[pugmomsandy]

For your adult dog check out BalanceIt.com. They make a supplement to add to meat and carb of your choice. Also, there’s an easy recipe video with few ingredients. Search “Homemade dog food recipe Rodney Habib” on youtube. These are suggestions for your lab.

I would recommend further research for your Bernese. Calcium/phosphorus content and ratio is very important or wait until he is an adult.

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

Edit: about your rough draft raw menu. It isn’t a complete diet. Have a look at DogAware.com.

http://www.dogaware.com/diet/homemade.html

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

Ask your vet about an algae source for omega 3. An example: Nordic Naturals Algae Omega.

[pugmomsandy]

If your dog doesn’t have any digestive issues, rotating forms of food should not be an issue. Finding foods/recipes that are nutritionally complete will be the challenge.

[pugmomsandy]

Search for a local raw-feeding Facebook group or Yahoo group. Members usually have recommendations on suppliers and may even get together for bulk buys.

[pugmomsandy]

Not sure if Grandma Lucy’s “Macanna” product line qualifies but it’s pea/flax free.

[pugmomsandy]

Check this article out for info on choosing a large breed puppy food.

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

[pugmomsandy]

Senior foods are actually not a recognized label according to AAFCO. A food can be for adult maintenance or growth and reproduction. The majority of senior foods are made to have less protein and fat and calories and may contain joint supplements. That being said, healthy seniors don’t require less protein and thus increased carbs. They actually benefit from increased quality protein and quality fats. And a serving of a food with joint supplements would not have a therapeutic dose. You’re better off giving a separate joint supplement. If your senior was doing fine on her previous food regimen, you could go back to it.

[pugmomsandy]

John L,

The recipe used in a puppy article has been verified by the dog food company to be within the guidelines for calcium and phosphorus. Any other recipe within that brand would need to be verified or did not fall within guidelines. For each recipe you are considering for your pup, contact the company and ask for each analysis for that particular recipe to see if the calcium and phosphorus and calories are within range, and plug those numbers into the puppy food article.

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

[pugmomsandy]

The recipes with a higher fat-to-protein ratio get a lower rating. The ingredients are still good, but more calories come from fat than protein. I personally feed moderate to high fat but I don’t feed high fat all the time.

[pugmomsandy]

Weruva Human Style has a Salmon recipe, mackerel and tuna recipes. Hound and Gatos might still have a trout recipe. Might also look into Tiki Dog.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

The oldest pug I fostered passed away at age 16. He was still using the doggy door and doing his business outside. Had arthritis and was cranky. The rescue decided that his time was up and he had to be put to sleep. 🙁

My current crew are 9, 9 and 12 yrs and going strong 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

Millies Wolfheart has two recipes both without chicken, chicken fat and egg.

[pugmomsandy]

Dogaware.com has a homemade section and gives amounts for additives. And here is a video to make a balanced meal: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7P85BMCCboI

[pugmomsandy]

You might check out some recipes from Canidae Pure, Canidae Under the Sun, Horizon Legacy (fish recipe), Wellness Simple, Holistic Select Grain Free (fish recipe), Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet, Whole Earth Farms Grain Free, Nature’s Logic Canine Turkey Meal Feast, Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free Meadow Feast, Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, Victor Grain Free Yukon River.

[pugmomsandy]

I just cut them into small pieces with a spoon. They’re that soft.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

You might check out Petcurean brands such as “Go! Fit and Free” and “Now Fresh”, Horizon Legacy, or Nutrience Sub Zero. Horizon also makes Amicus which is for small breeds. The kibble is tiny.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

For one meal, I use one kibble and one other form of food. Sometimes I do have two kibbles open and feed one for breakfast and the other for dinner. But I had many dogs earlier this year since I was fostering so I was able to have 2 kibble bags open regularly.

Sometimes when I’m changing kibble, I mix the two together.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

I feed more than one brand at the same time.

[pugmomsandy]

Since it is in a rotation or for part of a day’s ration, it should be fine. Some things I feed have as low as 25% protein. Sometimes I use Primal grinds (no veg) so it’s really high protein. But part of the reason to rotate is to get varying amounts of protein, fat, and carbs besides just getting different ingredients. I currently have a 12 yr old and two 9 yr old indoor dogs. My oldest foster was 16.

[pugmomsandy]

Well, the past week or so I’ve been feeding Instinct kibble with tripe+Sojo’s in one meal. The week before, I was feeding canned (Tiki, Weruva, or Nutrisource) with Primal raw frozen in one meal. For treats I was giving Stewart freeze dried raw and Nature’s Logic dried lung and Merrick Backcountry freeze dried raw. My next shopping cart will have some Wellness cans and Nutrisource kibble or Nature’s Logic kibble. I have fed Wellness Core, Zignature, Pro Pac Ultimates, Fromm, Grandma Lucy’s, Vital Essentials.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

I use around ten brands which includes canned, kibble and raw and premixes.

[pugmomsandy]

Here’s one website’s analysis.

http://greentripe.com with 424 calories per cup.

[pugmomsandy]

Are you in a raw feeding co-op? You can buy bulk from Greentripe.com in California and pay the wholesale price. A meat grinder (i have a 1 hp Weston grinder) can be helpful as well and will pay itself off. You can buy whole turkeys after thanksgiving for real cheap and make your own grinds. Bulk chicken quarters are frequently on sale as well. Asian stores have various organs and necks and feet. You can add chicken necks to make up the bone portion in a meal of muscle meat. Or feed a chicken leg or wings a couple times a week.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

I think Actiflex 4000 comes in a large bottle. Might be cheaper than capsules or chewables.

[pugmomsandy]

No peas/potatoes: NutriSource Grain Free High Plains Select.

