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Of the ones you mentioned I like Core, but I would think it’s the most expensive of the lot. Nutrisource is a decent priced food for the quality, imho. I personally would not feed any thing from Natura (Innova) due to the recalls for salmonella they’ve been having lately, and especially if you have kids that play a lot with the dogs. Taste of the Wild is a popular food, even my daughter and son-in-law feed it, but it is made by Diamond and they have poor recall history. My daughter’s dog has never had a problem with it, though. She also feeds the brand to her cats. Tractor Supply, if there’s one near you, has a great grain free food that’s made by Ainsworth….their grain inclusive is also made by Diamond. It’s their private brand called 4Health. The largest bag runs around 36.00 for 28 lbs. or more. Their canned food is only .99 a can. Great bargain, imho. But, of the three you mentioned I would use Core or Nutrisource (NS is cheaper than Core). There are also other affordable foods out there, if you have access to them. Some can be ordered online and delivered right to your door with little or no shipping costs, as well. Wal Mart has a newer food called Pure Balance that others say is good and inexpensive. Rachel Ray has a food, also available at Wal Mart, called Zero Grains that’s not bad. Fromm has a Classic line that’s less expensive. Merrick has Whole Earth Farms. I’m using Holistic Select and it’s not that bad of a price, either, especially for the grain inclusive. Anyway, I hope I haven’t muddied the waters. If I were you, I would look at the 4-5 star foods on this site and check them out for price and availability. It is also not bad idea to pick a few and try them out or rotate the brands to give your dog some variety. 🙂
sandy, are you still using this food? How did your dogs do with it? I’m thinking of ordering some to use as a topper or alone for Lucy, my dog with bladder cancer.
Zignature is a fairly new food on the market, but I feel it’s a fine food. I’m actually using the Trout in my rotation. I can’t speak about using it for a large breed puppy, which needs a certain calcium/phosphorus percentage, because I have small adult breeds. However, I believe it might be fine in that regard. I’m sure someone will let you know regarding that.
Also, please read the Large and Giant Breed Nutrition thread on this forum. You will find foods on there that are appropriate for a large breed puppy. I’m not sure is Zignature is on there. Like I said, it’s fairly new so even if it’s ok it might not be there. Maybe Hound Dog Mom will post soon. 🙂
Some of these may be smaller than others….
1. Wellness Core and Regular small breed
2. Merrick
3. Fromm – the grain frees, the 4star salmon, duck, chicken
4. Holistic Select small breed
5. Instinct
6. Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit
7. Earthborn Coastal Catch
8. 4Health small breed bites
9. Now! Small Breed
10. Simply Nourish small breedSome of these may actually be rated 4 stars, not 5 but they are still good foods. There are even more I’ve not listed and I’m sure others will help.
Marie….I’ve done both. I’ve spoken up and I’ve been silent. It just all depends on the “vibe” I feel coming from the other person. Once I saw a man take a huge bag of those chicken jerky treats that have been a problem (don’t remember what the brand was exactly) and put it in his cart. I just couldn’t let that one go and spoke up that it was a shame the store still had them on the shelves when they were causing a lot of problems for dogs. He was shocked at what I told him and in the end I believe he put them back. I also told him of several sites online where he could find out stuff about recalls, etc. He seemed very appreciative. I also helped a few people at Petsmart. One was a younger couple who was adopting a pup from the adoptions they were having that day. They seemed kinda lost and were wandering around trying to buy supplies. I steered them in the direction of the “good food” aisle and told them about some of the different foods and why they might be good choices. I also suggested a certain kind of harness (instead of collar) that was easy to use. This was a very small breed and I told them about trachea issues when using a collar, etc. Again, they were very thankful. Then there was the lady who declared Science Diet was the “best” food going because her vet said so….she overheard a conversation between me and a friend talking about dog food. We tried to convince her otherwise but it was clear that we were wasting our energy….so I just shut up about that one. There have been others that I’ve not spoken up about just because I could sense that it would do no good. Sometimes it’s hard to not come off sounding like a know-it-all snob, too!
I understand, I drive 45-60 mins. to my holistic vet. It took years to finally decide to “bite the bullet” and go. I’m glad I did, but it’s a lot closer distance than you have. Even though I LOVE them, sometimes I just wish they were closer, especially for the emergencies. When I have one, thankfully isn’t often, I go to the local Med Vet, which is just 15-20 mins. away. It’s always so hard when you have a dog with a compromised digestive system. I feel for you, for sure.
