[kobe]

thanks so much Tigerlily
OBVIOUSLY,INKED MARIE has much more time to go through 31 pages of comments than the rest of us do!! my condolences to INKEDMARIE-

[kobe]

if anyone can send me a link or identify what page of these 31 pages to find this list,i would greatly appreciate it!!

kobe’s dad

[kobe]

Hi HDM and Patty Vaughn,

my berner pup has finally recovered from his diarrhea —i am thinking of switching him to raw food —the stores near me carry
Bravo
Honest Kitchen
Natures Variety
Vital

ARE ANY OF THESE APPROPRIATE FOR A LARGE BREED PUPPY OR SHOULD I STICK TO KIBBLE?

thanks so much,
Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

TO HOUND DOG MOM AND PATTY,

I need your educated opinions on 2 issues

first, my bernese puppy-5 and 1/2 months old came to me from California Memorial Day weekend-diagnosed with giardia 3 days later he has been treated 2 times with the combination of metronidazole and panacur—the second treatment occurred in the setting of a negative stool test BUT the specimen submitted was several hours old before brought in to the vets office –i treated him because his diarrhea the second time was exactly the same as the first time—yellow and greasy–he got better but 2 weeks later-on monday 8/26–he again developed yellow ,greasy diarrhea–the stool specimen at 4am obtained was brought to the ANIMAL Medical Center in nyc 3 hours later–the specimen results 2 days later was negative–in the 2 days waiting ,he was started back on the same combination-metronidazole and panacur with a significant improvement in 3 days—this most recent episode ,he vomited twice during the night as well–12 hrs a fter his last meal-dinner– and afterleaving the Medical Center he had yellowish diarrhea with undigested rice seen in it—-that i put in his kibble 12 hrs prior–this was brown rice from a local chinese restaurant—previously, i only gave white rice but i was told brown rice was more binding——
to give you a little more information,icalled a human lab-QUEST-and was told a stool specimen would not be accepted unless placed in a container of theirs prepared with their preservatives so to speak———therefore the pup diarrhea clinically seems like giardia is the cause but the stool is negative—-do you guys think that the time delay before processing has led to a false negative result?
other possibilities are inflammatory bowel disease or pancreatic insufficiency which i cant believe—i am an adult cardiologist in nyc and all people with the above conditions are skinny and unhealthy looking !!–my pup is already 80 lbs at 5 and 1/2 months–hardly the appearance of an animal not absorbing nutrients from a chronic illness?
in summary, do you think that yellow greasy diarrhea could be caused by anything other than giardia?

my second issue is nutrition–Kobe is back on Hills i and d kibble-actually since i stopped NATURES VARIETY LARGE BREED PUPPY KIBBLE 2 weeks ago due to diarrhea-he has been on this I AND D—how long should i wait before transitioning him to better kibble given this weeks illness–antibiotics will be completed on september 5th?AND i have decide to use ZIGNATURE kibble–here is the problem: my breeders handout reads to use 1 cup of kibble 3x/day until 6 months of age then use 2 cups 2x/day after 6 months of age—the zignature company has recommended to give my pup 5 CUPS OF THEIR KIBBLE PER DAY!!
I am not an expert in nutrition-can you advise me how much i shoud give my pup of this kibble before 6 months of age but more importantly after 6 months—i dont know if their is a reason based on calories why 5 cups/day is recommended–i dont want to harm Kobe if i feed him only 3 cups/day
I APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL ADVICE-unfortunately, i know much about human hearts BUT very little about yellow,greasy diarrhea nor about how much of this ZIGNATURE TO FEED

THANKS SO MUCH,
KOBE’S DAD

[kobe]

HI patty vaughn,

you wrote near page 15 to find HDMS list but 2 of us cant find it—could you give me a specific page number—i really would like to see this list

thanks,
Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

thanks,

any opinion on NOW brand large breed puppy kibble

Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

TO INKED MARIE ,HDM AND ANYONE ELSE WITH MORE EXPERIENCE THAN ME

unfortunately,reading the comments section on HALO, SOLID GOLD AND FROMM –is quite disappointing with a number of complaints about lack of tolerability on each product

IS THERE A BRAND OUT THERE FOR LARGE BREED PUPPIES THAT IS GENERALLY WELL TOLERATED EVEN IF I USE ADULT FORMULAS?

thanks for any and all assistance,

Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR HELPING BUT I AM PUZZLED BY

1-the comments on Halo on this website were generally NOT flattering-therefore i am hesitant to try
2-Solid Gold makes a large breed puppy formula–what is the consensus opinion on this product?
3-FROMM appears ingredient wise to be fine BUT i have no clue if it is well tolerated by dogs in general-please advise-IF fROMM IS RECOMMENDED-which formula or formulas should i try
4–ANY OTHER BRANDS THAT ARE WELL TOLERATED FROM A GASTROINTESTINAL STANDPT.–PLEASE LET ME KNOW FOR A LARGE BREED PUPPY

i appreciate all input

Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

to inked marie and HDM,
IN TERMS OF HALO-what type would be appropriate?
IN TERMS OF ZIGNATURE-what about the other formulas available besides salmon and trout?

