[crazy4cats]

Hi CattleCait-

Have you checked out Weruva’s website? I believe they own BFF and Cats in the Kitchen. I also remember seeing pictures of the canned food on their site. It’s good your cat doesn’t like Tuna, because too much of it is not good for cats anyway. Check out Dr. Laura Pierson, DVM website: catinfo dot org. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Ana-
I have used Walmart’s Pure Balance canned food and thought it was a great value. My dogs loved it and they did well on it. I even used the one that is not grain free and didn’t think there was really that much rice in it. It looked and smelled very good. I also have used Kirkland cuts in gravy frequently. Canned food is way too expensive. I don’t think you should feel bad about using either one of these brands. It’s a good way to add less processed food to your dog’s kibble. Right now, I’ve been adding some frozen raw nuggests, sardines, or eggs to their kibble in the evenings because I got tired of recycling so many cans! But, I think I’m going to go back to the canned soon. They really like it! Good luck.

[crazy4cats]

It is a Pet Smart brand. I wish it was a little higher in protein, but for the price, which is usually around 75 to 85 cents for the 6 oz can, it is a good food. And yes, the can is actually 6 oz., not 5.5 like so many have gone to while keeping the same price. I don’t think it has any unnamed by-products or food coloring like the typical lower priced foods have. I go to Petsmart for its fish supplies and cat food, otherwise, I like our local feed store for the dogs. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Well I’m glad to hear a fellow cat lover also thinks that the Authority brand canned food is a good one for a great price also. Looking forward to the new cat food advisor some day.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Shasta-
I also wish there was a cat food advisory site as great as this dog food one! But I agree with the others, a good dog food brand is most likely also good place to start with cats. Since you are not opposed to using Diamond brands, Kirkland Signature at Costco is very similar to the Diamond Naturals and Chicken Soup at an even more affordable price. I rotate between Wellness Core, Earthborn Primitive, and Taste of the Wild dry for mine. I also use various canned foods such as: Chicken Soup, Nutro, Friskies, and Authority. Also importantly, try to stay away from fish based kibble and canned food. It contains a lot of iodine which could later lead to hyperthyroidism. As mentioned above, catinfo dot org is a great site for cat nutrition and health issues. It does have a few charts with a lot of data on numerous brands of canned cat foods. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

I don’t have any recommendations for you, but I’m replying to bump up your post. You might try posting on the off topic thread on the review side of this site. I think more people are on in that area. Good luck.

[crazy4cats]

Well, Patty, since we’ve already “hijacked” this thread. Oops! Where do you order your turkey necks from. I’ve been buying Natures Variety from a feed store. They are very expensive and they don’t get them very often.

[crazy4cats]

My boys each had a turkey neck last night. But, unfortunately they only lasted about 5 minutes. They are crazy chewers! At least they don’t gulp (swallow) as bad anymore. The only thing that lasts longer than that are bully sticks or marrow bones. I think the bully sticks last a whole 10 minutes!

[crazy4cats]

Has anyone ordered from RocketPetz dot com? If yes, what was your experience? Thank you.

[crazy4cats]

Well, I got my first order from Wag today. And just like several have said, it came in a huge box with lots of those air pillow things stuffed in with it. The dogs loved the packing and the cats loved the box. The bag of food was in perfect shape and the expiration date good. So hopefully the food works out. They certainly liked how it smelled. Oh yes, and it came in two days just like promised.

[crazy4cats]

I’m using total-zymes powder right now with success. The only time they have gas is after I feed them sardines for some reason. They get fish farts! Lol! It is a little expensive and I’m going to try a cheaper brand next to see if it still works. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Have you tried digestive enzymes? The yogurt and Kefir both contain probiotics but not enzymes. I’m not sure about the Beano or GasX.

[crazy4cats]

Ok, so I’m not a rocket scientist, but that tells me that fat has approximately twice the calories of protein. I hadn’t paid that much attention to the calorie weighted analysis before. Interesting 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Well I just took advantage of the 25% off for new customers at Wag that Molzy mentioned earlier. I hope my package comes in better shape than Patty’s did. The price was sure right, though.

