[Shasta220]

I feed my dogs Diamond Naturals, solely because it’s the most affordable 4-star food we have around here. I really hope your dogs do well on it. My younger ones are doing great on it, the older lab is starting to get a bit of extra grease again. She did better on other foods, but we just can’t afford them anymore.

If you have a Costco nearby (assuming you’re able to get the bigger bags), and your dogs do well on Diamond Naturals, then try looking into their Kirkland food. It’s made by Diamond, and the ingredients are very similar. About 25-30$ for a 40lb bag, and DN for me is about 33-40$ for a 40lb bag – very affordable 🙂

Ah good, I’m glad dchassett agrees with me that toy breeds do NOT need the breed specific food.

Come to think of it, DN foods are 4-star, then Extreme Athlete and Small Breed Puppy were 5-star (I haven’t looked at the ingredients to compare with other varieties yet). I wouldn’t see what would be wrong with feeding the puppy formula to other dogs, even larger adult dogs – if all the ingredients are quality and the nutrition is balanced.

[Shasta220]

It doesn’t really matter if it’s hard or soft. Generally, dogs like soft texture more – but all dogs are different. My favorite training treats so far are Zuke’s brand. They’re tiny, soft, and have fairly quality ingredients. I do a LOT of treat training with my dogs, so I’m always looking for money-saving options. What I do now, is buy a small bag of dog food. I make sure the brand/flavor is different from their current food, so they don’t think they’re getting cheaped-out of course!
But for sure, make sure to check out the ingredients first. I don’t think it needs to be specifically “puppy” formula. Just make sure to avoid fillers, sugars, dyes, by-product, etc.

You could also try making your own. There are tons of great recipes online… Making my own treats is one of my favorite hobbies!

[Shasta220]

I honestly don’t see why it’s so nessicary to get a small-breed food, other than the fact that the Kibbles will be smaller. I don’t really think breed-specific food really changes the formula much. I really would try to avoid Purina, even the best-rated “Pro Plan” is mainly fillers, which your little doggie definitely doesn’t need! Iams food is alright, but still not as good as the commercials make it seem.

If none of your dogs have super special needs, then you could possibly switch them all over to one specific food. I have an old lab, a young herder, and a middle aged mutt (happy birthday, Shasta!). They are all on the same food. I admit, I do add different supplements to suit their needs.

[Shasta220]

I honestly wouldn’t pay too much attention to the feeding guidelines. I’ve never given my animals as much food as is suggested -usually they get no more than about half the recommendation, and they’re all in great shape- so try to estimate one measurement of food/amount of calories (as the calorie content should be on there) you think suits your dogs.
Then try to calculate price per pound (I believe: price/pounds=price per pound).
If you want to compare the quality, I’d just check on this site for the brand/food.

If the foods you’re looking at seem to be about the same in cost and quality, but have different proteins in them, I’d recommend alternating between them. I try to switch out my dogs’ protein sources, as there are many benefits to it.

[Shasta220]

I will deeeefinitely say a HUGE no no to Science Diet. It is not much better than Purina dog chow, despite the high price. Blue Buffalo is alright, but it’s more expensive than the quality is worth. The link given for Victor foods was good, too. I’m on a big-time budget with my 3 pigs (oops! I meant dogs!) I buy 40lb bags of Diamond Naturals (some dogs do great on it, others do terrible…luckily my dogs are fine) for about $35

That being said, I’d imagine it’ll be harder to find something around $1/lb for a small dog, as small bags tend to be more expensive per pound, and I honestly don’t know how well a large bag of kibble would last. Possibly going for a 12-15lb bag? Really though, the bigger the bag, the cheaper the food will be per pound.

Hopefully you can find something that works! Oh, and try to make sure it’s a 4-5 star food on this site 🙂

[Shasta220]

If you’re not opposed to cooking for him, I’d highly recommend getting into a raw diet. I believe there are several brands of raw foods on here which already contain the proper amount of nutrients/supplements. The Honest Kitchen is one that I’m thinking of right now… I’d definitely check out the raw forums on here so you can get an idea. It’s very very overwhelming and confusing at first, but after a few days of researching and then a few weeks of perfecting your recipes, you’ll be good to go!
My favorite part about the raw diet is you know /exactly/ what goes into it. No more looking at long ingredient labels, or wondering “hmm…where was this protein sourced from?”

