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Oooh..I’m sorry about your thumb! I guess I might not order the krill oil because they sure don’t like regular fish oils in their food. I don’t know about the coconut oil, but maybe HDM or someone will chime in later. 🙂
Betsy, I always use a thumb tack lol! I don’t use fish oil that often, though, because the dogs don’t much care for it in their food, ugh! I use coconut oil more often because they gobble that up lol. I keep trying different kinds/brands, though, hoping to hit on one they’ll accept. I haven’t tried Mercola’s krill yet, but think I will.
It probably is fine, Betsy, but you can only open it to find out if the kibble looks “funny”…..so, I do respect your decision. The only bag that had the “funny looking” kibble was Pork. And it was a 4-5 lb. bag. None of the other bags I had, even the big bag of Duck had it in there. Like I said, this is the first time for me to ever see “funny looking” kibble in any I’ve bought, and I feel lucky none of mine needed to go to the vet with anything serious. It was probably just a more concentrated piece of the kibble mix, but whatever it was it sure caused some very loose/diarrhea stool, and weird colored, too. None of them acted sick, though, thank goodness, but it sure wasn’t right or normal for them to have that. Hazel started with it and at first I didn’t really think it was the food. But when my daughter told me all 3 were doing it then I started to worry and wonder. I was using probliotics and enzymes, too. But, after it all went out of their systems and I started them on Acana everyone seems pretty much back to normal now in the stool area. I hope it stays this way. I do love Acana…..and I finally think they’re distribution is getting back to normal, too. Currently, I’m using the LID formulas with the oats because I wanted to introduce a more simple food atm.
HDM, it might be fine, but I would definitely check the kibble when each bag is opened. Like I said before, I fed it since right before Christmas with no problems and really liked how the dogs were doing on it. I would still be feeding it, if this hadn’t happened. Good luck!
Thanks, Melissa. The dogs’ stool is getting back to being more normal (fingers crossed!). I’ve been using Acana Lamb and Apple with a small amount of Stella & Chewy’s FD crumbled on top, all mixed with some water. They’ve also been getting Fresh Digest (double dose) mixed in. Too bad about the Merrick. I know that every food company can have problems at one time or another, but it seems like Merrick has been known for some quality control issues here and there (from reading about other’s experiences) and I don’t want to give them another chance right now, especially when there are so many other choices out there. We’ll keep on with the Acana and see how it goes. I’ve always liked it.
To add to Melissa’s post….Acana also contains botanicals which might be bothersome for some dogs. Just a consideration. 🙂 Btw, we’re now trying the Duck and Pear and the Lamb and Apple (had an issue with Merrick recently and needed something new). We’ll let everyone know later how it goes. I hope it goes well.
I use a few different treats for mine. I like Zuke’s and they do have some grain free ones now. I pinch them up so they’re smaller for training. I like Vital Essentials bites (they’re tripe, I think) for mine. If I use biscuits I will go for Nature’s Variety Instinct or Darford…sometimes Fromm grain free. I also like to use freeze dried chicken pieces. Sometimes I just give them their kibble for a treat lol. The Cavs are treat monsters! They also love THK Beams (dried catfish skins)! They are not great chewers, but love the Beams and also lamb ears.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your family member. And yes, they are definitely members of our families. I recently lost a very special girl and I can understand your sorrow. I pray you feel better soon.
I agree with Marie. Pedigree may donate food, and while that is a good thing, it doesn’t make it a good food. There are lots of budget friendly foods that have better ingredients. I feel that if you can afford the supplement you can afford a better food. mlp576, your post wasn’t clear about why you were using Pedigree and you made it sound like you were very knowledgable about dog nutrition, so I was just wondering why someone who is knowledgable would feed Pedigree and then use a supplement like the one you mentioned. I did look it up and it sounds interesting. I’m glad you’re learning. We all started somewhere.
Thanks, HDM….I’m not sure I could “stomach” raw tripe LOL!…..couldn’t resist hahaha. I haven’t tried kefir yet, but I’ll look into it. It’s just very easy for me to add the powder stuff when I’m adding in Lucy’s SP Renal and the Fresh Digest is working great and a bottle lasts a long time with my dogs.
mlp576….it’s interesting to me that you would use this “highly touted” probiotic/whole food supplement but use Pedigree as your food…hmm. I have used lots of different brands of pre/probiotics/enzymes. Some that I like (and I feel worked for my dogs) are:
1. Mercola Probiotics. Their enzymes not so well as they are animal enzymes, which seem to make my dogs have loose stool.
