[Dog_Obsessed]

I always find the topic of vegetarian/vegan fed dogs interesting, as I am vegetarian, (not vegan) but would never have a dog be vegan unless it was an extreme medical situation for the dog. If that was the case, I would try to do a home-cooked, balanced, vegetarian/vegan diet with guidance from a nutritionist. I am against vegetarian/vegan diets for dogs due to belief reasons, and I don’t think cats should be vegetarian/vegan under any circumstances.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I have never heard of or used this treatment, but on a whole, alcohol is horrible for dogs and should be avoided at all costs. The link in your post gave me a 404 error, so I searched on the topic and found this article: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2014/03/does-guinness-beer-kill-heartworms/
As it states, “The amount of beer recommended for the heartworm treatment is minimal, so the risk of toxicity or alcohol poisoning is slim, but obviously should be taken into consideration. But if the risk is there, why try it all?”
The article then says, “Well, health risks come with any treatment. Ivermectin, the main ingredient in most heartworm medications, is itself a poison – an anthelmintic.”

I agree with both of these statements, but since Ivermenctin has been tested and found to be safe in most dogs, (though problems can still occur) I would definitely think of that as the safer choice for heartworm prevention. As LM said, I would never use any sort of homeopathic treatment without consulting a homeopathic vet.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Hi James,
Congrats on your new puppy! I don’t think you need to switch to a lower protein food. The myth of high protein causing kidney disease in dogs has been disproven, and high protein should not be a problem in puppies, with the exception of large breed puppies, who have special requirements. Wellness Core is a great food, however no food is absolutely perfect. For this reason, me and many other “regulars” on DFA support rotational feeding. Learn more about that here: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

Remember to always transition slowly between foods. Adding a digestive enzyme or probiotic can help if your dog has a sensitive stomach. Also, until she is around 6 months old, make sure all of the foods you are feeding are listed as “puppy” or “all life stages.” Good luck!

Edit: Just saw the part about her not liking her food as much. Rotation could help with this, if she is getting bored of the same stuff. Also, adding a small amount of wet food, or even water with some dogs, can help make the food more palatable.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

There’s one “your speed” meter near me that always thinks the speed limit is 10 mph less than it actually is, so it’s always flash “slow down” at people going way under the speed limit. 😛

[Dog_Obsessed]

I can haz join? 😀 Then again, we’ve been having pretty nice weather too so…

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Aw, she’s so cute! 😀

[Dog_Obsessed]

Go to gravatar.com and set up an account, then add the picture. It sounds hard, but shouldn’t take too long.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I don’t think they are, because they don’t seem to be bragging about it on their website. I would definitely support the homemade treats, if those are the things you’re going for.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Here are the ingredients I see online for liver flavored Charlie Bear treats: Wheat flour, liver (poultry liver preserved naturally with vitamin E), salt (2 tablespoons per 100 pounds), garlic powder

Not horrible, and it is nice that they are low-calorie, but they’re certainly not grain-free. Do they make a variety that is?

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’ve been getting the emails from this thread. It started a new email thread though. I freaked out when I saw I had gotten 23 emails in the last 3 hours, then I realized they were all from this thread. 😛

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

The store I get most of my dog food/supplies at what is kind of a local chain. They have stores all throughout California, but they do have much more knowledgeable staff than Petsmart or Petco, and are also selective about which foods they carry. All of the staff that I’ve interacted with there are extremely friendly, and they usually give good, honest, advice too. There are only two pieces of advice that they give that drive my crazy: “Stick with one food” and, for some of them, “choke chains are good.” The second one isn’t all the staff, just some of them, and I think an associate did once mention to me that she did rotational feeding, but those are the two things I’ve heard that I really have any problem with. They always seem to recommend meat-based, high-protien, foods and don’t carry most low-quality brands. So, the store is kind of a mix between a big box store and a boutique store.

One thing that I always like to see in pet store staff is inquiring about the person’s specific case, instead of giving the same advice in all situations. Not only will the advice be better, but the customer will feel more valued.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Aw, I’m sorry Boone wasn’t feeling well! I’m glad he is better know, and I hope he continues to do well!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’m sorry her liver/kidney results were high. 🙁 It is definitely a hard decision, whether to do the dental or not. I guess if you wanted to you could try to get an opinion from another vet, though you likely would have to pay for an extra appointment. Do you know anyone else who is or knows a vet that would look at her results and give you their opinion? Hang in there! 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

^^^
What she said.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I assume you are talking about the dental treats? Here are the ingredients I found:

Potato flour, rice flour, glycerine, water, natural flavor, gelatin, canola oil, titanium dioxide (color), monoglycerides of edible fatty acids, flaxseed oil, citric acid, magnesium stearate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate

Not horrible, but not great either. I’m not a fan of the ingredient glycerine, (more info here) but other than that they look okay. There isn’t much nutritionally redeeming about them though.