[Shasta220]

I’ve honestly never dealt with kidney issues, so I can’t say anything from experience. I’m posting anyway to hopefully bump this topic up so we can get some more answers for ya! I would have to say, yes – try switching her off of Purina. I honestly don’t trust any food made by Purina myself. I really wouldn’t try to get the Hill’s either unless there gets to be no other option, Hill’s is stuffed with gross fillers too…
I’m not sure how much/little protein you’re wanting, but I’d suggest making sure the food is a 4-5 star food on this site. I definitely trust the reviews on here.

[Shasta220]

I agree with Sandy. As long as it’s a really quality gluten-free grain (and assuming your dog isn’t allergic to it. Many dogs have intolerances to some of those grains, such as rice or millet). Sprouting is also the best too, even though it can be a little tedious at times.

[Shasta220]

Honestly, I would try to feed his daily food as rewards instead. Spread it out to a couple times a day, working 5-10min on tricks and stuff. Give him a few Kibbles instead of treat when he does something right. There are some great suggestions above too, and you could definitely look into a puzzle feeder if you like to order online. You can also look up “DIY dog brain teasers” for some clever ideas that will give him only a few kernels at a time.

Eating from a bowl is, for many trainers, a big no-no. Dogs need lots of mental stimulation to keep them calm, and food-motivated puzzles are one of the best and easiest mental games for your pooch. 🙂

[Shasta220]

This is so great to hear! My boy’s anxiety-fear issues seem to /only/ be solved by mental things. One time, just before obedience class, I ran him in a big field just as hard as I could. I played fetch until he’d just lay down, then we’d walk for about 1/2mi, then I’d fetch him again, and walk another 1/2mi. He was totally exhausted. It took 5min to get to class, and that was enough resting time for him to get all crazy again, as if he hadn’t been able to play all day!
But when I did tricks w him, and had him eat all his food in a kong/puzzle, he seemed much more calm 🙂

[Shasta220]

Yes, puzzle feeding toys are relatively easy to find. I bought one at PetCo (they’re usually between 15 and 30 dollars), then my boy also has his kong that I stuff and freeze. You can also search online for “DIY dog brain teasers” for some easy home made ideas 🙂

[Shasta220]

Leah, that is wonderful you have her heeling! It makes me so sad to see all these dogs on walks, and the dogs are way ahead – being the pack leaders. Most of the time, it’s these very unstable, hyperactive, insane, and fearful dogs too. I also smiled when I saw that she focuses on “getting there”. This is great! A pack walk is about harmony, perfect communication, and the destination. The dog’s only mission is to follow you and focus on where she’s going.

I was going to suggest herding as well, if she has some sort of herding breed in her, then you should definitely try to research out how to teach a dog to move animals. Even if you don’t know how to train her, just letting her chase around a sheep herd would be great! My boy is not allowed to mess with our cow or chickens (and the pony completely ignores him, haha). I decided once to put him on a lead and let him attempt to herd the hens. I was expecting his usual – lunging, snapping, and grabbing onto them. I was really impressed though! He wasn’t sure /how/ to move them as a group, but he knew he was just supposed to follow them slowly. He never bit them, even when given the chance. When he got to the rooster, I’ll admit they got into a scuffle, haha! So now he can’t herd the chickens, since the rooster will attack him the instant he goes in there!

And if you can’t access a herd of animals consistently, look into teaching her the sport of “Treiball”, it’s basically herding/moving large medicine balls around. I’m sure tutorials are online.

Yes, I like to call my boy’s barking/biting “fear-anxiety” driven aggression. I realized it’s not /true/ aggression, because when he was offered to sniff the back end of a new dog, he was content just sniffing. He’d nip at the dog’s face, but if he was truly aggressive, he would have grabbed a leg or something… I find dogs have their fight-or-flight instinct when nervous. My boy doesn’t seem to understand “flight,” as he nervously lunges at anything loud, moving, or otherwise scary.

