[NectarMom]

Nutrisca is one of my rotation foods and we have not had any issues with it much but it is much like the other 5 star foods I have tried hoping to see improvements with intestinal allergies but never do. I bought a bag of the I Love and you venison treats and my dogs love them. I don’t normally give any treats but Brother’s Complete Biscuits but I gave I love and you treats a shot and they are a hit.

I switched jobs and I now work as a manager at a Pet store and I have had more people come in to buy 5 star foods and come back complaining that their dogs are having issues on it and most say they never had these issues when feeding Iam’s and or Purina and honestly I can also having dogs years ago that were on these types of food and I never had health issues with dogs like I do today. My Mom has always fed Iam’s and still does to this day and yet I am the one that feeds 5 star foods to my 4 dogs and I feel like I am always rushing one to the vet for something food related or allergy related which is also from the food they eat because it is always intestinal issues with food. I don’t know how much I trust this 5 star logic.

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

[NectarMom]

I would agree with Ann M. I have been calling around all my local Stores that carry Acana and so far none have it in the Store but I know it has been out in the US for a couple of weeks now but just not in my State yet and I am waiting to give it a try.

[NectarMom]

I use Bug-Off-Garlic from Springtime Inc and we are almost through our first bottle of it with 4 tiny dogs and so far I like it and will continue to use it. I also recommend it to my Clients at work.

[NectarMom]

I been using Brother’s Complete for 2 yrs and 3 of mine do fine on it and my 4th girl does not do well on it because she is allergic to Poultry and fish but I can honestly say before I started using it my dogs smelled yeasty and it took approx. 8 months to get the yeast out of their systems when feeding only Brother’s Complete and now they are free and clear of Candida Yeast. I now rotate different brands that are grain free and white potato free. Brother’s Complete will always be one of our rotation foods.

[NectarMom]

My question is , who goes to all these CO-Packing Companies to see what goes on? Just asking

[NectarMom]

I don’t use flea or tick products and I haven’t ever had a reason to but I do have a Chihuahua that is allergic to insect bites and I was wondered if this product would help her in any way or should I not bother? If she has a reaction I have to inject her with Benedryl but I worry when I am not home and if she has a reaction so I give her 1/2 a benedryl tablet every 12 hrs.

[NectarMom]

Nutrisca has been working well for us to in rotation.

[NectarMom]

I have been through similar health issues and just let me throw it out there that you are much better off speaking to someone not involved in their product. They will tell you anything to make you feel better even if the advice is wrong. just sayin not judging

[NectarMom]

Well if it was not for this forum I would not know what I was feeding my dogs so I am grateful and I have learned so much just from this site. Thank you for all you do.

[NectarMom]

Well I will chime in about THK and the alfalfa. My Shih Tzu ( Tootie) is my Poultry allergy girl and after switching her to Nutrisca ( Salmon and chickpea ) and adding in sardines and halibut she had been doing fine up until yesterday afternoon then started chewing on her feet. I had already bought a box of THK Zeal before but she wouldn’t touch it but last night she ate it with some added sardines and halibut and low and behold this morning her poop had stems of alfalfa in it. It looked like she had been outside eating grass and I follow them around the backyard to watch everyone’s poop ( Yes I know my husband says I am loony too) My dogs are never left unattended even in our own backyard because I am such an over protective mother hen with my girls. Plus I have one that is my walking epipen so I really have to watch her because she is allergic to insect bites and bee stings ETC. So I went through the box of Zeal and there is longer stems of alfalfa in it. I am super disappointed being that I paid so much once again for a food that will not work. It is all so crazy how these days dog food has to be such a huge scare issue. My dogs are my little children and to think of loosing any of them makes me just get teary eyed. I think the older I get the more attached I get and I am sick of trial and error with just trying to do the right thing by my girls. I am 51 years old and I have had quite a few dogs in my lifetime but I have not ever had as many food issues and allergies with dogs before these 4 and I believe it is in the food that is causing all these problems with dogs these days. We are completely at the mercy of dog food manufacturers unless we have time to cook healthy meals at home for our pets but that is not always feasible for most that are working hard for retirement. Ugh I nominate no foods because I have yet to find that one that even comes close to helping a couple of my special needs ones.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