Since they are a edible chew, a dog could potentially swallow a large piece. It is important to know your dog’s chewing style and always supervise when giving chews. Occasionally, less digestible chews can cause digestive upset or an intestinal blockage. I don’t know about the digestibility of these, but that is something to be aware of.

It says on their website that all ingredients come from North America. There can be loopholes in these claims, but it is a good place to start.

On a final note, these treats look pretty high-calorie, at 89.5 calories for a small and 179 calories for a large. They wouldn’t be something I would recommend feeding daily.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Akari and I have both explained her choice in feeding this food. Yes, many Veterinary Diets are junk, but this one is slightly better and has helped Ginger enormously. Due to the fact that she was eating Royal Canin for the first ~14 years of her life, she was having trouble tolerating a high-quality food. Please try to be respectful of her decision, even if you do not agree with it.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yay! That’s great! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that all goes well for the blood work and surgery!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Huh?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yeah, it’s really ridiculous. Artificial coloring does absolutely nothing for a food besides making it look good to (human) consumers. Most high-quality brands do not contain it, however.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I have never heard of red dye in dog food causing skin issues, but it is certainly possible. Beneful, or anything by Purina, is not a high quality food. Most high-quality, 3-5 star DFA rated foods do not contain artificial coloring, it is only the low-quality brands.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yay! Someone finally made a dog toy topic! 😀 Anyway, Lily has waaay too many toys. A toy for me is a toy for her, so I tend to be pretty generous in my toy-buying. She has a Busy Buddy Barnacle that she gets her kibble from, that she loves rolling around the room. She has a few other treat despising toys, all made of rubber, and a bunch of soft squeaky ones. There is also a old water bottle that I put in a sock that I give to her for supervised play, which she loves. We have some softer Nylabones, which she will occasionally chew. The only kind of toy she doesn’t like are treat-despencing toys that are plastic, or wobble a bit towards her. We tried the Kong Wobbler, (which we donated) and the IQ Treat Ball (that’s going back to the pet store.) I think she is scared of the bobbling motion and the sound the plastic makes, so we’ll stick with rubber and cloth toys for now.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If you shop at Walmart, Pure Balance is a a 4 star rated, budget-friendly dry food. Remember to transition slowly to whatever you pick.

[Dog_Obsessed]

@aquariangt You’re a dog trainer? Cool! I don’t think I knew that before! Anyway, the exercise that we started on Sunday is similar to counterconditioning, only it has a bit of a twist. It is called a U-turn, and this is how it works. I will walk with Lily, and as soon as we get in view of a dog (Or at random times right now for practice), I say “Lily, let’s go!” in an enthusiastic voice. She turns around and looks at me, and then we walk backwards a few steps. I then ask for a behavior, like sit, and praise her for a few seconds, then give a treat. We can do easier (no sit or wait) or harder (harder behaviors, longer wait) depending on the level of distraction.

[Dog_Obsessed]

It would probably be okay to give high-value treats in slightly larger amounts once and a while, though take into consideration overall calories. On Sunday, we were using Bixbi Pork Jerky and breaking it up into teeny tiny pieces, and that was plenty motivating enough for Lily. Yes, I did violate the “no jerky” rule, because what she can eat on the elimination diet is very limited. Bixbi is basically built around the cardinal value of being american made and sourced.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Yup, you got it right! I like to use high-value treats when training new commands, and low-value treats when reinforcing them. We also met with a trainer on Sunday to work on Lily’s dog reactivity, and we are using high-value treats when practicing the exercises, even without dogs present.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks! Yup, we’re switching off of Nulo.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lily has been having 1/4 of her kibble replaced by Acana Singles Pork and Butternut Squash, which is the chosen food for the first step of her elimination diet. She has been doing well on it, I want to bump it up to 1/2 tonight.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lol, the marking isn’t just with male dogs. Lily likes to pee on everything on walks, and the foster I’ve had that marked the most was a 12 year old female spayed chi mix. 😛 I only fostered two male dogs though, and one of them was a puppy.

[Dog_Obsessed]

You totally should… 😛

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Whether to feed one or two times a day can really depend on the dog, but I would say two is good for most dogs. If your dog doesn’t like to eat at one meal, then your could consider switching to once a day. Feeding three times per day is usually not recommended, because it is good for dogs’ digestive systems to have a break.

Also, I wouldn’t recommend feeding anything by Blue Buffalo right now. They have been having some quality control/labeling issues lately.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I had a foster who did this once and it drove me crazy! Lily is generally pretty good about peeing quickly in the backyard, or pooping if she needs to go. She doesn’t always go in the same spot, but it doesn’t take her that long. Pooping on walks is a different story. There have been times were I have been positive she has to poop, and then I walk her for 20 minutes and she doesn’t go. Anyway, I do think it’s a normal dog thing, if a bit of a pain in the but. 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

My first thought when I saw the pics was “sushi” lol. 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay, that makes sense. As long as the chain doesn’t tighten it shouldn’t hurt her. having a dog that always walks next to me seems surreal to me. 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

@Akari Wait, she’s more sensitive to a collar than a choke chain?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Okay, cool. I normally wouldn’t feed a Diamond food, but there are certain situations where it is just what works.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Wow…Nice job!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Whoa, how did you post long things on DFA with a smartphone? Or did you go somewhere else?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Technology is a blessing and a curse… 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Most vets have no or very minimal nutrition training. I don’t know whether or not they get kickbacks or not, but it’s certainly possible. In my opinion, for your case, if the other food is working, there is no reason to try the crap food. You can just politely explain that what you are doing seems to be working, and so you are not inclined to try the vet diet. By the way, what is she eating now?

