[chris]

Sure thing, I have checked them all out right after you said them and seen they are all pretty decent. I wrote a few of them down i’m sure he will enjoy and also added a few others that I heard some mention.

I really have learned a lot from talking with you all on here and have actually already passed it along helping my family with there dogs the past 2 days on switching things to benefit there health better. I really couldn’t thank you guys enough!

[chris]

Great to know! Thanks for the recommendations. I have sent Orijen an email last night asking for samples. I can sure try the rest, why not. Yeah, i’ve given him several cans of dogswell now and he has had zero issues. I never tried Blue Buffalo as I had a family member try it and they didn’t care for it and told me not to bother. Thanks again!

-Bobby Dog, Thanks as well for the recommendations! I was just basically looking for some ones that aren’t commercial store bought such as Pedigree etc. Also that have a decent meat content as my dog is very picky and actually doesn’t seem to like “fish or veggies” that much. He’s definitely a meat kind of dog.

Speaking of Canidae as well. What’s your opinion on them? My local pet store told me he was getting Canidae in and said I should give that a try back when I bought Merrick’s. Though for some reason he told me they were a plant based food and here I read it is a meat based mostly.

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

[chris]

I grabbed 2 bags of the natures variety grain free sample packs and i gave him little at a time as a treat.

For the past month since I changed his diet completely, I bought a few cans of the wellness core, Ziwipeak, Dogswell Happy Hips. Recommend any others?

He loves the Ziwipeak, but there is no way I can afford that at a constant thing. I don’t like giving him the Dogswell as I heard so many different things about that company.

[chris]

So for supplements I wrote down to try:
Sauerkraut
Plain Yogurt
Swanson’s soil-based Organisms
Canned Green Tripe
Kafir

I’m going to try each and see how it goes. I read a lot up on it earlier and heard from a good amount that I should start very slow in it to get there stomach use to it. So figured I might give 1/4 cup each time for now.

I’ll definitely be trying those frozen treats Bobby Dog! I have a dairy farm near by that started it’s own home made ice cream straight off the farm. They recently started making there own dog ice cream and I was buying him a container of that here and there the past few weeks.

Naturella- Yeah, my local pet store has boxes of free samples soon as you walk in the front door and he tells us to take as many as we want. There mostly little sample bags of natures variety, natures balance, and canidae, no canned food or treats sadly.

[chris]

Naturella- Thanks for the info!

That’s very true when mixing them you would have no idea. Good idea on maybe doing it every 2 weeks of giving different foods instead of mixing them. I can afford the orijen 5 pounds easily. I just couldn’t afford the 24-30 pound bags they are really up there compared to Merrick’s. So yeah, that’s definitely something i’ll have to try and see how it goes, so at least he will be getting some high end protein foods into him as well throughout the month. Speaking of which I just looked up the protein percentage in the current bag i’m feeding him and it’s only 30%, not so good! Though It was the lamb and sweet potato mix that I got because I was told at the time it was very good for digestion. They don’t sell any over 38% protein either.

[chris]

Naturella- Yeah I might do that then and buy a 5 pound bag of orijen and see how he likes it first. Question though if I stick to Merrick’s since it’s affordable for myself, would it be okay to just buy a bag of Orijen and other high end foods and throw it in monthly with the Merrick? Do like a mix each month or even every 2 weeks. If not and if he tends to really enjoy Orijen I can probably try to switch to that and see how he does on it.

Yeah, i’ll definitely be throwing in the kafir, coconut oil, tripe into this diet. I appreciate all the help as i’m learning a ton from talking with you guys lol.

Bobby Dog- yeah I took a look at a few brands. Triplet was one I heard good things about as well. Thanks!

[chris]

Yeah like I said I done so much research and it sounds like a small hernia to and feels like one too so that would be my guess. He seems to be not bothered by it anymore and acts back to normal now.

That does not surprise me one bit on the canned tripe. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it!

Yeah most people tend to any animal they own as they would a child. I kind of baby my dog to the point my family looks at me strangely. You can’t help it especially when the dog expresses the love in return. I have never put him in a cage, I made him an actual raised dog bed the level of my bed and he sleeps in that beside me all night. In my avatar picture is what he is laying on and I made him steps going up to it. He’s spoiled rotten haha!