2. Total Biotics and Total Zymes.
3. Naturvet Probiotics and Enzymes with Prebiotics.
4. Holistic Select Solutions.
5. Ark Naturals Gentle Digest – pre/probiotics only. No enzymes.
6. Fresh Digest/Optagest. My favorite product. These have worked the best for my dogs. They contain prebiotics/plant enzymes.
7. Vetri-Science vetri-mega probiotics
8. Geneflora
9. Animal EssentialsThanks for the info. HDM! Interesting..I’ve been toying with the idea of feeding Nature’s Logic to my crew. The dogs are eating Merrick grain free for their kibble atm. They love it and all are doing very, very well with it. No allergy issues like tearing, anal glands, etc. I’ve also been using Merrick cans (concerned about the carageenan, of course), S. Nourish cans, and recently some Instinct cans as toppers. As I mentioned before on the recent comments section, I’ve also fed some freeze dried raw. The dogs get Fresh Digest half/dosed daily (prebiotics and plant enzymes). Lucy gets Standard Process Renal Support, too. I’m currently not using any extra omegas. My cat is eating Instinct Raw Boost kibble (which she loves) and Merrick, S. Nourish, Fromm, Soulistic, and recently some Tiki Cat cans. I tried Instinct cans with her but she absolutely will not eat them! I find this strange….maybe it’s the smell, texture, or even flavor? She is kinda picky. I know that Nature’s Logic is technically not grain free but I like the fact they don’t use synthetic vits. I might start wih the canned as toppers for the dogs since I do so like the Merrick kibble for them. My cat also has some issues I deal with. She has a pharyngeal polyp (husband won’t okay $ for surgery…but that’s another story) and she does do some obsessive over grooming (back only). I leaning toward allergies (re the overgrooming) but she is very finicky and won’t even try the limited ingredient diets I’ve tried (Natural Balance, various flavors). I believe her sense of smell is not the greatest with the polyp and the LIDs are usually bland. I’m thinking of trying Instinct’s LIDs with her, though. Except for the overgrooming on her back her coat is like silk! I know that overgrooming can be an OCD thing in cats, too, and she does seem to have that personality (she’s a Tortie). Anyway, I think I’m gonna get some Nature’s Logic for her, too, and see if she likes it and does better without the regular vits. She also gets some freeze dried raw. Sorry for going on and on….haha, just wanted to vent. Thanks! 🙂
That’s good to know about the rice in Steve’s. The last time I was at my vets I noticed they had changed to packaging for Steve’s and it was pretty different from the last time I bought it. I didn’t look at the ingredients to see if they’d changed.
This is an interesting post….I knew that Nature’s Variety was sold to a larger co. but I didn’t know that the person who developed Nature’s Logic was a former employee of Nature’s Variety. Is this true? Just curious. I know that Nature’s Logic has been around a few years.
My mixed breed, Lucy Mae, has a “mass” on her bladder. We don’t know yet if it’s malignant….didn’t want to do any biopsy yet (found it on an x-ray) because she’s acting great and kidney/bladder numbers seem okay for now. She’s also turning 12 years old and with her age, we’re in a wait and see mode. Anyway, she is eating Merrick grain free kibble topped with various canned food or freeze dried raw and water added. She is getting Standard Process Renal Support per my holistic vet. She also gets another urinary chew by Naturvet a couple times a week. So far, I have not reduced protein or anything like that and she’s doing fine. I know this may not be the same as your dog, but I still think a higher protein diet is best. Of course, I’m not a vet.
If it were me, I’d return it for the small breed Core. When I started feeding Core, some years ago, they didn’t have to small breed formula….sure wish they had because the regular Core kibble size is huge, I agree! I haven’t fed any Core for awhile now, but if I did it’d be the small breed. Btw, my dogs love Merrick!