[pugmomsandy]

I change kibble every bag. The canned food topper is different each time. I probably have six or so flavors of canned. When I make rehydrated food, it probably lasts a few days. Raw food varies as well. I might have three or more different proteins.

[pugmomsandy]

There might be over 100 suggestions for new reviews already so it could be quite some time. Or you can suggest it again.

/contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/

[pugmomsandy]

Nature’s Logic and Amicus are tiny. There are several brands with small breed sized kibble. Wellness is one example.

[pugmomsandy]

You might contact some pet boutique stores or feed stores that carry frozen foods and see if they carry the greentripe.com product. Also, freeze dried tripe is usually available online and in stores. You might also consider joining your local raw feeding group. They probably have contacts for raw foods and might do group bulk orders. I just ordered from greentripe.com with my local group and it came out to be less than $3/lb. Yahoo has a group called carnivore feed-supply. You can join and then post a question about tripe and give your location and any local folks will probably chime in.

[pugmomsandy]

Primal has formulas and grinds so you can customize your meal. They also have feeding guidelines listed on their website.

Dogaware.com also has a homemade recipe section and the book Real Foods for Healthy Cats and Dogs has simple recipes along with a vitamin and mineral recipe and adjusts for puppies. Currently I feed about 2% of body weight for weight maintenance for my adult Non active pugs.

[pugmomsandy]

You might look into Pioneer Naturals, and Wysong Anergan, Wysong Epigen Fish or Epigen Venison. And some of the Addiction Raw Dehydrated products. Grandma Luvy’s Artisan line.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

Last time I used it, Vital Essentials niblets and mini niblets were just meat and oil.

[pugmomsandy]

I have no spray suggestions. Have you thought about or looked into those fake grass pads or a belly band? I had to put up a covered dog run. That might be a little extreme but I had many dogs, sometimes 10 at a time fostering.

[pugmomsandy]

Foods do not contain a therapeutic dose of joint supporting supplements so that shouldn’t be a deciding factor for choosing a wet (or dry) food. I would check into separate powder, liquid, capsule or chewable joint/senior supplements. And if you haven’t already, check to see if she has any dental or gum issues and have a check up with blood work.

http://www.dogaware.com/health/arthritis.html

[pugmomsandy]

I also like using Vital Essentials niblets and mini niblets along with Stewarts freeze dried.

[pugmomsandy]

I use the freeze dried nuggets and squish one on top (or bottom) of the dogs’ other food. The duck and sardine formulas are usually more crumbly and I’ve found a lot of crumbs in those bags but since I serve it crumbled, that doesn’t really matter to me.

[pugmomsandy]

Pro Pac Ultimates Grain Free beef is extra small, lamb is small and triangular, fish is medium round almost like a mentos. Wellness TruFood is baked and it has the consistency of broken cookies. Wellness Core is generally medium to large. Zignature is medium round but flat.

[pugmomsandy]

You might look into Pet Tao.

[pugmomsandy]

Fish oil and a multi strain probiotic is a good start.

[pugmomsandy]

You might also look into Zignature.

[pugmomsandy]

Are you sure about the name of the food? Hill’s makes “Ideal Balance” while “Natural Balance” is another brand by Dick Van Patton.

[pugmomsandy]

Try avoiding the cans that say “stew” or “in gravy” and look for cans that say “pate” or “ground”.

The only pate style canned food I’ve used is Hound and Gatos.

[pugmomsandy]

Also, check out the article for choosing a large breed puppy food:

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

For large breed puppy food, I would go for a formula with appropriate calcium and phosphorus versus just choosing by star rating (if you indeed have a puppy). I call my 8 yr old a baby still. While adults can eat foods for “puppies/growth”, some puppies can’t have foods for “all life stages” due to these specific nutrients.

[pugmomsandy]

Sam R,

Fromm Large Breed Puppy doesn’t have the high amount of protein that Orijen and Instinct contain.

This article might help:

/frequently-asked-questions/rate-dog-food/

For a rotational feeder like me, I mainly choose 3.5 stars and higher in all forms of foods with few red colored ingredients. For instance, I use Pro Pac Ultimates Grain Free and also feed raw meat with no veggies and everything in between.

[pugmomsandy]

I’ve used GL goat and rabbit pureformance formulas off and on (I rotate between lots of foods). So while I haven’t seen any negatives to this food, I also haven’t fed it as a sole diet for an extended amount of time. GL is a cooked food. The consistency is gelatinous.

I’ve only used the Sojo’s Complete Turkey (dog and cat) and Premix formulas off and on as well. No issues with those either. Some slightly larger stools. I believe Sojo’s is raw food. The consistency is bulky with visible pieces of plant matter. The cat formula is smaller in size than the dog formula.

[pugmomsandy]

Weruva Human Style canned food is made in a human food kitchen if you consider that safe. Although human food has plenty of recalls, too.

[pugmomsandy]

Have you done any calculations of nutrients on the recipes? Do they meet AAFCO or NRC standards?

[pugmomsandy]

Kerven F,

If your dog is not accustomed to consuming a large amount of fat (not sure how much a full bottle means) he could end up with some GI distress. A call to your vet or a visit would be a good idea.

[pugmomsandy]

Here is the page to make a review suggestion:

/contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/

/contact-us/suggest-dog-food-review/

Edit: my link won’t show but if you go to the Home page, type in the search box “Suggest a Dog Food” and fill out the suggestion form in the link that comes up.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 8 years ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 8 years ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

Weruva Human Style canned and Nature’s Recipe cups are low in fat.

And this link below has a list of some low fat possibilities.

/best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/

Edit: the link is not showing so go to the Home page and type in the search box “best low fat dog foods” and you will find the page that lists several low fat foods.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by pugmomsandy.

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