[Mom2Cavs]

I’m not sure about being too high protein, possibly….but it could be anything in the food. I have a Cavalier senior that had symptoms like your dog. Adding a good probiotic/enzyme supplement and feeding a good sized biscuit before bedtime helped her. She is not eating a senior food or grain free, atm, and she’s doing great. I do rotate and I just switched the dogs from Victor to Annamaet Encore. I do also add canned toppers and the probiotics mixed with a little water at each meal. They get a Wellness biscuit at bedtime.

[Mom2Cavs]

I also use Nature’s Farmacy products. I have their Digestive Enhancer and Probiotic Max on hand. One good thing about them is that you don’t have to store them in the fridge….you can, but not a requirement, which is handy for travel.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi, dchassettt, yes there are the bamboo coaster stands, but I just ordered the other new stands, they seem to be made out of the same material as cutting boards. I’ll let you know how they are when they come. They don’t put much height, if at all, to the bowls though. I wanted them to keep the bowls in place. I don’t remember where I bought the Fiesta ware pet bowls….google it and a few sites come up. Maybe Wag.com? The Bauer bowls are awesome and a good heavy weight. Hope this helps.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hey, Marie…did you check out the new stands you can get for the Basis bowls? I haven’t bought any yet but they look pretty cool. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi all! I have tons of dog bowls. While I think stainless is probably one of the best to use, I have the Basis bowls, I also love Fiesta Ware’s glass pet bowls. They’re stylish and made in the USA, as well. I also have ceramic bowls from a woman that makes hand made pottery wheel bowls especially for spaniels with their long ears in mind. They are very nice. Some of the best bowls you can buy are just human pyrex or anchor hocking clear glass bowls in the kitchen supply area of the store. They are made in America, and are sturdy. I have stands for some of the bowls. When Stella was living I found that she ate better out of a bowl that was either in a stand or had a built-in stand. I have some awesome bowls from Bauer pottery that are “high” with a wider base that fit the bill for Stella….later I discovered she had SM (syringomyelia – sic, a neurological disease which has now become common in Cavs) so that is why a higher bowls worked better for her. I also found some Mason Cash bowls at TJ Maxx that were really cheap and are awesome for spaniel’s water bowls.

Btw, Naturella…..the bowls your husband made are awesome! One of my daughters is a professional artist so I get the work that goes in to these lovely bowls. 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 12 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

He sure is adorable! I love his coloring/markings. 🙂

I also want to add that we have a new addition, Rupert William. Rupert will be 7 years old in July. He is a retired Champion and a stud for my breeder friends’ kennel. He was born in England. Rupert is quite special. He is so affectionate he practically hugs you lol. My husband and son are very smitten with him….maybe it has to do with the fact that they finally have a male pet to keep them company among all the females hahaha! Rupert is a Blenheim and weighs around 20 lbs. but should be about 2 pounds bigger, imho. Hopefully he will be able to get a dental and be neutered after we see the Cardiologist this coming Monday. Unfortunately, my holistic vet is concerned with his heart murmur atm, although he is acting fine. He has fit in with the girls from day one. I love him very much already. He is just soooo adorable!

[Mom2Cavs]

I use to use their treats every day, but have since stopped all soft treats. I liked them a lot for my dogs and they liked them, too. If I wanted a soft treat, they would be some that I would buy again, along with Wellness Pure Rewards. I’ve seen their food online but have never seen it in the stores. I’ve never tried it. I’m not sure but if memory serves me correctly it’s similar to Ziwipeak.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

All I know is that I trust my holistic vet and I do titers now. I feel much better than with my old vet who wanted to vaccinate yearly. So far, my holistic vet has said that everyone has enough immunity with every titer I’ve given.

