[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Paul B –

Primal and Orijen are both already featured on the Editor’s Choice.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Haleybop –

You wouldn’t want to give both the Dr. Stephen Langer’s and the Soil Based Organisms at the same time – you’d want to do one or the other.

The addition of concentrace isn’t anything you need to be concerned about -imo. There’s such a small amount of it in each capsule that it shouldn’t pose any issue. If you want to read more about concentrace and what’s in it here’s a link to the actual product descriptor.

I prefer to use products with soil-based organisms versus regular probiotics as I’ve been reading quite a bit about the benefits of SBO’s. Another good product with soil-based organisms NOW Foods Probiotic Defense – it’s slightly more expensive than the Swanson Brand but still reasonable. It contains fermented grasses, 13 strains of beneficial bacteria, alfalfa, kelp and dulse.

In my opinion these products provide the best bang for the buck. There are definitely some better products out there, they’re just extremely expensive. Garden of Life’s Primal Defense is great and there’s a company called Prescript-Assist that makes a 29-strain SBO product but you’d be looking at spending upwards of 5 times as much.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Oh just got thinking and a couple other decent foods not mentioned:

Iams Healthy Naturals Chicken and Barley (4 stars)
Iams Grain Free Naturals (3.5 stars)

[Hound Dog Mom]

Great list Bobby Dog! 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi 2nd2none –

The idea that only active dogs require more protein is a myth. In fact, strenuous activity has only a marginal impact on dietary protein requirements.

From “Basic Animal Nutrition and Feeding” 5th Ed.:

“Rennie and Tipton (2000), in a review of this subject [the effect of strenuous exercise on protein and amino acid metabolism], reported that sustained exercise stimulates amino acid oxidation (chiefly branched chain) for gluconeogenesis and possibly affects regulation of acid-base balance, resulting in a short-term net loss of tissue protein due to decreased synthesis and increased degradation. Protein synthesis rebounds quickly following rest. The data indicate that exercise does not increase the dietary protein requirement; in fact, efficiency of protein metabolism may be improved as a result of exercise.”

Higher protein does not equate to more calories when in fact the opposite is true. Protein contains 4 kcal. per gram, carbohydrates contain 4 kcal. per gram and fat contains 9 kcal. per gram. Exchanging carbohydrate for protein does not change the caloric density of the food and exchanging fat with protein would actually decrease the caloric density of the food.

From “Focusing on Protein in the Diet” by T.J. Dunn Jr. DVM:

“Extra carbohydrate intake, above the immediate needs of the dog (which occurs often with grain-based diets) prompts internal enzyme factors to store that extra carbohydrate (sugar) as fat. Give that same dog extra protein and it is excreted through the kidneys and NOT stored as fat. Knowing this, what do you think would make a better “weight loss diet” for a dog … one with grain as the main ingredient or one with a protein-rich meat source as the main ingredient?”

It’s also a myth that excess protein (beyond what is necessary to meet the dog’s amino acid requirements) harms the kidneys. It is the job of the kidneys to excrete wastes and in a healthy animal, the kidneys are fully able to do this.

From “Small Animal Clinical Nutrition” 4th ed.:

“Feeding protein above requirements or recommendations for healthy dogs and cats does not result in toxicity because the excess amino acids from the protein are catabolized and the waste nitrogen is excreted.”

From “Focusing on Protein in the Diet” by T.J. Dunn Jr. DVM:

“The very early research that pointed a finger at protein as being a cause of kidney failure in dogs wasn’t even done on dogs! It was done on rats fed unnatural diets for a rodent — diets high in protein. (Were we tinkering with Nature during these “tests”?) Rats have difficulty excreting excess protein in their diets because they are essentially plant eaters, not meat eaters. Dogs are quite able to tolerate diets with protein levels higher than 30 percent on a dry weight basis. Dogs are meat eaters; that’s how Nature made them!”

From “Kirk’s Veterinary Therapy XIII, Small Animal Practice” p. 861:

“…restriction of protein intake does not alter the development of renal lesions nor does it preserve renal function. Considering these (research) findings, the authors do not recommend reduction of dietary protein in dogs with renal disease or reduced renal function in order to achieve renoprotective effects.”

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi T –

I first heard of this product a few months ago. I have to say that I personally would be very leery not only of using a product so new to the market but also of using an oral product that could kill ticks. Ticks are very hardy little buggers so if a dog can eat something that would then result in ticks dying I have to suspect that whatever that pill causes to circulate in the blood can’t be good for the dog either.

None of the vets in my area are recommending or selling this product yet due to it being so new. I actually talked to a (conventional) vet about it to see what he thought and he said he’s definitely going to wait it out to hear about how it goes before ever recommending it because after reading the product information he’s very apprehensive.

