[chris]

Hate to revive this just to ask one little question, but I felt it was best then to make a new one.

I have went out and took all your guys opinions and bought a 5 pound bag of Orijen to try. I have also found a great place to get Elk antler chews cheap (14 inch antler for $18.00) and it’s local. I have bought a few cans of the tripe, sardines. I ordered chicken feet and they should be here this week.

Now for Kefir, I have searched everywhere locally and I can not find it, the only thing I found was something at our Walmart and it was Kefir Milk plain. Is this what I want to try or is there a way to make it myself etc?

[Pitlove]

Look into Orijen. Both grain free and high protein. Also cut back on how much the dog is eating to get him to drop a few pounds

[DogFoodie]

All of Champion’s products, both Acana and Orijen, are included on the list, Leland.

/reports/champion-petfoods/

[Leland W]

I think that the Orijen Puppy Formula should be included as a 5-star food just like the Orijen Large Breed Puppy formula is. Is there a reason it is not included on the list?

Thanks

[Pitlove]

I agree with Marie. I tend to not like to feed anything under 30% and I like to see whole meats or meat meals as the first three ingredients. It lets me know that carbs are not making up the majority of the food. A healthy dog will process quality animal protein efficiently where as they won’t process plant based proteins as well. And carbs are just unneeded in a dogs diet, however there is no such thing as a carb free kibble as carbs are used as the binder to hold the food in its kibble shape.

Dogs who eat raw eat upwards of 40%+ protein and everyone i’ve ever talked to that feeds raw has had amazing success with it and finds their dog to be far more healthy than the average dog eating kibble. Hence why I stick to very high protein diets. Some I’ve used include Orijen and EVO(before I knew they were bought by Proctor&Gamble).

edit: The % difference when you look at the reviews on this site is a difference in the dry matter basis vs whats on the GA. The dry matter basis is how the carb levels are determined as well. It means that all the moisture content has been factored out just leaving the the meats grains carbs etc left.

/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Any reason for the change from Orijen/Acana? Both are very good quality foods. Did she do well on those foods?

A lot of people who work at big box stores don’t have a lot of knowledge of dog nutrition and only go based off what others recommend or brands they have heard to be good quality and that can range from a variety of foods based on opinion. There are some people who DO have a grasp on dog nutrition but they are few and far between.

Personally, I’d consult with a holisitic vet if I were in your shoes. It seems like a lot more is going on with your dog than what meets the eye, especially with the strange symptoms you’re describing. If your regular vet is just sending you home with pills and not asking questions, its time for a new vet. It’d be like you going to a therapist, telling them you have anxiety and you walking out with a presciption and them having asked no questions to find the root cause. I’m sure you wouldn’t go back to that therapist. I know I wouldn’t.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[brooke r]

Also, she was on Orijen Six Fish and Acana Wild Prairie when we first got her, made the switches cold turkey(never been a problem for my mal), and she’s never gotten diarrhea in the couple weeks after switching, so her stomach doesn’t seem overly sensitive really, just like something else is going on? She already eats out of a slow bowl since she inhales food otherwise.

[Pitlove]

While Orijen is a great food, it does not meet the proper calcium requirements for large breed puppies (none of their food does including the LBP formula). Wellness CORE puppy however, does. I would go with Wellness CORE for now. Here is a link to other foods that have proper calcium levels for up until hes about 8 to 10 mos and can absorb the calcium properly.

https://docs.google.com/a/selu.edu/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit

I would absolutely recommend Orijen for after the 8 to 10 mos. Its an amazing food and my dog loved it!

edit: I would also recommend either of the Nature’s Variety formulas mentioned on the list.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[bigthree]

I would recommend Orijen over the Wellness Core. If you Google the Wellness you will find out that they have started to put green tea extract in there food and that can do harm to dogs livers.

[Carol G]

Hello everyone, new to this site and forum but in process of bringing home new male yellow lab puppy, currently being fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness chicken puppy food. While it’s not a “bad” puppy formula, I think I want to change him over to a more superior brand of food. This will be our second male yellow lab, the first of which lived until almost 16 yrs old, and who we also got as a 9 week puppy. I was looking at both the Orijen puppy large breed or the Wellness Core puppy. Need to know what is best way to incorporate a new food at this tender age, and appreciate any comments, opinions and recommendations about these brands as well. Thanks, and I look forward to being a member here. Carol

[Kelly S]

We recently rescued a small mixed-breed dog and I have been looking at Dog Food Advisor when considering food options for her. We are looking at Pet Value brand Performatrin – Ultra Grain Free (dry), which rates a 5 star on this website. The bag claims about 37% protein and the rating here claims 41%. I was in a pet store today and the owner felt that 20-30% is a better protein number for your average household dog. This means that I am back to the drawing board on food options. We have also tried a food that isn’t on this site – Performatrin Limited – Ultra Limited Potato and Turkey formula. It is less ingredients and less protein. I am at a crossroads. At this pet store, the recommended brands were: Pet Kind, Spring Naturals, Nutri-Source, Orijen, Acana and First Mate. I am on here doing further research. Any insight is appreciated. Is there a FB group for this?

