[haleycookie]

You’ve fed other dogs raw before right? It’s the same deal but twice the amount per body weight until a year/year and a half. What type of dog is it? With large breed puppies it can be more difficult as you have to make sure you’re giving them the correct calcium phosphorus ratios until atleast 2 years old.

[haleycookie]

There’s no way for any of us to know what a bump on your dogs butt is. If it has recently appeared and quickly appeared, looks red swollen etc, take him to the vet they should be able to look at it and tell what is going on. Good luck.

[haleycookie]

It’s a plant based food with low protein. I wouldn’t feed it personally. It would most likely be rated 3 stars maybe. If you want it reviewed properly on this site go to the bottom to the contact us page and put in a request to have the food reviewed. It might take a bit of time depending on the demand for the review and how fast they can get the review up.

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

It’s fiber and plant matter that causes large poops. The more fiberous ingredients the more your dogs going to poop and the larger the poops are going to be.

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by haleycookie.
• This reply was modified 7 years ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

So the box should have feeding guidelines on it just like the bag of kibble. So let’s say you’re feeding the Turkey honest kitchen food. For a 20 lbs dog with average activity levels it calls for 1/2 acup to 1 cup per day of the dry matter. Then you’d add 3/4 cup of water to 1 and 1/2 cups of water just depending on your dogs preference. There shouldn’t be any reason to wonder if one cup of this will equal one cup of kibble. Just follow the directions on the box of honest kitchen you have for the weight of your dog and there shouldn’t be any problems.

[haleycookie]

Haha anon I take it you’ve never looked at a prescription hydrolyzed diet. They consist of a SINGLE hydrolyzed protein (in Royal Canin it’s soy so not even a meat) this food is limited ingredient, grain free and has a SINGLE hydrolyzed protein. Try again buddy. 😉

[haleycookie]

A vet will likely recommend cosequin. I’ve put many peoples dogs on it who could barely walk anymore and within a couple months of daily cosequin it made a huge difference. That’s probably the only over the counter joint supplement I would recommend.

[haleycookie]

Whole hearted has a hydrolyzed salmon formula. It’s a skin and coat formula. It’s only available at Petco but if you read the reviews on the website there are others who were in the same situation as you and found this to be a great alternative. It is the only hydrolyzed non prescription food I’ve heard of. And it’s reasonably priced.
Ingredients
Peas, pea flour, hydrolyzed salmon, sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, natural salmon flavor, tomato pomace, salmon oil (a source of omega-3 fatty acids), dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, taurine, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus reuteri fermentation product, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid (preservative), vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), , vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

[haleycookie]

How old is this lab? If he’s under 2 years I would get him on a large breed puppy formula ASAP. wellness core puppy, fromm large breed puppy are two good ones. If he’s already full grown looking for a food with three meat ingredients first. Merrick is good, natures variety instinct, and wellness core adult are good.
If you’re looking for a budget food, whole earth farms, under the sun, and wholehearted are two good ones.

[haleycookie]

Most raw feeders I follow don’t feed any chicken. Or if they do it’s chicken wings which are smaller and less thick. I probably wouldn’t feed chicken thigh bones tbh.

[haleycookie]

It’s definelty not a good food. So no I would recommend it. What store did you find it? Is there a website? Are you located in the US? I’m genuinely curious as this food is very different from even the low quality foods I’ve seen here in America.

[haleycookie]

It sounds horrible. I’ve never seen a food like this? Is it a vet type of diet? I wouldn’t feed it personally. But you could be in a different country where they label things differently. But if it’s ordered by amount of each item then not a good food. Also not sure what all that isolate and stuff is.

[haleycookie]

I’m assuming you’re feeding merrick canned food yes? If the bone is soft and mushing yes feed it. It is suppose to be cooked in the can becuase merrick puts whole chicken wings in the can and cooks them.

[haleycookie]

I was attempting to find you a good small breed food because I know how to navigate the site. That’s what the other users are here for. 😉

[haleycookie]

So you’re fine with any toy breed food? I suggested looking through brands because there are better brands than others. And most people want to stick to certain brands. What exactly are you looking for in a small breed food? Some good ones I know of are, Merrick Lil plates, Canidae pure fields, solid gold mighty mini, and natures variety small breed.
The only “toy” breed I can think of off the top of my head is Royal Canin, blue buffalo, and nutro. There won’t be much difference other then maybe a little bit smaller than toy breed. But unless your dog is under 5 lbs and has little to no teeth a small breed food should work.