LASTLY,IF EITHER OF YOU HAVE A PREFERRED BRAND FOR BOTH QUALITY AND FOR BEING EASY TO TOLERATE PLEASE LET ME KNOW–IF THE BRAND RECOMMENDED IS NOT ONE OF THE ONES I LISTED–PLEASE ADVISE

thanks so much,
Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

HI HOUND DOG MOM,

in summary i need your advice 2 months of trying Natures Variety Prairie large breed puppy kibble led to recurrent diarrhea that i for sometime thought was giardia recurrence

i value your opinion interms of a quality kibble for my 5 month old bernese puppy AND hopefully will be easy on his stomach
MY CHOICES TO TRY ARE
solid gold large breed puppy kibble
wellness large breed puppy kibble
a rotation of the zignature kibbles
earthborn meadow or coastal kibble
spots stew kibble
avoderm kibble
natural balance limited ingrediwents-all life stages

as i stated before,i have no clue–let me know your order of preference or if you have another formula in mind
i really appreciate your help as i do not have the experience you or others have

Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

Hi HOUND DOG MOM,

thanks for your assistance-BUT have had Kobe for 11 weeks and have finally concluded that his episodes of diarrhea most likely were from the attempt to transition from Hills I AND D TO PRAIRIE LARGE BREED PUPPY FORMULA–the confusion and delay making this conclusion was that he did have recurrent giardia initially!!

i need your advice:
i have been giving him boiled chicken twice a daymixed in with 1/2 cup of kibble-and rice—-the third meal is just 1 cup of kibble with rice-no chicken–also probiotic twice a day

my choices to try to transition him to are EARTHBORN MEADOW FEAST OR COASTAL KIBBLE VS ZIGNATURE KIBBLE VS SOLID GOLD LARGE PUPPY FOOD VS NATURAL BALANCE LIMITED INGREDIENT KIBBLE
to be honest, i have NO CLUE IF what to choose next to try—-
i appreciate any advice on what you would try for my 5 month old bernese pup-if you have a different brand-please dont hold back your preference

i really need to get him on something both nutritious,safe and tolerable

thanks again,
Kobe”s dad

[kobe]

thank you so much Mrs.Nix

to HDM AND MRS.NIX,

MY BERNESE PUP HAS HAD GIARDIA TWICE- I BELEVE IT IS GONE BUT I HAVE ONE QUESTION–MY DOG TYPICALLY HAS STOOLS THAT ARE MOSTLY SOLID BUT THE END OF WHICH IS QUITE SOFT AND NOT AS FORMED-IS THIS A POTENTIAL CONCERN?

LASTLY-TO HOUND DOG MOM–THE ISSUE OF GRAIN CONTAINING FOODS VS NO GRAIN–WHAT DO YOU THINK OBJECTIVELY? DO DOGS THRIVE BETTER ON ONE OR THE OTHER?IF THERE ARE NO CORN ALLERGIES-IS THERE A REASON TO USE GRAIN-FREE?

THANKS AGAIN

KOBES’S DAD

[kobe]

to hound dog mom,

lastly ands most important-is there a reason why grain containing kibble was not included in your list of acceptable large breed puppy kibble?
are you implying grain -free is preferable over grain containing kibble?
kobe’s dad

[kobe]

hi Hound dog mom,

thanks for your valuable and much needed info!
a few followup issues
first, when you say rotate foods-you you nean waiting until a bag is finished and THEN using a different potein source? or do you mean rotating foods more frequently?
again,what do you think of zignature kibble?
has there ever been a recall on Zignature products?

thanks again,
kobe:’s dad

[kobe]

Dear Hound Dog Mom,

thanks again for your info!!
one last question–what do YOU think of Zignature kibble?-i just received samples of a limited ingredient kibble with the Zignature label
do you think it meets your requirements –or not–to feed a 5 month old bernese puppy?
also, is it better to avoid limited ingredient kibble if my pup has no food allergies?

your advice is much appreciated

Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

hi HDM,

i appreciate all the above and i am learning more from you than my vet!!
a few more basic questions
first,how come the EARTHBORN puppy kibble ha a listed calcium perctage i believe less than what you were told? i will also double check on the EARTHBORN web page.
second,do you recommend wet food that is labeled as for puppies–i dont think their are wet foods titled for large breed pups—OR should i stay away from wet foods advertised for puppies?
third, my maine coon cats love weruva wet food–as you know this company makes a dog wet food too-any feelings or recomendations on using weruva wet food for dogs as an add on to kibble?
LASTLY,when i first got the pup, i was told that a well known Berner breeder was using Natural Balance limited ingredient-duck formulas-my veterinarian did not recommend this-stating that limited ingredient kibble should not be first-line in an otherwise healthy dog-rather should be reserved if an allergy develops AND duck shoud not be the firstchoice but shuld also be reserved for dogs who cant tolerate chicken,lamb etc-DO YOU AGREE WUTH THIS?