I’m gonna suggest some foods that my Cavaliers like, but your dogs still may not. So…it’ll have to be a trial and error process, I’m afraid. Some pet food stores will have samples of certain foods, so you might ask your local pet store about that. Also, some foods have a money back guarantee and will allow you to take opened bags back to the store (I always save my receipts, just in case) for exchange or refund. Now….my small dogs like Merrick very much! Merrick has grain free and a small breed formula that does have a small amount of whole grains. I have used both with great success. It’s what mine are eating now. Fromm is another food that picky eaters might like. They also have grain inclusive and grain free formulas. Nature’s Variety is another food that I would recommend to try with picky eaters. They have grain inclusive and grain free versions. Merrick and Nature’s Variety are available at Petco, while Fromm is sometime harder to find and only available at independent pet stores. Of course, there’s also Blue Buffalo and Wellness, and also Innova that are popular foods. Earthborn Holistic is one I’ve heard people like, as well. I hope this helped some. 🙂
This is a timely post for me….I agree with everything said here. I say it’s timely because I am meeting today a new dog food maker. It’s similar to Red Moon, a customizable dog food, and it’s called Petbrosia. It’s supposed to launch in March and I’ve been invited to coffee to talk about their website, etc. I’m not too sure about it, yet, and it’s very, very expensive! I’m open to speaking with the owner, though, and I’ll find out all I can, and maybe even make suggestions, idk yet. These things that have been mentioned here will be on the list of questions/topics I will want to discuss. I’ll let you all know how it goes. Thanks!
Yes, I subscribe as well. They have lots of good info. and articles to read. Their dry food reviews are done in Feb. I believe, but I can’t remember when they do their canned and raw food reviews. It’s not the only thing I use when deciding canine things, though. I use other sites/publications, too, but I believe it’s well worth it.
According to the Whole Dog Journal’s 2012 dry dog food list Blue Buffalo is made by a number of different manufacturers. They list CJ Foods, Ainsworth, ProPet, Triple T Foods, Tuffy’s, ANI/Vita-Line. Diamond does not make Blue Buffalo. Hope this helps.
Have you thought about Merrick or Fromm? Fromm may be a bit more expensive, but Merrick shouldn’t be too bad.
I would second HDM….The Honest Kitchen is a “wet” diet after it’s hydrated and I think its ingredients are stellar! I would use it, but my crew just doesn’t like the “garlicy” smell of it. Like I said before, I use canned and freeze dried raw that’s been rehydrated for extra moisture.
First, let me say that I’m not a vet. But, I would suggest a visit to your vet to determine the type of crystals and to see if there is an infection present. There are different types of crystals and treatments vary. Struvite crystals seem to form if there is an infection, but Oxalate crystals are a different matter. There are also other types. One thing is certain, though, and that a dog that is prone to uti’s or crytals needs lots of moisture in the diet. Moisture is actually good in any animal’s diet, imho. If I were you, after speaking to my vet, I would check into 4-5 star, high quality foods. Whether you feed all canned, regular raw or freeze dried raw that’s been rehydrated, or kibble topped with wet food of sime kind (either of the above mentioned or wholesome people food) moisture is necessary to help flush out the kidneys. If you feed only kibble, then I would still add water or no-sodium/low-sodium broth to it. There are also supplements that might help with urinary issues like cranberry, vit. C, omega 3’s etc. Again, I would ask your vet for recommendations. There are also regular posters here that have had dogs with kidney issues from birth that may post with some great suggestions. Good luck to you and I hope this helps!
Oh, okay…I could repost there, but I think we’ll just leave it here, if that’s okay. I’m just not up to reposting about it yet. Thanks for all the hard work you do for all of us other dog lovers!
Thanks again, Dr. Mike. If you want to move all the posts about Stella from the health section and put them in the Pet Memorial section that would be fine.
I think this is a great idea. I wanted to let everyone know about Stella, but at first wasn’t sure where to post it. I decided to put it in the health section. On the Cavalier forum I belong to they have a section for “In Memorium” but I think Pet Memorials would be good. I know it’s a sad topic and I avoid reading about it most of the time, but when it happened to me with Stella (and Desi) I found myself wanting to commiserate with other posters so I read some of the memorials. In that regard, I think it’d be a good addition to the forum. Thanks, guys. 🙂
Thanks Dr. Mike! It’s kinda sad and weird around here right now and my family (human and canine) is helping with my grief. I took the other 2 Cavs on an outing today and we had a good time. I find that I keep looking for Stella in various places at home, though, and it just makes me tear up. We will always remember her and love her! Everyone has been so kind, it is very appreciated.
Yes, it’s Jan lol. I didn’t use it for long, but the dogs did fine on it and liked it. The nuggets were smaller than NV or Primal. It does have some rice bran in it, or did when I used it, and that seems strange for a raw food imho. It came in a bigger bag and if I remember was cheaper in the long run than the others. My vet, who carries it, actually feeds his Goldens NV Prairie and Steve’s. I didn’t use it often because my vet is 45-50 mins. from home and I only bought it if I was going there. I can get Primal and NV closer to home. With all that said, I don’t use regular raw anymore. I like the freeze dried because my daughter and husband (rarely) can help out with feeding because they are more comfortable using the FD. I add water to it and rehydrate it. I tried using The Honest Kitchen and Grandma Lucy’s but the dogs prefer the Primal and Stella & Chewy’s much more. I’m gonna pick up some Vital Essentials today to add to the mix, though it seems to be the most expensive of all.