[crazy4cats]

Hmmm, that is interesting, Losul. I also gave my dogs a supplement with Berberine to help rid them of their parasites. Maybe that also helped them on their way to recovery. Well, at least I hope it is their recovery finally. We’ve had a good three weeks of solid output!

[crazy4cats]

In regards to your question about Northwest Naturals, it is a raw frozen food that comes in different forms. I use the beef nuggets as well as their fruit and veggie nuggets as toppers right now. They sell them at our local feed store along with Primal and Nature’s Variety frozen raw foods. Northwest is the cheapest of the three. I feel that these add fiber as well as antioxidants to their kibble. As I said before I’m not sure which part of my new equation is helping the most as I have switched several times. Again, I’m using Victor G/F kibble along with a little digestive enzymes, Gastriplex, and probiotic chews. I hope to gradually decrease the supplements, but right now I’m so ecstatic about their poops, (I know, weird, huh?) that I’m not going to change too much for a while.
Have you checked out dogaware dot com yet? They have so much information on that site about digestive disorders. I also think that they may have some homemade diet recipes for you as well.
Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

I use their probiotics as well. I recently contacted them with a question and they were very prompt and courteous with their reply. I’m not ready to throw away my bag of probiotic chews just yet.

[crazy4cats]

I feed my dogs their turkey necks just partially thawed and it seems to keep it a little less messy and it makes them last a little longer also. Which, still isn’t very long.

[crazy4cats]

Well, I’m using NW Naturals frozen beef nuggets right now. I believe they have chicken also. My problem is that I keep switching so many things, such as food, supplements and toppers that I’m not sure which is making the most difference. But, with the combo I mentioned above, their poops are always good except after exercise. They are then a little soft, but not runny. I think if you are not opposed to raw, the Nature’s Variety frozen raw medallions would be great, but expensive. They have the clay in them that I believe helps with colitis. Have you checked out the dogaware.com website? They have a lot of information and tips on digestive disorders. Good luck.

[crazy4cats]

Right now I am feeding my dogs that have IBS Victor grain free which contains montmorillonite clay. I use a small amount of frozen raw beef nugget topper. To that I add the supplement Gastriplex by Thorne that includes slippery elm and L-Glutamine in its ingredients. So far, it’s the best they have done as far as their poops go. I have also used The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form and Vetri Science’s Vetri-Probiotic BD supplements with success. I never thought my world would revolve around my pup’s poop, but sadly it does. lol!

[crazy4cats]

I just made my first online order for dog food. I ordered Victor Grain Free through Amazon. I was quite pleased with the transaction. The food arrived promptly and in a nice, appropriate sized box. Absolutely no damage to either the box or the bag. I also received free shipping. You guys have been right all along. It is a great way to buy dog food!

[crazy4cats]

Hi cdubau-
Did you happen to notice that the first ingredient in that Purina dry food is corn gluten meal? I hope you are still feeding some canned food also. Lisa Pierson, DVM, states on her website, catinfo.org, that she would rather see a cat be fed any canned food over any dry food regardless of quality. I know how crazy expensive the canned food is, but you can buy the cheaper stuff, such as Friskies, or Fancy Feast to get some moisture in her diet. When I feed my four cats, I don’t mix the canned with their dry. I keep it separate. That way I can remove the canned if they don’t eat it and the dry doesn’t get icky from getting wet. But it always all gets eaten unless I buy them a special occasion expensive canned food, then they turn up their noses. So frustrating! LoL. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Unfortunately, I know exactly what you are talking about. My dogs have been treated 3 or 4 times for giardia. Our vet recommended not only pre and probiotics and digestive enzymes. He also suggested supplements to heal their intestines such as DGL, marshmallow root and plantain. I didn’t have a clue what they were. Lol! After research, I found that dogaware dot com has a great section on digestive orders with supplements that contained some of these. I’ve used Gastriplex by Thorne, Vetri-Probiotic BD, and Phytomucil by Animal Essentials with success. Also, make sure to get the dog retested because it often takes more than one treatment to get completely rid of it. Good luck. And, oh yes, of course, check with your vet first.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, I just use an average of about 400 calories a can. You are right they can vary by a lot.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Amanda-
I feed my dogs by calories. So when adding canned to their meals I feed less of the dry by whatever number of canned calories I am feeding. I usually add a little warm water as well. They love it and is very healthy for them. However they are a lab mix and they love everything!

