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mountainhoundMember
there’s a brand called K9 Kraving that’s super affordable but only available in certain areas. It’s about $12.99 for 5 lbs
mountainhoundMemberNot sure if anyone mentioned it, but beef heart is incredibly rich, so I feed it as an organ meat not a muscle in a raw diet. Only about 1 oz per meal for a 70 lb dog.First time I overfed it as well and my dog had the runs for 2 days. It’s quite possible that it was too much if your dog is used to eating mostly poultry.
mountainhoundMemberYou don’t have to feed raw, there are a million brands out there that are not made of recycled waste.
mountainhoundMemberRice is not a part of a raw diet, a lot of people do the prey model style because its easier, no grinding or blending veggies (most dogs dont need veggies)
Look info facebook groups and also this website which is a good starting guide to feeding raw, or you can always get some premade from a petstore like bravo, primal or vital essentials. http://puppybutt.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/9/2/7692088/beginners_guide_to_prey_model_raw_rv.4.1.pdfmountainhoundMemberInteresting results. Have you beef feeding whole prey including bones? ground raw won’t clean teeth or improve breath since they are not crunching on bone. I’ve never heard of a dog becoming aggressive on a raw diet either. Sometimes they go through a detox period of about 2-3 months which can create mood variations, so thats always a possibility.
mountainhoundMemberI would never feed any prescription food to a dog with joint issues, the bulk of those ingredients are highly inflammatory and will cause more harm than good. Feed a good quality raw diet (even premade raw will probably be cheaper than Hills), raw food contains natural sources of glucosamine/chondroitin from ground up cartilage. Lack of carbs will help with inflammation and pain reduction. You can also give her treats like tracheas and duck feet since those are good sources of glucosamine. I’ve had good results with a supplement called Liquid Health, its tasteless and easy to mix with ground raw food.
October 15, 2014 at 4:38 pm in reply to: What dog food gives you the best "bang for your buck"? #54814 Report AbusemountainhoundMemberI agree with Victor if you can find it in your area, nutrisource is also reasonably priced and fromm classic.
mountainhoundMemberExcept that they recently came out with a grain free pro plan. So much for grains being great. Grain free is the new trend, they’ll change their tune once they start losing money.
mountainhoundMemberAlso, heres a link to the harness I’m using, it’s really been great for us. I think another reason it works is that it’s similar to thundershirt. When the rope tightens around the body, it seems to calm them down. http://www.harnesslead.com/
mountainhoundMemberOne of my dogs have fear induced dog aggression but only towards certain dogs (usually those who are energetic/dominant and want to run up to him on walks. He will lunge at another dog when it comes to on leash face to face confrontation. Its been a bit of an uphill battle, but I finally have found something that seems to be making a difference.
Right now I’m working hard with clicker/treat and desensitization routine.
Before, I would use a prong collar in order to control him and after talking to my vet who is also a behaviorist she suggested using a halti instead. She made a good point that using prong is basically telling a dog every time he sees another dog is equals to being stabbed in the neck. Long term use could also lead to tracheal damage and thyroid disorder which could also cause aggression (not sure if you’ve done a thyroid check on him).
I used the halti for a while and it worked fine, but he absolutely hated wearing it. Right now I’m using a harness called harness lead which is made of a rope. Basically when the dog pulls, it tightens around the girth and tell them to slow down. It was almost like an instant transformation for my dog. I took him out in the harness, saw someone walking towards us with a dog. As they were passing, he lunged and I lightly tugged at the leash and then told him to sit. He sat down, I clicked and treated him.
I’ve been using it ever since, its worked better than any gentle leader/halti/prong/choke, etc.
You probably already know about reactivity zones that your dog has. How close do you need to get to another dog before he reacts. With mine I’ve been taking him out of that zone and very slowly have been shortening the distance, getting closer and closer to other dogs on walks and having him sit and watch me without reaction.