[Pitlove]

hi- my dog has white feet and he was licking them to the point of them being redish brown. turned out to be a yeast infection. have you talked with a vet about the cause? it may not be the food. i’ve fed orijen after anti-fungal meds and foot soaks and his feet have cleared up.

[Naturella]

Oh, and Chris… Orijen told me they won’t send me samples as you can buy their trial sizes from a few places online or in stores that carry Orijen. So if they send you some, let me know!

But I have had luck with Annamaet (samples of the GF foods and a full-size bag of treats – which are formulated almost like the foods themselves, so they are close to complete and balanced, if not that), Wysong (many samples), Canidae (a whole small bag of Pure Sea and a full-size bag of PURE treats), Dr. Tim’s (one Sample), Brothers’ Complete (bought samples from their website, they sent me double the order), Victor (bought samples from sportdogfood.com and ordered 5 of each instead of 3 (the limit), but they still sent them to me), Dr. Tim’s (sent me one sample), and I think this is it.

[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 9 years, 6 months ago by chris.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by chris.

[Naturella]

I see. Like I said in another post, the ones I would wholeheartedly recommend are:

Earthborn Holistic GF
Victor GF
Dr. Tim’s GF & GI
Wysong (Nurture and Epigen are their “best” lines, but they have a lot of other good formulas)
Annamaet GF
Nulo
Farmina GF (even though I have not used it yet)
As well as the Canadian foods Orijen, Acana, NOW! Fresh and GO!

You can even email the above companies or send them a message on social media and ask for samples! I have gotten samples from Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Wysong, Annamaet, and Nulo sent me coupon books. 😉

As for Dogswell, 2 friends have fed it with no issues, and Bruno is currently on the Dogswell LiveFree Salmon one and is doing just fine, and I have fed Nutrisca Chicken & Chickpea (made by Dogswell) in the past and he did just fine on it too. I also fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy with no issues but I know other people have had issues with the brand (don’t know which line of food, or all of them). A friend, my roommate, and an aunt have all fed Blue (the aunt still feeds it) with no issues. Questionable companies – sure. But from my experience, and that of others around me, we have personally had no immediate issues with them.

[Naturella]

Chris, I too prefer to feed high-protein, especially high animal protein foods, and I too prefer to stay in the 30% + protein levels. But just keep an eye on Sparky and see how he’s doing on those foods. Also, I forgot to mention a few more food options.

Wysong is a good company that I really like and they make high-protein kibbles. Wysong Nurture and a few others are more affordable but the highest in animal protein ones are their Epigen series, which are pretty unique as they use no starchy binders. I have fed Wysong Nurture with Quail and it came with freeze-dried quail bits inside.

Other good foods are Nulo (I have fed the Medal Series Lamb) and Farmina GF. Now, they too are not as affordable (Nulo is not terribly pricy), and Farmina is just under the Orijen level I think (of price), but these, as well as the other brands I mentioned above, you can look into and see if you want to try any. Also, the Castor & Pollux Ultramix GF ones are pretty good. C&P is a sub-company of Merrick.

And, if I am not mistaken, they all sport way above 30% protein and high levels of animal protein. So check them out! 🙂

Sorry for any typos, I am typing from my phone.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Naturella.

[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.

[Naturella]

Chris, my local pet boutique type stores sell trial sizes of Orijen and Acana for $3.99 per baggie and each one is .75 lbs. So you can buy a couple of these to try them out first.

As for mixing, I used to mix foods before. I have mixed up to 3 brands together in the past. Now I rotate with each small bag, but on occasion feed a meal or 2 per week of a different brand and flavor from samples for diversity. So you can do it either way. I have a friend who still mixes 2 brands and flavors at a time, and feeds that, then changes both brands and flavors, but still mixes them. So you can do either way… The only caveat to that is that if for any reason, now or down the road Sparky gets sick (loose stool, vomiting, etc.) you wouldn’t know which food caused it, unless you feed him more of each individually, or you’d have to toss the whole mix. Sometimes it is just a particular bag or batch that doesn’t work, so I would, for example, feed him Merrick for a month, then Orijen or something else for 2 weeks or however long a small bag lasts, then Merrick or something similar and affordable. And here are some good and affordable brands:
Earthborn Holistic GF, Victor GF, Dr. Tim’s both GF and grain-inclusive, Annamaet GF, and, in some areas, NutriSource GF (although it is pretty pricy here in the Atlanta, GA area). So if cost is a concern, you can try those foods instead of or in addition to Merrick and Orijen – they are pretty good.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Naturella.