[crazy4cats]

Yes, a fountain is a great idea. Cats love moving water! Mine often drink right out of the bathroom sink faucet if I just turn it to a low slow drip. Yes, they are pampered kitties for sure. Lol!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nancy-
I’m really sorry about your situation. I have had the same experience. Only we got two puppies too young with giardia. I’m surprised that they prescribed Albon. Typically it is metronidazole and panacur. Just to let you know, you can get those meds so much cheaper online or at a Costco or Fred Meyer pharmacy. You do not need a prescription for the panacur. Anyway, my pups were given Albon when they had coccidia. Yes, they have had them both. I’m still crossing my fingers at two years old that they don’t get it back. Feed them as much high fiber whole foods as possible. Some of the holistic remedies that were recommended were pumpkin seeds and garlic. I’d be careful on how much you give to such a young pup though. And yes, I do think the panacur is necessary to rid the buggers. I would even give them an extra day or two of it than what the regular recommended duration is. Also probiotics are really important also, especially enterococcus faecium. Oh my gosh, good luck and let us know how it goes. I’m with you on being too old for the puppy thing ever again! Lol!

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
In my opinion, catinfo dot org is a great site that addresses this issue. The most important thing you can do for this is to add as much moisture to the cats diet as possible. I give my 4 cats about 3 oz of canned food each everyday. Along with that, I feed a little bit of Wellness core, Earthborn Primitive or Taste of the wild dry food. The author of the site mentioned above does not recommend any dry food at all to maintain urinary health, however. but, that gets pretty expensive. Good luck, I know they can be picky.

[crazy4cats]

I use Kirkland cuts in gravy regularly and I consider it chunky. I also used Merrick’s Brauts-n-tots the other day, and I thought it was pretty chunky as well. Both mix well with kibble.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Mhotz34-
Have you taken a stool sample in to vet to be tested for parasites? Unfortunately Giardia and Coccidia are fairly common for puppies.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Molzy-
Unfortunately, I do not have any advise for you. But, I’m really hoping that you find a solution. This dog is so lucky that your family rescued him. A lot of families probably would have returned him by now. I have no doubt that you will be successful at getting him better. I’m wishing you the best!

[crazy4cats]

There is a review for this food. It has been given 4 stars. I use this canned food as a topper for my dogs rotating with Kirkland cuts in Gravy, Pure Balance (also found at Walmart), and By Nature canned foods. Variety is probably my least favorite due to its gummy consistency, but as stated, the price is right with above average ingredients.

[crazy4cats]

Hi BluesMom-

I have battled that darn parasite too. I also have a couple of dogs making it tougher to stay on top of the poop. You didn’t mention the dewormer Panacur in your post. Have you tried using Panacur or Drontal Plus to get rid of them? A few of the regulars on this site also recommend using fresh garlic and/or pumpking seeds as well.

I’d be interested if anyone has any ideas on how to treat the entire yard as well.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Patty-
When you buy probiotics that are in a capsule, do you open them up and sprinkle on food? Or is it ok to just give them in the capsule. I’m just wondering if they would still get the benefits if you don’t open up and sprinkle as I’m trying to make it easier for when other people feed them. Thank you:)

[crazy4cats]

Hello-
My sister’s lab was recently diagnosed with a thyroid issue. He is only about 4 years old, but he was becoming lethargic and gaining weight. She fed him less and less, but he didn’t seem to lose any weight or have anymore energy. She also noticed his hair was getting thinner and thinner. One morning all the hair on his snout was gone! I told her that his eyes look funny too. She finally took him to vet and they did a blood test that showed his thyroid levels were off. She started him on medication and you could notice a difference in his activity level in about three days. He’s lost weight, his hair is slowly coming back and his eyes are not buldgy anymore. He’ll have to be on it forever, but she says its not too expensive. The vet did not make any recommendations on any type of supplement or food. I’ve tried to talk to her about feeding something better, but she doesn’t seem too interested. But, anyway, the point being, if it is a thyroid issue, the medication works very well. He’s doing great!