[haleycookie]

I would just look through brands. The search function doesn’t work exactly the way you’d like unfortunately. Not to mention few brands have actual toy breed foods. I would maybe broaden your search to small breed instead. Most brands will have that. Or all breed foods tend to be smaller pieces as well. But I would just find a few brands you agree with and trust and see if they have a small kibbled food.

[haleycookie]

No, protein levels have nothing to do with large breeds and their growth. Calcium and phosphorus ratios are the thing to be worried about when they are growing puppies, but your dog is also already done growing so you only need an adult dog food. Large breed adult food will only be larger in size usually. Since your dog is already done growing large breed food isn’t as important. But larger pieces of food for large mouths makes more sense to me.
Depending where you are located there are lots of different foods to try. I personally like Canidaes large breed food for all life stages. Any Canidae food is good though. Natures variety, merrick, and Canidae are good options to look at. If you want to stay With something lower priced then look at whole earth farms dog food or under the sun. They are made by merrick and Canidae but they’re value lines so a bit cheaper and still good quality.

[haleycookie]

Lamb is typically higher in fat and lower in protein. Making it fall down in stars because this site rates on protein/fat ratios. There’s also peas in this formula. Tbh almost all dog foods have either potatoes or peas. The only I’ve found that doesn’t is natures logic which uses millet (a grain) as a binder.

[haleycookie]

Maureen, you usually have to contact the company about sodium levels if it isn’t listed on the bag.

[haleycookie]

I’m not a huge fan of natural balance. It’s more carbs than it is anything else. Which I guess would cause weight gain, but I wouldn’t make it her permanent diet. I don’t think any certain food will do a whole lot but I would try natures variety raw boost. It has a nice ratio of carbs to fat to protein, which i think would be better for gaining weight than just loading up the carbs. But whatever you do keep her on a puppy food of some type until she starts filling out. She is still considered a puppy and puppy foods will be high fat and protein for growing muscles.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

You should be able to feel ribs but not see them. Dogs should have an abdominal tuck as well. She’s still young and Golden’s aren’t done growing until around 2 years so she’ll likely start bulking up. But as far as Golden’s are concerned you want them to be as lean as possible. If you can’t feel her ribs she’s fat and a fat Golden is going to end up with a lot of serious health problems later in life. Just feed the recommended amounts and make sure you can’t feel hip bones or see ribs. But you SHOULD be able to feel ribs under a thin layer of fat/muscle, see an abdominal tuck, etc. That is a sign of a healthy dog.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

Natures variety lamb has none of those things. I’m sure there are others as well. But he cautions saliva and fur allergy tests aren’t very accurate. Only an elimination diet can accurately find what your dog is allergic too.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

Dfa rates the protein to fat/carb reported by the bag. Not on ash levels. And even though alfalfa is in the top half of the ingredients it is still a predominantly a meat based food making it a 5 Star food.

[haleycookie]

You usually have to ask the company directly about this. If it doesn’t qualify then wellness core puppy and Fromm large breed puppy are good foods for large breed puppies too.

[haleycookie]

Nulo has been reviewed already. Just type nulo in the above search option and everything will come up.

[haleycookie]

I wouldn’t give a dog any human weight loss supplements. They hardly ever work for humans. Probably wouldn’t work for dogs either. Nothing beats eating healthier (and less) and exercise. That’s the answer.

[haleycookie]

Raw diets should contain the precentages I posted above. Where do you live? Usually if there’s any type of meat market around you butchers are begging ppl to take the less sought after organs. And will typically sell them in bulk for low prices. Same with unwanted meaty bones. If you’re just feeding ground beef right now your dog isn’t getting a lot of vitamins. There should be bones and organs (liver and secreting) added to have full benefits.

[haleycookie]

Purina has owned merrick for about 4 years and there hasn’t been a single change, recipe or bag design wise. In my opinion it is still a quality food.

[haleycookie]

This has been going on for some time now. Probably 6 months since I first heard of it. Blue buffalo was recently bought out my General Mills as well. Not to mention the 4 recalls they had last year alone. Not to mention all the other ones from years prior. This company definitely became all about the money. For the owner to still be thought of as anything but a money hungry person who cares only about how much $$$ hes bringing in a year is just silly in my opinion. Would avoid it at all costs at this point

[haleycookie]

You usually want that last 10% to be raw meaty bones. Feeding whole carcuses is a way to make up for that though I suppose. Just make sure you’re also feeding veggies that will make up for a little bit of that calcium intake.