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lily will often sneeze several times in a row, especially when she is exited, but since these sneezes are actually productive, I would agree that getting her checked out is a good idea. Hope everything is okay!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’m not a big dog show fan, so I’m not going to watch it, but I’ll probably glance at the results tomorrow.

[Dog_Obsessed]

@Oleanderz Lily is a Bichon Frise according to her previous owner. In that picture she was rolling over for a belly rub, and she is in that same position now. 😀 I call her a sort-of rescue. The person who used to walk our foster dogs was leaving the country for a few months, and wasn’t sure if she was coming back to California or what her situation would be when she came back, and so she asked if we wanted her dog. At first I wasn’t sure, because I really wanted to keep fostering, but there was no way I could turn down a dog in need of a home. She was almost three when I got her, so I assume she is about three and a half now.

In terms of dog parks, I don’t take her to dog parks in the traditional sense. She is dog reactive on leash with unfamiliar dogs, and even though I think she would be okay off leash, I don’t want to risk it. There is an elementary school that is walking distance from our house that has a big, mostly fenced, grassy area. I will occasionally let her off-leash there if there are no other dogs around, I keep her close by and leash her if any dogs or other people come. (She is great with people, just very enthusiastic which not everyone likes.) I’m not sure if it is technically allowed or not, but they don’t bust people for it in that area, and there are a lot of owners that let tree dogs off-leash there and just leash when other dogs come by like we do.

The Weruva is not in her normal rotation. While the cans are not that much more expensive than other quality brands at my local store, they are much lower calorie for some reason so I would have to feed a lot more. It would make a great birthday treat though. 😀

[Dog_Obsessed]

I always joke with my family and friends that Lily is a very “deprived puppy,” because she doesn’t get the turkey sandwhich that she oh-so-sweetly requests each day at noon. 😀 I don’t really know if I spoil her or not, though I do have the constant urge to keep buying her new toys. Basically, a new toy for her is a new toy for me. 🙂 I enjoy “online window shopping” for dog stuff, which means adding all sorts of random fun stuff to my cart that I really don’t need. I usually end up getting her at least on treat/toy per order lol. I don’t know when her actual birthday is, I assume it is sometime around September or October. Her gotcha day is August 13th, 2014, which I will definitely celebrate! I’ll probably feed her a meal of Weruva canned food or something, and then let her run zoomies at the park!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’m glad she is still mostly doing well! As long as she is still having more good days than bad, she is probably having a fairly decent quality of life. 😀 Thank you (again) so much for taking in this deserving senior dog!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Hi mountainhound,
While I am not usually in favor of feeding prescription foods, I completely support Akari’s decision to do so. Since Ginger was on low-quality food for most of her life, tolerating a high-quality food was extremely hard for her, and gave her frequent bouts of loose stools. The prescription food, while better than many prescription foods, she is able to tolerate. It has also helped her joints tremendously, though I know this is not the case for all dogs. While raw food can be a great thing for some dogs, it is not the right thing for all dogs in all situations.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks Kate! Lily is on an elimination diet for allergies right now, and so I probably won’t be using the base mixes in the near future, since it’s hard to buy and prepare unique meat at the store. It may be useful in the later stages of the elimination diet, because I can use it see if she is allergic to a certain protein without playing with the other ingredients too. Thanks!

[Dog_Obsessed]

I found a venison-based food called Pioneer Naturals that seems pretty good: http://www.chewy.com/dog/pioneer-naturals-grain-free-venison/dp/109475

I looked on the review page, and a few years back there were a few people who had issues with hair in the food, is that something I should be concerned about? Any other thoughts on this food? Thanks!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lol ya. I’m also a vegetarian, so I would rather not eat it anyway, except maybe in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Those things generally tend to change normal ways of life. 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

Just a funny thing I noticed on your last sentence, THK is actually human-grade, sooo… 😀 lol

[Dog_Obsessed]

Unless he has stomach problems from frequent food changes, it shouldn’t be a problem. The more, the better in my opinion! 😀 You can also add digestive enzymes/probiotics to help with transitions or stomach upset. One thing though, if he is a large breed puppy, then all of the foods on the rotation should be suitable for LBPs. Here is some more information about that, there is a list of foods on page 15: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

I’m not sure if he qualifies as a large breed puppy or not though. What is his expected adult weight?

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