[Mom2Cavs]

Was the bacteria clostridium? Anyway, probiotics/enzymes daily can help keep the balance of bacteria in check. I would use it with the Fromm once you have him back on it. I use a few different brands of probiotics/enzymes, switching it up every now and then. Right now I’m using Wholistic Pet Digest All Plus, which I like a lot. They get it with every meal. It mixes in great with canned food or water. I’m feeding TOTW Pacific Stream topped with canned food. I’ve also started giving them a Fresh Factors chew from Springtime Inc., which is a whole food vitamin supplement. This is mainly for my Mixed Breed, Lucy’s, benefit. She has cancer. But, it doesn’t hurt the Cavs at all to get it. I have to give Lucy’s with cream cheese, but the Cavs take the Fresh Factors like treats. I actually don’t give the coconut oil all the time…I’m very inconsistent with it actually. Bad mom :). I am also thinking about trying Fromm again…the Beef Frittata grain free…and if I do, I will mix it in very, very slowly.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

I use canned foods and my dogs like chunky/stew types the best. Wellness stews are good, 4Health (Tractor Supply’s brand) is good, Nature’s Variety Prairie Homestyle stews that are good, Castor & Pollux has chunky formulas that are good. I hope this gives you a good start.

[Mom2Cavs]

Thanks, guys!

[Mom2Cavs]

Pattyvaughn, which Nutrisource have you used? I don’t want a food with poultry in it. As you know, I’m using TOTW but I’m not opposed to trying another to see if it would work. Thanks.

[Mom2Cavs]

I’ve gone through this kind of thing with Laverne, one of my Cavaliers. She had diarrhea/loose stools and rumbling stomach and inappetance, along with anal gland problems, tearing, licking forearms and scratching her sides. What helped was definitely adding probiotics/enzymes to her meals and also taking her off all poultry. She is much better now. I also went through various foods to find one that did the “trick”. It took awhile. I know the food I’m currently feeding is not recommended by people on this site due to it being a Diamond food, but it has seriously worked for Laverne, and the other dogs are doing great on it, too. I’ve been using TOTW Pacific Stream and I’m also now mixing in their Sierra Mountain flavor. I do add canned food as a topper (a couple tblsp.) with each meal, plus probiotics/enzymes. The cans I use most are TOTW (poultry free) and Wellness stews/Simple line (poultry free). I’ve also started adding some coconut oil…no real reason, except I had some on hand and just wanted to use it up….and it can’t hurt. The dogs poop twice a day and there is no licking, itching, coats are good and soft, no anal gland problems, tear staining, etc. Their energy is fine and they love the kibble, even eat it as treats. I will keep feeding this food as long as it works. I am aware of Diamond and will be vigilant. Sorry, I went on too long, lol! Anyway, the point is that you should probably try a different food, preferably one without at least chicken, start adding probiotics/enzymes and go from there. While I love Fromm, and I used to feed it quite a lot, I think it has too many ingredients, at least for my dogs. They never did all that great on it, come to think about it…..stool quality was never the way it should’ve been. They also liked it but never loved it. Great company, though! Another thing I would like to mention….when my dog started having a rumbling stomach in the morning it helped to give a snack right before bedtime. I used to use a biscuit treat of some kind, but now I just give about a tblsp. of their kibble. I don’t think I need to do this anymore, but they are used to getting it and no harm done, lol.

[Mom2Cavs]

weezerweeks, I’m sorry your baby is sick. And I understand that you are upset and trying to find something to help. But, we’ve told you there is only ONE grain free small breed formula that Wellness makes and it is CORE small breed. I’m sorry if I offended you, but I just got frustrated, as well. I hope you find something to help your pup soon. I’ll be praying.

[Mom2Cavs]

InkedMarie…..I give up. I’m not responding anymore to this person. It really is simple. Just go to their website and look at the small breed kibbles they make and see which one is grain free. I think we’re being played.

[Mom2Cavs]

weezerweeks, when I went to the “link” you posted it didn’t have anything to do with wellness dog food..? The thing you need to do is go to http://www.wellnesspetfood.com and look under dog food. Then go to the foods for small breeds. It will list all their small breed foods that they make. Maybe that will be clearer to you. There is only one small breed grain free and it is Core Small Breed. All the other small breed formulas contain grain. They do make regular Core, which are grain free and in their Simple Line there are some grain free formulas. I hope that helps.