I’ve fed Primal and NV, and also Steve’s Real Food. My vet carries NV and Steve’s. I like Primal and Steve’s better than NV. Currently, though, I’m using the Freeze Dried versions of Primal, NV (sometimes when I can find it), and Stella & Chewy’s. I know it’s not as good as the regular raw, but it’s doable in this household and I like it alot, lol.
I’m sorry to hear about your Cav. Sadly, I just lost my 12 year old Blenheim girl, Stella, to SM. 🙁 I think that feeding an all can diet, as long as the canned food is labeled “complete and balanced” and not for supplemental feeding only, is perfectly fine. In fact, it’s really a lot better than feeding a total dry diet. It’s a little closer to being a species appropriate diet, at least. I feel most people don’t use canned, and use dry, simply because it can be cost prohibitive to use, especially with multiple dog households. If you can afford it, it really is better than dry. Some people also feed a raw diet. I prefer premade raw. There are lots of good brands to choose from. If raw is not for you, then there are the freeze dried formulas and rehydrate them. This is what I’m using now, although I do feed kibble and canned with them. I’m using Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, and have some Vital Essentials coming. Canned food contains moisture, which is also great for the dog. Again, I’m sorry your pup is experiencing this. Our breed, as a whole, is burdened with these illnesses and it’s so sad. If I were you, I’d pick some 4-5 star grain free canned food and contact the companies to see what the sodium level is in them and go from there. I have 2 other Cavs at home, both females….Hazel (Black & Tan) and Laverne (Ruby). Hazel has a grade 2 murmur, but so far, Laverne is fine. Actually they’re both doing very well, atm. They both share the same birthday, lol, and Hazel will be 6 this August and Laverne will be 8. Good luck to you with your little one!
Thanks, everyone. Your comments are so appreciated. I know you all understand the loss of a pet (a family member). It’s the other dogs that are helping me get through my grief for Stella girl.
Betsy….Stella had mild symptoms for some years but all of a sudden they increased to the point of needing meds. They did help her, but the seizures just came on (my breeder that I adopted her from said SM can end up with seizures) kinda sudden. They also increased in duration quickly with a slow recovery time between. That, and her age, is why we decided to send her on to the Bridge. It’s always the hardest decision, but she is not suffering now. Thanks for your comments.
Thank you, Betsy. With a Cavalier of your own, I’m sure you understand the hurt….of course, losing any loving dog hurts. Stella had Syringo Myelia (SM). She was on meds for it, but it seemed to be just too much for her in the end. She was such a special dog!
I just want to say I’m thankful for this new forum. Conversations just like the one here belong on it, and not on the actual food rating section, imho. I often go to another rating site, dogfood.chat, that also has a forum. You can look at the ratings of the different foods but if you have questions or want to find out more info. or get into a lengthy discussion then they have a forum. I like the forum they have and the moderator(s) keep it pretty clean lol. They have a few regulars, too. Once I felt insulted and left, but then later started commenting again. I like this site soooo much better, but in all honesty, and no disrespect to Richard or Brothers, I feel the drama and other things on the Brothers thread was sometimes overwhelming. Bottom line is, though, it is Dr. Mike S.’s site and I’m glad he’s finally taken a stand.