As for using it with Comfortis – why would you want to? If Bavecto protects against fleas why would you need Comfortis as well? I highly doubt it would be advisable to use two forms of oral flea preventative.

I prefer natural means of parasite prevention but I do realize that in certain areas of the country some chemical means may need to be employed. I live in the northeast in an area with a lot of ticks and high incidence of lyme. From what I’ve heard from several veterinarians, technicians and pet owners that I’ve spoken to the products that seem to be most effective and have the lowest incidence of side effects for ticks are the veterinary recommended collars (like Scalibor).

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jessica –

A good quality all life stages food is adequate for the vast majority of dogs. For the most part, breed/size/age/etc. specific foods are marketing and nothing more.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Spaniel –

Once the dog is full grown it’s perfectly fine to feed foods with higher levels of calcium assuming the calcium and phosphorus levels are in balance with each other (between a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio) and conform to AAFCO’s standards.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Daria –

No worries, Dr. Mike’s post was not directed at you. 🙂

If you read through some of the articles linked at the beginning of the thread you’ll see that, to date, research has shown that high protein levels have no negative implications on growth in large breed puppies.

As for Orijen’s updated LBP formula, the low end of the range would be appropriate but the higher end would supply too much calcium. As I’ve told people in the past, my personal feelings on this food are that it would be acceptable if fed in rotation with other foods that are well within the safe range and/or topped with a meat-based topper that would lower the C:P ratio slightly (such as Tripett).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Michael –

I do believe that rotating between various protein sources is important. Not only do I feel that protein sources should be rotating, but brands as well.

Here’s a great article on the subject written by Dr. Jean Dodd’s.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Charles –

Non-raw treats definitely should not cause an issue with a raw fed dog. My dogs eat raw but receive all kinds of treats from cooked “human food” to biscuits and dehydrated meat-based treats. No issues ever.

Some things you may want to try which would be closer in resemblance to a fresh raw diet would be air-dried (like ZiwiPeak which BTW works great as training treats) or freeze-dried raw (my dogs like Wysong, Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, Orijen, Nature’s Variety Instinct and Vital Essentials).

[Hound Dog Mom]

My bad – I thought you were trying to decide between Wellness CORE Original and Wellness CORE Small Breed.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Vianca –

The CORE Small Breed and CORE Original formulas have the same first three ingredients “Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal” – so they are both turkey-based formulas. All other ingredients are, for the most part, pretty similar as well. The quantities must have some slight differences though as the Small Breed formula is a 2% higher in protein.

Personally if it were me and I intended on keeping my dog on the Wellness CORE line only, I would rotate between the Small Breed, Ocean and Wild Game formulas to give my dog some variety. It would be even better if you rotated in some other brands as well. For this reason, I really wouldn’t stress too much about which specific formula to go with because you should be rotating formulas regardless.

One other consideration may be kibble size. Some small dogs don’t seem to like eating larger kibble, if this is the case with your dog your options may be more limited.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Val –

There’s really no harm in a dog eating cat food. The concern with a cat eating primarily dog food would be that they may not be consuming enough taurine. Taurine is considered essential for cats and thus cat food must contain a certain level, however it’s considered non-essential for dogs. As long as they’re also eating their own food I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sheryl –

I urge you to check out the FAQ section as well as our Guide to Finding Superior Dog Food Brands .

From the FAQ:

Why isn’t my favorite company on the Editor’s Choice list?

There are many reasons a particular brand may not be included on our lists.

For example, a company may not have met all our guidelines. Or its agents may have been unwilling to reveal important manufacturing information.

In some cases, we may be aware of unfavorable information about a company. Or we may have received tips from industry insiders that disqualify certain brands from inclusion on our lists.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t use fat free yogurt. I’d go with full fat. I like stonyfield farms. If you can find it, kefir is even better – it has more strains of probiotics.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve noticed that Darwin’s feeding recommendations are way off as well. I can’t think of any reason other than to make the food appear cheaper to feed than it actually is.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I agree Case. Your question was in no way unreasonable. Asking a company to provide you with the amount of meat and plant based ingredients in their food is a simple and straightforward question that they should be able to answer. I personally believe that companies that aren’t willing to disclose this information are deriving a higher percentage of protein from plant-based sources than they wish consumers to know about.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Heidi –

Merrick is already featured in the Editor’s Choice Report.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Joanne –

/dog-food-reviews/natures-domain-dog-food/

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Victoria –

It looks like a 3 – 3 1/2 star food to me. Check out the link Crazy4Cats posted and enter the food.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Thanks Melissa wow I can’t read today. 🙂 Disregard my previous post! LOL

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Susan –

Ingredient sourcing is discussed for the Editor’s Choice companies in their individual reports.

