[dendad]

Thank you Patricia. I know it wasn’t a laughing matter, but I got a chuckle out of your gold fish story. Thanks for that.

[dendad]

Thank you Patricia. Are Stella and Chewy’s treats or dog food? The pumpkin supplement I mentioned in my post are Glandex treats. For their weight, I’m supposed to only give a half treat. Maybe a whole one? They’re expensive, but if they’d work I wouldn’t mind. The expressions at the Vet are killing me. Anywhere from $35 to $40 each time. Dog groomers usually don’t charge for that, but we don’t take them to groomers.

[dendad]

Chipy,

Thank you so much for your reply and helpful information. I truly appreciate you taking the time to offer such good advice.

Bill

[dendad]

Thank you anon101.

[dendad]

I’m still at a loss as to what food to buy for my dogs. Lately, they’ve been turning their nose up to FreshPet, so this would be a good time to switch to something that won’t kill them. I was hoping for a recommendation, maybe even a specific brand to buy. Is this possible? I hope so.

[dendad]

Can someone translate the above two posts?

[dendad]

Thanks to all of you who took the time to respond. This information is all very confusing, but, hopefully I can boil it down to what’s best for my dogs. I’d do anything to keep them around longer and I can’t think of anything worse than losing one of my babies because of something I did or didn’t do.

Thanks again. You’re the best!

[dendad]

More about Science Diet and why I’m glad I found out about it before getting more dogs.

/dog-food-recall/hills-science-diet-dog-food-market-withdrawal-november-2015/

[dendad]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and helpful advice. I have a feeling that most of you know how helpless you can feel when your pet is suffering in some way and you can’t figure out how to fix it. These little souls depend on you to do what’s best for them and when you can’t help them, you feel you’ve failed them. Thanks again for paying attention to my problem. Pepper thanks you too.

[dendad]

Update. This is definitely one for the books. My little girl eats her food just fine in the morning if it’s on a Corelle flat saucer. She’s okay with the bowls in the evening, but not in the morning. I think we need to go visit Dr. Phil!

[dendad]

Oops! I really didn’t mean to overlook cat people. I’ve had cats too. Love um! Let’s just say “animal people” to cover all bases. Thanks for your good wishes.

[dendad]

Thanks to all for your advise and input. This has really been a challenge and I appreciate your concern and willingness to come up with a solution. To address a few points mentioned in your kind replies:

Tonight, I fed her on a flat plate, with food that had been warmed with hot water. She ate most of it, but usually does in the evening. Tomorrow morning will be the real test.

As for feeding her later in the day, If I feed her later in the morning, she gets so hungry, she pukes up water. She actually wakes me up at 4:00 a.m. because she’s hungry. If I wait till 5:00 a.m. she hurls. I believe Chihuahua dogs have to eat more often than bigger dogs. When I first got a Chihuahua, my research and my Vet told me the number of meals your Chihuahua should have depends on his age. Dogs younger than 3 months should eat four times each day, while those between 3 and 6 months old should have three meals a day You can switch to two meals a day when your pup is around 6 months old.

As mentioned earlier, we switched to Corelle bowls because, according to my research, they are the safest dishes around. They are tempered glass, so when washed in the dishwasher, there is no fear of bacteria in pores, because there are no pores. They are microwave safe with zero BPA and lead. I also use large Corelle bowls for their water. I wash them in the dishwasher as well.

As for the health effects of microwave cooking, I’ve been eating food from a microwave for over 40 years. I’m 69 and have never had surgery or any major illness. Maybe I’m just lucky, but don’t take away my microwave bacon!

Thanks again for all your comments. I’m convinced that all “dog people” are good people.

[dendad]

Good thoughts but as I said Im very careful about that. I mix it by hand. Further this wouldn’t explain why it just happens in the morning. The same bowls are used at both Feedings. The warm water is s good idea though.

[dendad]

Thanks for your post. The bowls are all white. I’ll try the flat plate idea but the bowls don’t bother her for the evening meal at all.

[dendad]

The thing is, the Science Diet your buying now isn’t the same as it was when you started using it. Like you, I used Science Diet for all my dogs for many, many years. Dog food companies change their formulas for various reasons, mostly economical reasons. Science Diet changed their formula several times over the years that I used it. I fed my dogs twice a day, so it was very easy to tell when the food looked and smelled different. You can see some info on one of these changes here:

/dog-food-news/hills-science-diet-new-recipes/

Be sure to read the entire article, including the updates.

I truly hope your dog’s “replacement” does fine with Science Diet. For me, I’ve learned my lesson and am still grieving the loss of my best friend.

[dendad]

Thank you Pattyvaughn.