[Mom2Cavs]

sor, yes, the bag may say this but they still won’t tell where in the USA they’re made. I stopped using them for this very reason. I would rather use a Diamond product. At least I know where it’s made and can have a heads up. What factory do they use? And why won’t they disclose this? It’s not that big a deal, imho, to disclose what factory makes your food unless you are trying to hide something…..hmm.

[Mom2Cavs]

Weezerweeks, there is no other grain free small breed but Core in the Wellness foods. I don’t know what you mean either…..so could you point us to it? Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

Well…imho, they are both fine. It depends on whether or not you want to feed grains or use grain free. I like the Core Small Breed (the grain free), personally, but I have one that can’t have poultry so I won’t use it.

[Mom2Cavs]

If you must shop at Petsmart, I would go with their private label brand Simply Nourish and use the Sweet Potato and Salmon limited ingredient one. Their canned foods are awesome, too, and some don’t contain poultry. Wellness has a Simple line, and they have grain free, poultry free but the size of the kibble is not all that small to me. At Petco, your choices are a little more varied. Solid Gold is a good food. They have Wee Bits that is made for small mouths. But if you are so opposed to Diamond manufacturing the food, then Idk because they do manufacture some Solid Gold. Avoderm Revolving Menu is grain free and the Trout may be poultry free, too. I would stay away from at least chicken, if I were you. Petco also has Nature’s Variety, grain free Instinct and grain inclusive Prairie that might work for you. Merrick is good, too, and has a few chicken free foods. I hope this gives you a good start. Good luck to you!

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, Akari, some of the Simple line is grain free but the poster referred to specifically small breed formulas which is why I answered the way I did.

[Mom2Cavs]

Actually, Wellness only has one grain free and that’s Core Small Breed. Any other small breed Wellness contains grains….unless they have something new I don’t know about.

[Mom2Cavs]

Beams are one of the few “chews” I give my 3 dogs. I really like them.

[Mom2Cavs]

I just started using TOTW about a month ago. I have to say, even though it’s Diamond which made me shy away from it for years, the food is working better than anything I’ve ever, ever fed my dogs over the years. I’m feeding the Pacific Stream. I started feeding it because my dog’s breeder/former owner is using a food I can’t readily get but the Pacific Stream has the most similar ingredients of any other food I’ve found. I have an allergy dog, which made me choose a different food than what I was feeding. I have fed many top of the line foods….Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Zignature, Merrick, Nature’s Variety, premade raws, freeze dried, etc. and this food is top notch for my 3 dogs. My daughter and son-in-law have fed TOTW (at my recommendation some years ago) for their animals for years and still love it. Never any problems. I know all about Diamond’s reputation and history, and I will remain aware, but I am going to feed this food as long as it works.

[Mom2Cavs]

weezerweeks, THK Invigor is a whole food supplement. Other good ones, imho, are Longevity from Springtime, Inc. and Dinovite, and Missing Link, along with Nature’s Logic. Springtime has chewables that I love that are whole food based called Fresh Factors. I’ve used them for years, off and on. Oh, and I forgot another favorite of mine, Wholistic Pet Canine Complete. I order my Wholistic Pet supplements from k9power.com. They have quite a few good whole food supplements on the site.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Mom2Cavs.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

I can’t advise you to switch from animal to plant enzymes, but I do know that my dogs do the best on plant enzymes for everyday feeding. One time, years ago, my now deceased Shih-Poo had an acute pancreatitis attack. The vet we were seeing at the time gave him some enzymes (animal) and he recovered from it all, fwiw.

[Mom2Cavs]

My 2 favorite low-fat canned foods are Weruva and Simply Nourish (Petsmart’s brand).

[Mom2Cavs]

My first thought is always the food. Why don’t you think it’s that? Anyway, chicken can be a high allergen for some dogs, not all. I have one that does soooo much better without poultry in her diet. I just think it’s the easiest and “cheapest” thing to change first. I agree with InkedMarie above, put your dog on a different protein, possibly something hypoallergenic and perhaps try the benedryl, too.

[Mom2Cavs]

I like Vetri Science products! I’ve used many of them. My holistic vet also carries their products in his clinic.