There are lots of other foods available for sensitive stomachs. Like sandy said I would try to find a holistic vet and work with them. I would check out this sites list of hypo allergenic foods and start there. However, with a dog with stomach ulcers, it might be better to feed a homemade diet or canned food. Just remember, if you use a homemade diet to work with a nutritionist to get the right balance of nutrients.
I’m no vet or expert, but I feel seizures can be caused by the food. Go to dogtorj.com and read about it. He has some good info. on there about seizures and what to feed. Remember that other illnesses can cause seizures, as well. What has your vet said? It seems kinda weird to me that they did a dental the day after he had a seizure and didn’t say anything about it at all?
I’m sorry to hear about your problem, magnoliasouth. I would recommend a few foods to try that are somewhat more budget friendly than Core. Tractor Supply (if you have one near you) has a house brand that is a very decent food. It is their 4Health grain free whitefish formula. I’m in Ohio and I can get a 30 lb. bag for 36.00 so it’s a pretty good bargain. I fed it for awhile and would still be feeding it if not for the size of the kibble…one of my Cavaliers thinks it’s too large lol…it is kinda large, but on the other hand, so is Core. Some other pretty good priced foods that might fit the bill are Zignature Trout. A large bag here is around 49.00. Also, Holistic Select (same parent company as Wellness) has a fairly new grain free fished based (I’m using it and Zignature, atm) that is around 50.00 for a large bag. I do know that Holistic Select will have coupons available from their site and FB. I hope that helps some. Prices and availability might be different where you live, but 2 of the 3 can be bought online with some free shipping on various sites. TSC’s 4Health is only available through them, of course. I’m sure others will post and be able to help, as well. 🙂
I’m so sorry for all your losses. It is NEVER easy to lose a beloved pet, they are family. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
I use those in the Lamb flavor sometimes and I think they’re fine. Wellness has not had treat recalls, as far as I know.
ebk…I’m interested in this, too, as I use Wellness 95% cans. I do know that unless a company has their own cannery (Merrick does, I believe) then they must outsource their manufacturing. I won’t use Evanger’s made products due to their untrustworthiness.
Simply Nourish has a limited ingredient Swt. Pot. and Salmon that’s grain free and contains no chicken.
There are plenty to choose from! Some I recommend are Fromm grain frees, Wellness Core Small Breed, Merrick grain free, Solid Gold Wee Bits, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Avoderm Revolving Menu, Now! Small Breed, Earthborn Coastal Catch, Pinnacle grain free, Orijen, Acana (kibble are a little bigger but most small dogs do ok), Zignature (what I’m feeding atm), Nutrisource grain free, Holistic Select grain free. These are just some I recommend. There are still others and I’m sure someone else will let you know soon. Hope this helps! Btw, you could choose a few and try them. When you find some that work a rotation between them would be good. 🙂
Yes, Betsy…how could I forget about Standard Process! My holistic vet recommends SP to me all the time for various things. I used SP for Stella, who had congestive heart failure (as well as the SM) in her last years.
I have a Cavalier, my Black & Tan, Hazel who has a grade 2 murmur. I have used supplements in the past but atm I’m not using any. Hazel has had her murmur since 2 months old (probably born with it) and she’s 6 years old now. I hasn’t changed yet. COQ10, Hawthorn, Taurine, L-Carnitine are good for the heart. I’ve given supplements for humans and made for dogs. Some of the ones made for dogs are: Cardio Strength, Bio Cardio, the supplement from Nature’s Farmacy (I think it’s called Heart Strength?). There’s also a site called Mainly Dogs that has one.
Simply Nourish is a fine food and the kibble is small. Their canned food is awesome, too! 4Health, Tractor Supply’s private brand has a small bite kibble that’s really reasonably priced, around 1.00 lb…but remember to get their small bites because their other foods may be too large size kibble. Their grain free canned food is good, too, and only .99 a can! I will also recommend, like the others, Wellness Small Breed, Earthborn, Merrick, Holistic Select, Nature’s Variety.