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
I checked out the probiotic that HDM recommended at Swanson’s. Wow, what a great price! However, I notice that it does not contain enterococcus faecium. On the dogaware site, it states that this is an important strain for dogs. But looks like the human supplements do not include it. Does anyone think that this is an issue? Are they still as helpful for dogs without it?

[crazy4cats]

Did the vet do a fecal test? Puppies often have parasites or worms that can cause digestive upset.

[crazy4cats]

I was under the impression that enterococcus faecium was very beneficial to dogs. According to the dogaware website, it is a strain native to dogs and is recommended to help with diarrhea or IBS. I always try to find probiotics that contain it for my dogs. Is there something else I should know?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Patty-
Perfect form contains: Papaya leaf, plantain, slippery elm, pumpkin seed, pectin, papain and fennel. I guess I feel like they may get dependent on the “concoction” I am mixing with food. But, it is working so far so I guess I’ll continue indefinitely. When I take them on a walk or to a dog park, I think their stools are still lose because they get so excited. Hopefully that will diminish too as they get older.

[crazy4cats]

I have had the same problem with my pups with the intermittent loose stools. Recently, I made my own fruitable concoction. I mixed pure pumpkin with a little organic no sugar added applesauce and then added Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form herbal supplement to it. Mixed it all up and add a heaping table spoon to each of their meals. It has made a huge difference in their stools. They still are a little loose when out on a walk though. Like I read from another poster recently on a different thread, it can be very embarrassing and hard to clean up with one of those doggie bags. Yuck! I’m wondering if its ok to keep adding to their food for long term? Any opinions? I did buy some DE the other day and plan to incorporate into their food. Just a little nervous about it. I had never heard of it before. Of course, I had never fed pumpkin or raw bones before I started checking out this website either. Lol!

[crazy4cats]

I found that there is a lot of good information and recommendations about supplements including probiotics on dogaware dot com.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
I use the Kirkland Cuts in Gravy canned food. It is very easy to mix, but it still has pretty big chunks of meat and vegetables in it. It is rated a 5 star food on this website. Best of all it comes out to be only about 80 cents a can. The only thing is you can only buy it at Costco and you have to buy it by the case (24 cans). Canned food is so expensive. I don’t like to buy it too soupy. It makes me feel like I am paying a lot for broth. I figure I could always add a little water to make it easier to mix.

[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, I hope Moose brings up something soon. I totally know what it feels like waiting and worrying. One of mine also swallowed a glove. My previous dog would occasionally chew things up, especially when young. But, I think my two now will try to eat and swallow anything! I try and keep them occupied with an occasional bully stick in a vice grip and also raw marrow bones. However, I do worry about chipped teeth with the raw bones, but so far so good.

Good Luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Patty-
It’s amazing, isn’t it? I’m sure my dogs would have tried. I was very surprised at what my pups tried to swallow when I brought them home. I knew they would try to chew everything, but I didn’t realize they would actually swallow things whole! Fortunately, they passed everything they swallowed out of one end or the other. One of them mostly threw things up and the other again, fortunately, had their items pass all the way through. I had a lot of anxiety those days and still have some even though we’ve learned to close all doors and keep most things picked up. It’s pretty difficult, though, when I have one teenage boy still at home.

I still don’t trust the dogs with a bully stick. They get one about once a week and my husband tightly grips them tightly in the grips. So far they have not got them out of the grips and we keep an eye on them.