Did your Vet say anything about the beginnings of Pancreatitis? This is also a cause for Elevated Liver enzymes. Raw is a lot higher in fat than kibble and some dogs do well on it and others have issues with the higher fat. 2 of mine did not do well on it and developed Pancreatitis and one of my other ones just threw it up several times until I did not offer it to her anymore and the other did fine so 3 out of 4 it did not agree with and to be honest I was worried about them getting bad bacteria in which 2 of them ended up doing from Raw. I still have some in my outside freezer which I need to throw out. I don’t think I will ever find the perfect food for my girls and it is very frustrating. Maybe when I retire I can strictly home cook for the ones I have left or newly acquired ones if that happens. Oh and my girls were on Darwin’s for 8 months before anyone developed Pancreatitis.

I do hope it is nothing serious with your baby girl. keep us posted with the fasting results.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

Cushing’s syndrome is a disease caused by long-term exposure to high levels of glucocorticosteroids, either manufactured by the body or given as medications. I do not even get Rabies vaccine for my dogs. Yes my Vet gives me a hard time and tells me that it is at my own risk to not give my dogs Rabies vaccine but I feel that my dogs are only at my house and we live in a neighborhood with other people that keep their dogs in the backyard and not running the streets. I do not walk my dogs anywhere. If we go to the Vets I carry my dogs and I personally clean and sterilize where my dogs will be set on a table for the vet to examine them. I also do not give Heartworm medication and have not for a few years now. I do believe in yearly blood work due to finding out things sooner that could possibly be fixed with my dogs. I lost one of Cancer and I learned the hard way just how important yearly blood work is. 3 Year Rabies is a very harsh injection. I won’t do it, no need in it when we do not have rabies cases here and it is just another way for vets to make money.

[NectarMom]

When I fed Raw one of my dogs blood work constantly coming back like she had Cushings. We had to fast her and then her blood work came back only slightly elevated and now since we are back on kibble her blood work comes back perfect. Fasting really tells more. I do yearly annuals but no vaccines. It could also be the higher protein so which is another reason to fast to get an accurate reading.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

Melissa, This is what was told to me by Darwin’s customer service and they even list their Duck meals as their lowest fat. I always knew Duck was a fatty meat but I figured Darwin’s must know something that I didn’t with their duck.

[NectarMom]

My girls were on Darwin’s for 8 months with no issues then one of the reps for Darwin’s said we could introduce Duck and when we did 2 of mine got Pancreatitis and hundreds of dollars later we dropped Darwin’s off our menu and went with Hare Today and one of mine kept throwing it up so I just gave up on Raw. I don’t want anymore of them sick and I do not need anymore vet bills.

[NectarMom]

Dori I am still feeding Brother’s to all but one of mine since she has developed a chicken intolerance or Poultry. I am going to look you up on FB so if you get a friends request it is me ( Jennifer) 🙂

[NectarMom]

Patty I am believing this is also the case. I stuck it out long enough to get the Candida out of their systems and now I think it is time to move on. My dilemma is where to move next. Switch the other 3 onto Nutrisca or Natures Logic and be done with it? Those are the two that I have had them on before and nothing major happened but there is always a risk when switching to another formula.

PS: Why is Brother’s name being blanked out? I also found in a search I think it was the same person slamming Brother’s Beef kibble on Amazon.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

Glad to hear your babies are much better. After we resolved the water issue the red staining from licking went away but we still have eye staining and they scratch and lick their feet every now and then which drives me nuts. I edit pictures that I take of them on face book because of the horrid eye staining. We tried Darwin’s Raw among other Raw avenues and 2 out of 4 got pancreatitis so I am very afraid of trying raw again. Though I still worry about the eye staining and do not know for sure if it is environmental or food. It is so hard to tell but I know during Winter we still had feet chewing but not as much.

[NectarMom]

I think I might have missed what you ended up feeding your dogs when you stopped feeding Brother’s. Has the eye staining gone away?