[haleycookie]

Raw meaty bones, freeze dried treats. You can also find recipes you can make yourself or just dehydrate meat yourself into strips.

[haleycookie]

Would you eat processed foods that have to have artificial vitamin packs added to your foods? Or would you prefer a balanced fresh food diet? Same for dogs. Whether you do a cooked or raw diet there is no competition when comparing the burnt little rocks we call commercial dog food. Granted fresh diets aren’t for everyone as it can be time consuming and if you have a large dog or a lot of dogs it can be expensive. If you shop wisely and make your own meals for small dogs it’s no more expensive then buying a premium kibble.

[haleycookie]

Science diet is really over priced for what it is. If you want a decent quality medium priced food go with whole earth farms, Canidae, under the sun, or whole hearted. If your dog doesn’t have anysensitivities then he will do great on these foods.

[haleycookie]

Ah I see. Yes that’s another thing. Most raw food companies use very cheap fatty cuts of meat. If you can find a commercial raw with higher protein than fat then that’s a good formula to use. Similar with canned foods. If you check those out there will more times than not be high fat content in pate like foods. While shreds and whatnot will be higher protein because it’s harder to hide fatty meats in shredded canned food. But when you buy patties and bites from raw food companies it’s the same texture as a pate canned food and because of the way everything is mashed together it’s easier to hide fat. There for it’s just a way for companies to cheap out.

[haleycookie]

You aren’t missing anything. The fact is kibbles tend to be more carb than anything else. Because it’s incredibly hard to make a kibble without loading it with stuff that holds it together (ie fillers which are usually carbs) so it’s not just a bag of crumbs. As far as raw goes you can usually cut carbs completely out. Most raw feeders follow the 80% meat, 10% organs (5% liver, 5% secreting organs) and 10% raw meaty bones. There are no carbs in that type of diet. But some people also add whole types of veggies or fruits but it shouldn’t make up that much of the diet.

[haleycookie]

If you’re looking for a good grain free food without a recall check out Fromm. They have great grain free options and from my knowledge have never had a recall. It’s a bit hard to find though. Only available on a couple websites online (not available on chewy) and only independent petstores carry it. But usually if you go to a mom and pop and ask if they can order it then will.

[haleycookie]

So protein doesn’t matter (unless your dog is sensitive which is unlikely at that age) the most important thing you’ll want to find at the moment is a proper large breed puppy food. Two of my favorites are wellness and Fromm large breed puppy foods. Feed that for about a year and a half to two years and after that it doesn’t really matter what you feed. One of the only difference between a large breed adult food and a regular adult food is pieces are bigger for a bigger mouth. So I’d recommend if you try the Fromm to just switch to adult fromm at the right time and just rotate flavors to prevent any sensitivities from popping up. Or even do a rotational diet of all the food brands he likes best and agrees with him and that you like best just to mix things up and to avoid any chances of a recall or recipe change if you’re feeding the same food for years in and out.

[haleycookie]

Puppy’s obtain their adult teeth starting around 4 months. A year would probably be the best option. You can observe and make sure her chewing and eating habits will be able to handle bones and her teeth will be here complete adult set.

[haleycookie]

I didn’t really need those types answers. I’m aware of the “down sides” I guess you can call them of potatoes and peas but they’re in most things and likely won’t make your dog sick if he isn’t sensitive to them. You just have to make sure you get a food that isn’t ingredients splitting and has meat as at least the first two ingredients. Then potatoes and peas shouldn’t be an issue. the 7 year old lab I live with has been on foods with peas potatoes and brown rice as the carb his whole life and he’s in immaculate shape. Never a health issue and people still ask me if he’s still a growing puppy. I hope you find something that works. It’s unlikely that you will seeing as you are turning down ingredients in 99% of dog foods. But good luck none the less.

[haleycookie]

Why are you scared of peas or potatoes? Is he sensitive to that? You are aware any kibble has to have a carb source right? Any any limited ingredient diet is sure to have some type of filler regardless to what you do. You may just have to cave and get foods with these fillers if you are in that much of a bind. I’m sure it will expand your choices.