[Mom2Cavs]

Mo’s Mom…no worries. I’m sorry to hear about your parent’s dog. Hope she feels better soon. It’s always hard when one of our furbabies is hurt or sick.

What a coincidence…I just bought a few cans of Party Animal to try (the salmon grain free).

[Mom2Cavs]

Mo’s Mom….the Pure Balance regular is definitely stew…my dogs had it yesterday and this morning lol. It’s also not grain free…contains rice. I looked at the 95% and it is a pate, which is grain free. I would prefer to use it but if I remember correctly it had something in it I didn’t want to give Laverne, my allergy dog.? I’ll have to look at it again when I go to Wal Mart next.

[Mom2Cavs]

neezerfan, yes, the 95% Pure Balance is pate and the regular kind is a stew.

[Mom2Cavs]

Ok…no Hounds & Gatos for me! I would have to order it online anyway and I have access to some great canned foods locally.

[Mom2Cavs]

First of all, Kimberley, I feel your response was kind of “snarky” toward me. I really don’t know why….all I wanted was for you to tell me what you felt the bad ingredients were. If you read my post earlier in this thread you will see that I did try the product but had no results either way. It’s not a bad product, imho, and I agree with what Pattyvaughn had to say. All that said, I don’t currently use Dinovite but was just wondering what you thought was so bad about the product….when I did use it, it did no harm to my animals at all.

[Mom2Cavs]

Fed the Pure Balance Beef stew type today…it’s not gf, though. The dogs loved it on top of their TOTW. Let’s see how it goes digestion-wise. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

I’ve not used that flavor of TOTW and probably won’t….don’t like to use chickpeas for mine. But I use Pacific Stream and haven’t had any problems….they’ve only been on it for about 3 weeks now, though, and I’m loving it for them! I hope you find out what’s going on soon. Please keep us informed.

[Mom2Cavs]

I like TOTW cans…they’re grain free and stew type. My dogs like the stew types better than the pate. I really like Wellness, all types of it, as well. Merrick is ok, too, but I don’t like it as much as I use to. 4Health grain frees are stew type and a great price at .99 a can, but I’m finding I’m using more TOTW lately. I just bought 2 cans of Pure Balance Beef (it’s not gf) stew type for 1.00 a can to try, but I really like TOTW and Wellness the best, so far. My dogs also get Petsmart’s Simply Nourish at times which goes on sale often but isn’t all the cheap, and Weruva which is quite expensive.

pugsmomsandy…..I’ve been meaning to check into Hounds & Gatos as I like the looks of it. Let me know what you find out about the manufacturer. Thanks. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

ringohop, I would start with the one that you can get the easiest. Or just go with Fromm, see how that works, then rotate to Dr. Tim’s. Or the other way around LOL. Sorry, I guess that doesn’t help much. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

One of my absolute favorite joint supplements is Joint Health Chews from http://www.springtimeinc.com. I’ve used their products for many years with great success. I used their Joint Health Chews, along with their Fresh Factors, for my now deceased Shih-Poo who had both rear luxating patellas. They were grade 3! He never had to have surgery, but his exercise was limited. Check ’em out!

[Mom2Cavs]

Molzy, it does sound to me like an acid stomach problem, but I’m not a vet….
This site has some good supplements for acid stomach and digestion problems and some good articles, too. http://www.askariel.com I have a dog that has allergies and has mild occurrences of licking, swallowing. I have used these supplements when that happens with success.

[Mom2Cavs]

It does sound like it’s the raw patties giving her the problem…or perhaps the mixture of the two, kibble then raw, Idk. Maybe you could feed kibble/can or both meals or just use the raw patties for both meals. I have a dog that a some months ago had a similar type of “reaction” but I was using kibble/canned for one meal and dehydrated raw (with water added) for another. She is older, and actually has bladder tumor, but has always been fine eating, and was fine on this regimen for about a month. Then she started intermittently throwing up. After determining what I though was the problem, I finally stopped with the dehydrated raw and all has been fine. I feed kibble and canned for both meals. I’m using TOTW Pac. Stream and TOTW cans. I only use their poultry free kibble and cans (I do this for another dog that has allergies, but all 3 eat the same thing). I also use Wellness cans (poultry free) and use a mix of their 95%, Stews, Simple line, Core. Weruva (poultry free) and Simply Nourish (poultry free) are some other cans I use. This is working for all 3 of my dogs. Oh, and I also add in a probiotic/enzyme supplement. Right now I’ve been using Wholistic Pet Digest All Plus. I have a digestive supplement coming from Nature’s Farmacy, as well. And I plan on ordering some things from http://www.askariel.com. I hope this helps.