Pitlove- So you mean buy a small 5 pound bag and mix it inside his Merrick’s once in a while? I actually have the Kafir written down as well so I remember to buy some of that as well. What Digestive supplement do you use?

I have went through 11 pounds of the Merrick’s already and I bought that at the beginning of the month. That is giving him 1/2 cup with wet food in the morning and 1-2 cups during the evening.

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

[chris]

Yeah, long story short on what happen is basically one day I left the house to run into the grocery store and was gone not nearly 30 minutes and when I returned he was super excited as always too see me well I jumped up with his front paws on our kitchen counter. I pointed at him and said get down from there you no better and he started whimpering a ton. He laid down on our floor and couldn’t stand up. I ran him within 5 minutes later to the pet emergency center where I live and they said it was back pain and think he has a little arthritis in his back. That might be but I knew better then that as he is only 5 years old and very active. So I took him to my family vet the next day and they said it could be his hip or back as well. Again I told my family vet I highly doubt that is the case but they suggested to give him steroid meds and give it a week too see what happens. A few days later when he would walk (and only when he would walk) I noticed a lump on his right side by his stomach near his penis. I immediately ran him to the family doctor that night they did an x-ray and said they see nothing wrong other then his stomach was completely filled with bowels and that lump could be a hard piece of bowel pushing out. Something still seemed fishy to me so every night I kept an eye on it and would rub it with my hand to make sure it wasn’t getting hard or larger in size. It stayed squishy and it’s been around a month now and got smaller in size but it’s still there a little. So I did a ton of research and i’m almost certain he has a small stomach hernia. Well I said long story short, sorry got a little carried away hehe.

Anyways ever since I switched his food to Merrick’s and been giving him canned food daily I check his poop everyday as I walk him and it’s completely how it should be. I gave the vets a sample and they said it looks perfect now and he’s been going twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening now. He is also back to being very active, running, playing, his normal self.

His name is Sparky though, I call him just Spark or My Boy as he is like my son. After I heard you guys mentioning that the canned Tripe has natural Enzymes and prebiotics that immediately set in my mind that i’m getting a few cans.

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

[chris]

Oh of course, after 2 weeks in with the current lamb flavor of Merrick’s he started slowing down eating it. Acting like he got tired of the flavor, so I threw in 2 packets of Natures Variety grain free sample packs that I had got at my local pet store and he went crazy with that and went back to eating the Merrick’s again regularly. Now today he didn’t touch it till this evening. That’s why I plan on trying the new grain free back country flavors to give him a need flavor to eat. Though i’m also planning on only buying a 12 pound bag that way I can switch flavors every 2 weeks as I think that would probably be best.

I forgot to add I had got a can of Ziwipeak Canned food and he went crazy over that. I also searched on there food and geeze like double the price of Orijen.

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

[chris]

Nevermind, I recall what I said. I had no idea it was that expensive. 15 pounds @ nearly $60.00 Ouch!

Thanks Naturella! Yeah I was thinking the same thing after I said that. Though still the price is what is making me cringe. It’s hard to afford that at this time, but don’t get me wrong I would love to give that a try. He seems to be doing very well on the Merrick’s, so I might just stay on that and this month just get a bag of there new back country and see if he enjoys that.

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

[chris]

I bought a 24 pound bag of the Merrick’s Grain Free Lamb and I actually was looking at it the past few days and seen that I’m not going through it as fast as I thought. I actually give him 1/2 cup of dry in the morning and I bought a good amount of wellness core canned food and I give him about quarter of the can with it in the morning. Then in the evening I give him 1 1/2 cups of dry food and doing that it seems to be doing very well with him though most the times he only eats about 1 full cup and the half I throw back in the food container.

So I was thinking I probably could afford Orijen if I did the same as you and just bought a small bag rather then the 24 pounds. As looking at the food container he ate about half the food so roughly 12 pounds of food and in 2 days it will be the end of the month. So basically if I were to just purchase 10-12 pound bag of Orijen it should last him the month. Still obviously more expensive then Merrick’s but probably worth it right?

