibble to ensure that they are getting more water in their system. Exercise is very important for senior and all dogs as well.

I have had many dogs in my life and currently have several. I never feed them a “senior” dog food, even at almost 15 years of age (large breed). I have a nearly 11 year old dog Lab who has stellar panels and is very active with a daily 2 mile rigorous walk. She eats a combination of canned/moistened kibble and raw or fresh food daily. They all eat that combination. The biggest concern when they are older is to keep any extra weight off and that they aren’t having any health issues that diet would need to address. Senior dog food is really marketing. If you looked at all the senior dog formulas on the market you would find they vary all over the place in protein levels, fat and fiber. As senior dogs age, they metabolize protein less efficiently, so if you choose one that is lowering the protein, you would actually accelerate the reduction in muscle mass.

Keeping the weight off is very important and feeding a better food that doesn’t contain fillers will reduce the poop factor. You also need to feed them according to their “ideal” weight (not their current if they are overweight) and activity level. I feed slightly less than the recommended feeding guides on almost all foods. Even thought my dogs get daily brisk walks, I still consider their activity level “typical” on the DFA calculator. You need to count any treat calories in that daily total. You also need to get an accurate measuring cup for feeding.

Here’s the link to the DFA calculator:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[C4D]

C4C, I’m seconding the very well said!

Deb B, I had told you previously my experience with Lipomas. The interesting thing is that dog that had them began to decline in his old age (over 14 and an 80 lb dog) as other health issues set in and as he lost weight, the lipomas began to shrink.

That being said, I am again going to mention that moving to fresher food has kept my current “older” lab’s lipoma at a very small size for over 2 years (marble size). You might look into feeding somthing like The Honest Kitchen which is a rehydrated food. The closer you are to fresh food, the better. It isn’t a miracle cure, but I do feel it’s a better diet. I use THK’s premixes and add fresh cooked meat from the grocery store. I just buy whatever is on sale, turkey, beef, chicken, pork, whatever. It’s the cheapest way to feed a fresh balanced diet without researching diets that are balanced. My older Lab is almost your dog’s age and is just full of energy and looks wonderful! Just my $.02. 🙂

[C4D]

Pitlove gave you some good advice. You also really need to get a measuring cup that has 1/8 cup increments. I feed my dogs less than the recommended amount of any food, even though they get a decent amount of exercise. A couple of other tricks is to add some gently cooked frozen green beans and a bit of pur canned pumpkin. I also add some warm water to the kibble, mix it with canned food (you can hold on this if you want until you get the weight under control). It makes the dog feel fuller when you are cutting back on the ration. I have Labs, so I’m all about keeping them lean since they are traditional overeaters! 🙂

I really like Nature’s Variety Healthy Weight. I feed it often during the cold months. It has a decent protein level (32%) and is a 5 star rated food.

http://www.instinctpetfood.com/healthy-weight-food-dogs-and-cats

There is also a calculator on this site, but I still feed a bit less, to maintain weight, than recommended and my dogs are in great health with stellar blood panels! Here’s the link to the DFA calculator. Good luck with your pup! 🙂

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[C4D]

Jane,

All I can do is send you my loving thoughts for your baby. Do whatever it takes to keep her happy and healthy! <3

• This reply was modified 8 years, 7 months ago by C4D.

[C4D]

HI Deb,

I posted a long post, but somehow it disappeared. 🙁

I had a past dog that had several lipomas (Vet aspiration confirmed). They did not interfere with his movement, etc and my vet does not remove them unless there is an issue in comfort or quality of life, as they tend to grow back.

My current lab has 2 very small ones on her back thighs that were noticed about 2-3 years ago. Prior to that I was only feeding a canned/kibble mixture with occaisonal raw/fresh meals a couple of times a week. Since we discovered the lipomas, we have switched to feeding our dogs 1 meal fresh/raw daily and 1 meal canned/kibble/water mixture. There is some debate on the link between processed food and lipomas. The lipomas have had very little, if any growth. While there is no specific food that I’m aware of, I believe the incorporation of fresh, less processed food has helped (my vet is a bit skeptical). I do feed all grain free and have for almost 10 years.

Unfortunately, Labs are prone to lipomas. Fortunately they are almost always benign. I don’t think you need to see an oncologist as you’re own vet can send a sample to the lab for diagnosis. I would remove the lipoma if it is causing discomfort or difficulty in moving. I’m including some links for you to read, if you’d like, including a forum on DFA discussing lipomas. Good luck with your pup! 🙂

/forums/topic/lipomas/

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2013/03/fatty-tumors-lipomas-in-dogs-benign.html

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/lipoma-dog-lumps/

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