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  • in reply to: Need Ideas to Supplement Raw Food Diet #42862 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You can give them about a tablespoon of oil – olive, fish, coconut, etc, would be easy. Or maybe give them a couple whole raw sardines or a couple of eggs a week.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    If you’re on a rotational diet, then try out different foods from different companies whether it’s grain-inclusive or grain-free or is legume-based or potato-based. There are many good companies out there. I have yet to find a kibble that my dogs don’t like (but they also eat raw).

    in reply to: Diamond Naturals New Formula #42690 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    The Diamond Naturals food was updated this past April:

    /dog-food-reviews/diamond-naturals-dog-food/

    in reply to: Dental Diet for Toy Breeds #42042 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Do you give chew bones of any kind (tendons, bully sticks, raw meaty bones, ribs, Himalayan chews, cow hoof, etc)? There are also oral gels and oral sprays that you can apply nightly. There’s even a seaweed that you can add to feeds such as ProDen Plaque Off or other brand. My dogs will chew on their cow hoof for two hours after they’ve eaten the tripe out of it (frozen tripe-stuffed cow hoof) and they really love gnawing on beef ribs. The Himalayan chews are really tough as well and last.

    in reply to: "add ins" advice please #41969 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Check out the “body condition score” charts online. Keep a journal or something of your dog’s waist and chest measurement and body condition and weight. Evaluate him every month and decrease or increase his food accordingly. I feed mine to keep their body condition good, not necessarily to a desired weight. Mine are all obese by “breed standard” but they look great. Also feeding a complete commercial raw diet might help you keep track of calories or how much you feed by weight. For instance, I would feed mine 6 oz per day or 3 oz of raw plus another meal of something else.

    in reply to: I and Love and You Raw Whole Food Nutrition #41831 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I and Love and You is a private label affiliated with Only Natural Pet. The food sold as I and Love and You is already in the market and is amazingly similar to Sojo’s Complete Grain Free (although Sojo’s has recently reformulated their line with the meat first). This goes for their ILY’s “Pucks” line as well.

    I and Love and You freeze dried:
    sweet potatoes, turkey, whole egg, broccoli, celery, apples, flaxseed meal, pecans, tricalcium phosphate, pumpkin, cranberries, basil, dehydrated alfalfa meal, ginger root, dried kelp, zinc sulfate, alpha-tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), vitamin A palmitate

    Only Natural Pet freeze dried:
    sweet potatoes, turkey, whole egg, broccoli, celery, apples, flax meal, pecans, tricalcium phosphate, pumpkin, cranberries, basil, dried alfalfa, ginger root, dried kelp, zinc sulfate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin D3, vitamin A palmitate

    Sojo’s Complete freeze dried:
    potato, turkey, whole egg, broccoli, celery, apples, flax meal, pecans, tricalcium phosphate, pumpkin, cranberries, basil, dried alfalfa, ginger root, dried kelp, zinc sulfate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin D3, vitamin A palmitate

    in reply to: Raw diet and loose stools #41717 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You can also try giving one meal of raw and the other meal of kibble and just give them more time to adjust to raw. Most kibbles are lower in fat than raw food. Mine have been eating raw for more than 2 years so they can consume any kind of food – raw, kibble, canned, freeze dried, high fat, low fat, doesn’t seem to phase them.

    in reply to: Raw diet and loose stools #41716 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Yes, raw skinless whole chicken leg quarter with bone or enough to give your dogs a meal of it. I have small dogs. A drumstick or a couple of wings would be enough for mine. You can usually find leg quarters on sale frequently or in large family size bags. If your worried about whole bones, smash the leg a couple times with a hammer or back of a cleaver or something. My small dogs can even eat pork ribs (but I would consider pork ribs fatty).

    in reply to: Raw diet and loose stools #41713 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I would try a different protein or different brand with slightly lower fat. You could even mix the beef with a lower fat one if they do better on lower fat. You could even just give them a skinless chicken leg/thigh 3 times a week and see if that helps.

    in reply to: Transitioning problems #41623 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    She might just need a longer transition as it looks like in the first week, you got to a 50/50 mix. I usually don’t increase the amount of new food until poops are nearly normal. So I would stay at a 80/20 mix until she has a somewhat normal stool and nothing loose. I’m pretty sure one of mine took about 2-3 months to fully transition over to Instinct, another high protein brand a few years a go. He was on 20/80 for a month. As far as waiting for the pumpkin, it sounds like she is wanting to be spoiled, and for you to give in. I wouldn’t call that concerning unless you think she will start getting picky and not eat only dry food. As far as probiotics go, check to see if has multiple strains of organisms. And then some dogs just don’t do well on some of the “better” brands. I had to give up on Merrick for my fosters. I would either start over on the transitioning or try another brand. I’ve had good luck with Nutrisource GF lamb, Canidae Pure Elements and Core Wild Game and Nutrisca.