I might just do that i’ll do some research and look at prices as I speak for around that poundage. Thanks again!

[chris]

Thanks Pitlove!

Yeah, I have already looked into Orijen before and I just can’t afford that. Merrick was even hard to press but I know it would be better and worth a few more bucks then Blue Buffalo. I wish I could afford it because i’ve been recommended that so many times so I assume it has to be great food and a great company to deal with. However, I see it at least I’m not feeding him junk food or commercial grade food. So I figured Merrick’s was a good choice for him, but doesn’t change the fact also in the future I can always switch if need be.

At my local pet store I seen so many people buy Natures Variety or Natures Balance and they sell out of it pretty fast.

Thanks for the reply and recommendations! 🙂

[chris]

Speaking of dog food I was feeding him blue buffalo grain free as well and literally the beginning of this month I switched him to Merrick’s Grain Free. I did a little research on here and it seems to be better and he definitely seems to like it more. Not sure on anyone else opinion on Merrick’s food. I hope I made a good choice as I was going to buy a small bag of there new back country and mix it in with the current bag I have to give him a little different flavors.

Right after you said about the tripe I immediately did research and seen so many people mentioning the Tripett brand on here. So i’ll definitely be trying that especially with it being very good for there stomachs.

Funny you mention about the skin and coat as since I switched my dog to the Merrick’s his coat seems so much smoother, soft, and bright. Good idea on the coconut oil as I actually take that myself and never thought about giving him a little. Geeze I really can’t think you all enough on here for the help! 🙂

[chris]

Hello Naturella, Nice too meet you and thanks for the reply!

I’m really interested now in the Elk antlers after searching a good bit on them. Also chicken and duck feet is probably something i’m also going to go a head and try. Fish skins I heard are very good fast treats as well. Hooves, you’re probably the first person I ever heard mention those to me. I had a kong and I stuffed it with so many different things and he did good with it for a while then like lost full interest in it. However, maybe if I start stuffing it with things he really really loves then he might get his interest back. Before I was only stuffing it with canned food, raw kibble, jerky, little easy things. I always thought Peanut butter would clog his rear end up since he already has the stomach issues. I’ll have to try the Canned Tripe and see how he likes that. Thanks again for the recommendations and the reply as I really do appreciate it!

[chris]

Thanks Jackie for the reply and recommendations. I have actually tried Cow and Pig ears both and he loves them but he started chewing small pieces off and choking on them so I stopped buying them. Never heard of the tripe before as I just searched it to see what it was. Very interesting and thanks for mentioning that!

[chris]

Alright, we have a little town pet store I can check out for that. I have searched online everywhere like I said and only seen 7 inches the most for elk antlers. I’ll keep looking though. Thanks for all the help!

[chris]

Hello Crazy4cats and Pitlove, very nice too meet you both!

I appreciate the replies and recommendations.

Pitlove may I ask where do you happen to get your oversized antlers? I have only seen ones being sold that are around 7 inches or is that what you’re talking about?

Crazy4cats I have a kong that I used for him and would stuff it full of Ziwipeak kiddles and he enjoyed it for a while. After a week or so he lost all his interest in it and I tried stuffing it with so many different things and he just doesn’t bother with it. Thanks for letting me aware of the Trachea’s though! I’ll maybe have to try chicken feet as I heard they’re very easy to chew and easy on the stomach..

[chris]

I think this would be an excellent idea. There are tons of treats as I can understand it would take some time. But overall I believe at starting at the most commonly top rated ones would be great to leave those know what treats are excellent for there pets. For instance I actually just started a thread asking about a good treat for a dog that has stomach/bowel problems. Hopefully I can get some feedback relating to that sort of problem. So, yes I really do hope this gets added in the future as i’m sure it will help! Thanks!

[chris]

I so far researched a ton about it and I heard a good amount of recommendations on Elk Horn splits for the bone marrow plus you can always refill them after the marrow is gone. Another one was Himalayan chews, however, aren’t they really hard for them to chew or to digest for that matter?

Are chicken feet any good? or dried trachea’s? I haven’t really heard much about them. Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciative!

[chris]

Thanks so much!

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