Pattyvaughn, what formulas of Nutrisource did you use for your sensitive stomach dogs? I am just wondering, so I can file that away for future use. Thanks! 🙂
Aahh….aren’t senior dogs wonderful! I’m not an expert, of course, but it seems to me that there is some kind of intolerance going on. If she were my dog I would keep giving her probiotics/enzymes and find a food without chicken and grains. Tractor Supply has a nice grain free kibble that contains Whitefish and Potato (4Health, their private label brand) and it’s pretty much a limited diet. I don’t know how big she is or if kibble size is an issue but the kibble size of 4Health is not tiny. They also have a limited ingredient can food there (I believe Turkey & Sweet Potato) for .99 a can. There are some other hypoallergenic diets that are listed on this site that might be good options, too. Go to “best dog food” and then look for hypoallergenic. I’m sure others will post here soon. 🙂
dowsky, Dinovite comes with an omega oil supplement…either chicken fat or fish oil can be chosen when you order. I like Nature’s Variety Instinct, Earthborn or Acana/Orijen.
Acana is a great brand. If you need another some day, or want to rotate brands you could try Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Diets. They don’t contain fish. They also offer canned LID, too. I didn’t check their LID biscuits to see if they contain fish, but they probably do not.
What is your pup eating now? I have a friend that has an English Bulldog (all white) and he has allergies so she needs a hypoallergenic food. I would definitely go with a grain free if it were me. Also, I’m not sure if a Bulldog is considered a large breed. I know some can weigh in at around 60-70 lbs. If they are, then I would go with a food that has a calcium/phosphorus percentage suitable for large breed puppies. There is a list on this forum of foods that fit that bill that I would use until he is done growing. I don’t have large breeds, though, and I’m sure someone with more knowledge will post soon.
I just want to say I hate retractable leashes, for the most part. I used to use one in my own yard (large yard) when we didn’t have a doggie door (we didn’t have a fence then) to take the dogs out to potty. I also used to work part time in a pet specialty store and I would cringe when these ladies would come in, talking on their phones, and letting “junior” go all out on their leashes! InkMarie, we would definitely have the owner in one aisle and the dog in another. They would only pay attention if “junior” would knock product off shelves. And, of course, they wouldn’t offer to help pick up said merchandise. We also had the dog in another aisle doing its “business” and when we told the owner they’d say, “My dog did that?”! Whew…..I don’t miss any of that lol. I agree that the only place for retractables is in the middle of no where. I used to go to dog festivals in the summer and they would stop you before you entered the park if you had your dog on a retractable. They’d either ask you to use a borrowed leash from them or leave the park, yay! Of course these people were dog savvy. I also still have the one I used to use in the yard somewhere in all my dog paraphernalia.
Btw, to the poster……this is not intended to offend anyone, but please reconsider getting a vest that says “working dog in training”. Your dog isn’t really that, and the people that seriously need vests like these for their dogs get flak quite a lot because people don’t trust that their dogs are truly what they are, sort of like the handicap parking permits that sometimes get misused. When those who don’t really need them take advantage it hurts those who do. For lots of stories about this go to http://www.dogster.com and look under the service/therapy dog section. Again, I’m not saying this to offend anyone. I have Therapy dogs and sometimes people I know will try to get me to take them places using their vests that I know they shouldn’t go….I decline because it just wouldn’t be right.
Here goes with my bunch…
Before we had human children, my husband and I had 3 cats. Their names were Jezebel, Solomon and Delilah. After they passed and years later when we had children we got another small black female cat, the runt of the litter. The kids named her Smokey Jo. She lived to be 21 years old and passed away last year. Then we started with the dogs….
Lucy Mae – we adopted her from a local non-kill shelter. They found her wandering the streets in the month of May covered in Mud, oil, grime. They already had another dog they were calling May, so the spelling Mae was chosen. I really didn’t like that for her total name so we decided on Lucy Mae.
Desi Ray – a few years later we decided Lucy needed a playmate/companion. I wanted a purebred Shih-Tzu because a friend of mine had one from a litter that was precious and I wanted one from that same litter. My husband said they were too expensive and a friend of his at work knew someone that had Shih-Poos that were inexpensive…ACK! I didn’t know a thing about dogs then! Anyway, we ended up with Desi, but he looked like a Poodle, not a Shih-Tzu. I wanted to name him Sandy for his coloring or Ricky (Lucy & Ricky Ricardo lol!) but no one else liked either name. Then I decided on Desi with Ray for the middle name and it stuck. He is at the bridge now, too.