    in reply to: Who can read here? #41595 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    It’s located here:

    /?s=blue+buffalo

    in reply to: Product of Thailand?? Tiki Dog & Weruva #41366 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Certain Weruva foods (Human Style) is made in a human food plant with stricter guidelines than pet food.

    in reply to: Honest Kitchen #41218 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    It was on April’s list. The Editor’s Choice Preferred List is updated regularly, some are added, some are removed.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Darford has Mega Bones:

    http://darford.com/products-list/

    in reply to: loose stools (Topic 2) #41059 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Nutrisource grain free Heartland Select and Seafood Select are 25% and the grain free Large Breed foods are 23%, and the remaining two grain free formulas are 28%. My fosters seem to transition well to these and I don’t know what they were eating before. Canidae Pure Land is 25%, the rest are 32%. I had a bout of loose/mucousy to bloody stools with half my dogs this past winter when I added Merrick grain free to their mixture! I backed down on the Merrick and they went back to normal. Basically, I try to keep the protein level at around 25-30 for the fosters and they won’t have too many poop issues. The dogs that have been here a couple weeks are able to eat a higher protein level after a while with a 5 star canned food topper. I also give them probiotics. My 14 yr old eats anything, even some raw food without problems. He’s been here over a year. My foster forever.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
    in reply to: Big Dog Natural Dehydrated Raw #40993 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I still have about 20 lbs of it that i bought last year that I use as a topper. I like the texture. Not mushy or big chunks.

    in reply to: Canned foods #40937 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Some of the lower protein (4-4.5 stars) Merrick cans are: Venison Holiday Stew, French Country Cafe, Wild Buffalo Grill, Wilderness Blend and Wingaling. I’ve recently fed some Castor & Pollux Bushel & Butcher cans. My boys liked Addiction and Party Animal cans, too, although I haven’t fed them in a year or so. Have you tried Tripett, BTW? I’ve also recently fed Sojo’s grain free and Addiction dehydrated foods which everyone liked as well. Have you considered Wellness Simple?

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
    in reply to: RMB + Kibble #40927 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    SandyandMila,

    The 3 meals a week is approximately 20% if your dog eats twice a day. That 20% could be anything unbalanced like just a RMB, a whole sardine, some leftover table food, etc. Or if you like, a RMB + muscle/organ/supplements, or 2.25 lbs or raw for one week split up however you like. You could even split up a 2.25 lb whole chicken with gizzards over the course of one week.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
    in reply to: Rotating Foods #40912 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You can just give him a couple bites of his regular food or his regular treats. Just reduce his normal meals just a tad. I would give him something that he is use to so he doesn’t get an upset stomach. Or feed him dinner late. I feed mine dinner around anywhere from 9-11 pm.

    in reply to: Rotating Foods #40889 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Have you tried giving him a late night snack?

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You can try feeding them a regular food. There are quite a few that come in small bites – Amicus, Nature’s Logic, Nutrisource small/med breed puppy, Nature’s Select High-Pro, Simply Nourish Small Breed, Wellness Toy Breed and of course several other brands. I would look for something moderate in protein to start since they are eating a low protein food currently. A big switch might upset their tummies. And the mom and pup and eat the same food rated for “all life stages” or “growth/puppies”.

    in reply to: Rotating Foods #40883 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Becky G,

    Start with a small amount 10-20% of new food and don’t increase the amount of new food until your dog has stable stools. Some dogs can take just over a week to switch and some dogs can take a couple months. For adults, I don’t suggest feeding more than 2 kibble meals a day.

    in reply to: What's next best thing to raw? #40851 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Dogswell has been caught up in the chicken jerky controversy. Actually several companies were. And for a long time, the FDA could not find the source of what is making dogs sick and no recalls were issued. Their jerky is made in China although I’ve read (I think in the Nutrisca review) that their Nutrisca chicken is sourced from the USA.