[Shasta220]

Keep us posted on how he’s doing! 😀

[Shasta220]

My boy has very similar problems (he’s a herding mix, probably Aussie and Kelpie). He is aggravated by almost /any/ motion. He is only aggressive to dogs, but it’s a fear-anxiety driven aggression. He tries to chase cars, people, anything that moves…

I find the best thing for dogs like this is to give them a LOT of stimulation. How much exercise does she get? I find with some dogs, you can run them all day long, and they still have their aggravation issues. The fact is, mental stimulation is much more draining than physical exercise, so my boy’s mental stimulation is a pack walk – teach your dog to walk at your side or slightly behind you. There should be no leash-tension (except the correction tugs), no sniffing or marking. You’ll know you have her full attention when her ears lay back and she gets a relaxed state. Pack walks take a whole lot of experience and practice to master, so try to make it a part of your daily routine. Other mental exercises include brain-teasing treat toys (like stuffed Kongs), sports like agility, and daily trick-training sessions.

Try to get into a routine of at least an hour of running her daily, and an hour of mental exercising. See if she progresses and gets calmer in a month or two. I’d agree with Patty in teaching her a solid sit/down/stay, and my boy uses his “leave it” command many many times (those darn chickens are so fun to chase…), that is one of the most important and life saving commands he knows.

Sadly, a lot of anxiety issues are deeply set in, and are temperament issues that are difficult, if not, impossible to remove. I wanted to get my rescue boy socialized with dogs so we could do agility together. After taking a group class, his dog aggression didn’t improve, in fact, got worse. I talked to a VERY professional trainer (she went and studied with Cesar Millan. Yes, I’m jealous LOL!). She told me it’s a temperament issue that was engrained in his mind from when he was young (I adopted him at 2y.o.), and she said it would take a lot of rehabilitation, which she was retired from.

Sorry for being long winded, but like I say – I’d suggest getting into a good routine that will help to keep her stimulated, drained, and therefore calm. Make sure she knows her commands well. Possibly get her into a group obedience class to expose her to new things. If none of that is helping, then possibly look into a professional trainer.

Hope you can find something to help her improve!

[Shasta220]

I’m not exactly sure how much of the extra supplements you should add. Try maybe 1-2tsp? I’d start with using one product at a time, to see which one is/isn’t seeming to work. If the bully sticks seem to help, maybe cutting back on the kibble and adding some meat (raw or cooked) to his delicious-sounding doggie soup?

[Shasta220]

Ironically, my dad has not once used a bee suit while handling the bees. I try to avoid them, as they tend to sense a lot of tension, and if you dare swat one, it’s game over. If I had them swarming around me, I’d be tense AND swatting! But he goes with a friend, a beekeeper, to remove swarms from peoples’ houses. Neither of them use suits, and don’t even smoke the bees. They scoop the bees up by the handful, and dump them into the boxes, then locate the queen and put her in. My jaw still drops when I hear that they didn’t get stung one single time! I’m not as fortunate though, of course. I get near the hive and get stung 2-3 times, ahhh!

[Shasta220]

Apple Valley? Just curious, where is that at?

I’m on the Oregon Coast, so raw honey is crazy expensive. But we just got 2 beehives last year (funny thing. We originally had a swarm given to us, but they moved out right away. About a week later, a wild swarm moved in and produced a whooooole lotta honey). When we harvest the honey this summer, I’m definitely reserving some for the dogs.

[Shasta220]

They do make treadmills for dogs, I believe. Many people make them at home even, totally “dog powered”. You could also use regular treadmills, but make sure to carefully train the dog, and ALWAYS monitor him, as it’s very easy for them to initially have fear of it, and hurt themselves.

[Shasta220]

Yes, I’d try some pumpkin (canned works fine.), as fiber helps with conspitation, and it sounds like that’s what he has. I honestly have no clue if it holds true for dogs too, but for cats, adding some extra oil into their diet helps (acts as “lubricants” sort of).

If adding extra fiber doesn’t seem to help, then possibly adding some sort of probiotics into his diet? I’m honestly not too experienced, so I’m not huge help 😉

Also could be he’s not getting enough moisture. I know for people, constipation comes very frequently when they don’t get enough water. And for my older lab, she sometimes gets those little hard piles too, so I put some additives in her water to make it tastier, encouraging her to slurp down more.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Shasta220.

[Shasta220]

Typhoon, I’d probably just go ahead and buy a jar of coconut oil (extra virgin cold pressed is best), then add maybe 1-3tsp to his food. I’m not sure how many mg that would be, so I’m not sure how much of the capsuled stuff he could get. If it was my dog, I’d prob do one capsule daily 🙂

[Shasta220]

I’m so happy for you!!! What breed(s) is your little guy gonna be? Do keep us posted on how he does! 😀

[Shasta220]

I’ve never had my dogs on all canned, so I’ll be honest – I have no experience to speak from.

