[Dog_Obsessed]

Lol! Auto correct seriously annoys me sometimes but I would be lost without it. While typing that one sentence, I used spell check on one word and autocorrect on another. I am a horrible speller.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks for the replies! It is probably time to toss the moist treats, because I have had them a while. They have citric acid, sorbic acid, and mixed tocopherols listed as preservatives.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I found the penny samples on Entirelypets, thanks! I think I’ll keep playing with food eliminations for the next few months, and just see if chicken seems to be an issue. Again thanks for everyone’s replies!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks everyone! Two more things I am wondering, first of all, how can I get sample bags online? I tried searching them on chewy and petflow, but I did not get anything relevant. Also, I was told by one of the pet store employees I should avoid chicken for Lily because she might have allergies. The Lotus dog food I bought does not have chicken, so if it helps then maybe that is the problem. I also heave some treats that have chicken though. Does anyone know if it is a good idea to avoid it no matter what? Thanks!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks Naturella and Akari! I am looking at those sites, and it looks like there are some good deals.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks Naturella! To give some reference, Wellness CORE is ~$19 per 4lb bag at my local pet store, TOTW is $13 per 5lb, and Lotus small bites is $22 per 4.5lb (but lasts longer because it is high-calorie). I probably wouldn’t buy bigger bags, because it takes Lily 4-6 weeks to finish a small one. The store doesn’t carry some things I would expect it to, such as Orijen. There is an independent feed store about 20 mins away that has Orijen, and some other things too. I sometimes feel uncomfortable buying dog food online, mainly because if it were to be recalled I wouldn’t know if I was affected or not. (I would stop feeding it either way, but it is useful to know.) I am also sometimes worried about shipping/handling, though I don’t think it is usually an issue.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks, I will definitely keep those in mind when recommending food.

[Dog_Obsessed]

This is so sweet…

[Dog_Obsessed]

Hmm. That’s strange. NBC also said he is being isolated: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/bentleys-fate-dallas-nurses-dog-faces-ebola-isolation-n224956

[Dog_Obsessed]

LOL, you jinxed it in just the right way!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I definitely agree that price and quality often have less to do with each other than people think. Diamond brands tend to be cheap in general, so many people feed it for that reason. As aquariangt said though, there are other budget friendly options that are better.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Some good news, the dog of the nurse who contracted Ebola in Dallas,Texas is being allowed to live 😀 http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/ebola-virus-dallas-madrid-spain-kill-euthanize-dog

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks for clarifying. I will get some for Lily once she finishes her Etta Says duck chew. I will probably get the small because of Calorie content and price. I hope Micah feels better soon!

[Dog_Obsessed]

In case anyone (like me!) is wondering about the calorie content for these chews, here’s what I found on Chewy.com:

Small: 3-5 Pieces / 3.5 oz. / 435 Calories / Best for dogs up to 15 lbs.
Medium: 1 Piece / 2.5 oz. / 310 Calories / Best for dogs up to 35 lbs.
Large: 1 Piece / 3.5 oz. / 435 Calories / Best for dogs up to 55 lbs.
Extra Large: 1 Piece / 6.0 oz. / 745 Calories / Best for dogs up to 70 lbs.

I’m pretty sure this is per package. By the way, what’s with 3-5 chews per package for the small ones? If there a 5 in a pack, are they smaller?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Woah! That’s some serious deals you have going! Are the coupons only available online and from purchases, or are there other ways to get them? My local chain has a buy 3 get the 4th free thing, which is super useful with canned food.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I am looking for budget-freindly options to suggest to people. What others do you know of?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Definitely true, about how it is hard to know how much a dog has eaten if they are free-fed. I know someone who has 2 cats, one who is slightly overweight(she is 3) and one who is slightly underweight(she is 18!), and even with scheduled feeding it is hard to keep the younger one from eating the older one’s food. I think that scheduled feeding is best in general, though there may be the occasional situation where it is not practical, such as working long hours. I think if the pet can self-regulate, which is rare, that it can occasionally be used.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Many of the Nulo recipes appear to meet this criteria:
/?s=nulo

Here is a link to one of the Freestyle formulas on chewy.com: http://www.chewy.com/dog/nulo-freestyle-turkey-sweet-potato/dp/104597

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay, that said it sounds like I should stop feeding Diamond entirely. The main reason I would expect someone who lived in a place affected by the recalls and knew about the recalls to keep feeding Diamond brands is the low price. Since I only have one dog, and she is small, I can afford to feed higher-quality kibble, but for people who have multiple dogs, bigger dogs, or limited funds it would be better to feed, say, Diamond Naturals then Beneful. Again, thanks for the input!

[Dog_Obsessed]

These are great references! Lily is not free-fed but was when we got her, before she was spayed(or had her anal glands expressed, not sure which) she did not want to eat in the mornings, and was not accustomed to a schedule. We have since been able to transition her to scheduled feeding times, but the first thing we did was make sure she did not eat more that the amount she was supposed to each day. She often ate less than this. I am wondering: is it detrimental to free-feed if the amount the dog eats is controlled? I am not planning on doing it, just wondering.

[Dog_Obsessed]

It is disappointing that they have no mention of it on their website. Another user posted this article in the comments section of the website, do you know if it is correct? http://www.petmanianc.com/diamond-recall-update/

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay, thanks. Hard to say if I would want to boycott Diamond entirely, almost all their formulas have good ingredients, (the exception is the regular Diamond dog food.) but there are other foods with good ingredients without a huge recall history. I would definitely not buy it online or in a region produced by the SC facility.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks! As I said, the place I live was supposably unaffected by the major 2012 recall. Now that I have some other food that has not been recalled, I can likely take the TOW out of my rotation. As for the wet TOW, it is also owned by Diamond, but does not appear to have been included in the recall and Akari thought it may be manufactured by Simons. Would you recommend avoiding the canned food as well?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks again! I guess I kind of figured, as for breed-specific marketing, that it wasn’t all that useful. The exemption might be large breed puppies, I guess. The canned food does look good though, and while I can’t find that exact formula rated on DFA, it does rate Halo grain-free to be 4.5 stars.