[NectarMom]

I would also like to see this happen. Great suggestion!

[NectarMom]

If your dog has an Ulcer you have to get that healed up before the acid reflux will disappear also. My 6-lb Shih Tzu gets 1/4 of a Pepcid AC every 12 hrs. She is also on a stomach coating so the Ulcer can heal and that is called Sucralfate 1/4 dissolved in a syringe of water. I give her that 30 min prior to feeding her. I am mixing cooked Halibut and white fish and sardines in with her Nutrisca Salmon and chick pea kibble and she is doing good so far.

[NectarMom]

I tried Koby too and the same thing happened. Most of their formulas are chicken so not on our menu here for sure.

[NectarMom]

Oh well that is too bad. Wonder why they didn’t just ban them.

[NectarMom]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I am aware of the side effects with pain meds, etc. I work for a Vet but I honestly had no option with how bad of pain she was in. She seems to be doing good on the Nutrisca as long as I soak it in water and add some white fish or halibut and sardines with some sardine juice from the can. Stools are firming up and she is acting a bit more active so it is for sure an intolerance to Poultry. We shall stay away from Poultry. The thing I don’t get is that Poultry is the #1 allergy protein yet Brother’s claims their diets are for Allergy canines. Am I missing something? Does anyone know what happened to the Brother’s Forum? I was going to ask on there without having to call them once again with more questions?

[NectarMom]

NM I found it…duh

[NectarMom]

Where is the amount to pay? I missed the video because my door bell rang and now I cannot bring it back up and when I sign in it sends me to the normal forum? 🙂

[NectarMom]

It is actually rated 2.5 and there are much better choices available in the limited ingredient diets. They have also had a recall before. Do a search for Brothers Complete. It has no grain and no potato and they have never had a recall. I have been using this diet for over a year now with excellent results.

[NectarMom]

I use Springtime Inc advanced joint care for my dogs and one of mine has luxating patella and she limped at times and since giving her Springtime once a day it is amazing the difference. She can run like when she was young. Great product.

[NectarMom]

I just got my springtime order of joint and fresh factor chews and my dogs readily eat the Mercola joint chewables but are hesitant to eat the springtime chewables. I think they are excellent supplements from the ingredient list but I just wish mine liked them as much as Mercola products. I will keep trying though.

[NectarMom]

Just for the record all of mine love Lhama! Patty I have not forgotten you. I woke up with a sinus infection and spent most my day at the Doctor so I am shipping out your box tomorrow 🙂

[NectarMom]

I have 2 packages in the freezer and threw one half a package away. My 4 dogs would not eat they’re food with it mixed in. I can ship these to you if you would like to try it. Just pay the shipping…………….

[NectarMom]

Thanks Marie and Patty

[NectarMom]

I thought Garlic was not good for dogs? If this Garlic bug off is safe then I might be interested in getting some because of mosquitos in the summer time. I do not have a flea or tick problem but I do worry about mosquitos. Anyone have any idea?

[NectarMom]

I know this is a little older thread but I have been using Mercola joint supplement and I have no complaints except it is getting pricy for 4 dogs. I found this and was wondering if it looks just as good as mercola? http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/joint-health-chewables?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Bing&utm_campaign=Dog_Glucosamine&utm_term=canine%20glucosamine

[NectarMom]

Seriously Somebodysme? I would never recommend a Vets choice in food for any dog or cat . Simply because Vets have had no Canine or Feline training on feeding the proper diet. Most Vets sell science Diet prescription diet and if you look on here at the ingredients you will see it is not a good choice for a diet for any dog or cat.