I’ll go ahead and post anyway mainly to bump this thread up for other more knowledgable people 😉 I’d assume that dogs on canned would have relatively soft stools, mainly because of the extra moisture they get. As long as it’s not like diarrhea-soft, then I honestly wouldn’t be too concerned. How long have you been feeding him canned? Sometimes dogs take quite a while before their bodies transition properly.

Just remember to stay well ontop of oral health, but you knew that already since you’re such an awesome owner! 🙂

[Shasta220]

But I do have a friend who lives in Louisiana and found it at her local feed store (she managed to get a 40lb bag for 30$ what a steal!)

[Shasta220]

I think you can find Victors website, and they have a dealer-locator. Victor is relatively rare, since (to my knowledge, I haven’t looked it up) they only have one plant and that’s in TX. You can find it online though, but I’m sure there are plenty of quality foods near you, so that shouldn’t be needed. 😉

[Shasta220]

Okay, thanks Patty. I will probably rotate them through the 3 protein sources then.

[Shasta220]

I don’t have a whole lot of experiences with different foods, or where they’re sourced from. First off, I’m SO sorry for your loss! I’ve lost my favorite dog ever prematurely (I know you shouldn’t pick fave furbabies…but Otto always had a special spot), he was only two when he got killed..

Anyway, back to food. I trust this site quite a bit, and would say you could /probably/ get any 5 star food on here and be happy. Orijen is one of the favorites on here, and my friend has her dogs on NutriSource Grain Free. The 13y.o, lab/collie is happy, energetic, an super healthy. I also have heard good reviews on Victor.

But it really may take some trial and error. Some dogs have insanely great health on a brand, while other dogs don’t do so well, but like I say – check into the 5 star foods on this website to get started, 😉

Best wishes, and thank you for trying to get your dogs the best you have the resources for.

[Shasta220]

It doesn’t sound like your boys are on good food at all. You have awesome intentions, but the nutritional value just isn’t there.

I really don’t recommend puppy food, especially not ANYTHING under the Purina brand. Look into 4-5 star foods on this site. There are some forums on here with lists of the most affordable ones, as I imagine the food bill to get high.

No no no to hot dogs. They are very very processed, and whatever nutritional values were in them got processed right out. I’d suggest going to your local butcher/grocery store, and buying raw meats/bones like chicken, beef, etc. Those are much better meat sources… And I’d avoid any jerky designed for people too, it has extra salt and often sugar that dogs don’t need. Try making your own jerky by slicing meat and baking it in the oven until it’s chewy. (EDIT: oops, sorry, just saw that you’ll make your own jerky instead of store bought. Good good.)

The other posts have said no over feeding, and I can’t emphasize that enough either. It is especially important that you don’t over feed the puppy, as giant breeds will tend to grow as much as their food intake allows. If they grow more than their body was designed for, it will put horrible stress on their bones/joints, no matter how fit they are as an adult.

Another note on food: it will probably be a bit tough on your wallet when you switch to a premium food, but in reality, the risk is NOT switching. When they’re on quality food, they will need to eat less, much less.
My 90lb APBT mix, Otto, ate 9c of Dog Chow daily, and was still very very lean/fit. When we finally moved him up to a 3-star Nutra Nuggets, he went all the way down to 2c daily with no weight change.
Another miracle story of what food switches will do: we’ve fed our dogs 1-3 star foods for about 10yrs sadly. Our lab had Otitis, and ALWAYS had a disgusting smell to her, as well as hot spots and shedding. She also was acting very lethargic (we figured it was just her age). When we switched her to a quality food, she lost about 5 years of her age in just a few months! She was bouncy, happy, wanted to play fetch, and had ZERO odor to her!

So switching their food will give you amazing benefits, I promise. 😉

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Shasta220.

[Shasta220]

I’m so sorry! The loss of any animal, no matter how crazy or calm, is such a difficult part of life. A piece of her will stay with you forever.

[Shasta220]

If you still have your mind 100% glued to a BT, then I’d just recommend to keep doing online research and keep asking around. Ask local rescues and shelters to keep their ears out if they ever see some BT pups (like there could be a rare case where they just happened to be able to rescue a BT mama and her puppies), or if you know any breeders, call them and ask if they’d know any BT rescues/breeders around. If it’s something you want this bad, then you will probably have quite a few calls to make, and will end up possibly traveling quite a ways.
Just curious – what area are you in?