THANKS AGAIN FORALL YOUR MUCH NEEDED HELP!!
KOBE”S DAD

[kobe]

to HDM,
thanks so much-i will take you up on your offer for follow-up

first, on friday -i called the nutrition person on staff at EARTHBORN–he told me that their grain puppy kibble was suitable for a large breed puppy-can you briefly let me know what this kibble is lacking for my large-70 pond 5 month old bernese puppy?
second,will i have gi issues meaning diarrhea– with my puppy if i switch him to a grain free kibble–since i have had him -he has only received grain containing kibble?
third,are wet STEWS such as EARTHBORN makes-more likely to cause gi symptoms than more solid type of wet foods?
fourth,should the add-on wet food be from the same company as the dry kibble being used?
LAST BUT NOT LEAST–can you recommend YOUR prefeerred wet foods to add-on to dry kibble and how much to add to what he gets now-1 cup of kibble 3x/day until he is 6 months of age?

again,HDM,i really appreciate your info. as a am quite a novice who needs help[ doing the best i can for Kobe!!

sincerely,
Kobe’Ss dad

[kobe]

TO HDMOM,

Three quick questions for you–since my bernese puppy has just now recovered from giardia-total of 3 recurrences—is it a bad thing now to switch his kibble-since i am ALREADY slowly transitioning from HILLS I AND D TO natures variety Prairie large breed puppy kibble? I AM CONCERNED TO MUCH CHANGE TOO QUICKLY MAY THROW OFF HIS BOWEL FUNCTION AGAIN–
eventually ,i would like to try one of the EARTBORN KIBBLES-do you think that the earthborn puppy formula kibble is good for a large puppy breed?it isnt labeled as large puppy food—————-lastly, whicj EARTHBORN preparation you you recommend for a large breed puppy? i am concerned about my pup used to kibble with grain in that i dont know how his system will react to possible grain-free food!!
i value your experience and knowledge given my dog”s history with giardia– if you recommend EARTHBORN over NATURES VARIETY large greed puppy formula—then how long should i wait before changing the kibble and which form of EARTHBORN kibble would you recommend for my 5 month old bernese puppy?
in tems of EARTHBORN WET FOOD-it is a stew–should i avoid a stew for the pup–one store employee believes that stews are more likely to cause diarrhea–Do you recommend EARTHBORN stew for my pup as a small add on to his kibble?

sorry for picking your brain but i trust your judgement over the local store sales people and even local veterinarians!!

thanks so much,
Kobe’s dad

[kobe]

THANKS HDM,

I CANT FIND WHAT PAGE THE LINK IS ON–CAN YOU LET ME KNOW SO I CAN READ IT
LASTLY,WHAT BRAND OF RAW FOOD,IF ANY WOULD YOU SUGGEST FOR A 5 MONTH OLD BERNESE PUP?

hound dog mom–if you have 60 seconds-call me at my cell 9177166149 as i finger type- quite slowly–i can get my thoughts out much quicker talking than finger typing–i guarantee i will keep it one minute or less

thanks again,
craig
kobe’s dad

[kobe]

any specific brands would also be helpful

[kobe]

HI,

I am a new member and need advice on my bernese mountain dog pup in NYC
unfortunately, he was sent to me from he west coast with giardia intestinal infection–the good news is that after multiple courses of metronidazole and fenbendazole,i think this parasite is gone—the pup is 5 months old this week–i am starting to slowly transition him off the Hills I AND D—i was recommended the natures variety-large breed puppy kibble which i have been adding slowly—–BUT THE COMMENTS I HAVE READ ON THIS FOOD AND COMPANY ON THIS WEBSITE HAVE NOT BEEN THAT POSITIVE!!!

I KNOW I NEED to limit the calcium but i am confused by what i should be feeding him—regular kibble vs raw food vs ziwipeak?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

[kobe]

to hound dog mom

i need your advice—i have a 5 month old gorgeous bernese puppy in new york city–
unfortunately,he came to me 2 months ago with giardia intestinal infection from the breeder-therefore he required hills I AND D kibble along with boiled chicken and rice from a restaurant

i have been now converting him slowly to natures variety large puppy kibble–BUT i am fearful that this is not a good preparation-i value your advice
if you have a minute please call me on my cell 9177166149 to briefly discuss

thanks so much

[Author]

Posts