Stella Agnes – I had decided to work parttime for a local pet store because the kids were grown and I thought it’d be fun. I became their food specialist and learned quite a lot about pet foods and nutrition. There I met a breeder of Cavaliers who always bought her food there. After we became friends she offered to have me visit a retired Blenheim girl she had. When I visited she offered to give her to me!! The rest is history lol. This was Ch. Stonecroft Sincerely Yours, aka Stella Agnes. We gave her the middle name Agnes because my husband’s grandmother’s name was Stella Agnes!
Hazel Louise – A few years later the breeder called me and asked me if I wanted to adopt a Black & Tan female that was 2 years old. Wye Witch About It, aka Hazel Louise, and her brother came directly from England when they were 2 months old. At Ohio State when they were health tested it was found that Hazel had a grade 1/2 heart murmur. When she was 2 years old I adopted her and gave her the middle name Louise.
Laverne Marie – Two years ago, right after Desi passed away (I like to say Desi sent Laverne to me lol), the breeder called me about Athercroft Isle of Ewe, aka Laverne Marie. I adopted her, of course, and gave her the middle name Marie because that was Laverne’ middle name on the TV Show lol!
Here’s a bit of info.: Both Laverne and Hazel have the same birthday, August 16th. They’re 2 years apart in age. Desi passed away on August 16th.
Princess Di – Now for the cat LOL……My daughter lived and worked an hour from us right after college, she was a high school math teacher. She was kind of lonely and her landlady allowed her to adopt a cat for her apt. We went to the town’s local non-kill cat shelter and chose a pretty little Tortie they were calling Princess. My daughter wanted to change her name but when she found a really cute food bowl with “Princess” printed inside she decided it was fate and kept her name. When my daughter moved again, she couldn’t take her with her so asked us if we’d “board” her and she’d take her back when she could (hahaha…I told her that her Dad would not give her back…he’s a real cat person). Well, needless to say, we didn’t give her back. Now my daughter has 3 more cats (named Penny, Leonard and Sheldon after the Big Bang Theory). I added the “Di” as her middle name because it just fits.
I think you can add an Avatar anytime, but I can’t remember how I did it LOL! Somehow through Disqus, if I remember correctly. Sorry I’m not anymore help than that. I did it awhile ago and just don’t remember how. Again, I’m sure some of the other regulars will post and help you out My Avatar is of Laverne. I have another Cavalier, Hazel and a Mixed Breed, Lucy. Pet Suppies Plus has some decent foods. I haven’t been in one for years but I remember they carried some good ones back then. Again, TSC has 4Health grain free, which is around 30.00-35.00 for 30 lbs. of food! It comes in 3 flavors, too. Their canned 4Health (I buy the grain free stews) are .99 a can….fantastic considering other foods go for around 2.70-5.00 a can!! Btw, remember when looking for dog supplies, like collars, leashes, beds, bowls, etc. don’t forget to check out places like Big Lots, TJ Maxx, Dollar Stores, etc. I don’t recommend buying food or treats from there but I’ve gotten some great buys for supplies from those kind of places. The fun is just beginning!
Hi, Ron! It is so exciting for you and your new doggie friend to have found each other. As for food recommendations, I would suggest starting with this site and looking at the 4-5 star foods. If you find one (or a few, to rotate with) that you would like to try with your dog then I would see if you can get them locally. Some of us also order foods we can’t get locally from online stores (many have free shipping). I like to buy locally because I like to look at the expiration dates myself before I buy them, but I have bought online, too. Also check out any local feed stores that might be in your area. Tractor Supply has a wonderful, inexpensive house brand, for instance. Also, Costco has some foods people love. Some of the brands I will recommend are (in no particular oder):
Merrick, 4Health grain free, Nature’s Variety, Fromm, Earthborn, Wellness, Holistic Select, Acana, Nutrisource. These are just a few, there are many more. I hope this helps some. I’m sure HDM, InkedMarie, Pattyvaughn, etc. will also have some good suggestions. 🙂HDM….Wholistic Pet is of my favorite supplements, too. I used to use their Joint Health for my Shih-Poo, Desi, who had both rear luxating patellas. I also swear by Springtime, Inc.’s Joint Health chews. He never had to have surgery, though he died younger than he should’ve from other things 🙁
Merrick was one I was thinking of….there’s also Acana Ranchlands and Orijen Regional Red. I’m not sure about the size of those kibbles but I think they’re bigger than Merrick. Earthborn also has Great Plains Feast and the kibble is bigger than Merrick. On their site they might even have a kibble size chart with pics that you can look at. 4Health has a new grain free Beef formula that has fairly large size kibble. They’re made by Ainsworth. One solution to the gulping/swallowing whole would be to buy a “slowdown” bowl. I used to have one for my Shih-Poo, Desi, who inhaled any food he ate. It helped a lot. Also, you could put a rock, or ball in the bowl so the dog has to eat around it. Some people put food on a sheet pan to make the dog eat slower, as well. I hope this helps a little. 🙂
I use Springtime, Inc. products a lot. I actually have some of their Bee Pollen (a 3lb. jar) ordered from the dog section (I got it free when I ordered so much of the other products). I haven’t used it yet, though.