One of my friends has a Burmese Mountain dog. (Not sure of the spelling). Her dog ate her daughter’s whole nursing bra while she was staying with mom and dad because her husband was deployed over seas. Needless to say, he ended up in surgery and has part of his intestines removed. My oh my, what we do for our dogs!

So, I do highly recommend the vise grips to anyone concerned about their dogs swallowing instead of chewing their treats or whatever it may be that fits in the grips. Skinny treats are hard to grip. But, you do still have to keep an eye on them, of course.

[crazy4cats]

Hi All-
I was the one who recommended using vise grips a while back. I have two 80 lb. lab mix puppies who are big time gulpers. They are coming up on two years old in July so they are improving a little bit. When we first got them they not only chewed every thing in sight they also swallowed it. Actually there was little chewing, just swallowing. One of them has actually pooped out three or four socks. They can’t really have any toys or dog beds for fear they might swallow and get an obstruction. Same thing with chewy treats such as bully sticks. So, anyway, I read somewhere about using vise grips with chew treats in order to stop dogs from swallowing their treats whole before they chew them up. And I have to tell you, they work great. We have been using them with mostly bully sticks for about a year and no broken teeth and no bully stick obstruction. We just take them away from them when it gets down to the nub and then give them that last little piece. Believe me they want it too! You would think we never feed them when it comes to food and snacks. 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Thank you for your reply. That is what I was hoping to hear. I do purchase probiotics and enzymes fairly regularly. My family has been supportive of my new dog food obsession. Lol! It’s funny with our previous dog, we pretty much fed the same kibble forever. We had a big gulp cup from 7-11 in it. And just filled his bowl twice a day. Now I have two bags of kibble, kept in original bags, inside tubs with lids. I have directions above tubs hanging on walls, with details on exactly how much to feed each dog at each feeding with the measuring cups I have in the bags. Just in case I’m not home and my husband or one of my kids is here to feed them. Again, thank you and I won’t worry about using the Kirkland cuts and gravy for too long as long as we are rotating kibble and using digestive supplements occasionally.

[crazy4cats]

Hi HDM-
Wow! That is a lot of info. Thanks. So I guess you think it is important to rotate protein sources. LOL! I wonder ow how often. I am feeding the boys Nutrisource grain free lamb right now. I also top with Kirkland cuts and gravy canned. Sometimes I use other canned as well if I see on sale. I was planning on feeding for 3 or 4 months, but worried that feeding red meat for that long wouldn’t be healthy. This food does not have an extremely high protein percentage so maybe ok? I thought it seemed like a good food for the price. If humans ate lamb for 3 or 4 months, our cholesterol levels would probably sky rocket.

[crazy4cats]

Hi-
I also was going to ask if you have had a fecal test for giardia. My pups had runny stools when I first got them. They also were eating their stools. Very gross! I kept thinking was caused by food and switched a few times and did not help. Their poop was a weird color, however. Often green or yellowish. Turns out they had giardia after a fecal test. They had to have 3 or 4 rounds of metronidazole and panacure to get rid of it. Tough to get rid of with two of them. After so many rounds of meds it took a while to get their stools back to normal again consistently. I used vetri-probiotics bowel defense for dogs. It contains a prebiotic, probiotics, enzymes and ingredients for diarrhea. My vet also recommended DGL plus to soothe their digestive tract. I found helpful supplements on Thorne supplements website, healthy pets site and Amazon’s site as well. Also many helpful tips on this site, such as adding pumpkin and healthier foods for them. I regret to say that I had never read an ingredient label with previous pets. Now I’m obsessed with it lol! One more site that has much info for digestive issues is dogaware.com. Good luck! I know it is frustrating and stressful.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Hound Dog Mom-

I am going to start putting some water on their dry kibble then. I often add some canned or left overs, but will still add water. Thanks once more for your advise.

[crazy4cats]

Hi- I like http://www.catinfo.org. She does not rate dry food, but has a canned food chart that includes fat, protein, carbs and phosphorus levels in several different brands. I feel there is a lot of valuable information on this site. Good luck!

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