[Hound Dog Mom]

Thanks for posting that, I’m sure many will find that useful. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi David –

Blue Buffalo does not report actual calcium levels on their packaging, they only report the guaranteed minimum. Basically, the minimum just means that the food is guaranteed to contain at least that much calcium – the actual amount in the food could be much higher. As far as I know (unless something has changed), Blue refuses to disclose the actual amount of calcium in their foods.

With that said, higher calcium levels are only of concern during growth. It’s perfectly fine to feed an adult dog foods that are higher in calcium.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Brenda & Linda –

Pregnant bitches should be fed a high quality food appropriate for puppies or all life stages. All of Orijen’s formulas would be acceptable, all of Acana’s formulas with the exception of the Adult Large Breed, Senior Dog and Light & Fit would be appropriate and all of Natural Balance’s foods with the exception of their Fat Dogs formula, their Vegetarian formula and their Ultra Reduced Calorie formula would work as well. Personally, however, the only Natural Balance formula I would feel comfortable feeding to a pregnant or lactating bitch would be the Synergy formula – the other are all too low in fat and protein for my liking and I feel it would be difficult to maintain body condition on those foods. I would also highly recommend mixing in a quality canned food with high levels of protein and fat with whichever dry food you choose, this will not only aid in further increasing the protein and fat levels of of the kibble but will also increase the moisture level in the diet helping to keep her hydrated and increase the palatability (many bitches tend to not eat enough to support the high energy demands of pregnancy and lactation so this is important).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Zach –

Primal’s raw formulas could certainly be used as a topper to boost the quality of kibble. You could also use tinned sardines and fresh veggies. The benefits of using the Primal would be that it’s a complete and balanced food so you could add as much as you wanted and it’s raw however, canned sardines and fresh cooked veggies would still be a good boost and would certainly be cheaper. If you go with the Primal, like I said, you can add as much as you want because it’s complete and balanced – just be sure the reduce the amount of kibble he’s receiving accordingly. If you’re feeding sardines and veggies, it should account for no more than 10% of your dog’s calories.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Dori –

When dogs have arthritis they don’t exercise as much due to the pain and for this reason will often experience muscular atrophy. Getting the joints to feel better, leads to less pain, which will lead to more activity which, ultimately, will aid in strengthening the muscles.

[Hound Dog Mom]

There’s not much data supporting the efficacy of glucosamine or chondroitin, however some people swear by it and it’s harmless enough so it wouldn’t hurt to try. Human supplements are fine, just adjust the dosage accordingly. Some other supplements to try would bee MSM, curcumin, omega 3’s, boswellia or an system enzyme supplement (like Medizym). You could also talk to your vet about adequan injections.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I spend probably $50-$75 per week. I get my meat a lot cheaper than you do though. I pay about $0.30/lb for chicken parts, $0.65/lb. for turkey necks and a little over $1/lb. for boneless pork.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Sorry, but based on that analysis I have no idea. I’ve never seen a label report values in usp – nutrient values are typically reported in IU.

I found this:

“From the Dictionary of Units of Measurement:
USP unit:
a unit used in the United States to measure the mass of a vitamin or drug based on its expected biological effects. For each substance to which this unit applies, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration has determined the biological effect associated with a dose of 1 USP unit. Other quantities of the substance can then be expressed in terms of this standard unit. In most cases, the USP unit is equal to the international unit (IU). “USP” is an abbreviation for the United States Pharmacopeia, a handbook describing the established properties of drugs legal for use in American medicine.”

Some of these values look a little high to be equivalent to IU. I’m not sure though. I’d need to know IU equivalents for the reported values before I could say.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Karen –

Because he’s a puppy I would suggest feeding him 4% of his body weight – which would be about 3.84 oz. per day. I’d divide this into 3 feedings (about 1.28 oz. per feeding) until he’s 6 months old, at this point in time you could probably start feeding him twice a day. After he’s 6 months old you may need to reduce the amount to closer to 3 or 3.5% of high body weight and after a year you may need to drop him to 2.5-3%. Small breed dogs do tend to require more calories per pound of body weight but just monitor his body condition closely and adjust the amounts he’s fed as necessary – these are all just general guidelines.