[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!

[Naturella]

pitlove – I see. Yeah, I try to feed foods with high animal protein too, and high overall protein levels. I was just trying to make note that those even are not for everyone either. But, I do agree that if a dog is healthy and capable of digesting those foods, then they should be tried, if financially feasible. And yes, tripe stinks!!!

Also, I have noted that one can feed less of the richer, more nutritious/calorie-dense foods. I do add toppers, but Bruno gets 1/2 cup of dry for the whole day, split between 2 feedings, with various toppers at each meal. He is at the healthy and lean 14.5-15lbs. So, Chris, you may even end up feeding a bit less of the Orijen (if you get it) or even Merrick, especially if you add coconut oil and tripe to Sparky’s diet.

And wow, Chris, Sparky sure is living the good life! 😀

[Pitlove]

chris and naturella- Orijen and even merrick arent always for everyone, however with the protein and all being similar I figured it couldn’t hurt to suggest. My dog from the beginning has always eaten a high protein food. I refuse to feed anything under 30% protein on a dry matter basis. I find there are far less carbs when you get into that realm and animal protein and fat is easier to digest than carbs and plant proteins for any healthy dog.

Also Chris, if there is ever a food u want to try but the price is outlandish, you can always get the smallest size bag and add that to the rotation to give him some variety and then next bag can be the cheaper but still good food. i have a 66lb AmStaff (named Bentley since we are sharing lol) and I keep him at his ideal weight with a 13.2oz can of whatever I have of wet food and 1/2 cup of whatever dry food he’s on with a digestive supplement in the morning and kefir at night and Im able to get 5 lb bags and have them last for a month if not a little longer. The Tripe is also an excellent idea, however as it is for supplemental feeding only you would probably find yourself feeding more dry with the Tripe. I have yet to try Tripe but I have heard the same thing Naturella said about the smell!

[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 9 years, 6 months ago by chris.

[Naturella]

Chris (and pitlove), although I would agree that Orijen is one of the best dry foods out there (personal opinion), it is also not for everyone. It may be too rich for some dogs, so it is good to always just get a small bag, or a few trial sizes at first (for small dogs, but I think for a beagle a small bag will do), and use that for a couple of weeks first to make sure it would work for your dog.

I have fed trial sizes of the more prominent Canadian companies and my Bruno enjoys their products. I would definitely feed Orijen, Acana, GO and NOW! Fresh in rotations, if I continue to feed kibble in the future. Also, NVI Instinct and a few other kibbles. I would try to transition to raw sometime next year though.

But yeah, just keep in mind that even the “best” does not always work for everyone, and what is the best for your dog is what works well for him/her and keeps them happy and healthy.

[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!

[Pitlove]

Chris- I completely understand the budget thing. I feed canned food as well as dry to supplement the lack of moisture in the dry food and I have to go as cheap as I can with the canned without stooping down to Pedigree etc. So I use some 4 and 5 star canned foods from Tractor Supply and Walmart.

Natural Balance is a big seller at my store as well. Personally I dont like the food and I dont like the company now that it was sold to Del Monte. They dont have the greatest track record and I personally feel their food is way to high in carbs and they over use white potato as a main ingredient leaving their protein far too low for my taste.

Being that I feed canned as well I only need a 5 or 6 lb bag of dry food as he only gets 1/2 cup of dry with his can of wet, so even though for some of the Orijen I’ve paid 26$ for it, it didnt really bother me. But i understand that buying their largest bag usually at over 100$ is not something most people can do.

I used to buy Nature’s Variety as well. I really liked the brand but back when I bought large bags I only bought NV because we were getting 40% for the whole year as employees lol!

[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! 🙂

[Pitlove]

Chris- Nice change on the dog food! A lot of us here wont feed BB products due to the company being pretty shady.

I personally have no problem with Merrick, though some on here are not fans of the company for how they have handled recalls in the past. Most people feel that while recalls are often times just a happening of life, its how the company handles the recall that will decide whether they use their products again.
Merrick is one of three brands at work (petco) that i recommend to people that we carry. the other two being Nature’s Variety, and Wellness CORE, so I think you made a good choice. Depending on what your budget is, look at Orijen too or Acana both made by Champion Pet Foods in Canada. The company has a sparkling reputation. The food is expensive but worth every penny IMO.