[Mom2Cavs]

Also, I would like to add….if your dog is eating heartily with the wet food, could you consider scheduled meal feedings instead of free feeding, or grazing? I have all senior dogs and I also use canned food toppers to their kibble. I meal feed. Believe me, they eat well and all their food is gone within a minute, no more than two! If not, I know someone isn’t feeling well or something else is going on. I just add approx. a tblsp. (sometimes 2) of canned food to their kibble, mixed with a little water (mainly because I also use probiotics/enzymes mixed in their food). They all eat great, love their food….and this cured picky Lucy years ago. I know now that if she doesn’t eat, then she has a stomach ache. When that happens, I fast her till the evening meal and she always eats heartily then. This has worked for us. It’s really not hard. Since I have 4 dogs, and 1 cat, this also deters any arguing over food or one gorging themselves with it. I also find that meal feeding helps me to better see who is eating well, or not.

[Mom2Cavs]

Naturella, I’m not sure about getting another round of shots for a young dog, I have adopted all of mine when they were older. Maybe Marie knows. My holistic vet charges around 85.00 for titers, I believe. I’m too sure, though, because I usually do other things at the same time, like stool check, exam, and buying other products.

[Mom2Cavs]

Naturella, I do titers for my dogs. My holistic vets take a blood sample from them and send it to a lab. The lab then checks for certain things that indicate the dog has immunity for the particular thing. My holistic vet gets the report and lets me know if they’re immune and don’t need the vaccine. So far, I’ve never had to revaccinate my dogs for the regular shots. I do give them the 3 year rabies vaccine, even though I wish I didn’t have to but it’s the law.

[Mom2Cavs]

I have fed both Merrick and Wellness. I am a Wellness fan. I used to be a Merrick fan until I had some discrepancies in the kibble between bags and some “weird” stuff in a few cans of their food. I won’t buy them anymore, sorry to say. However, this is just me. Others feed it and love it. I don’t use Wellness kibble, atm, because the size and shape is too big for one of my Cavaliers. I may try the kibble again soon because they do have some new small breed formulas coming out. I feed the canned daily.

[Mom2Cavs]

I love Wellness, Annamaet and Dr. Tim’s and Fromm. I’m very glad to see that they’re on the Editor’s Choice list, as well as on the GMO free list. I also love Victor dog food. It is only on the budget friendly list, which is great. It does have some GMO free formulas, as stated on their website. I’m not sure if all their foods are GMO free, though, so I guess that may be why they’re not included. I just feel they should be at least on the GMO free list, my opinion of course.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

I can’t decide if they are making fun of us passionate dog people or trying to make a statement about the dog food companies that “lie” to us LOL!! Either way, too funny!

[Mom2Cavs]

When Desi was living (rip Boobala) he was one of those “vacuum” dogs, too. He had Pica, a disorder where they eat all kinds of random things that are not food. I definitely taught him “leave it” and I also taught him “drop it”. I did this when he was a pup because I saw that he was going to be a difficult dog. Most of the time it worked. I also conditioned him to being used to me sticking my whole hand in his mouth or down his throat lol, as well as accepting me literally crawling into his crate to get something he had that he shouldn’t. This didn’t stop him from passing away at an early age of 8 years old, though…he had health problems that I believe caused the Pica and the vet I had didn’t care to listen to me about it all. Long story, but I have since switched vets because of Desi, especially.

[Mom2Cavs]

I believe the biscuits he reacted to have wheat in them. He does okay on the ones with maiz, right? Anyway, yes it could definitely be the wheat. And maiz is another name for corn, but Idk really…..if these biscuits are working out then it should be fine for him.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yeah, I got that email today. Not surprised, though. I live in Cincinnati, P&G headquarters, and I heard rumors that they were selling their pet division.

[Mom2Cavs]

I have seen Wild Calling! dog food but I will say I passed on it for the only reason that they use Evangers to co-pack their food. I’m sorry, but I won’t buy any food that is made in Evanger’s factory. Other than that, I agree that it looks good.

[Mom2Cavs]

Oh, and Wellness has now added some new formulas for small breeds that I may try when all this food I already have is gone. Like I said, I love Wellness canned foods but their kibble shape always seemed to b a problem for Laverne. She would try to eat it and just spit it out. It was the shape and not the flavor. Now they have some Simple small breed and regular small breed flavors that she might approve of lol.