Blue Ridge Beef is not a balanced food so it will be necessary to supplement the meals. I can’t locate an ingredient list or nutrient panel anywhere for Dog Bloom so I can’t tell you whether or not that would balance the Blue Ridge grinds – I highly doubt it though. Most pet vitamin/mineral supplements are designed to be fed with a balanced meal so don’t contain high enough levels of certain nutrients.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Lilmonster –

Raw meaty bones have a balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio, it’s just really high. You can certainly try feeding boneless meat with the See Spot Liver Longer Dinner Mix in the morning and raw meaty bones in the evening – as long as your dog doesn’t get constipated it should be fine. You can also feed a little boneless meat along with the raw meaty bones or alternate between meals of raw meaty bones and something like tripe to lower the calcium to phosphorus ratio. I know my girls get constipated if they eat an entire meal of raw meaty bones so I usually throw in a handful of hearts or gizzards. Also, if you’re only feeding the dinner mix for one meal a day and feeding raw meaty bones for the other, I’d highly recommend using the guidelines for puppies (4 tbs. per pound of meat versus 2 tbs.) to ensure that your dog is getting all the nutrients he needs.

I use the Twinlab Daily One with iron. The AAFCO minimum for iron is 80 mg/kg and the maximum is 3,000 mg/kg. So with 10 mg. per capsule, the Twinlab Daily One with Iron poses no risk of overdosing the dog on iron and it provides extra insurance in the event that a meal is too low in iron (which is a distinct possibility if the dog isn’t getting much red meat and/or organ meat). There is little to no risk of overdosing on vitamins and minerals from whole food sources, especially fruits and vegetables. The amount of calcium in the Twinlab Daily One isn’t high enough to affect anything.

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Someone said that Steve is thinking about launching a pre-mix for bone in meats. Feline Instincts makes a whole carcass pre-mix and there’s of course Alnutrin – both for cats, but would be fine for dogs (really the only difference is they add taurine). There’s one that Sandy has tried but I can never remember the name of it. Honestly though, just adding a multivitamin is way cheaper and covers all the bases. I use Twinlab Daily One – $0.11 per serving versus probably $1.00+ per serving I’d spend using a pre-mix.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Fish oil is one product in which I don’t recommend trying to take the cheap way out. It’s important to only purchase high quality, human-grade supplements from reputable suppliers – avoid generic brands/store brands. Carlson’s and Nordic Naturals are two very good brands that I have used and would use again. You want to be sure your fish oil contains an antioxidant such as vitamin e or astaxanthin to help prevent oxidation. With the exception of the few companies that use airless pumps, I would avoid fish oil in pump dispensers (the pumps let it air and promote oxidation). Make sure to refrigerate the fish oil and dispose of any unused fish oil after 2-3 months (so in otherwise, avoid purchasing in bulk). I also testing the freshness every week or so, break a capsule open and smell it and squirt a little on your tongue to taste it. If it smells fishy and/or tastes extremely fishy (it will taste slightly fishy) it’s rancid – toss it! There’s also the option of mixing tinned sardines and/salmon into your dogs food for omega 3’s. This is what I usually do.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Murphy –

Dr. Mike has talked about wanted to create a Cat Food Advisor and it may be in the works in the future, but unfortunately it’s probably the distant future. There’s so much going on with Dog Food Advisor right now, especially with the new Editor’s Choice section, that it’s a lot to keep up with. What I like to tell people that are looking for cat foods is that, as a general rule, a company’s cat food will be similar in quality to the comparable dog food formula. So for example, Wellness CORE dog food is rated 5 stars so I would say that if there was a Cat Food Advisor it would be safe to assume that Wellness CORE cat food would be rated 5 stars as well. Now this won’t always be the case, but more often than not you can apply this assumption. Hope that helps.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Lisa –