We had a breakthrough moment last week when I asked a friend of mine to bring her dog to a park to see how he would act towards her. As I anticipated, with on leash introduction, he went crazy and lunged at her dog. I told her to take the dog and start walking and I would follow her few steps behind. We did this for few minutes and since he wasn’t acting nervous or tense, I kept shortening the distance until we lined up right next to each other. He completely ignored her dog and kept on walking calmly. After she left, I decided to take it a step further and walk him on a narrow greenway with lots on new dogs coming face to face. Even though the distance was very small between us and the other dogs, he responded well to minor harness correction and sit command coupled with clicker and treat. By the end of the walk he was so tired, he payed no attention to any other dog. I couldn’t be happier with that outcome, I think it’s starting to click with him that coming face to face with another dog does not equal danger and theres absolutely no need to lash out.
I recently started adding in this supplement and rubbing few drops of rescue remedy on his ears before the walk, which I think has also contributed to him being more relaxed.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OTPBP6/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1I also strongly suggest a book called Click to Calm by Emma Parsons if you haven’t read it already.
Best of luck
mountainhoundMemberI agree, I don’t care for the changes. I think since the cost of meat is rising, they are cutting corners and bulking up the food with plant protein.
mountainhoundMemberI found a brand at Costco called Carrington Farms, the 54 oz jar was only $17, it’s been few months since I’ve gotten it, so not sure if they still stock it. Worth checking though.
mountainhoundMemberwhich RC formula are you feeding? I would look at the guaranteed analysis to see what % of fat, fiber, etc you’re required to stay under, then look for a comparable alternative. For example Honest Kitchen Verve is only 9% fat, 23% protein and 5.8% fiber. Or you could do something like KH preference (for fiber) mixed in with a good quality grain free canned food for reduced protein/fat content.
mountainhoundMemberyou need to feed your dog a moisture rich food, even if your dog drinks a lot of water, feeding kibble is counter productive to preventing UTI’s and crystals. Either raw, dehydrated foods like honest kitchen or grain free canned are your best options. I would also add probiotics and cranberry extract to the food daily. D-mannose works well if the uti is caused by e-coli bacteria.
mountainhoundMemberTotw is one of the lowest calorie grain free foods on the market, I would try something like Canidae Pure. For example Totw High prarie is 370 cal per cup vs Canidae Land (bison) is 474, Sea (fish based)-496 and Sky (duck/turkey)- 520.
so you could start out with land for easier transition and go from there. You can also add some digestive enzymes for increased absorption.
mountainhoundMemberCheck out Bravo, Steve’s or Vital Essentials, those are the lowest priced in my area. Especially if you get the bravo chubs they will cost a fraction of what you pay for primal or stellas. We sell it for $12 for 5 lbs of chicken blend (turkey is about $13 and I think Lamb/Beef are around $17-18)
mountainhoundMemberAcana regionals is lower protein than orijen, so thats always worth a shot. they also have their singles line which is around 27% protein. It has oats now, but they are modifying it in the next couple months and changing it to grain free.
mountainhoundMemberThere’s really no need to add vitamins if you feed commercial food since it’s already fortified. You can add whole foods like raw eggs or fish oil, but giving synthetic ones like the tablets you see sold at big box stores can lead to vitamin overdose.
there are some holistic premixes that also incorporate whole foods like flaxseed and kelp, I would use those instead.mountainhoundMemberwith a dog that size, you can easily feed raw like primal nuggets at low cost. Yorkies are notorious for having bad teeth, and raw is the best way to prevent this.
As others said, puppy food isn’t necessary, a lot of it is just marketing gimmick. Puppy food has little more protein and calories, but not by much, usually just 1-2%.mountainhoundMemberI use them pretty regularly with no issues.
mountainhoundMemberIf you like the vet, next time just say “I’ve done my research and I feel that this is the best nutrition for my dog, but thanks for your concern”. If the vet keeps bugging you, switch vets. I also agree with Patty, try some type of seameal supplement, I use solid gold brand mostly and occasionally swap around with couple other brands like dogzymes norwegian kelp
mountainhoundMemberIt’s hard to recommend “best” food since every dog does differently on different food. One dog might do great on a 5 star food which another one not. I don’t feed kibble anymore, but if I did I would go with either Champion (Orijen/Acana, I prefer Acana regional due to slightly lower protein), Petcurean (the grain free Go formulas) or Fromm.