somebodysme….just an fyi, the Instinct LID foods have coconut oil included in their formulas. I’m using the Turkey, but have a small bag of the Duck and the Lamb to rotate with later. Laverne is doing well, but I think she really needs more fiber (those dreaded anal glands) so I’m adding it in. I have several different kinds…Metamucil Clear and Natural, THK’s Perfect Form, some Fruitable’s pumpkin and a supplement called Glandex that has quercetin in it. I’ve been using either the Glandex or Perfect Form. Too early to tell if it’s gonna help. The dogs have only been on the food goin on 2 weeks. They love it! If adding fiber is all I have to do, then fine lol. I have also been adding canned foods and trying to stick to Turkey as the protein atm. I haven’t added in any omegas as of yet.
Holistic Select and Wellness make their own foods. Wellness does not use Diamond anymore. I am going to admit, however, that I’m feeding TSC’s 4Health grain free now (made by Ainsworth). I’ve tried Merrick and still use some of their canned food, but I had some major issues with the kibble. Also, a lot of foods contain tomato pomace or carrots that I’ve narrowed down as an intolerance for one of my Cavaliers. They are doing wonderfully on the 4Health Whitefish. And I’m highly aware that Diamond makes their regular 4Health, but I dd buy a small bag of the small bites. It’s chicken based and some grain inclusive, no potato, tomato pomace or carrots. I actually consider it somewhat limited in ingredients. I may mix this in, too. Also, the manager of my local TSC seems well versed in dog food/nutrition and is very nice and helpful. Even though I don’t really have a budget for their food, my husband is thrilled with the savings I’m getting with the 4Health lol.
I just wanted to add that I’m feeding 4Health grain free and imho the kibble size is what I consider kinda large. In fact, Laverne (my smallest Cavalier at 18lbs.) has some trouble eating it dry, but not with canned added. Pugmomsandy…..my local TSC doesn’t sell Amicus (wish they did). I also love Merrick Thanksgiving Day Dinner canned food for my crew. I do wish they wouldn’t have added Carageenan in all their formulas now, but I don’t feed the food solely so I’m not too worried.
Thanks for the offer Georgia Rescue Mom, but I’ve tried Simply Nourish for mine and Laverne doesn’t do well with tomato pomace (which S. Nourish has). I do think it’s a fine food and sometimes I do use their canned food. The NB stands for Natural Balance, and the merger made me very sad indeed. But, because of it I did try 4Health and Earthborn and so far I am very happy with those brands.
I’ve started using TSC’s 4Health grain free dog food for my 3 dogs (after the NB merger with Del Monte). I can’t believe the quality for the price! The canned food is only .99 a can, too….when I was paying between 2.50-4.00 a can! I’ve saved enough in just the little time I’ve started using it to go buy me some new sandals LOL! Also, I now think I’m going to rotate the 4Health grain free with Earthborn so I’ll have 2 brands to choose from.
I have never fed their diet, but I have fed their supplements and the breeders I got my Cavaliers from also use them frequently. I think they’re quality supplements. I would consider making their diet, if I did homemade.
