[Hound Dog Mom]

Well it they contain whey protein which is a very high quality complete protein. Whey protein actually contains a higher biologic value (a measure of a protein’s effect on nitrogen balance – the higher the better) and protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (a measure of how well a particular protein supplies the nine essential amino acids) than meat or eggs. The ingredients honestly don’t look that bad. If it’s something you just want to feed for a weekend of backpacking it would be fine, it’s just I wouldn’t recommend feeding it as a meal for a long period of time.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I just checked out Turbopup. I’d never heard of it before. It claims that it’s interchangeable with regular dog food but I don’t see, based on the ingredients, how it could be complete and balanced. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to use short term for a hike or something just to provide a dog with an energy-dense snack or meal replacement, but I wouldn’t recommend it for long term feeding.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’d suggest checking out some freeze-dried foods.

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Are you preparing home cooked or raw food? If so I’d suggest freezing.

[Hound Dog Mom]

You can’t look for a certain percent of calcium, whether or not a certain percent is appropriate will vary depending on the caloric density of the food. In a food which contains more calories than TOTW 1.4% may or may not be appropriate. If the food is low in calories, the dog will need to eat more to fulfill its energy needs and vice versa. So for example, if one food has 1.4% calcium and 3,000 kcal/kg and another food has 1.4% calcium but has 5,000 kcal/kg – you can see that the dog eating the lower calorie formula would end up consuming much more calcium than if it were eating the higher calorie formula. For this reason, calcium must be looked at on energy basis – usually grams per 1,000 kcal. Most nutritionists recommend the calcium levels not exceed 3.5 g/1,000 kcal. for large breed puppies. The TOTW formula you mentioned has 3.9 g/1,000 kcal.

You can give boiled eggs as often as you want as long as they don’t exceed 20% of his balanced meals.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi OnyxMom –

All of TOTW’s foods are too high in calcium for a large breed puppy, including this formula.

Personally, I would recommend avoiding foods that contain fish and instead adding canned sardines or salmon, cage-free eggs or high quality fish oil to the food for omega 3’s. The processing which the meat meals undergo to be made into kibble and the storage time very likely leaves the omega 3’s in kibble rancid by the time the food is consumed.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hey Jazz Lover –

There should be nothing to be concerned about, as far as calcium, with adding a little yogurt to his meals. Especially if he’s 14 months – his critical growth phase is well over with and most of his growth plates should even be closed at this point.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Betsy – Great description, I like the NV treats too. Have you tried their (sorta new) freeze-dried raw that come in the little nibblets? It’s the same formula as their frozen food. Makes great training treats!

Aquariangt – Thanks for the description of EOS. I’ve seen them online before and was actually considering ordering them sometime because I liked the ingredients. Maybe I’ll try them now. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Zach M –

I like to suggest toppers that are high in both moisture and protein as these are two things that kibble is generally lacking. These are some of my favorite suggestions to make for toppers:

-Cage-Free Eggs (omega ‘3’s)
-Tinned Sardines (omega 3’s)
-Canned Salmon (omega 3’s)
-Plain Yogurt (probiotics)
-Plain Kefir (probiotics)
-Raw Goat’s Milk (buy locally is it’s available or both Answer’s and Primal sell raw goat’s milk for dogs that has the additional benefit of added probiotics)
-Cottage Cheese
-High Quality Canned Foods
-Re-hydrated Freeze-Dried Foods
-Meat (use lean leftovers, purchase meat that’s on sale or items such as gizzards or heart that are fairly cheap

Remember that if using unbalanced extras, they should account for 20% or less of each meal (if using balanced additions such as canned food or commercial raw this rule doesn’t apply).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Case –

Are you comparing Grandma Lucy’s to Orijen? Grandma Lucy’s isn’t a raw food. Like BC said, you’d need to compare cost to feed on a calorie basis but I’d assume any (or at least most) commercial raw foods would be much more expensive to feed then even a super premium kibble like Orijen. Homemade raw, however, can be done fairly cheaply. I feed my dogs homemade raw for cheaper than it would be to feed Orijen. I haven’t done the calculations in awhile but I believe most of the commercial raw foods would run me about 4X – 5X more than I spend making it myself.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jazz Lover –

The bacteria present in raw meat isn’t a concern for healthy dogs. Just prepare it with the same safety precautions you would take when preparing raw meat for human dishes – wash the counter, wash your hands and wash and utensils and dishes that touched the meat. The potential for bacterial contamination is there when feeding kibble as well – there have been many recalls over the last year for kibble contaminated with salmonella. So the same safety precautions apply when feeding kibble as well.