[Mom2Cavs]

You’re right…I’m sorry if I came off “snarky”. Let’s hope they do.

[Mom2Cavs]

Kimberly….would you please list the “bad” ingredients in Dinovite? Please tell us which ones are toxic and used in cat litter filler? Thanks.

[Mom2Cavs]

Marie….I know ALL about Diamond’s troubles and I’m now feeding TOTW Pacific Stream to my 3. They are doing the best they’ve done in years, absolutely years. I am keeping Diamond’s reputation in the back of my mind, but as of right now I have to say I’m a fan of the food.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

I hope you find something that works for your Newfie! Please remember to keep all bags until the food is gone. I agree that Fromm is way better than Blue, if it works for your dog. Good luck to you, please let us know how it goes.

[Mom2Cavs]

Good for you! I’ve used Dinovite in the past and liked it. What kibble, or other foods, are you feeding your dog? Thanks!

[Mom2Cavs]

Desi, my Shih-Poo, who’s now at the rainbow bridge, had both rear luxating patellas and we kept surgery at bay by using joint supplements. We tried a few before settling on Joint Health Chews from http://www.springtimeinc.com. These worked the best for him in every way. Helped his joints and didn’t upset his stomach like some others we tried. He took these chews all his life. After he passed away, I discovered Springtime had a new chew that was supposed to help with pain a little better. I keep both kinds on hand. They really did help him.

[Mom2Cavs]

All the cans you mentioned are great. I’ve used all of them at one time or another to top my dogs’ kibble. Just remember to refrigerate what you don’t use (covered) and don’t keep it in the fridge for more than 3 days.

[Mom2Cavs]

I agree with sandy. Walmart carries Freshpet. They have different varieties like rolled that you have to slice off, cups with gravy, and a bagged food that’s shaped like kibble but soft and meaty. This seems like it would be a great solution for your dog. I have used the bag kind as a kibble topper once and my dogs loved it. I used to feed it to my cat, and still do sometimes, but I like variety and the bagged kind only comes in chicken flavor, I believe. Petco carries Vital, which is made by the same company but is grain free, versus Freshpet which I believe has rice or some whole grain in it. Both would be much, much better than what you’ve been using, imho. My local Kroger also carries it. I also believe the Freshpet is less expensive. Go to their website and check them out. Google either Fresh Pet, or Vital Pet….something should come up. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

As you all may remember, I’ve been battling things with Laverne. She would have anal gland issues and goopy eyes, she would lick her forearm and scratch her back sides. Sometimes she would lick her back knee?…I guess that would be what it’s called lol. She would scoot only sometimes. Her stool would be loose to full blown diarrhea at times, except when we tried NV LIDs…then she was too constipated (they all were) and the other symptoms were still there. Finally, one of her breeders told me that her brother and mother could never have poultry! So….I’ve been working on getting poultry out of the house. We have tried Zignature, still didn’t do the trick (maybe I didn’t give it long enough). We then went on Holistic Select grain free. Things were a little better. Now, I also top with canned food (and something tells me sometimes it may be the canned that’s causing the problem). I’ve narrowed the canned down to a few kinds whereas I was using quite a lot of different kinds before. Things were a little better, still not where I would like, though. In there as well I used some Natural Balance I had in the dog closet to see if it would be better than the Hol. Sel. I had the Lamb & Rice and the Swt. Pot. & Fish. Things were even a little better. I used to like N.B. but am leary of it now..bummer. When I finished with the N.B. I transitioned in a small bag of Acana Lamb (from the dog closet, of course!) This is what they are on now. We’re only on the first day with only Acana Lamb & Apple as the kibble, but so far so good. I’ve stopped treats for the time being, as well. I’ve been using the kibble, which they all readily take (even picky Lucy…don’t know how long this will last). Today I gave Acana topped with Wellness 95% Salmon for breakfast and only dry Acana for dinner. I think that’s my plan….kibble and can for breakfast and dry for dinner. They also get part of their dry right before bedtime as a snack. It’s really too soon to tell but today has been fine with this arrangement. I pray it keeps on working….I like Acana and maybe eventually I can use other flavors, like Ranchlands. I’ll keep y’all posted. Please keep us in your thoughts.