The criteria to make the list is listed at the top of the document. Wellness Large Breed Puppy does not meet the criteria.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Lisa K –

I’ve heard variation over what mature weight constitutes a dog as being classified as a large breed – some say 50 lbs. or more at maturity and others say 60 lbs. or more at maturity. The AKC breed standard states that labs range from 55 lbs. to 75 lbs. on average. Either way, labs are definitely a large breed and should be fed accordingly. Labs are highly prone to orthopedic conditions such as hip dysplasia so it’s crucial that they receive a proper diet during growth.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Latis2270 –

Earthborn Coastal Catch has about 15% more calories than Wellness LBP so if his weight is good now I’d feed him about 15% less than what you’re currently feeding and adjust from there.

When the list was created Earthborn was rated 5 stars, the rating has dropped to 4.5 stars. I’m holding off on making any updates to the list because there are going to be some changes in the near future.

As far as I know, nothing has changed with the calcium levels.

For the soft stools you may want to try supplementing his diet with probiotics.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dori –

Freshpet isn’t raw.

There are two raw foods currently on the list – Stella & Chewy’s and Primal. The list will be changing in the future as some companies are taken off and new companies are added so we’re always considering new companies to add.

Keep in mind that it’s also important for the list to represent brands that the average reader will want to feed their dog and that are readily available. The majority of pet owners do not feed raw. Many raw foods also have a limited distribution. So, while we definitely don’t want to exclude any raw foods deserving of recognition from the list, the bulk of the list is and will continue to be dry dog foods.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yep, I’m aware. The base mixes will not be reviewed as they are not intended to be a stand-alone meal, but I’m sure the review will get updated to reflect the new duck formula in the near future. Keep a look out!

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Thanks banditsmom! I just alerted Dr. Mike. It should be added to the to-do list. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

LabOwner –

https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sid M –

Doesn’t look like this brand has been reviewed yet. It appears that all the necessary information is available on their website so I’ll alert Dr. Mike.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Judi –

Some articles on treats are in the works! Please check out this thread and give us some feedback: /forums/topic/your-most-recommended-dog-treats/page/2/#post-45793

[Hound Dog Mom]

I agree Myra. My dogs love Annamaet’s new line of treats. I love the velcro closure on the packaging and the fact that the treats are the same formulation as the food so they aren’t just empty calories.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Scott –

It appears to me that what was “Wellness Super5Mix” is now “Wellness Complete Health.” Hope that helps.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Meho –

A high rating doesn’t guarantee that a food will be selected as an Editor’s Choice selection. The star rating assigned is objective and based strictly on the ingredients and general analysis. The Editor’s Choice Report is subjective and takes into consideration a wide variety of criteria. To help better understand why a food may or may not be included in the Editor’s Choice Report please check out this article. By the way – just because a food isn’t currently an Editor’s Choice selection now doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Robin –

No Wellness foods are manufactured by Diamond. All of Wellness’s dry formulas are made either in-house at WellPet’s own facility in Mishawaka, IN or by Hagen in Waverly, NY or Vitaline in Hazelton, PA.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sylvia –

That’s fairly reasonable. Once it gets reviewed I’ll look into it a bit more and maybe consider it for the budget friendly list. Thanks for letting me know about it!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hey Melinda –

It doesn’t look like Common Sense has even been reviewed yet. Thanks for the tip though, I’ll try to get it on the list to be reviewed. Could be awhile as there are many brands waiting for review.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Jan I’m sorry to hear about Lucy. It’s so hard losing them. 🙁

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Sylvia –

It looks like the Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals canned line is fairly new and hasn’t yet been rated. I just checked out the website and the food looks great, I’d be surprised if it doesn’t receive 5 stars when it’s rated. What is the price on it?