Something I did want to mention before and forgot in my previous post is that if you do add veggies to the kibble you want to be sure to cook them. Dogs don’t produce the enzyme cellulase which is necessary to break down the cellulose in plant matter. Cooking in a sense “predigests” the veggies and starts to breakdown the cellulose. They should be mashed or pureed as well. However, imo, it’s a much better idea to top with high protein additions like canned food, raw food, cooked meats, eggs, yogurt, kefir, etc. Dogs don’t really have any need for the additional starches from fruits, veggies and grains when they’re eating kibble which is starchy to begin with.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jazz Lover –

Sounds like your dog is eating pretty well already! 🙂

Incorporating a little raw is definitely a great idea though if it’s something you’re able to do. You could check out the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown – there’s a chapter on how to prepare a simple raw meal that you can feed once per week. The day you feed raw is called an “ABC Day.” Some other options would be to top the kibble with a balanced commercial raw or just keep some commercial raw in the freezer and feed a few meals of week of entirely raw. Or you could look at incorporating some raw meaty bones into the diet as a treat a few times a week – turkey necks, pork necks and chicken quarters are great for large dogs.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Meky6ra –

Kibble – CJ Foods
Canned – Simmons
Raw – Self Manufactured

[Hound Dog Mom]

Since she’s so sensitive I would definitely recommend transitioning very gradually over the course of 7 – 10 days.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Stephanie S –

Thanks for the suggestion!

Just so there isn’t any confusion – a food doesn’t have to be grain-free to be considered for inclusion on the budget-friendly list, it just has to be rated at least 4 stars.

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi D.M. –

Purina DCO has higher levels of fiber and lower levels of fat than most foods. DCO contains 10% fiber and 10% fat while (in general) the 4-5 star foods tend to contain <5% fiber and between 15% and 20% fat. Because the DCO seems to be helping her stool, I would suggest searching for a food with fiber and fat levels closer to that of DCO. Your best bet would probably be looking to formulas designed for weight loss. Earthborn Weight Control is 7% fat/9% fiber, Wellness CORE Reduced Fat is 10% fat/8.5% fiber, Holistic Select Weight Management is 7.5% fat/9% fiber – I’m sure there are quite a few more if you look, these are just a few that initially came to mind. You could also just pick a food that’s lower in fat and add a fiber supplement if you were unable to find a food you liked that was both low in fat and high in fiber – you could use something like fruitables (canned high fiber digestive supplement) or psyllium.

At 7 months old, I honestly wouldn’t be too concerned about calcium levels or whether or not the food was appropriate for puppies. She’s already through her rapid growth phase so I’d suggest just focusing on finding a food she can tolerate. I also,would suggest that with whichever food you switch her to, you begin supplementing with a high quality multi-strain probiotic to begin strengthening her gut.

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Some of the posters here are just a little picky. Don’t let it deter you though. If you can feed a 5 star food that’s fantastic, but if you can only feed a 3 or 4 star food there’s no reason to feel bad – your dog will still be eating a better quality food then most dogs! And, as Sandy said, you also need to consider how well your dog does on the food. While I do personally feel that the vast majority of dogs will thrive on a high protein, low carbohydrate food (like those rated 5 stars) some people find that their dogs simply can’t tolerate the higher protein and fat content of most of the 5 star foods.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Tripett is my favorite. I used to use it all the time, they’ve got several varieties to choose from too which is nice. If you can get the raw though (Hare Today and My Pet Carnivore are probably the best) your dog will benefit a lot more. The raw green tripe is loaded with enzymes and beneficial bacteria, that’s all destroyed during the canning process. I may be in the minority here, but imo the canned smells MUCH worse than the raw.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dolly –

No, a glucosamine supplement will not harm your dog. You should give about 250 mg. per 15-20 lbs. Give 2X the recommended dose for the first week – this is known as a “loading period.” Yes, it’s also safe to give to your dog that does not have arthritis.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Marie –

Here are the reviews and articles about Natural Balance. You can look at the ratings and scroll through the other posters’ comments about the company and its products.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Kay –

Have you had a stool sample taken to the vet? With a puppy my first suspicion would be coccidia. If nothing shows up on the stool sample pick out another food and try adding probiotics and a spoonful or two of plain canned pumpkin for a few weeks to see if that clears it up. You could also ask your vet for some pro pectalin tabs, usually a few days on those will clear up diarrhea.

[Hound Dog Mom]

You should be able to click “unsubscribe” – link in the gray area to the right of author and posts.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Zach M –

While they aren’t technically the same thing, the terms “kilocalorie” and “calorie” are generally used interchangeably when referring to the caloric content of dog food. The “kilocalories” reported on pet food packaging are what we humans commonly refer to as “calories.”

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dane –

First off, if he’s drinking large amounts of water, urinating frequently and he won’t gain weight you need to get him to the vet to have some diagnostic tests performed. These are potential symptoms of kidney disease or diabetes. A dog that’s fed a raw diet shouldn’t drink much water at all – my two (large) dogs don’t even drink one bowl of water per day between the two of them. I’m not trying to scare you but if something is going on the sooner you catch it the better the prognosis will be.