I’m not saying this is what you should do for your dog, it’s just my experience with my dog. Stella (and Laverne to some extent) had rumbly stomach. When she had this, she would not eat her meals. I started adding probiotics/enzymes but she would still have the rumbling. I feared it was pancreatitis or fat intolerance, so I switched her to a lower fat food….still happened. I also top with canned foods. I finally decided to put the dogs on a limited ingredient food (dry and can). I still added in the probiotic/enzymes. It worked in her case. Sadly, she went to the rainbow bridge in January with a neurological disease Cavaleirs are prone to. She was 12. I have determined that Laverne has mild allergies, and that she needs a chicken free, limited ingredient diet. I found that Natural Balance Swt. Pot. & Fish worked wonders for her (and all the dogs). However, with the NB/Del Monte merger I am very concerned about the food remaining a quality one. So….I have been transitioning over to 4Health grain free whitefish. I still use various canned foods and try to keep them as limited and lowest fat as possible. I only use probiotics/enzymes every so often now. I did try some other limited diets, such as Wellness Simple (Laverne had problems with the shape of the kibble pieces), Simply Nourish LID Salmon (dogs loved it, and small kibble, but stool wasn’t up to par). I’ve kinda figured out that tomato pomace and carrots bother Laverne, so I will keep those out of her diet from now on. I know that Wellness Core RF is a great food, but it is poultry based and has more ingredients than your typical limited ingredient diet. Perhaps you could change the kibble part of her diet, as well, to a more limited one.
Thanks, pugmomsandy and HDM. HDM, I’ve never tried Addiction, but I’ll check it out. Sandy, I tried Sojos and the dogs, namely Lucy, didn’t like it at all…wouldn’t eat it. As a group they tend to not like the dehydrated foods. I was using freeze dried foods for quite awhile, but it ended up being too much fat, protein for Lucy. I will check out the Addiction, like I said, but so far I’m leaning to 4Health grain free Whitefish and 4Health, Wellness Stews, Blew Stews, TOTW cans.
Like HDM said, Tractor Supply’s 4Health is a fantastic bargain! The regular size cans are .99, and even the biggest cans are only 1.59! I’ve started to use it to top my dogs’ food and they like it and are having no repercussions. I buy Simply Nourish sometimes, but imho it’s not all that budget friendly. On sale it’s 2.00 a can, but it’s a smaller can (only 10 oz., compared to 13.2 oz.)….it is similar to Weruva and definitely cheaper than that lol. TOTW is a little cheaper than alot of the other canned foods, too. I can usually find it for 1.99 a can. Fromm, at least where I live, is not all that cheap…the Gold cans run around 2.99 a can and the 4Star are almost 4.00 a can! I’ve decided to try and stick with 4Health, for the most part. Fyi…it does come in pate and stew styles. I believe the stews are better because they don’t contain carageenan. Also, look at the ingredients and calorie content (and the style of food your dog prefers) when making your choice. I have also recently been looking for a replacement for Natural Balance LID Fish (merger with Del Monte) and looked at Wellness Simple (transition did not go well…Laverne can’t/won’t eat the kibble due to the shape/size). It also has tomato pomace and carrots which I believe makes her allergies flare up. Bought a small bag of Simply Nourish Salmon LID, but again…tomato pomace and/or carrots….stool still not very good. I do know how to transition and can tell pretty quickly if a food is gonna be bad for the long haul. Anyway, I’m supposed to be getting some coupons from Hol. Select, but I’m not confident it will work for Laverne. So…they’re still eating the NB I have, but I did buy a small bag of 4Health grain free Whitefish yesterday. It is not a small kibble, but Laverne seems to be able to eat it better than the Wellness shape. I’m starting to use it as treats and I’ll be mixing it into their NB soon. It is kinda limited in its ingredients and doesn’t contain tom. pomace or carrots (or Rosemary). It does have beet pulp, so we’ll see. Darn merger!
I use Wellness Pure Rewards, but I use the Turkey and the Turkey/Salmon jerky. Two of mine have issues. Laverne gets colitis and Lucy has a tumor on her bladder. Hazel is fine. All three dogs love and do fine eating these treats. In fact, with the Natural Balance merger with Del Monte I’m switching them all over to Wellness Simple Salmon & Pot. as their base kibble. I also top with various canned foods. I use Wellness biscuits, too….the Lamb grain free and the Whitefish.
georgesmom, I just wanted to add that some Wellness canned food does include carageenan, but like you said, not all. I know that Wellness Stews do not contain it. TOTW and Blue Stews and Family Favorites also do not have it, if I remember correctly. Simply Nourish does not contain it. I also know that Fromm Gold does not have it, nor does Fromm 4Star canned. A very budget friendly canned that does not contain it is 4Health…only the stew kind. Unfortunately, now all Merrick cans contain it. They used to have some formulas that didn’t.