Unfortunately, it’s very common for companies (especially the larger ones it seems) to source at least some components of their vitamin-mineral premixes from China or other Asian countries. I believe it’s both a cost an a supply issue.

I’m not sure how you perceive this as being a lack of honesty though – the company was open with you about the fact that some of the components of their vitamin-mineral pre-mix are sourced from China.

Nature’s Variety was very open about this to Dr. Mike and myself during the interview process for Editor’s Choice. They also (last I purchased their products) make no claims on their packaging or website that their products are free of Chinese ingredients. I also can’t find any statements on their website implying that they don’t source ingredients from China. When they used to source rabbit from China it was openly disclosed on the FAQ section of their webpage. I, personally, don’t see any lack of honesty.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Check out the large breed puppy thread: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[Hound Dog Mom]

All meat meals in WellPet products are guaranteed to be free of ethoxyquin.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Joan –

I haven’t heard of a recall on the product. Dr. Mike would have sent out an alert if there was one. My guess is that the company may be reformulating or discontinuing the food. I’d suggest getting into contact with Petguard’s customer service. In the meantime – Wysong, Halo, Natural Balance, Nature’s Recipe and Royal Canin all have vegetarian formulas you could try (although they aren’t organic). A company called Wenaewe also makes an organic vegetarian kibble but that’s saying out of stock everywhere I looked to – strange!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yeah I’m a big fan of Annamaet products. I’m using the Original (grain-inclusive) formula now. I was just on their website though and noticed there’s a new grain-free formula, I don’t think the store had it yet when I got my bag because I didn’t see it. It looks great, it’s 44% protein and 20% fat.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Omega 3’s are great for inflammation. I definitely don’t think it would be too much to use a joint supplement, fish oil, probiotics and enzymes. All of those supplements are generally well tolerated and have minimal side effects.

[Hound Dog Mom]

The Adult & Kitten Chicken

[Hound Dog Mom]

My cats are eating Annamaet right now and doing well. I’ve got a bag of Holistic Select to try next. Knock on wood, my female cat who is a bit sensitive has been doing well on the foods I’ve been trying recently.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Alina –

I’d suggest talking to your vet about Adequan – it’s an injectible polysulfated glycosaminoglycan. It appears to be a lot safer than NSAIDs (I know Dr. Becker recommends Adequan in her article). I’m working with a large animal vet currently and a lot of clients use Adequan and Legend (similar product but goes IV instead of IM) for their horses and rave about the results.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Mary –

That’s great that you’re feeding a raw diet. 🙂

You may, however, wish to check out a book that includes balanced recipes. Two of my favorites are “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown and “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Karen Becker.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Unfortunately very few companies can guarantee that their meat was not derived from animals fed GMO-containing feed.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Dori –

You may wish to skim through the comments thread on the NL reviews.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Patricia –

We have very stringent standards for companies selected to appear in the Editor’s Choice Report. Therefore, merely earning a 4 or 5 star rating does not guarantee that a food is worthy of the Editor’s Choice designation. The star ratings are based solely on the ingredient panel and general analysis whereas the Editor’s Choice list also takes into consideration things such as customer service, manufacturing, ingredient sourcing, professional staffing, etc. etc. It’s possible that some foods are not included in the Editor’s Choice due to something Dr. Mike or myself know about the company or it’s possible that we simply weren’t aware of the company (which is why we love reading everyone’s suggestions!).

If a company has been suggested and is still not on the list you may wish to read through the comments about that particular company on the review side or check out this article which better explains our criteria for choosing companies “A Guide to Finding Superior Dog Food Brands.”

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Nancy –

I haven’t tried K9 Natural but I have tried Darwin’s and Answer’s. A lot of posters here use Darwin’s and like it a lot. I think Darwin’s is a good product and I don’t have any issues with recommending it but it doesn’t meet the needs of what I look for when choosing a food for my dogs. I have large, highly active hounds and Darwin’s is just too low fat/low calorie. I love Answer’s, it’s probably my favorite brand of commercial raw. I love that there are no synthetic vitamins and minerals and the fat to protein ratio is perfect for my dogs. I’ve spoken in depth about the product with Jacqueline Hill, the Vice President of Operations and Product Development, and I was very impressed with the ingredient and manufacturing standards. I don’t feed pre-made raw too often because it’s so expensive, but when I do Answer’s is one of my go-to brands.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Alina –

Sorry to hear about your dog. 🙁

My first suggestion would be to explore options other than Rimadyl. Rimadyl is an NSAID that can have some pretty nasty side effects. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/most-dogs-do-well-on-rimadyl-except-the-ones-that-die/

Dr. Becker has some much safer suggestions for managing arthritis in this article:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/26/how-to-stroke-arthritis-right-out-of-your-pet.aspx

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Kelly T –

I’m a little shocked that your vet didn’t provide you with a balanced recipe to go along with this recommendation and I’m equally shocked at the ratio of lentils to meat recommended. The general rule of thumb is to use between 15% and 25% fruits/veggies/starches – with a ratio of about 50:50 being he highest I’ve seen recommended. But since this is what your vet suggested we’ll go with it!