    in reply to: What's next best thing to raw? #40835 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You can do homemade raw by using the Premixes like Grandma Lucy’s, The Honest Kitchen, Dr Harvey’s, Urban Wolf, See Spot Live Longer. You add your own meat and oil. If you’re worried about mixing raw and kibble, then you can feed one meal raw and one meal of kibble. Some dogs might have a problem with mixing foods, but not all. You can also get a grinder at least 3/4 horsepower. That should be able to grind chicken bones so you can buy bulk chicken at a lower cost. Find out if you have any restaurant supply stores near you that you can purchase from. You can buy items by the case. But to answer the question of what’s the next best thing to raw, I would say freeze dried raw, air-dried raw, dehydrated raw, cooked freeze dried or cooked dehydrated and canned food, then kibble.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I use Wagatha’s organic dog biscuits. They are wheat free, just not grain-free. I have used Instinct biscuits before and they weren’t small. They’re grain free freeze dried Raw Boost treats might work too.

    in reply to: One of these things is not like the other… #40457 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I’ve had that happen in two kibbles before. I don’t worry about it too much.

    in reply to: Springtime supplements (Topic 2) #39982 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Are you starting with a smaller than normal dose of the new products?

    in reply to: Suggest a Budget-Friendly Dog Food #39846 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    If you have a Nature’s Select distributor, they have a grain free formula and their High-Pro/Puppy grain formula has 33% protein dry matter and they deliver and they may offer discounts. Mine offers a 10% discount for buying over $75 and they also have military, rescue, unemployed and other discounts up to 20%. It’s made at Mid-America Pet Food in Tx.

    in reply to: Suggested Raw Dog Food Menus? #39844 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I would not feed white tripe. It would just end up being like a “filler”. There’s a couple of canned tripe you could try – Tripett and Solid Gold Green Cow. Also see if there is a Greentripe.com retailer near you. They sell frozen tripe. There is also dehydrated/freeze dried tripe which would be the most expensive per pound such as K9 Natural and other brands.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I haven’t ever seen a good dog food come in 50 or 60 lbs. Although at one time Wysong offered bulk kibble in a 1000 lb shipment on their website. I haven’t seen it lately on their website, but you might want to check with them if you could store and use up that much food.

    in reply to: Boston Terrier with food allergies #39707 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Dr E’s Limited Ingredient Diet grain free buffalo:

    http://www.doctorsfinest.com/Healthy_Chicken_dog_food_p/dr%20es-gfb.htm

    Only Natural Pet’s MaxMeat beef:

    http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Grain-Free-MaxMeat-Air-Dried-Dog-Food/999276.aspx

    Also ZiwiPeak air dried food at ziwipeak.com. And Hound & Gatos canned foods. Houndgatos.com.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I don’t think bugs would survive the cooking process. I believe the food is placed in the cans and then cooked.

    in reply to: Really in need of advice! #39615 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Integrative Therapeutics Bio-Zyme is 1/2 tablet for up to 25 lbs. And Similase is 1/2-1 capsule for up to 50 lbs. I would use this as a guide for their other products. It’s a human brand. But there are several dog brands to chose from. Human ones are cheaper! I like things I can take and my dogs can take too. But that’s me. Sometimes I give them a powder and sometimes a capsule.

    http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Integrative-Therapeutics-Bio-Zyme/106018.aspx

    Also look at the digestion/probiotic aids at b-naturals.com. There’s a bunch of articles at this site as well.

    in reply to: Really in need of advice! #39611 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I would give a full spectrum digestive enzyme with meals. There are even some with high lipase (fat digesting enzyme) such as these:

    http://www.enzymedica.com/store/Lypo-Gold

    http://www.integrativepro.com/Products/Gastrointestinal/Lipase-Enzymes/Similase-Lipo

    in reply to: Two questions: Actiflex and Charcoal. #39588 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    That dose is if you’re using the horse Actiflex. I’m sure the dog version has dosage info on the bottle but it also has “beef flavor” that’s why I don’t use it and prefer the horse version. As for charcoal, I’ve never used it. I’ve heard some folks giving their dogs probiotics or dried alfalfa or parsley for gas, even gas-x and bean-o!

    in reply to: Optimum protein choice? #39586 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal formula does not have chicken. It was an Editor’s Choice in March. Orijen has the 6 Fish formula which is just fish. Acana Singles doesn’t have chicken, I think. Also limited ingredient diets tend to have chicken-free options like Nature’s Variety Instinct. Currently, Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms has a poultry-free formula along with Castor & Pollux. Nutrisource grain free Seafood Select and PureVita.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I like to use different products. Right now I’m using Springtime supplements but I have Actiflex 4000 (horse version) and cetyl myristoleate and krill oil to use in rotation. You can give supplements all year that maintain joint health. For increased activity, you can also give the supplements that have an increased amount of anti-inflammatories/herbals that also help relieve pain/discomfort. Since she already eats some raw food, you can let her have a chicken foot or some raw trachea a couple times a week for the cartilage to maintain joint health.