While I’m not familiar with Canyon Creek’s food (I believe it’s fairly new), I do know that their chicken jerky treats are “accused” of causing illness in pets. SORRY…I do realize that is not the question you have, though I just wanted to let you know. My opinion on food is this…..if a food works, then it’s technically a 5 star for the dog! I do want to clarify a little, though. I personally won’t feed below 3 star, won’t even try it for one of my dogs. I have, and would again if necessary, use a 3 star food if it worked the best. Believe me, I have fed the gamut of foods to my 4 dogs. They are all technically seniors now. Currently, I’m feeding Merrick Classic (“gasp” a grain inclusive food!) and will top it with canned food or freeze dried raw food that is rehydrated. I also use Fromm GF dry, and Simply Nourish (both dry and canned), which is Petsmart’s house brand. I will use Weruva canned and Merrick canned, as well. I have an old Cavalier that only eats the freeze dried raw now. In fact, she is the reason I started with it (just trying to get her to eat again as she has a neurological issue). So sorry for the long rant lol….just remember no food works for all dogs, and your dog is your responsibility and it is your decision on what works, what you can afford, what your dog will eat, etc. I’m thrilled you have educated yourself on dog food, though, and can make an informed choice. You have the best interest of your dog at heart! 🙂
I 4 dogs and only 1 has anal gland issues, Laverne in my profile pic. She also seems to have mild allergies and can also have tear stains. I actually had to take her once to my holistic vet to have her glands expressed and they were almost impacted! My vet recommended giving her extra fiber, like metamucil. I started giving her metamucil (which is psyllium) then switched to metamucil clear and natural (which is inulin, a prebiotic). The clear and natural mixed better with her wet food. After awhile, I changed and now I give her Fresh Digest (which is a prebiotic and enzymes). This is doing the trick atm. She currently eats either Fromm grain free dry or Merrick Classic grain inclusive and a variety of grain free canned food (Weruva, Fromm, Simply Nourish, Wellness Stews).
@Shawna, thank you for the prayers! They are appreciated! As for her SM, yes it is something Cavaliers can have (not the only illness prevalent for the breed, as MVD is one of the main ones, but very unfortunately SM is becoming almost as prevalent :(…). Stella will be 12 years old in Feb. and that is quite a long life for a Cavalier, actually. I have had her since she was 5 years old. Around 8-10 years old I suspected a mild case but the vet I went to at the time didn’t know very much about Cavaliers. She was also x-rayed once and I was told she had bone spurs. I thought at the time maybe some of her symptoms were attributed to those, but now I’m not so sure. She has not been MRI’d, which is the only exact way to diagnose SM, but my holistic vet said that her symptoms seemed very much like SM and she was sure that the neurologist they work with would just look at the symptoms and diagnose her….so, we decided to give her Gabapentin and see if it helped. We started out at a small dose but had to increase it to 3 times a day. She seems to be doing fine with this dosage right now. Sometimes other meds are added, like prilosec, but Stella isn’t taking any others atm. Her blood panel was very normal, so she really is doing fine right now, considering. Stella was a therapy dog for 5 years and a show Champion when she was 18 months. She never had any pups, mating just never took, and in hind sight with the SM diagnosis it’s a good thing. She is my special girl and very, very bonded with me (they all are special and are all bonded with me lol!). I know I will be devastated when “that time” comes.
@Ramona72….I have heard that many people use human probiotics, but I do use those made for dogs. Some of my favorites are: Mercola Probiotics and Mercola Enzymes, Total Biotics and Total Zymes, Fresh Digest (this is just a prebiotics with enzymes), Geneflora, and I really like Solid Gold Seameal (it has kelp and contains enzymes…actuallly uses Prozyme in it), and Ark Naturals Gentle Digest (this is just a prebiotic and acidolphilus (sic)). Hope this helps!
I have 3 Cavaliers and I have found that adding pre/probiotics and enzymes to their kibble/canned combo helps with their staining. I really only have 1 (my Ruby, Laverne in my pic on left) that has allergy related tear stains and she also gets anal glad issues sometimes. I’m not really sure what she’s got issues with, though. Normally, I do a rotation of kibble about every 1-3, 5 lb. bags and a rotation of canned every can or two. None of mine have them bad, though. I mostly feed grain free, but lately they’ve been eating Merrick Classic Sm. Breed kibble and it has grains.
Over the years I have used many different brands of canned food as toppers for my dogs’ kibble. Currently, I’ve been leaning more and more on Weruva and Simply Nourish (also made in Thailand, but I don’t think it’s the same factory as Weruva…). I have tried others intermittently but keep coming back to those 2 brands. I recently bought some Merrick because they had a great deal going at my local Petco (buy 12 cans of Merrick, get a 5 lb. dry free). I wanted to try Merrick kibble in the rotation so I bought the cans. The dogs like it and do fine on it, too, so I will probably continue to buy it off and on. Now…after all this, I’m considering switching all my dogs to Primal and Stella & Chewy’s freeze dried (I rehydrate it). My oldest Cavalier is on some meds for syringomyelia and it makes her mouth/gums have issues sometimes so she stopped wanting to eat kibble or chunky canned food. I bought some Primal FD and rehydrated it for her and she loves, loves it! So…I may be either adding some to the other dogs’ kibble or switching them entirely like Stella.