Second, are you adding anything to the Blue Ridge Beef grinds? Unless they’ve recently come out with a new complete and balanced product that I’m not aware of, I thought they just make meat/organ/bone grinds? Meat/organ/bone “grinds” (as they’re referred to) are not a balanced diet. They’re meant to serve as as the base of a meal and they make things simpler by already having the muscle meat, organ and bone in the correct proportions. Supplements still must be added to make the diet complete. While it’s possible to balance a homemade diet using whole foods only, for simplicity’s sake and to get him on a balanced diet as soon as possible, I’d recommend adding a multivitamin (look for one with <10% DV calcium – one I frequently recommend is Twinlab Daily One Caps). I’d also add 1/2 C. of cooked and pureed vegetables (baby food veggies are fine if you don’t want to cook and puree them yourself) and feed a tin of sardines or salmon once or twice a week OR add a capsule or two of fish oil daily. These additions will provide him with the vitamins and minerals he needs, a little fiber and omega 3 fatty acids.

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Lemdem –

Antlers are very hard and I doubt that a dog would be able to consume enough to make any sort of difference. What I would be concerned about, however (and why I don’t recommend antlers as chews), is the dog breaking a tooth.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Saig –

Sorry I missed your question from a few days ago. Whether the percent calcium is on a dry-matter or as-fed basis isn’t relevant because it’s being reported on a per unit of energy basis. The moisture doesn’t contribute to the caloric content of the food, therefore a food will have the same amount of calcium per unit of energy regardless of whether the calculation uses the as-fed or dry-matter calcium level. Remember – if using the dry-matter calcium percentage caloric content would need to be corrected (for example, if a food reports 3,500 kcal. per kg this is as fed, if the moisture were removed the food would be more energy dense). I hope that makes sense!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Zach –

You can certainly make your own supplements. I make my own for two reasons – it’s much cheaper than buying pre-mixed supplements and I can pick exactly which ingredients are in the supplement and in which proportions. I was running into a problem where every supplement I came across either had ingredients I didn’t want or didn’t have an ingredient I did want so I decided it would just make more sense to make my own. I purchase most of my ingredients in large quantities from Swanson Vitamins, Starwest Botanicals, Vitacost and Nature’s Farmacy. You shouldn’t have a problem finding most of the ingredients that are in Dinovite. My guess is that it’s likely the probiotics, enzymes and omega 3’s that help the most with the itching, so with whatever supplement you mix up I’d be sure to include those ingredients (at a minimum).

Here’s an article by Dr. Becker with some suggestions for itchy, smelly dogs.

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Marcus A –

If you’re a Editor’s Choice Member, I’d recommend checking out the list of recommended budget friendly foods.

As for helping your dog to lose weight, there’s only one way to achieve this which is by creating an energy deficit. This means that your dog will need to be burning more calories than he his consuming. Unfortunately, just as with weight loss for us humans, there’s no easy (or fun) way to achieve this.

My recommendation would be to pick a quality food that you can afford and reduce the portion sizes and increase the amount of exercise he’s getting (since he’s older, you may need to opt for short but frequent walks). There’s really no reason to pick a food labeled specifically for weight loss as long as you are controlling the portion size.

Start by feeding him the amount suggested on the bag for what he SHOULD weigh (not what he does weigh) – if it gives you a range go with the lower amount. So, for example, if he weighs 50 lbs. and he should be 40 lbs. look on the bag for how much a 40 lb. dog should eat. If the bag says a 40 lb. dog should eat 1 1/2 – 2 C. per day, start by feeding him 1 1/2 C. per day. Aim for a reduction of about 1% of his body weight per week. If he’s not losing, gradually reduce portion sizes (for a dog his size, 1/4 C. increments would probably be fine) until you see results. If he’s losing too rapidly, gradually increase portion sizes.

Remember – treats have calories too! All treats eaten need to be accounted for in his daily calorie intake. Make others in the household aware of this as well.

Good luck!