What I would do is as follows:
1/2 C. Horse Meat
1 1/2 C. Lentils
1 Multivitamin Crushed*
1,000 mg. Calcium
1 tsp. Fish Oil
1 tsp. Hempseed or Walnut Oil or 2 tsp. Canola Oil

*My multivitamin of choice is Twinlab Daily One. I’m not sure if this is available in Canada. If not you want something designed as a “one a day” type multivitamin for humans. Look for one with under 10% DV calcium so it doesn’t skew the calcium to phosphorus ratio. If you do choose a multi that has a significant amount of calcium that’s okay but you need to account for it by reducing the amount of added calcium. For example, Centrum brand would be acceptable but contains 200 mg. calcium per capsule so you would only want to add 800 mg of calcium.

This recipe will provide roughly 300 calories per cup (will vary slightly depending on how lean the meat you’re using is).

The oil shouldn’t bother her – it’s generally the protein in an item that causes the reaction not the fat (although it’s possible). Getting the fats balanced should help out her coat issues as well.

By the way, nice name! My grandmother has a yorkipoo named Phoebe. 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Todd – Thanks for the very detailed post, I’ll look into it. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yeah, that’s what I’d scale back to. It doesn’t have to be exact.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Glad to help. 🙂

If you notice a lot of benefit with the starting dose after about a month, you can scale it back a little for maintenance (you could start by reducing it by about 25% and if you’re still seeing benefit keep it there).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Primal Pronto is the same as all their other foods, the only difference is that the nuggets are smaller so it thaws faster.

[Hound Dog Mom]

For an 85 lb. dog I’d start right at the human dose.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Also – wanted to add – we are working on an “EC Alert” newsletter-style email which will alert EC members to changes in the list and big changes that occur with the companies on the list (such as the introduction of new products, ingredient changes, etc.). 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Barbara –

Several brands have been removed over the past few months and there have also been a few new additions. I believe there’s been at least one change every month, as aquariangt has reported. They changes must have somehow slipped by you.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Ann –

Thanks for the suggestion, however due to the fact that dogs can be allergic to any number of things it really wouldn’t be practical to make an Editor’s Choice report just for dogs with allergies.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Erin –

You aren’t going to see any dental benefit from feeding ground raw. If you’re interested in feeding raw meaty bones, the mechanical chewing action will aid in keeping the teeth cleaner to a certain degree. However, the only way to ensure optimal dental health is to actually brush your dogs teeth – this should be done at least three times a week.

Price will vary greatly and will depend on which protein source you feed, which cut you feed, quality (grass fed vs. conventional), purchase quantity and your location. I purchase items in bulk from a distributor that supplies grocery stores and restaurants and get things like chicken backs (~$0.30/lb.), turkey necks (~$0.60/lb), chicken hearts & gizzards ($0.80/lb), turkey hearts & gizzards ($0.90/lb.), pork hearts ($0.90/lb), beef hearts ($1.30/lb), etc. etc. All my items come in 15 to 50 lb. cases and I have to order a minimum of 300 lbs. at a time. Purchasing meat at the grocery store would be much more expensive.

If you wanted to work in a little raw for the dental benefits you would be safe feeding a a raw meaty bone a few times a week in addition to the kibble without throwing anything off balance (you’d just want to make sure to feed a little less kibble on those days to account for the calories in the raw meaty bone). Larger dogs do well with chicken leg quarters, chicken backs, turkey necks and pork necks. Smaller dogs do well with chicken wings and necks.

If you want to start feeding 50% raw you’ll need to be sure it’s balanced. I’d suggest checking out the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown – it includes easy to prepare balanced recipes. You could also use a pre-mix – my favorite is See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix (formulated by the author of the aforementioned book). I like it because it’s reasonably priced and doesn’t add in large amounts of fruits/veggies/etc. like some other mixes do so I have the freedom to customize it more to my preferences.

You may also find some useful information on the raw diet threads: /forums/forum/raw-dog-food-forum/

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Shelley –

You might find this thread helpful: /forums/topic/eating-raw-meaty-bones/

There’s some videos there of one of my dogs eating RMBs so you can get an idea of what’s normal.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Sorry, I don’t feed kibble. 🙁

Some others may have suggestions though.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Rhonda –

I would recommend supplementing with a quality glucosamine supplement. Generally the amount of glucosamine in foods isn’t high enough to be of therapeutic benefit, it’s just more of a marketing tactic. Your dog would get a lot more benefit from a supplement.

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