[Dog_Obsessed]

The dog treat advisor sounds awesome, as does that CFA! The app also sounds cool, and could be useful when at a pet store buying food.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I read the download, it was well worth the money! I don’t know if Lily or I is ready for all fresh foods one day of the week, but I like the idea of adding canned sardines. Should I just reduce her kibble to make the calories right, or is this considered an unbalanced topper? Sorry I have so many questions!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. We also sometimes give her canned pumpkin to help with constipation, I guess that has some moisture in it. Halo also makes a grain-free canned food especially meant for small dogs that looks good: http://www.chewy.com/dog/halo-turkey-duck-recipe-grain-free/dp/104906

[Dog_Obsessed]

@DogFoodie Thanks for the input! I will download it on kindle (when it finishes charging). Do you know if I could also mix water with the food? I know this is not recommended for big dogs due to bloat, but what about small ones? It does contain citric acid as a preservative in the soybean oil.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Ah, okay. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I am also wondering about commercial treats, for homemade I like to use bits of raw carrot or apple(no seeds or core), or plain, boiled, chicken. These can be un-ideal because they don’t keep long and need to be refrigerated, so I am also looking for low-cal commercial ones.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yeah, that’s basically what the website said, but I’m glad to get an unbiased opinion. Thanks!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Here are the ingredients to Hills z/d:

Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil, Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Lactic Acid, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement , Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors , Beta-Carotene.

It doesn’t look overly horrible, but it doesn’t look great. I am surprised that it contains chicken and soy, both common food allergens. I might recommend trying your own elimination by buying high-quality dog foods free of certain common allergens and seeing which ones help. I have heard that feeding raw can help with allergies, but I can’t say from experience on that. Hope this is helpful!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks! I wasn’t so much concerned about her eating to much, I was more conceded about wether or not the food actually has 619 calories per scoop. I can’t imagine why they’d lie about that though. Some one in the comments part of DFA that they had to feed their dog way more than it said to keep them from losing weight. I figured I could just start with the amount given, and then increase it if necessary.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks for the feedback! I was also skeptical about Diamond, but I live in a place that was supposably not affected by the 2012 recall, so I thought it was probably okay. Is the canned TOTW also Diamond? I do like Wellness, the Complete Health formulas have grain, but the Core ones don’t. I was a little skeptical about the high Calorie content in the Lotus small bites (smaller kibble), because the same formula of the regular size has almost half the Calories. From what I can tell it’s because more small kibble can fit into a cup.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Never mind, I just saw something on the sites faq saying they don’t contain much lactose.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I completely understand the trouble of trying to get someone to switch foods. When I first got my dog, at the end of the summer, I found this site while trying choose a food. I was also taking an animation class, and I had been talking to the teacher some about dogs. I asked if she had any food recommendations, and she said she liked beneful because it didn’t give her dog gas. I had heard beneful wasn’t the best food, but I decided to look it up on DFA. I saw it was rated 1 star, and I was SHOCKED when I looked at the ingredients. I didn’t know they made food that bad! I didn’t want to bring it up with her though, because I knew it was a sensitive topic and I was trying not to judge anyone, especially since money can be a concern. I really like the strategy of referring people to this site, and I have used it ever since.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I love Jack Russells, I think I relate to them in some way. Also, what kind of milk are the chews made out of? Would they cause indigestion in a lactose intolerant dog? I don’t know if my dog is lactose intolerant, but I have heard that many dogs have some form of it.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yay! Done! The current picture is of Lily pre-grooming, will post a better one soon!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks! I see the site now! Will try to set up an avatar tomorrow.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I once made pumpkin peanut butter dog treats that were a huge hit, but I can’t do it that often because of the time it takes. I’m thinking of making a big batch and freezing part of it.

Why was this topic reported? 🙁

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lol, Angel thinks she’s a big dog!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yeah, I had the same experience with Healthy Edibles by Nylabone. I kept thinking they were chew toys, and being confused when they were gone in minutes. This was before I knew enough to actually look at the ingredients.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay, thanks!

EDIT: Wait, the gravitar site is only showing me ads. Did it get bought out or something?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks! I was referring to the avatar image, the one that shows up on the profile. Is that what gravitar is for?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Cool! Thanks! They also sell “puffs” of them, which is basically the microwaved version. From what I understand these don’t last nearly as long though.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I look for dog treats that have meat as the first ingredient, unless it is a fruit of vegetable treat in which case those should be first. I ideally look of grain-free, though it is not a must. No by-products. Sugar should not be in the first few ingredients, preferably not in there at all. I have also made my own treats, though I can’t do this that often because of time. There are these “Trail Buddy” treats I like, that are all chicken, lamb, or beef. I also just look at the ingredients in general of the treats, and take the info I know about dog food ingredients. Low- Calorie is also nice because I have a small dog. I have been guilty of breaking up treats into tiny pieces for training. 😀

[Dog_Obsessed]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add about calories; since she is a small dog, I have only been giving chews to her for very short periods of time and so she does not eat to much.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’ve been wondering about these. I have been looking for a healthy, safe, edible dog treat for my 10 pound Bichon. I have tried the Smart ‘n Tasty Twizzlies, which she loved but didn’t last very long. I just bought her a duck chew by Etta Says, which she seemed to like but also may not last long. I was a little worried about the Himalayan chews being to hard for her, since she is so small. Would anyone expect that to be an issue? Thanks!

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