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you scroll back to the beginning of the thread you’ll find a list of appropriate foods. Nutritionists recommend no more than 3.5 g. per 1,000 during growth. Once the puppy is full grown you don’t have to worry about calcium.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jason –

Victor is a great food – just be aware that the only two formulas with calcium levels appropriate for large breed puppies are the chicken and rice formula and the lamb and rice formula. He’ll be fine if you switch him to a good food now, at only three months old a doubt there has been any dietary damage. 🙂 Raw meaty bones are – imo – the best chew. However, because he’s still growing and bones are high in calcium I’d limit to only once or twice a week. Things like turkey necks, chicken backs, etc. are all great. Raw tracheas are another wonderful chew for puppies – they’re nice and gummy and not too hard. If you aren’t comfortable feeding raw bones you could go with natural chews such as bully sticks or dried tracheas (just make sure they’re from a reputable company).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Qi X –

While I wouldn’t consider standard poodles to be a large breed, however I do know that they are somewhat prone to hip dysplasia so you may want to consider feeding one of the formulas in the list with appropriate calcium levels. You could feed your adult toy poodle the same food as the puppy or check out any of the 4 or 5 star rated foods. If he prefers a smaller kibble, as some small breeds do, some good options are Victor, Amicus, Nature’s Logic, Nature’s Variety and most any formula labeled for “small breeds.”

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dawn –

I’d recommend feeding three times per day until the pup is four to six months old, you can then switch to twice a day. You can continue with twice a day feeding or switch to once a day when the puppy is full grown.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Thanks Suburban Gal! Because so many people said they look for treats made in the USA I was actually planning on asking if there were any other countries that posters felt produced treats that were safe. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi aquariangt –

Diamond manufactures Hund ‘n Flocken, WolfCub, WolfKing and Just a Wee Bit at the Meta, MO plant. Crosswind Industries manufactures Holistique Blendz, Hundchen Flocken, Barking at the Moon, MMillenia, Sun Dancer, Katz n Flocken and IndigoMoon at their plant in Kansas.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dawn –

If you’re feeding a balanced raw diet, it’s not necessary to add any supplements. However, there are many supplements that may be beneficial. Probiotics are a great way to support gut health – you can purchase probiotic supplements or mix in some kefir or plain yogurt with his meals. Omega 3’s are a wonderful way to support a a healthy skin and coat, provide ant-inflammatory benefits and support the immune system – you can purchase a high quality fish oil or feed tinned sardines and/or cage-free eggs a couple times per week. There are various nutraceuticals that have various health promoting properties you may want to consider – I personally like to make a “blend” of items such as bee pollen, spirulina, kelp, chlorella, turmeric, etc. Swanson Vitamins is a great site to shop for supplements, I do the majority of my supplement shopping for both my dogs and myself there. They’ve got a lot of great stuff and the best prices I’ve found.

[Hound Dog Mom]

If you’re looking for reasonably priced 5 star options I’d suggest Dr. Tim’s and Victor.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Case –

It really depends on what your dog does best on, although most dogs with a strong gut will be able to handle foods with all difference ranges of protein and fat. I know when I fed kibble I typically liked the formulas I used to have at least 30% protein and 15% fat, although sometimes if all other qualities of a formula and its company were outstanding I’d make exceptions.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Yes, you still need calcium. I would recommend either purchasing capsules that you can open and mixing the powder in the food or use a pill crusher or mortar and pestle to crush a tablet. Just make sure whatever multi you use has no more than 5% DV calcium listed or it will mess with the calculations. Just adjust the human dosage based on your dog’s size. For small breeds give about 1/4 of the human dose, medium dogs can get 1/2 the human dose and large dogs can get the entire human dose.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I would recommend mixing in a multi-vitamin (w/o calcium) daily – just a regular multivitamin (not sure why you’d want to use a gummy vitamin?). There’s also way too much liver, liver shouldn’t be anymore than 5% of the meat component and if you’re adding a multi you shouldn’t need it anyways. Include 2 eggshells or 2,000 mg. calcium.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Pacer –