[Mom2Cavs]

When I went back and read my post I got a belly laugh when I read “I’m currently eating….” LOL!!! I meant, of course, I’m currently FEEDING. I’m sorry I didn’t put what I’m feeding. I usually do. I do rotate kibble every now and then. I use Fromm Salmon a la Veg, Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s (though I probably won’t use it as much, Laverne didn’t do as well with it), Victor (what I’m feeding now), and I just bought a bag of Precise Sensicare at a phenomenal price so that will go in there somewhere. I also top with canned food and mostly use Wellness now. I use their 95% and stews. I will put other brands in there occasionally.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi and welcome! You’ve been given some great ideas for the gulping. The one gulper I had was fixed by a slow down bowl. There are lots more products out now than when he was living that might help, like food puzzles. I would also try adding a probiotic/enzyme supplement first to see if that helps. Nature’s Farmacy offers one that is dissolvable in water called Digestive Enhancer. I order mine from them. So if you’re feeding straight kibble you could add a tiny bit of water and the supplement. Supposedly it doesn’t have a taste….mine take it in their food just fine. There are also other good brands available, too. Most times yogurt isn’t enough. If that doesn’t work after a few weeks, then I’d think about switching foods for your pup. Precise is a decent food (I just bought a bag myself) but just because it worked for your other dog doesn’t mean it’ll work for this pup. All dogs are different. I hope this helps a little. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

Of the two you mentioned, I prefer Wellness Core. I am a Wellnss fan and use their canned food as well as their biscuits regularly. I don’t use their kibble, though. In the past it was too big and the small breed formulas all had chicken. Now they have some new small breed formulas I may check in to at a later date. I am feeding Victor to 3 of mine and my new one came with Blue Buffalo lamb & rice. I am trying to switch him off now. I did just get a huge bag of Precise Sensicare that looks promising at a tremendous price (35 lbs. for 26.00!) so will be using that in the future, too. I’m also fans of Fromm, Dr. Tim’s and Annamaet, and Holistic Select.

[Mom2Cavs]

This could also carry over to supplements. I would like to say that Lucy has CETL (canine cutaneous epitheliotropic t-cell lymphoma) a rare skin cancer. After adding a supplement for her immune system from Vetri-Science called Maitake DMG she is in remission. It’s the only thing I did differently. Amazing!

[Mom2Cavs]

Hi all! I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. I met my husband there (he’s from Charleston, W.Va.) when he came to work for the Indiana Pacers NBA team. I was a cheerleader for them lol. After we married, we moved to Cincinnati, Ohio because my husband got a job for the Cincy Reds. He no longer works for them, though. We’ve lived here all our married life (32 years in June!). We have 3 human kids, and 2 grandkids. As for furkids, I have 5….1 mixed breed (Poodle, French Brittany, Chihuahua), Lucy Mae. Three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a Blenheim – Rupert William, a Ruby – Laverne Marie, a Black and Tan – Hazel Louise. I also have a Tortoise Shell cat named Princess Di. Two of my Cavs are Therapy Dogs….with plans, after some training, of Rupert becoming one, too. 🙂

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I tried a can of the Kobe style and didn’t like it for my dogs. It gave them some digestive issues, can’t remember what now but at the time I decided to stick with the Human style. Of course, now that I know that Evanger’s makes them all the better.

[Mom2Cavs]

Def. HDM…Simply Nourish is the smaller can size. I like them both, though, and with my small dogs I actually like the smaller can size better. For me and my needs the cost difference isn’t too bad to deal with. I haven’t fed SN is awhile….this post makes me want to get some again for the stash lol.

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I used to feed Canine Caviar before they added their new grain free formulation. I fed the Lamb & Millet and the Special Needs. Loved it back then. One of these days I might try it again for the dogs. My girls are eating Victor Yukon, atm. I do have some of the Senior on hand and just ordered some of the Lamb & rice. Rupert came to me eating Blue Buffalo lamb & rice, and I thought I’d try the Victor’s L&R with him and the girls.

