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1 to 1.3 cups per the Pro Plan puppy guideline for 6mo old who will be up to 50lb at maturity. Up to 2c at 8mo. Compared to Hill’s 4c/day for 6-9mo old, very large volume for 37lb pup to try to ingest, lots of poop waste of nonabsorbed content. Pro Plan Pup https://www.purina.com/pro-plan/dogs/dry-dog-food/focus-puppy-chicken-rice

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Shelter puppies do well on Pro Plan puppy, their small breed, regular, and large breed variations, even during sudden transition when surrendered or picked up as abandoned/stray. It’s highly palatable, as they invest in veterinary nutrition r and d proving and improving palatability, safety, balance, and good growth development. It has higher DHA/EPA concentration, essential omega fatty acids contributing to formation of cardiac, bone, nervous system, eye, kidney and skin tissue during development. Purine ONE is a step down in ingredient quality, but their puppy diet is also highly palatable, with dehydrated shreds of meat amongst the kibble pieces. Royal Canin is another option, although Pro Plan is more palatable by most clinical observation of puppies’ appetites. HIll’s Science Diet puppy isn’t as palatable as competing similar puppy diets, as shelter and veterinary professionals can attest despite its good nourishment for lactating mothers as well as puppies, but if your pup’s apathy towards commercial diet persists, as long as he’s maintaining body condition aka adequate covering over bony processes such as hips and spine that you can feel these when press lightly, but not see them, he is ingesting enough to maintain during his growth and development. Mealtime training, with less treats between meal time, i.e. 2T peanut butter in kong at crate time twice daily, after meals, but not treats throughout the day, can improve appetite at meals. At his size and age, his approximate daily energy requirement is 1000-1200 kcals. It will be closer to 700kcal when growth is complete. Diarrhea on a rich, fatty diet does not necessarily imply sensitivity. If his body condition was good on Hill’s per your DVM, maintain; if he was a bit low body condition per your DVM, try the Pro Plan, or ONE, or Royal Canin. Boutique diets advertised as human grade or superior quality don’t have the r and d testing to ensure appropriate growth and development, safety, and palatability that more established manufacturers have. Adding less than 10% of the total diet as cooked egg, lean meat, whole grain such as rice, pasta, orzo, lentil, can entice appetite, but can create a dog that will not eat food without these added, may not eat the treats you have on hand for training, and lead to more restrictions due to preference down the road. This can especially make medicating or prescription diet feeding difficult. Food for thought.

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Prescription Royal Canin SO diet can help dissolve struvite uroliths specifically, and prevent formation of struvite and oxolate uroliths. RC also makes multiple diets with the SO index, including a behavior modifying diet, Calm. Stress is primary contributor to urinary disease, including bacterial infections, sterile inflammation, uroliths in the bladder (cystolith) or kidneys (nephrolith), as unsure which your vet has diagnosed. Moderating stress with diet, supplements, environment, and exercise, can help reduce stress induced disease and inflammation. Feliway (cat) and Dog Appeasing pheremone products are very helpful. Over the counter products by veterinary companies, such as Composure (Vetriscience), Zylkene (Vetoquinol), and Calming Care (Purina) are the most utilized amongst vet professionals. Long-term use of the rx urinary diet is recommended in repeat urethral obstruction or urolith affected pets. Obstruction by crystals blood/bladder cells, and stones is emergent, as blood cannot flow through the kidneys to filter toxins into urine, and toxins accumulate in the blood, leading to electrolyte imbalance, azotemia, dehydration, hypotension, and shock left untreated. Since he is older onset, ensuring water intake and more elimination opportunities on walks/yard visits will help decrease risk for concentrated urine accumulating crystals, which can form uroliths that gain size the longer crystals are present. Dilution decreases urine crystal formation. Inquire as to the serum kidney values, to ensure underlying kidney changes are not the contributors to the bacteria and crystals sited in his urine. Ultrasound is the best way to diagnose urinary tract changes, inflammation, and foreign material; limited abdominal U/S can find early kidney changes, prior to any abnormality in serum/blood work. Hope your boy continues to improve, as he already sounds 100% turnaround. Link to SO index Calm diet https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/vet-products/canine-calm-dry-dog-food

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Hydrolyzed veterinary diets are prescribed for a variety of health conditions in dogs, formed in the last few years when novel protein diet was not “hypoallergenic” enough for affected dogs. The protein is hydrolyzed, a process of “predigestion” or breakdown that decreases immune-mediated response to absorption of protein’s peptides. Royal Canin’s hydrolyzed diets can be a formula combined with a renal friendly diet, or urinary diet formula, so multiple disease processes are managed with a single prescribed diet. Hydrolyzed protein diets have additional B vitamins and essential fatty acids, especially omega 3’s incl EPA and DHA, to promote healthy cell division and decrease inflammation, a proponent of skin health; but these are not in excess, as excessive B vitamins and fatty acids can cause toxicity symptoms, more common in homemade diets or over-supplementing diet. Some dogs with specific cancer, autoimmune disease, lymphangectasia (inflammatory disease of the lymphatic tissue surrounding GI tract), skin/ear/feet/anal gland allergy are prescribed Hydrolyzed protein diets. Ask if the dog has done well specifically due to its current prescribed diet, or if it is still in a diet trial phase (first 8 weeks on the new diet) so effect is still unknown. Inquire as to other effective or ineffective treatment the dog has tried. Often, hydrolyzed protein diet is utilized after acute symptoms have been treated and controlled with initial glucocorticoids, antibiotics, probiotics, antiemetics etc. A diet is challenged after 8 week trial by single introduction of a whole food ingredient to determine catalysts of symptoms/disease only if the dog is deemed healthy enough to trial and error diet triggers, with emergency treatments on hand if a response is triggered. Most derm vets start with a few grams of apple or carrot, then rice or oatmeal, then a lean meat-derived protein source, one ingredient per week added until note a reaction or immune-mediated response signifying sensitivity or allergy. Many owners elect to maintain status quo and never challenge the diet, as the journey leading up to the hydrolyzed protein diet was difficult and taxing to them and their pet.

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