A balanced homemade raw diet is cheaper and better quality than commercial raw foods. However, it takes a little research to learn to formulate a balanced homemade raw diet. I always recommend those new to making raw check out “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown. If done properly, feeding raw can be about the same cost as feeding a 5 star kibble. I keep costs low by purchasing my meat in bulk and making use of cuts that are less appealing to humans and, therefore, cost less per pound – such as heart, gizzards, green tripe, etc. For a dog with a compromised immune system, it would probably be a better idea to feed a home-cooked diet or a commercially available “raw” diet that has undergone high pressure processing (HPP) to destroy pathogenic bacteria. If you do want to feed raw to your dog with cancer I would suggest consulting with a knowledgeable holistic veterinarian first.

[Hound Dog Mom]

It’s possible for the seal to be compromised if the can is bent, but we used bent cans all the time at the shelter and nothing has ever come of it. It should be pretty obvious if the food is rancid when you open it.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Pacer –

There’s no alternative to Heartguard. There aren’t any natural treatments with demonstrated efficacy. I have my dogs on Heartguard (well, not Heartguard brand but an equivalent) and – imo – the basic ivermectin based preventatives are very safe. I only give it when the temperature is high enough for mosquitoes to transmit heartworm and for three months after the temperature drops (so for Northern NY that’s roughly April/May – November/December), I dose every 45 days (vs. every 30 which is recommended on the package) and give milk thistle for a week following each dose.

[Hound Dog Mom]

The heart worm prevevntative needs to be given for at least three months after the last exposure. So, no, the dogs wouldn’t have needed to be started on it prior to the trip – they will need to be given it for three months after the trip if you feel that they have been potentially exposed to heart worm. The preventative kills the immature worms so it wouldn’t matter if the dog had been given it prior to exposure because there would be no worms there to kill.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cassandra –

If you’re an Editor’s Choice member I would suggest checking out the list of recommended budget-friendly dog foods.

If not, a few reasonably priced foods that I hear good things about are Pure Balance (available at Walmart), 4Health (available at Tractor Supply) and Victor (available at some feed stores and online).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Susan –

The majority of the foods reviewed on this site are available at the retail level. Because you live in a relatively large city, you should have a fair amount of the foods available somewhere in your area – unlike me who lives in the middle of nowhere! The best place to look for higher quality foods is specialty boutique-type stores, big chain retailers like Petsmart, Petco and Tractor Supply do have a decent selection of well rated foods as well. If there is a particular brand you are interested in visit their website – most of the websites have a store locator. If you can’t find something you want locally check out Chewy.com, Wag.com or Petflow.com – these sites have great prices, low flat rate or free shipping and a wide selection of products.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Isabel –

Sorry to hear that your dog is suffering from a liver shunt. I’ve (fortunately) never had a dog with a liver shunt. I have read some good information the condition, however, on Dr. Becker’s website. You may find this article helpful.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Freeze-dried may or may not be raw. The process of freeze drying doesn’t use heat so if raw meat is freeze-dried the end product is raw, if cooked meat is freeze-dried the end process is cooked. Grandma Lucy’s cooks their meat prior to freeze-drying. If you want a raw freeze-dried product Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, Orijen, Nature’s Variety, Vital Essentials, Northwest Naturals and Dogswell Nutrisca (I’m sure there are others I’ve forgotten) all have some good options. Just be aware that freeze-dried foods are VERY expensive. Frozen raw is much cheaper, but a commercial frozen raw will still likely cost more to feed than kibble.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Bethany D –

Science Diet’s Large Breed Puppy formula has calcium levels appropriate for large breed growth. However, you may wish to check out the review for the food here.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

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