[dendad]

I think I’m going to try Merrick puppy food. Still, if anyone out there can recommend portion size for a puppy 2 lbs., 6 oz., I’d appreciate it. The recommendations on the can are something like 3/4 of a can per day for a 3 lb. puppy. That’s way too much, in my opinion.

[dendad]

Thank you so much Hound Dog Mom!

[dendad]

Thank you Mah4angel. I wished my little one liked dry food for many reasons, but she just spits it out. Even the small bites versions. My next attempt at finding a five star food she will eat is Freshpet. Wish me luck!

[dendad]

Thank you. I don’t see Hi Tek in the review list here in anything but dry. Do you know if it comes wet? Thanks again.

[dendad]

mah4angel, thank you so much for taking the time to reply with such great information. And thanks for your condolences. I’m still having trouble dealing with losing my little buddy, but I’ve been through this so many times in my life I know it will get easier. If dogs go to heaven, I’m going to have a great reunion with about 25 babies someday. You’ve given me a lot to think about and I’m so grateful for nice people like you. If you’d care to share your recipe for homemade dog food I’d love it.

[dendad]

No I haven’t considered raw. I guess it sounded unhealthy to me, but it looks like I have nothing to worry about. Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

[dendad]

Update: My little Chihuahua continues to eat only Science Diet. It’s all she wants. I still believe that my late Dachshund’s problems may have been caused by Science Diet, but if my Chihuahua won’t eat anything else, what am I to do? I spent a bunch of money on various flavors of Merrick after reading about that brand on this forum. She hated it. Duck, Chicken, Pork, Beef, etc. She’d try. She’d put a bite in her mouth, walk across the room, then spit it out. Yes, I just gave her a little at a time along with the Science Diet, but to no avail. I also gave up on the making my own dog food. Too many risks there too. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d appreciate it. I really can’t afford to experiment much longer. I thought I’d try her on Bil-Jac? Thanks.

[dendad]

Silly question…why not make my own dog food? I’m retired, have the time and don’t care how much it costs. Go for it?

[dendad]

DieselJunki, you apparently are a lot smarter than I. I’m 68 years old and have had many, many dogs. Some have lived to be as old as 19! Guess I was just lucky, or dog food has changed over the years. Anyway, thanks for the tips. I’ll try to digest it all and come up with a solution for my little girl. She’ll be the last one I have and I have already willed her to my grandson, so I want her to be strong and healthy like he is. Thanks again.

[dendad]

Sorry if the above post brought anyone “down”. I’m still grieving I guess, so I should stay away from the computer. Last night was the hardest. My five-year-old grandson wanted me to explain why my dog was gone. Tough one indeed. He asked me if I was going to Heaven too. I quickly changed the subject and he forgot about it (Thank God). Again, sorry to be such a sap. I would appreciate some advice for what to buy to feed my two-year-old Chihuahua. Thanks.

[dendad]

The two dogs I lost were Dachshunds. One smooth hair and one wirehair. Both miniature. The one left is a two year old Chihuahua female. I got her at a shelter. I think she was abused for she is very timid around strangers and afraid of any dogs. She loved the dog I just lost. Her health is great. She may have teeth problems later according to my Vet. She is a sweetheart. Budget is not an issue. I would feed her better than myself if it meant I wouldn’t lose another baby.

[dendad]

Unfortunately, I’m still feeding her Science Diet because I haven’t had time to get the research done (wrecked my car right before my baby died, so I’m without transportation too). I don’t want to change her to a new food until I know for sure it’s the right thing. I’m so grateful for this site. It has given me the info I need to decide on a new food. I’m leaning towards Blue Buffalo, but need to look into it further. I certainly will take Science Diet out of our lives at the earliest opportunity, possibly tomorrow if at all possible. A friend is going to take me to buy whatever food I decide on.

Thanks for asking. At present, I’m open to any suggestions. I have begged my wife not to get another dog. My little dog misses “Stretch” as much as we do, but I don’t want to go through this but one more time.

[dendad]

I’m so sorry about your loss. I have lost two dogs this year due to “unknown” causes. My last baby died just a week ago. The Vet ran him through all kinds of tests, but threw up her hands and said she just didn’t know what was wrong. It was related to his digestion system somehow (diarrhea and vomiting). They have both eaten Science Diet their entire lives (12 and 13 years old). Recently, Science Diet changed the formula on their dry (light) food. It was very yellow, which concerned me. I contacted Hills and got a “That’s your problem” type answer. Both my babies were fine until they changed the formula. Of course, now I feel extremely guilty for not changing food immediately, but I’ve always had trouble when I change my dog’s food, even though I’ve done it gradually. I have one more baby left. She’s two. I am so glad I found this site because I’m going to research the food topics very closely and warn as many people as I can about Science Diet. I can’t prove it, but I have a gut feeling, Science Diet killed both my dogs.

[Author]

Posts