I am actually going to recommend Natural Balance limited ingredient diets. I do want to note that Diamond does manufacture some of their foods, not all but some. I’m not sure of which formulas so you would have to contact NB if you would like to know for certain. Anyway, I have one Cavalier (the Ruby, Laverne, pictured in my avatar) that has allergy/intolerance issues. I believe she has food and environmental problems. When I finally put her on NB Swt. Pot. & Fish kibble (now I do also top with NB and other brands of canned food) and NB limited ingredient treats she has responded well. Even the other dogs are doing better eating it. Natural Balance LIDs come in a variety of uncommon protein sources, like Bison, Rabbit, Lamb, etc. Matching treats and canned foods are also available. Petco is a main seller of the food, but it can be ordered online.
I’ve tried many probiotic supplements for my dogs, including Mercola which I thought worked fine.
Recently, I used Micro Flora + from Herbsmith and loved it! Now, however, I’m not using a probiotic for them because they are doing great without one. I admit I have switched them back to Natural Balance’s limited ingredient kibble. Right now, they are eating the Swt. Pot. & Fish. I’ve been topping it with Merrick, NB, TOTW, 4Health, Blue Stews, Wellness Stews and all are doing the best they have done in years. Stools great, breath great, coats great, appetites great and all without any supplements. I’m just flabbergasted! I admit I boycotted NB (because of Diamond) and I still don’t like the fact that they use them :(, but I have to say this food is working so well. Laverne, who is my worst in the stool, allergy/intolerance dept. is doing the best she’s done since I’ve had her. Twelve year old Lucy is acting even more young, Hazel’s coat is so shiny. I’m very pleased! But, back on topic….if I were to use a probiotic again I would go with Herbsmith’s Micro Flora +.Mydogisme….I’m so sorry to hear of your great loss. It is never easy to lose a beloved family member. And family members they are, not “just dogs or cats”. I recently lost the most special girl, Stella, a blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that was the light of my life and the beginning of my love affair with the breed. Stella came to me after she retired a show champion. She was 5 years old when she came to me and 12 when she passed to the bridge this past January 13th. Stella was a real beauty! She was a certified therapy dog and we visited nursing homes together and did library reading programs for 5 years, until I retired her in 2010. She was starting her illness then, I believe. Stella had a neurological disease Cavaliers get called Syringomyelia. I eventually had to put her to sleep and she passed in my arms. It was one of the hardest times of my life. So I do understand what you’re going through. Please know my thoughts are with you at this time.
In 2011 I also lost a best friend. He was a ragamuffin of a dog lol. Sometimes I couldn’t believe we actually paid money to get him, but I always felt we “rescued” him from a backyard breeder. He was a mixed breed, of course, but he was a Shih-Poo. He looked every bit the Poodle and was as smart as a full-blooded one. He also had lots of issues. Health and behaviorwise. Desi was his name and he was my boy! He was so bonded with me that he would actually guard me from my family! He loved, loved his toys and always had one in his mouth lol. I feel Desi went undiagnosed with a thyroid issue for some years and when he finally passed to the bridge, he was the reason I finally switched to a holistic vet. I miss him, but I will say not all his behavior problems. I worked with him, but he really was a difficult dog in many ways. Though, he sure did love me and I loved him! Laverne came to live with me a month after Desi passed away…..I say he sent her to me…she does have some of his quirks, though definitely not in the same way hahaha. He would have loved her! He did love all the Cavalier girls, he thought of them as his “women” I believe hahahaha! Ah..still miss him!
Melissaandcrew is right that Petsmart doesn’t participate in frequent buyer programs and neither does Petco, however, Petco does offer a “Petco Card” that gets you a $5.00 coupon for every $100.00 you spend and you can accumulate these and use as many as you want before they expire. It does help if you shop there often.
If you have a Tractor Supply near you, then I’d go for their new 4Health grain free. And if for some reason you do have to top their kibble with canned food, their 4Health canned food is only .99 a can! Very reasonable. Also, Rachel Ray has a new grain free food. I saw it at my local Meijer and Walmart. It’s also very reasonably priced. I’m not sure how big a bag it comes in, though.
