[sisu]

I have a 14 year old who has acid reflux since she was 3. If the situation persists I encourage you to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist who can scope the dog to determine if the cause is due to a weakened sphincter muscle between the stomach and esophagus. There is a surgical procedure to correct the condition. I wish vets would have taken me seriously when I mentioned the acid reflux as it is now too late for her to have the surgery.

As a raw feeder the journey we have taken has been against my belief in a high meat protein diet. Although fed 3-4 times per day there came a point were she could not tolerate the amount of meat needed to maintain weight without the severe reflux that was damaging her throat and mouth. Natures Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey did not work. After several brands and combinations I learned chicken, turkey or fish were the easiest for her to digest. Those proteins in a high calorie grain inclusive formula have proven to be the best option. She is currently doing very well on Innova Turkey and Chicken which is 548 calories per cup. The food is moistened to the point the kibble is fully expanded. It is almost mush when stirred. The food is fed 3 times per day as close to 8 hours apart as possible to avoid placing undue pressure on the weakened sphincter muscle.

I have also been adding Mercola probiotics and digestive enzymes. Neither has been added for the past 2 days and there is no difference.

Since Misty’s condition is due to the weakened sphincter muscle, not acid production, Apple Cider Vinegar did not work for her.

Before going to a primarily grain based diet as our situation requires try some of the 3 star grain free brands that would have lower protein and fat than Natures Variety Instinct. Some have 2 lb. packages which would allow you to try without investing in food that may not work. Donate any food that cannot be used to a shelter or local rescue.

[sisu]

I have been ordering from chewy.com for 2-3 years. There is not much packing inside the boxes. All shipments have arrived intact with no undue kibble dust in each bag. Best by dates have always been recent. I have had several friends go to chewy from wag.com due to lower prices. We are not interested in coupons or special deals. We want the best price as soon as we are ready to order. The chewy site notes locations in PA and FL. All of our shipments are coming from PA which takes a day longer than if shipped from FL.

I have ordered from wag.com. Shipping is fast. Their prices are a few dollars higher than chewy.com. To me, there is a bit of wasteful use of packing inside each box. Wag.com charges sales tax directly for several states.

petflow.com has a larger selection than the 2 mentioned above. Their prices are also consistently a few dollars higher.

Check amazon.com before ordering. If they are seling the food directly at the time it can be very cost effective. If box and bag appearance are important amazon may not be the best option as their packing is similar to chewy’s. I have received more damaged boxes from amazon than any other online retailer. The contents have never been damaged.

[sisu]

I have a 7 year old who is a spinal walking paraplegic. He has no feeling from the waist down. He can walk due to muscle memory which 10-15% of dogs maintain. There is limited bladder and bowel control. Although the conditions are different our goals in waste management may be the same.

Grain inclusive foods result in big fluffy poop. Grain free with the highest meat content and lowest carbs give the best results when feeding kibble. With a balanced raw diet there is barely any waste. Therefore, the poop is very small, ring finger to little finger size. If Prey Model Raw (PMR) is not an option consider premade raw with the highest meat content. After 5 years of trial and error I have found that EVO Herring and Salmon kibble works very well. As almost a contradiction to my high meat, low carb, low fiber rule Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon also results in small size poop. I suspect it may be due to the digestibility of the menhaden fish meal. Of the two brands EVO poop is smaller. Some companies will send free samples. Use the contact link on their websites to make the request.

I feed as close to 6 am and 6 pm as possible. There are very few treats given. Rewards are enthusiastic chin scratches and lots of happy, verbal praise. By restricting the frequency of food going in I can predict that poop will happen an hour to and hour and a half after each meal. Exercise will cause him to poop sooner rather than later. Anal stimulation either by lightly touching around the outside of the anus or using a KY jelly lubricated thermometer inserted into the rectum with some slight movement will cause him to poop a couple of hours sooner than expected. Although I have rarely used either of these methods they are useful for getting things back on schedule. If used frequently poop on demand becomes the schedule rather than allowing his natural digestion to establish a schedule.

Below is a list of meat protein in various brands of kibble that I have collected from the ‘net. I have not fed these brands. Although I trust the sources of the information I cannot guarantee it.