    This Actiflex 4000 dosing came from a raw feeding group: 50-75 pounds: 1 ½ tsp. daily loading dose for 5 days, ¾ tsp. daily maintenance dose

    in reply to: Really in need of advice! #39553 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    There are several low fat choices to choose from. The list is here in case you haven’t seen it: /best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/ And Fonzie can have some additional fish oil (omega 3) which might help with the shedding. Some folks even give organic coconut oil and it seems to help with skin and coat as well.

    in reply to: How many calories #39549 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    The tub is close to 255 grams. So multiply 255 x (the number of kcal/kg) divided by 1000 to find the calories for the other recipes.

    in reply to: How many calories #39547 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    around 330 if that tub is 9 oz.

    in reply to: How many calories #39545 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    How much food is in the tub?

    in reply to: Some Needed Advise Please #39540 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You’re welcome. And I forgot to say that you can also check with your local restaurant supply store. Some are open to the public. For instance, I can buy directly from Ben E. Keith and Bassham both of which supply restaurants in my area. Also let any friends who hunt know that you would like their scraps or any organ meats/bones or freezer burned items.

    in reply to: Some Needed Advise Please #39517 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    HoundDogMom feeds her hounds completely raw and has found a way to do it economically. Her recipes are in the forum as well. I also make my own raw but have small dogs that would only eat 6 oz per day! I would definitely recommend getting a couple of used freezers so you can buy in bulk and make some homemade. The initial expense would be worth it overall. Are you part of a co-op? Check out eatwild.com. They have a list of some farms/co-ops. Also there is a yahoo group called “carnivorefeed-supplier” that you can join to find local raw food suppliers that sell in bulk. I’ve bought nearly 400 lbs before at one time which lasted me a whole year. Also join your local yahoo BARF group. They will have resources for finding raw dog foods.

    in reply to: Wellness vs Merrick #38916 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    I have used both brands too and would include both of them in a rotation. I don’t feed any brand exclusively.

    in reply to: Senior High Protein Dog Food #38712 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Just because a dog is “senior” doesn’t mean it has these problems. All those problems can potentially happen at any age. I’ve fostered many dogs under 5 (even as young as 1 yr) with joint/eye/digestion/ear issues and have needed hip/knee surgeries and prescription eye and ear drops. A healthy senior can eat regular food (adult, maintenance and all life stages, puppy food). I have a 14 yr old with no active health issues. He is blind and deaf which he was already when I got him last year at 13. He is not on any medications and eats the same foods as all the other foster dogs I have. I use 3.5-4.5 star kibble and top it off with 5 star canned foods which is normally at least 43% protein. He even gets some raw food which I usually make without any plant matter. The dogs get joint supplements and vitamins, antioxidants, supergreen supplements and fish oil. My personal dogs don’t get chemical pesticides which has been linked to some cancers nor do they get unnecessary vaccines. You might want to research “over vaccination”. Try looking up Dogs4dogs dot com, b-naturals dot com, wholedogjournal dot com, dogsnaturallymagazine dot com. These are just a few of the sites pertaining to more “natural” care of dogs. If one of my dogs had late stage kidney disease, at that point I would change the diet, but I wouldn’t change the diet just because they’re a senior in general. Some things possibly connected to cancer is chemical laden commercial kibble, vaccines, the constant application of poisonous pesticides (heartworm and flea/tick meds, fertilizers), even air pollution.

    http://dogs4dogs.com/

    in reply to: Primal Pronto #38606 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance isn’t green. Might give that a try. I’ve fed the goat and rabbit formulas.

    in reply to: Cheapest dry food with 0-1 red items? #38534 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Nutrisource regular line runs around $1.66/lb.

    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    You might look into Horizon Amicus and Nature’s Logic or Nature’s Variety Instinct or Back to Basics. These are are really tiny kibbles.

    in reply to: Pictures of Dogs Eating Raw & Raw Meals #38174 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    Well no feathered poops this morning!

    in reply to: Pictures of Dogs Eating Raw & Raw Meals #38159 Report Abuse
    pugmomsandy
    Participant

    They haven’t eaten feathers before so…hmmm…wonder what I’ll find in the yard tomorrow??

Viewing 50 posts - 701 through 750 (of 772 total)