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

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Justin K –

None of Acana’s formulas are appropriate for large breed puppies. Orijen’s Large Breed puppy formula was reformulated recently and the the new formulation is only slightly above the recommended calcium guidelines (the old formula was much too high in calcium). In my opinion, with an all meat topper as 20% or less of the meal Orijen’s Large Breed Puppy formula would probably be acceptable.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Candice –

No, problem. So much many rumors and new information flies around all that time that it can be difficult to keep things straight. 🙂

At one point in time, a few Wellness formulas were manufactured by Diamond. However, once Diamond experienced their big string of recalls back in 2012 Wellpet severed all ties. Although Wellpet has not been using Diamond as a co-packer for quite some time now, I’m thinking your vet probably just got some outdated information.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Candice –

Are you trying to say that Diamond purchased Wellpet? If so, could you please provide some sources for this information. As of Wellpet’s most recent update (05/12/2014) this was not true.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Mr. Corbette –

There should only be one fee and that’s for access to the Editor’s Choice. Editor’s Choice/Editor’s Top picks are the same thing. If it’s asking you to pay again when you click that box you may be getting logged out. WordPress (the platform that the forums is on) can be touchy – it logs me out occasionally when I go from one area to another. So if that happens again check to see if you’re logged in or not.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Laura –

You could try warming it slightly or, if there aren’t bones, cooking it and then gradually making it more and more rare each day. Some animals get turned off by the cold temperature.

I’d also recommend mixing in a little green tripe with what you’re feeding – if you can get raw that’s great, there’s also a decent canned version sold by Petkind under the name Tripett.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Saig –

Is Sundaypets available in the US? Or just Australia/New Zealand?

[Hound Dog Mom]

Thanks for the link Ann. The brand hasn’t been reviewed yet so I’ll forward the link to Sandy so she can add it to the to-do list (if it isn’t on there already).

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Darryl –

Because prices will vary from retailer to retail there is no set guideline as to a price that qualifies a food as budget friendly. I generally just take the prices found on several online retailers into account, prices I see in stores in my area, as well as prices that users report in their areas.

When it comes to online retailers sometimes it pays to take the time to shop around. I’ve noticed times where one brand may be more expensive at one retailer but they may carry another brand for a cheaper price than other retailers. It really just depends. I do think Chewy.com tends to have good deals though – they also have fast/free shipping, a great selection and wonderful customer service.

Not sure about where you could purchase food in bulk.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Dori –

I’m so sorry to hear about Hannah. 🙁 I hope everything turns out okay – keep us posted!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Ann –

Could you post a link to this food? I’ve never heard of it and when I did a google search all I pulled up was a website with grooming products.

[Hound Dog Mom]

LOL Thanks Cyndi!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Of course I have more, I love puppy pictures!

I may be a little biased, but I gotta say Gertie and Mabel were pretty darn cute puppies. Here’s some of my favorites! 🙂

I call this one “The Wrong Side of the Gate” – this is what Gertie used to do at dinner time when she was locked out of the kitchen:

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

No bloodhounds?! Invalid list!!!! lol.

Can’t tell me this isn’t the world’s cutest dog :p

[Hound Dog Mom]

Betsy –

Thanks. I couldn’t remember if there was a spot to flag posts or not, I was thinking there was. Seems like there should be.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Case –

If you’re on the Editor’s Choice forums you can access member’s support on the FAQ page. If you’re a non-Editor’s Choice member there’s a “contact us” link at the bottom of the page.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Case –

Unfortunately, there is no way to “ignore” a member that I’m aware of. That’s a feature I wish Disqus and WordPress would both add on.

I can’t see what you see when you post, but I would assume that there is a spot to flag the post (like there is on the review section)? Maybe someone else can answer. But if not you can send us a message through member support alerting us to any potential trolls.

Yes – please ignore anyone you suspect is a troll. Responding to them just gives them the attention they’re looking for and encourages their behavior.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Martha –

Not all foods that are highly rated will be included in the Editor’s Choice. The star ratings take into account the ingredients and general analysis only – not the company itself. You can read more about how the Editor’s Choice companies are selected here.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Nectar Mom –

I’m not exactly certain what you’re asking. If you want to clarify I’ll try my best to answer your question.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dori –

The Summit product line is rated 4 stars. As stated previously, Editor’s Choice is a compilation of companies – not of individuals formulas or product lines. A wholistic assessment was made of the companies that manufacture predominantly 4 and 5 star foods and those companies that met our criteria were chosen – Petcurean was one of those companies. Manufacturing a few formulas or product lines that do not rate 5 stars does not disqualify a company from being worthy of Editor’s Choice.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Dori –

Summit is a 4 star food. All 4 and 5 star foods are eligible. The Editor’s Choice is based on the company as a whole. Summit is manufactured by Petcurean. Petcurean is an Editor’s Choice company.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I got the Sunmile 1HP 5# Grinder for Christmas – stainless steel. It’s $76.99 on Amazon. It’s been great so far. I’d highly recommend that for a starter grinder too.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Mr. Corbette –

I’m not really sure what you’re referring to with the online retailer in the gray box. If you’re seeing the Editor’s Choice section with no issues I’d assume there’s no issue with your subscription fee.

As far as picking a food, there’s no reason you need to pick just one food. And, in fact, I wouldn’t advise doing so. Variety is important so my suggestion would be to rotate among several quality foods.

[Author]

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