Dr. Tim’s Momentum 35/25, 96%
Native Level 4, 35/25, 93%
Diamond Extreme Athlete, 93%
Inukshuk 32/32, 95%
Annamet should be 90+%. Specific amt. is not known.
Orijen 82%
Horizon Legacy 80%
Instinct 70%.
Merrick grain free 70%

I am unsure if the constant leg movement your boy has are muscle spasms. If so, daily muscle massage of the legs and along the spine similar to Tellington Touch, gentle repetitive bicycle movement, and flexing the leg joints and toes may help. All is done slowly. Stop if there is a spasm. Resume when the muscles relax. After 2 years of daily massage/flexing therapy Connor has no spasms.

If your dog is being treated by a general vet I would suggest a visit to a veterinary neurologist or neurosurgeon. Not for surgery but to evaluate and treat the current condition. For example, there is medication that can help with muscle spasms. Also, if it is in the budget, professional physical therapy can help with lingering issues. If the carts were not professionally fitted a neurologist or physical therapist may be able to resolve the current problems.

If interested in raw feeding:
http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/
http://puppybutt.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/9/2/7692088/beginners_guide_to_prey_model_raw_rv.4.1.pdf

The Paralysis: Neurological and IVDD forum is very helpful and informative.
http://www.handicappedpet.net/helppets/

I hope some of this helps.

[sisu]

Thanks so much for your response. If I understand correctly, if a message does not go through directly to the reviews or forums sections it goes to a spam folder where you will get it posted. The duplicates were happening because I thought the problem was on my end. I would try to post again as I made changes in the browser settings.

Hopefully, this will resolve itself soon.

[sisu]

Science Diet CD has 413 calories per cup. According to their feeding chart a 10 lb. dog should receive 3/4 to 1 cup per day. Dog food manufacturers often over state the amount that should be fed to sell more product. For example, my 15 – 16 lb. dogs get a little less to a level cup of a food that is 415 calories per cup. Feed 1/4 cup twice a day and the weight should come off.

Link to previous DFA review and discussion of Science Diet CD.
/dog-food-reviews/hills-prescription-diet-cd-canine-dry/

Hills Science Diet site with nutrition, feeding and calorie information:
http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-cd-canine-urinary-tract-health-dry.html

[sisu]

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I am unable to begin a new topic in the forum or reply in the review section. This is happening with Chrome and IE 8. Below are details in regard to what has been tried.

Chrome 23.0.1271.97 m. Cookies are set to allow local data to be set, and block 3rd party cookies and site data. Exceptions are disqus.com and dogfoodadvisor.com

IE 8. Set to the lowest privacy. No cookies blocked.

I can log in at the forum with no difficulty. Rather I have logged in from the forum or not the warning box remains on all review pages. “Warning: A browser setting is preventing you from logging in. Fix this setting to log in” Attempts to log in directly from any review page results in an invalid password message. I am 99% certain the correct password is being used. Thinking I could be wrong I did attempt to change the password from a review page login. The email with instructions has not been received. It is as if the review section does not see the password used in the forum. There is no difference if AdBlock and Avast are disabled.

Changing the browser setting to accept 3rd party cookies removes the cookie warning message from the review pages but the invalid password message remains. This indicates that part of the problem is that the Disqus software does not see the cookie exceptions.

I have opened/closed/rebooted so many times that I am confused. I did manage to post one reply on a review page. I think I had logged in at the forum. Then, went to reply at the bottom of the post to which I was replying. At the post as selection I entered my email address or username and password which allowed the post to go through. I am fairly certain the browser setting warning message was on the screen when the post went through. Tried to post another reply tonight. It appeared as if it had post but is not on the Nutro Natural Choice (dry) page.

It is as if the forum and reviews sections are using different software. The login, password and perhaps the email address from the forums section is not seen by the reviews software. The reviews software knows my username exists because I attempted to register after having registered at the forum. The reviews software apparently is not reading the cookie exceptions.

The only idea I have at this point is that the reviews software requires a more secure password than used when registering at the forum. Thus, it reads nothing beyond the username.

[sisu]

Jerky treats from China have been killing dogs for several years. The FDA is reportedly investigating but the tainted treats remain on the shelves. Do not give any treats from China to your dog or cat. Please visit the http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/default.htm site. Information on the investigation and how to report an incident are on the right side of the page. Also, search Google for “jerky treats china” , without the quotes, to learn more.

[Author]

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