[Shasta220]

BTs aren’t super common breeds, so they really aren’t something that’s very economical to get. I’d imagine buying from a breeder would be very expensive, plus then you’d have all of the health issues purebreds tend to get.

I’ve known a few of them as well, they are VERY difficult dogs. They don’t have “Bull” in their name for no reason… I’m not saying they can’t make great companions and pets, but I still think rescuing a bully mix would be the best way to go.

I still have my own dreams of one day owning a Great Dane, a wolf hybrid, and a BT myself. I’d like to say it’ll happen if I want it badly enough, but I just don’t see any reason why going out of my way and spending a fortune on a “purebred” could be any better than spending a much smaller price for a rescue dog. Plus, as I said, purebred dogs in the bully group almost always end up with tons of bummer health problems that cost a fortune more than an average mutt’s issues are. So for those reasons, I doubt I will ever end up getting anything other than rescued mutts and bullies… I still have those daily dreams of having that wolf hybrid tho, LOL (then reality tells me that wolves aren’t meant to be pets, and will continue to have their wolfish issues until they get domesticated back into regular dogs… I’m in a pet-wolf forum right now, so I’ve learned a thing or two about em)

Ultimately, the choice is up to you… But I still think you would be just as happy with a rescued bully-mix puppy. It is relatively easy to find rescue pups, even outside of the shelter. 3 of the 4 dogs I’ve owned, I got as 5-8wk old puppies because they were giveaway pups. The fourth one was my first shelter dog (he’s the crazy blue merle boy.)

[Shasta220]

It sounds like the research you’re doing is very good. Rescues are definitely the best. If you’re looking into one for the future, maybe you could start checking sites like Petfinder now. You’d be surprised at how many purebred pups come up. Even getting a mix wouldn’t be terrible (mixes tend to not have as many health problems anyway).

I know you’re not really wanting a “pit bull,” but did you know there’s only one true pit bull? The American Pit Bull Terrier. Almost everyone I know mistakes every square-headed muscular dog for a pit bull, when in reality three are tons of other bully breeds out there. There are American Bullies, Dogo Argentinos, American Staffordshire, English Staffordshires, and most dogs that people call pit bulls are, in fact, nothing more than mutts (I’ve known many many dogs personally that had the pit bull label, and were a mix with NO kind of bully breed).

I used to have some great web pages about all the different bully breeds out there, but I can’t remember the names of the sites.

Honestly if I were you, I’d be content with trying to find a bully mix at the shelter. Nothing wrong with having something that’s not exactly going to be the most unique dog out there. (And I love unique dogs…. I love them so much that I went searching for a prick-eared blue Merle blue eyed herding dog. I found one, and well… I will be honest, mutts and bully breeds are still more my type. This dog is craaaazy. I do love him, but I wish I’d have done a temperament test instead of trusted the shelter. They told me he was great with dogs, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. He has horrible fear issues and severe dog aggression, I can’t take him anywhere that might have a dog!)

[Shasta220]

I honestly wouldn’t agree about adding rice in. It is considered a “filler” food and provides little-to-no nutritional value to a dog. That’s something that’ll go right through her stomach and contribute to more frequent/bigger stools, really. I’d definitely say I agree with crazy4cats. This site can help out a lot with finding a limited ingredient super-quality food for her.
Possibly to reduce fillers even further and get a protein boost you could add in your own raw meats to her food?

[Shasta220]

Ah, I see. That makes much more sense to me for sure! Dogs don’t even need carbs do they – I mean there’s no carbs in meat, is there? I remember the vet asking what we fed our cat (she’s too picky for cat food), I told her raw chicken and she gets an occasional treat of oatmeal and peanut butter (it’s her fave, LOL!), the vet made sure I knew to avoid the oatmeal for her…

[Shasta220]

Polemos, that looks like a great food! If it is easy to access and easy on the budget, then I’d go with it.