Oh, I wanted to mention that I did order some Big Dog Natural in beef. While the dogs all loved it very much, it really did a number on Laverne’s bowels!! Too, too much for her so…..we will not be using it in the future.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

I have heard of Variety pet food. My local grocery carries it, along with Wal Mart, of course. I’ve never fed it, though. Sounds ok, but seems weird that the fat is almost as much as the protein, but I’m not an expert. I would say to try to find out more about the Variety pet food brand and if that info. along with the ingredients satisfy all your criteria then try a can to see if your dog(s) like it.

[Mom2Cavs]

Tractor Supply has 4Health, grain inclusive is made by Diamond but their grain free is made by Ainsworth. Fromm also has their Classics line.

[Mom2Cavs]

Aww…I’m sorry to hear that Boone is suffering. I also don’t have any advice but wanted to let you know I’m thinking of you and Boone.

[Mom2Cavs]

Dogswell and Merrick cans might be available online from sites like wag.com or chewys.com, etc. Usually if you spend a certain amount free shipping will be available. Hope that helps. I use 4Health cans with success, but I can’t say how they might affect a diabetic dog. Perhaps your vet could help you with that. On a side note, I know this is not your dog and every dog is different but my sister-in-law’s Westie is diabetic and he eats 4Health grain free and 4Health cans.

[Mom2Cavs]

I also agree with sandy :).

[Mom2Cavs]

One of my Cavaliers (in my avatar pic, Laverne) has anal gland problems off and on. I attribute it to allergies with her. I have taken her, all the dogs, off all poultry. She is now eating for kibble Holistic Select grain free. It is a poultry free, fish based kibble with a pretty decent fiber content at around 6% max, I believe. It does have potatoes, but they don’t seem to be a problem with my dogs. I do top with canned foods and have been keeping them poultry free, as well. So far, I’ve been using Wellness for the majority….95% Salmon or Beef or Lamb, Beef Stew, and Simple Salmon or Lamb. This seems to be working. She hasn’t had any issues since I switched to doing this. I was using Zignature kibble, and will probably keep it in the rotation. I just bought some Big Dog Natural dehydrated raw in beef flavor that I plan on trying in the mix. I also add probiotics and enzymes to my dogs’ food. There are lots of them recommended on this site. Currently, I’m using Wholistic Pet Digest all Plus (or something like that lol!). This is all I do, no other supplements atm. Oh…I almost forgot, I do give a biscuit at night before bedtime. I’ve been using Wellness Lamb grain free or Whitefish (not grain free). Any soft treats given, usually during therapy dog visits, are Wellness Pure Rewards beef. As you can see, I like Wellness hahahaha. 🙂 I’m not saying this regimen would work for your dog, but to think about allergies….perhaps do away with chicken and definitely grains. Go from there. I’ve been battling this with Laverne for awhile now and I feel I finally have a handle on it.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Mom2Cavs]

Oh…and btw, Dr. Mike hasn’t said anything yet but where did the BDN review thread go?!?

[Mom2Cavs]

sandy, I just received my BDN order (the beef) and mixed some up to top the dogs’ kibble for dinner. Wow….Lucy was very enthusiastic, as were the Cavs. They licked their bowls clean in a jiffy lol. Now, my question is this….you said you top kibble with it, too. Is this ok to do as it’s “raw” food? On their FB page, the owners said they don’t recommend topping kibble with it as raw digests differently than kibble. Now I’ve heard this said before but I do know that Nature’s Variety says it’s ok to top kibble with their raw medallions. I know it’s a different food, but it’s still raw. So, I’m confused as to what to do. I would like to use it like I do the canned foods and top their kibble….maybe though, I could just feed one meal of the BDN and one of kibble/canned. If it does okay digestion wise, I will continue to buy it because so far the dogs went nuts for it lol. What are your thoughts? Thanks for the help! 🙂

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