February 12, 2014 at 7:13 pm in reply to: Carrot granules, spinach flakes & other assorted veggies #33631 Report AbusemountainhoundMemberThis is what I use for my dog, hes raw fed but I feel like adding some vegetation can be beneficial, I also use it as a treat since I try to avoid grain based treats.
https://www.olewousa.com/mountainhoundMemberPlease dont feed any purina products, particularly moist and meaty. The reason is that they use certain chemicals and sugar in order to create moist appearance without using any actual meat. I suggest going to small holistic pet stores and asking for samples. We’ve had great success with small picky dogs and fromm grain free, primarily due to its small size and dogs tend to prefer grain free since its more meat based. Another trick that seemed to work that customers tell me is using stella and chewys patties and crumbling some of it on top of the kibble, or you can mix in a small amount of meat based canned food.
mountainhoundMemberYes unfortunately a lot of people never consider food switch until their pet gets sick and then it could be too late. I think a lot of people have a mentality of “dont fix what aint broken”, the problem is that majority of those people don’t know what a healthy dog looks like. They think if the dog is running around and eating/drinking normal, they are healthy. Things like excessive shedding, dandruff, greasy coats, bad breath, ear infections, weight issues are brushed off as being part of a dog. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen dogs with these symptoms yet 90% of the owners are oblivious to it.
The best you can do it keep trying and hopefully at some point it’ll click with them.mountainhoundMemberPatty- they used to, but they now have a separate facility in Texas called Ethos in order to ensure safe food production. The rep told me that they don’t want to blemish their reputation by associating with Diamond which is understandable.
January 31, 2014 at 11:39 pm in reply to: Is daily supplementing of fish oil safe? #32975 Report AbusemountainhoundMemberShould be fine, if you want to be on the safe side, add some vitamin e along with the fish oil to help balance it. Honestly, I’ve been giving my dog salmon oil for the last 7 years with no issues, but he also gets raw eggs twice a week and other foods with vitamin E that balance it out.
mountainhoundMemberYou definitely want to feed food with a lot of moisture. Raw would be ideal, next best thing is dehydrated like honest kitchen, followed by grain free canned.
I use this remedy when on of my dogs develop a UTI. Raw goats milk (I use answers brand, it has to be unpasteurized, 1/2-1 cup depending on the size of the dog), mixed with cranberry extract (naturvet cranberry relief) and 2 teaspoons of d mannose powder, mix it together and serve. It seems to clear up their UTI’s overnight.mountainhoundMemberMy weim gets little bit of dandruff in the winter, fish oil usually gets rid of it. He gets salmon oil daily with his meals (about 5 pumps)
mountainhoundMemberIts fine to feed ribs/neck bones etc, but its best to avoid the leg bones because those are weight bearing bones and can fracture teeth.
January 31, 2014 at 11:06 pm in reply to: See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix and Oil Question #32969 Report AbusemountainhoundMemberyou can also try hempseed oil, its high in omega 3’s and good alternative to fish oil.
mountainhoundMemberDiamond makes several inexpensive foods like taste of the wild, chicken soup, premium edge, 4 health etc. With that said, they have a pretty poor track record as far as recalls go, so personally I would not feed it unless money is super tight.
Few affordable grain free options you can try is canidae pure, hi tek, nutrisource, victor and earthborn. I believe Whole Earth Farms is coming out with a grain free line and its made by Merrick. Another one I like is Fromm Classics, its around $38-40 for a 33 lb bag and no recalls (although its not grain free).
mountainhoundMemberThat’s a tough one. I used to work as a pet sitter and 90% of dogs were fed some type of colorful mystery blend, most likely beneful or kibbles and bits.
I would probably say something like ” I’ve been watching the news and there’s been an incident of multiple dogs getting sick on Beneful. I looked closer at the ingredients and found out that they use propylene glycol (aka anti freeze) as well as carcinogenic preservatives in their food imported from China. I’d hate to see your dog get sick from eating it, have you thought of trying a better quality, AMERICAN MADE food? ”Sometimes when you show genuine concern about the wellbeing of their animal, they are more likely to listen to you.
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