[haleycookie]

Are you positive chicken fat is a no go? Because 9/10 chicken fat is ok when the chicken meat is not. They are processed by the body differently then each other. And protein allergies tend to not expand into the fat of the animal.
What type of testing did you have done? If you did saliva test they are not accurate at all. A blood test would be more accurate but really an elimination would be best. I would just keep with the sport and after they add the fat see what happens if you haven’t done something similar yet.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

There’s is a dog in training where I work. He is a Boston terrier puppy and they just found out about his murmur. They saw a specialist who simply recommended keeping stress as low as possible. Keep intense exercise to a minimum. Feed a good diet and hope for the best. He also told them he will most likely not live past 5 years of age as these things tend to be pretty hard on the dogs body unfortunately. I wish you the best of luck. Just keep him comfortable and calm as possible and enjoy him for as long as you can.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

Hey check out merrick’s classic chicken and brown rice with peas. Or their small breed classic. Maybe won’t be as rich but are still good foods with good grains in them.
Ps. Don’t be scared of potatoes. Just find afood that doesn’t list them OR peas very high in the ingredients list. Potatoes aren’t anything to be scared of. I’ve seen more pea issues myself tbhbit unless you can rule out your dog is sensitive to one of them there’s no cause for concern.

Also if you’re willing to spend that much on food I would just get away from kibble all together. Check out natures variety raw for small breeds. On that budget you should be able to comfortable feed your dog a high quality diet. Or make your own raw/home cooked balanced diet if you have the time.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by haleycookie.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

Hate to tell you this Shiloh but that’s just not possible. Unless the food is being exposed to of the worms while you’re storing it. Your dog likely has fleas. Or if you treat your dog and are absolutely positive (get flea comb and check to be sure) they don’t have a single flea on them then your neighbors pets has fleas and they’re in your yard and your dogs while outside pottying are licking the grass or licking something with the eggs on it. The eggs can’t live through certain conditions so they would die after packaging due to the conditions most foods are bagged under and they aren’t in the food because kibble is cooked at insane temps killing pretty much any nutritional value and any bugs that may be in it.

[haleycookie]

I’m pretty sure Petco intends on getting rid of their whole life protection line. As to whether the recipe will be changing in m not sure. Can’t get much crappier than it already is for the price you pay. It’s nothing special as far as dog food goes. I think Petco will be replacing it with taste of the wild as we start getting taste of the wild next month and it’s going inline at the end of May. It’s a huge selection and it’s going to take up at least 3 4 ft sections which would perfectly boot out life protection at my store.

[haleycookie]

You will be incredibly hard pressed to find a cost effective freeze dry food tbh. It’s the most expensive way to feed. Under that is commercial frozen raw then under that homemade raw. If you want any type to be cost effective buying in bulk and making it yourself will be the cheapest. But still very expensive with many large dogs.

[haleycookie]

What else have you tried? Also what were you feeding before? Was she doing ok on that food? Purina dog chow isn’t very good. There are many many better brands. Maybe try a single ingredient food. zignature makes a few good options as well as natures variety.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by haleycookie.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

Shouldn’t be much of a problems. But you know your dogs chewing habits the best so just watch them while they eat it. I follow a lady on insta who gives whole rabbits to her four dogs once a month with no ill effects. However since the squirrels will be wild I’d freeze them for at least a month. Also degut them. Only the intestine and stomach. Keep liver, kidneys, heart etc.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by haleycookie.

[haleycookie]

If you think he’s going to be over 55-60 lbs as an adult then he needs to stay on a large breed puppy food for at least a year and a half. Also avoid neutering him until then as well if he isn’t already neutered. I also recommend Fromm large breed puppy or wellness core puppy. Both are formulated correctly for large breed growth. However. I’ve heard the 4health is good for sensitive stomachs. I would try a large breed puppy food first (make sure it has the proper calcium to phos ratios though not all large breed puppy foods do) then if for whatever reason he’s showing to have a sensitive stomach I would then try the 4health. Also have you been to the vet for the scratching? I would do that first just to rule out any health issues and make sure it’s not environmental allergies.

[haleycookie]

Anon where do you get your info wellness is loaded with potatoe? The grain free complete health puppy by wellness has potatoes 8th on the list of ingredients. And that’s the only potatoe ingredient. Peas, chickpeas, and lentils are in the top five ingredients.
I would be concerned with all of the lentils and peas giving her loose stools. Maybe just try the regular complete health wellness puppy food with oatmeal. That may be more delicate on the tum tum.

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