Slvet2, GizmoMom gave you the truth. I would honestly rather feed my dogs Purina Dog Chow than Hill’s garbage…at least Dog Chow has a price to match the quality, Hills doesn’t. “Veterinarian recommended” honestly means nothing to me… Just because my vet tells me it’s good doesn’t mean the ingredient panel, and my dog’s health agrees! I was stupid enough to listen to my vet on that. Poor Cassy was looking awful honestly! I’m gonna say anything with corn and by-product is FAR below “good quality”.
Edit: “Hills is the most copied…” Hrrrmmm. Dog Chow, Beneful, and Ol Roy did a pretty good attempt, and /almost/ matched the quality, LOL!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Shasta220.

[Shasta220]

I’ve never used one, but if I had access to one I’d love to try it out. Training should be done very carefully and always keep an eye on the dog, as it’s easy for her to hurt herself on it. I’m assuming they’re legal in your area. There are many places around here where dog treadmills are illegal, due to the fact that dog fighters use them to condition their fighters.

[Shasta220]

For the weight – how much do you feed her? If she gets a daily walk and an extra 20-30m of any “vigorous” activity (fetch, jogging, etc), then her exercise is fine. Honestly I wouldn’t use a “light” food. I never have, and I never will. Even the great brands use fillers, which could contribute to her extra doo doos. Try going back to a regular quality variety, but feeding a bit less.

I will have to completely agree about Royal Canin. Breed-specific foods just irk me. Sure, there /could/ be a good theory behind that, as certain breeds will be prone to general health issues and nutritional needs… But every dog is different, and it really varies on his tummy, environment, and activity level. A food that will work perfectly for a Labrador might not work for my Lab.

[Shasta220]

Keeping a gated area/room for your cats’ food would be good. Whenever the dogs are inside, we set the cat food up on a table/counter, anywhere the cats can easily jump, but the dogs stay down. As for the dog food, dogs should be fed 2-4 meals through the day, so it shouldn’t be a problem keeping the cats away for a few minutes while doggie eats. Keep bagged food in a safe spot. Most dogs will tear holes in bags, and my boy is smart enough to just unroll the bag if he ever gets the chance.

Our dog food is stored in an old metal garbage can (we have had it for over 10 years, and not once used it for trash, hah!)…

[Shasta220]

Thanks for the thoughts guys, I guess I was relatively on the right track. I always make sure real meat is at least the first 2 ingredients in the kibble that I buy.

Patty is right, slvet2 – dogs are designed to handle the raw meats very well, even better than cooked meat. Always good to consider what they would eat in the wild… I don’t think a wild dog/wolf knows how to build a fire and roast his venison over it.

Where do you find that dogs should have 2 parts carbs for 1 part protein? I just always find myself thinking about a natural diet they’d have in the wild, and I cant think of anything they’d naturally eat that would give them carbs, except possibly grain remnants in a stomach or something… Not that I know much about great nutrition, as I’ve never studied out dog nutrition or had personal experience too much.

[Shasta220]

Ah yes, just noticed that you tried canned and it made her stool loose. InkedMarie is right, you don’t /have/ to feed her dry. What brand of canned did you feed her? If it’s a high-quality brand, then it shouldn’t give her runny stools except for possibly the initial transition (that’s how my guy is. No matter how slow the food transition is, he gets mushy stools for about a week).

I can’t emphasize enough how important dental care is when they eat only soft food. Not that I’m saying kibble keeps teeth clean, but soft food does nothing to clear any food buildup on the teeth. Having gross teeth pulled is no fun, trust me.

[Shasta220]

I will have to agree with mountainhound. They put lots of chemicals and sugars into kibble that is “chewy.”

I’ve never owned a tiny breed, so I’m not sure how common it is for them to be picky about the food like that. It’s possible that she’s gotten picky from overeating. How much do you feed her daily? If she’s gaining weight, then it’s probably too much. Also, if she refuses /anything/ crunchy (treats, bones, chews, etc.), then she might have a bad tooth, so maybe trying to have a look in her mouth and/or have the vet to an oral exam, just to make sure everything in her mouth is fine.

You’d probably benefit from getting samples from local feed stores, that way you won’t be stuck with a bag’s worth of food if she doesn’t like it. Also, try to leave the new food as an option for a while, not just set it down for a few minutes then pick it back up.

So just make sure you’re feeding her a proper amount so that she goes back to a healthy weight – don’t bother to buy the “light” foods either, they’re just fillers…and don’t feed her what the bag recommends, it ALWAYS suggest way too much (my dogs always get no more than 1/3-1/2 of what the bag says, and they’re a perfect weight). Check out a few different samples from your feed store, and try to find the brand on this site to make sure it’s a 4-5 star food.