[NectarMom]

I got in on the tripe sale too and ordered a big huge order of mixes too. My order should be here Wed. One of my girls will only eat her mixes with tripe mixed in. I don’t want to tell you what my husband calls her LMBO

[NectarMom]

If your dogs are on Heart Guard and if your dogs get heart worms while on it and you haven’t skipped a monthly dose if your dog gets heart worm the Company will only pay for 1/2 of the heart worm treatment. While Tri heart will pay for 100% of the heart worm treatment if your dog gets heat worms on their product, Tri Heart is a lot cheaper than heart guard also. The vet I work at we have seen more cases of dogs getting heart worms while on Heart Guard.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

Zymox works like nothing I have ever used on yeasty ears. The rinse is also very good.
http://www.healthypets.com/zymox.html

[NectarMom]

I have started buying the 1-lb meat grinds from Hare Today and it is not hard to use with 4 dogs. I defrost one over night and then divide it up between the 4 and put the rest in the refrig. I add krill oil and Ubiquinol from Mercola once a day. We feed Rabbit grinds, Bison, Venison, Green Tripe and Lhama. The girls other meal is Brothers kibble ( Turkey and Egg) 2 will eat this but my other 2 will not so they both eat all Hare Today both meals.

[NectarMom]

Sounds like you are in good shape with your dog then. I am super Jealous. I wish I had a Raw Company available locally for my 4 girls. Shipping is killer but worth the health benefits and no other option for me. My girls love Tripe , good luck to you and your canine buddy.

[NectarMom]

Depends how the meat is raised and not a fan of veggies in grinds. What is the amount of veggies verses meat, bone organ? Price is decent but what is the quality. If you call Hare Today and speak with Tracy the owner she will give you the details on why veggies are not a good part of our canines diet. While Hare Today maybe a bit higher on their menu I can vouch for their quality and fresh meat grinds. We have been using HT for a while now with awesome results and trust me I have been through a few companies with not so good results. Not saying that this Company is bad and it maybe worth a try for you and may work out.

[NectarMom]

This is the only site I use also and while I don’t know as much as the others on here about Raw feeding I am certainly listening and learning. I for sure know Raw feeding is the best solution for our canines and felines and I have seen for myself the results but with my crew that has been on a kibble diet at least 3yrs of their lives we have to take it slow with the fat content in some proteins. I am grateful for finding this forum and appreciate the patience you all have had with me and my girls and the issues we have had. We seem to be on the right track with Raw this time around and will continue to improve with lots of time.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

HDM That is exactly what it melt like…ewww. No one has tried Llama? It is suppose to be really good for canines and really tasty?

[NectarMom]

Has anyone tried the Llama? I will be placing another order Sunday for ship out on Monday and I was going to get more Venison until I can get some from my husbands employee but I also wanted to try something a bit different such as the Llama because Tracy said it is also lower fat. We tried the Beef, bone organ and tripe mixture and it did smell a little funky to me but maybe it is suppose to. It was not as huge a hit as the Venison but they ate it.

[NectarMom]

I could ask them if they would save the organs for my mixes but normally they gut all the insides but being my hubby is boss man maybe they will do it just for me LOL. Won’t hurt to ask and I will have my hubby do just that.

[NectarMom]

I know someone locally that does Deer hunting and they grind their own meat and make sausage but I want to ask them if they can do Venison for me but just the meat and no bone because they do not grind the bone into their meat. Do you think this would be ok? My husband works with them and they said they kill around 60 deer a year. My dogs are loving the Venison from Hare Today so is this worth asking if we can get some from his Employee?
Also it is cheaper to buy 5lb rolls from Hare Today so that is the route we go and I just thaw and refreeze in individual air tight bags.

[NectarMom]

I have 4 dogs under 12lbs and I buy the 5lb packages of ground Rabbit and Venison and beef and tripe and what was suggested to me by Tracy the owner of Hare Today was to defrost the whole 5lbs and then individually bag in proportions enough for my 4 girls and then refreeze what I am not using that day and I have been doing this for a month with no issues.

[NectarMom]

Yep I noticed that and the shipping was insane, to me anyways. I will stick with Hare Today since my gals love it and eat it good. Plus there are no Organs in the Venison from BR?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by NectarMom.

[NectarMom]

Thanks HDM! I will check that out even though I think it will be really hard to win over Hare Today 🙂

[NectarMom]

Awesome Thank you! I emailed them asking about 4 days ago and never heard back from them. How do you go about ordering from them and since I have to watch the fat with my crew I need to know what the % is. Guess I need to call them. Do they ship?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by NectarMom.

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