[Mom2Cavs]

If your food is a 5 star rated food on this site, why would you need to switch….especially if it’s working for your dog. Now that said, I do agree with BCnut that switching or rotating after a certain amount of bags can be a good idea. I personally am not a fan of Blue Buffalo but I know tons of people who swear by it. I just am not comfortable with them for a few reasons. One is that they have so many co-packers for their food (5 or more!?). I’m currently eating a food that has one co-packer for their food….easier for me to keep track of. They also have so many new products, and are adding to them all the time. That alone is not so bad, but again….with all the co-packers they already have it’s a nightmare to keep track of who makes what for them, and that’s important to me. My new Cavalier came to me eating Blue lamb & rice. I will soon switch him over to what my others are eating.

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, I used to love Merrick! I even fed the dry for about 3 months after the change to the new Classic, Grain free lines. But I had some problem with some of the kibble. I still fed the canned food until I found weird looking, mold-like, stuff in the middle of a few of them. So I won’t buy them anymore. I really miss buying them, too, because they had a lot of variety. Now I tend to stick with Wellness, but I do add a few others in now and then for more variety. Our kibble is Victor, atm, but I just found out Wellness has some new formulas for smaller breed dogs that look good. I was always asking them to come out with Simple in smaller size kibble and to have other flavors in Small Breed formulas. Now they have! However, I have a ton of Victor I will feed first before trying them out.

[Mom2Cavs]

Naturella….I feel Victor dog food is a very good food, some even state they are GMO free. I feel it should be nominated.

[Mom2Cavs]

While I’ve used Annamaet and Dr. Tim’s…I actually like Victor better for my dogs than both of them. Out of those two I like Annamaet best for mine

[Mom2Cavs]

Even though they just sell Victor dog food, I love Sportdogfood.com!! They are so nice to work with. I still use Chewy’s, too. I like to order my small dog gear from a few different stores, like Gollygear.com, Baxterboo.com, Gwlittle.com. And the cutest harnesses come from Udogu.com lol. Oh, I almost forgot Fabuleash.com!

[Mom2Cavs]

I had a Shih-Poo (at the bridge now) who had both rear luxating patellas. We kept him from having surgery by giving him Springtime, Inc. Joint Health chews. He would get one in the morning and evening. He didn’t do well with Dasaquin at all. But, all dogs are different. I did limit his exercise somewhat, as well, but would have done that with any supplement given. He passed away before they came out with their new advanced chews. I keep both on hand.

[Mom2Cavs]

I don’t know exactly how much sodium, but another one to look at might be Victor’s Senior/Healthy Weight. It’s 27/11, protein/fat.

[Mom2Cavs]

Well, tomorrow we go to pick up Rupert! I’m so excited, and nervous, I can’t sleep lol. I’ve been asking the breeder all about him. Even though I’ve adopted 3 other Cavs in this same manner, I just feel more nervous about this one for some reason. I think because he’s a Blenheim. I know it’s because Stella was a Blenheim and I’ll think of her even more. But, thank goodness he’s a boy….so I won’t be calling him Stella by accident!

[Mom2Cavs]

This is also the question I have in the back of my mind. You can go to their site and read and they do explain it, but I’m just not too sure about it. I’ve used the Bug-Off chews, but admit I don’t do it consistently enough because I’m nervous about it all.

[Mom2Cavs]

Pure Balance is very reasonably priced. It also has a puppy formula in the canned version.

[Mom2Cavs]

Hey, all….I just started the Springtime, Inc. supplements for people. I’m using the Joint Health capsules, the Tonic Blend and the Boswellia Extract tabs. I’ve been using for about a week now, instead of the nsaids I normally use for my back and sciatica. I believe it’s helping, so yay! Of course, it could all be the placebo thing, too, lol. Regardless, I’m going to keep using them and see how it goes.

[Mom2Cavs]

One of my favorites is from Nature’s Farmacy….order it online at Naturesfarmacy.com.
It’s called Dogzymes Ultimate. They also have Ultimate Complete now, which contains probs/enz, vitamins, minerals, joint health ingredients. This vitamin smells really good and the dogs love the taste.