If you’re still struggling with getting her to eat, then you could possibly mix some canned food with the dry, or add a little bit of water/chicken broth to the dry to make it moist.

[Shasta220]

All of the above suggestions are great. I adore Zuke’s things, but ever since Purina bought them, the prices have been going way up for me. I wish I had an old bag of their treats so I could compare ingredients, as I suspect the fillers will be on their way soon 🙁 I’m not sure how many of their treats are GF, as I don’t pay much attention to the grain in treats since my dogs get no more than a tiny handful daily.

When I’m training, I do like Zuke’s minis a whole lot, but they tend to get a little expensive when I find myself using up a whole handful just for one positive-reinforcement session. I buy tiny-sized kibble food for their training now (I make sure the brand/flavor is completely different from their current food).

I also love making home made treats. Recipes are super easy to find, but I like to come up with my own biscuit recipes. The possibilities are virtually endless as to what you can bake, freeze, purée, dehydrate, or cook.

Back to the store treats: I’d say any brand that you trust the food of, you could probably trust the treats. If it’s a brand that doesn’t sell food, just check out the ingredients and make sure they’re all quality. At our PetCo, they sell all of those dog cookies that are designed to look appetizing for people (cookies that are chocolate glazed and covered in sprinkles, etc). I avoid those, since they’re filled with sugar. Dogs do not care what their treat looks like, trust me. LOL!

[Shasta220]

Hahaha how can you decide? I know I sure couldn’t, LOL!

But just throwing it out there: my friend feeds her sensitive dogs Victor and gets incredible results. (She’s such a lucky duck. Where she’s at, it’s $30 for a 40lb bag! That is a STEAL! I can only find it online around here, and a 30lb bag is 60$+)

[Shasta220]

The above comments gave good suggestions (I will severely disagree with Royal Canin as well). I’ve never had a tiny dog, so I honestly have never had to worry about a 40lb bag of food go stale before my three pigs, er, dogs eat it all.
Don’t feel too pressured about Pedigree. All we could afford for the first several years was grocery store food as well. My lab has only been on quality kibble for about a year now, but she’s 12 and still going strong 😉

As long as the food has at least a 3.5 rating on this site, then I would say that I trust it. Possibly even adding some cooked or raw meat in with her food might help her bulk up a bit. If you get her on a quality kibble and she still is showing no weight gain in a few weeks, then it’s probably time for a checkup and some blood tests.

Best wishes to you and your little sweetie!

[Shasta220]

I’ve never dealt with a pregnant dog, so I really can’t help… But er, I don’t know your situation or if her pregnancy was intentional or not…but I think pregnancy is something that should be thoroughly researched and studied before deciding to bring new lives into the world?

[Shasta220]

I haven’t noticed a hairball from Maddy ever since we switched her food. Finally convinced mom to get her off of Purina, and now she has. Natural Balance canned (she consumes maybe 1-2tbsp daily, she’s picky), and free choice of chicken-soup dry… I don’t think she eats very much dry at all, but I guess that’s good – gives her more room for wet.

[Shasta220]

I will agree with the above posters. Certainly try some digestive supplements… But it could be that her body isn’t used to such rich food. When my guys switched from a low quality food to a much better one, they had really mushy stools for quite a while.

[Shasta220]

(Ahh I just now noticed it’s a year old, also. LOL that’s okay, I’m still curious about the question)

[Shasta220]

So I’ve skimmed through all the replies on this thread – a slipped growth plate? I’m just curious – is that something genetic and having to do with the breeding? If so, I’d definitely avoid that breeder EVER again :/

[Shasta220]

When you’re looking for meat, I’d recommend trying to ask around to find a butcher, hunter, or even farmer. They’d probably give you the best deal on meat and bones. I know someone who buys her raw meat from, I think, a butcher, and is able to get it for less than 50c per pound.

[Shasta220]

But this is great you’re doing raw! Like I say, I hope you can get a good routine going for your dogs. If I ever get the resources, money, and space to keep a freezer-ful of raw meat, I’m definitely switching my dogs to raw. I’ve seen incredible results from a properly balanced raw diet… I have even read of a Great Dane (lifespan is usually around 9-12yrs) who was fed raw his whole life, and lived all the way to 16y.o. and healthy to the end!

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