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks, all! I’m really excited. I’m going shopping today for a name tag. I have everything else he’ll need lol…..bowl, crate, harness, collar, leash, toys, etc. I even have boy style things from when I had Desi. I think the Des would be happy to let Rupert use his old harness, winter coat, etc. I’m probably going to have to get him neutered, too, but I trust my vets so will make an appt. soon for all that. We’re gonna pick him up next Wed.!

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy, when we get Rupert he’ll be my 4th Cav I’ve had come to live with me from these breeders. I’m so glad they think of me when they want to rehome one of their dogs.

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks, all! We’re very excited and a little nervous, too, lol!

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks, Sandy!

[Mom2Cavs]

Not very many companies have a cannery, so it is a little harder to find a company that makes their own canned food. I use Wellness quite a lot because I love their varieties of flavors and even types. I use to use Merrick, but I’ve been put off the company due to some inconsistencies in their cans and kibble. I don’t worry that a company makes its own cans, just that the cannery they use is good or they’ve not had any recalls. I’ve used many different brands of canned food over the years because I like to top their kibble. I won’t use Evanger’s or Merrick anymore, though…or anything that is canned by them. Just not happy with these companies. Some cans I like are Weruva, Fromm 4Star, Wellness, Pet Kind, Mulligan Stew, Instinct (I only use the Healthy Weight), Simply Nourish. If you are looking for chicken/poultry free cans all of the ones I mentioned have non-poultry flavors. I should know because I have a Cavalier with poultry intolerances. Hope this helps!

[Mom2Cavs]

Blue Buffalo is an approved food on the Whole Dog Journal’s list of dry foods for 2014. It does say they are co-packed. Last I knew they had about 6 different co-packers! Not sure anymore, though, as I don’t feed it….I have in the past, though.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, their regular line is not available in the USA. Don’t know why, really. Merrick would be a fine substitution if your dog tolerates it. I personally like Annamaet or Dr. Tim’s, or Victors. Wellness Core is good, too. Lots of people love Fromm. I do, too, except I use their grain inclusive foods. We can get the Acana LIDs, or Singles, here in the States so if they’re suitable for a large breed pup then maybe you could try one of those. We can also get the Regionals, but I’m not sure about large breed pups. Remember, too, that the Singles do contain oatmeal.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

I’m pretty sure your dog is fine, however, you could go to Nature’s Logic’s website and see if it clarifies there, or you could call them (their customer service) and ask them personally. I think it may say something about that on their website, just not sure where.

[Mom2Cavs]

Although, personally I don’t recommend Blue Buffalo I’m not sure about the statement of being bought by P&G. Maybe, but P&G did buy Natura a few years ago. Anyway, you are right that quite a few of the more cost conscious foods are made by Diamond. Some foods that I feel are good foods that are not made by them are: Earthborn, Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Fromm Gold (I feel the 4Star line is expensive), Annamaet, Wellness, Holistic Select, Precise, Nutrisource, Merrick (even though I don’t like them now), 4Health grain free only (TSC’s house label, the grain free is made by Ainsworth but the grain inclusive by Diamond). Also, some of these may not be local to you but if you’re not adverse to ordering online sometimes you can get deals and free shipping. I order my Annamaet, Dr. Tim’s and Victor online.

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, definitely wet food is better than dry. I do feed my cat dry and wet. I believe I’ve posted before that she gets wet (canned food, and sometimes premade raw) in the morning and evening and dry is left out all the time (I replenish it if she doesn’t finish it in a timely manner). She likes to eat this way. She loves nibbling the dry food in between breakfast and dinner. She also drinks plenty of water. So, if you can give wet along with any dry all the better. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

Yep, I understand what you mean lol….especially when the dogs don’t eat very much in the first place. Anyway, I always look at feeding guidelines on supplements, but sometimes they sound like too much! So…..I always start out with a very small amount, less than 1/8 tsp. for my little guys, and go from there. I can always tell if a supplement is too much for them if they start having loose stool, or not wanting to eat their food like they usually do, etc.

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