[Pitlove]

Thanks for the update bigthree. thats great to hear! Orijen is an amazing food. My dog is a big fan and so am I. They have a few different formulas you can try. The Puppy, Adult and Senior are pretty much all very similar with chicken being the main protein source, however the Regional Red, Six Fish and Tundra have a lot more exotic proteins in them. I havent tried Champions other line Acana yet, however I plan to.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Interesting, so what are they eating now if you don’t mind me asking? My dog for the first few months of his life ate BB as well. Thankfully no issues that serious, just refused to eat for a day and thats when I changed his diet and also learned about rotation feeding. So now he eats a different brand every bag and a different brand of wet food every meal as well. I keep maybe 4-5 brands of wet on hand at a time and cycle through those as much as I can.
On the note of Blue, a lot of people on this site, including myself, won’t feed Blue products anymore. I’m sure its still far better of a food then let’s say Beneful, but I can’t give my money to a company that A) Lied for a year+ about what was in their food B) now has number of reports of dogs being sick from it leading me to believe that Blue is an overpriced bag of junk and that their ingredients have gone in the gutter to be able to mass produce more food.

I tend to agree that grain free is far better than grain inclusive, however grain-free does not mean carb free. All dry kibble needs carbs to bind the food together, hence the introduction of white potatoe to the grain-free kibble industry. That along with other carbs like sweet potatoe, legumes, peas etc. I just learned however with white potatoe, in the process of being cooked to be used for dog food (dog food gets cookd twice over, rendered and then extruded) a carcinogenic by-product is released that has been known to cause cancer in dogs and humans. Something to look into?

Basically be wery of grain-free foods as well, as they can still be high in carbs, which can be hard to digest and aggravating for some dogs. One food I personally like and many others on this site do too is Orijen made by Champion Pet Foods out of Alberta Canada. Award winning kitchens, human grade meat, poultry and fish sourced regionally in Canada as well.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Hi Joseph-

I’ve heard good things about Earthborn and I believe that some on this site use it in their rotational diets. Its also rated 5 stars on this site. Not sure what your budget is but I personally love the 2 brands that Champion Pet Foods makes, Orijen and Acana. Very high quality, regional sourced meats etc in Canada, made in Canada as well which has high quality control standards. They also use human grade ingredients. Big plus for me!

Let us know where you shop and what you have avaiable to you and if you would consider shopping online and we might be able to help you out better with a variety of suggestions and not just one!

[JeffreyT]

Check out Dr. Karen Becker’s articles on yeast. I do her povidine foot soak for itchy paws and it’s helped.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

The fresh and frozen raw are probably the healthiest and most cost effective but the bulk of my pups’ diet is a variety of freeze dried raw, with water added to rehydrate. They are Stella and Chewys, Primal, Orijen, and Stewarts Bison. Their favorites are Trudog, Only Natural Niblets and Vital Essentials…I soak these overnight.

For a quick meal I give the air dried raw from Real Meat Food Co or Ziwi Peak and rotate between brands and proteins.

Be prepared for a cleansing reaction, like loose stools, which could happen as you go to better foods. You may want to consider adding digestive enzymes and probioitics to help with potential digestive issues when changing…I use in most meals, it also supports the immune system and overall health.

Also consider having Perfect Form on hand from Honest Kitchen or canned pumpkin, and give during transition for stomach issues. But first check to see if it’s ok to give to yeasty dog, not sure.

Fish oil can help itchy skin and also good for heart, joints, brain, etc. Good brands for these supplements include Mercola Krill, Animal Essentials, Dr. Peter Tobias, Wholistic Pet Organics and Natures Farmacy.

Good luck!

[Naturella]

I also love feeding a variety of foods to my terrier mix Bruno. Since my husband and I have adopted him in 2013, he’s had, in no particular order of dry foods: Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy, Nutrisca Chicken & Chickpea, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF, Holistic Health Extension Original, Blue Allergix, and Lamb & Brown Rice, Earthborn Holisitic Coastal Catch, Primitive Naturals, and Great Plains Feast, Back to Basics Open Range, Wysong Nurture with Quail, Nulo Medal Series Lamb & Lentils, Castor & Pollux Ultramix Duck, Victor Salmon, and samples of Fromm, Victor, NutriSource, TOTW, Wysong, Orijen, Acana, Nature’s Variety Instinct (the Rabbit formula he was supposed to eat but it made him very sick, but other samples he did great with), Hi-Tek, Nature’s Logic, and many other foods I can’t recall ATM. Lined up we have Wellness CORE Ocean and Original, more Earthborn, Canidae Pure SEA, Castor & Pollux Organix GF, and right now he just got on Dogswell LiveFree Salmon.

For toppers we used The Honest Kitchen Embark, Force, Keen, and Love, and Big Dog Naturals Green Tripe (air-dried). I have used various canned foods too, like Weruva, Green Cow by Solid Gold, and Green Tripe from Petkind, and also some more dehydrated/air-dried like Sojo’s. Now I use some small Merrick dog cans and some cat food pouches and cans for some of the toppers along with coconut oil, yoghurt, raw egg, canned sardines, and a RMB for his Sunday dinner. I also almost always add extra water to the food when served with a topper so he eats “soup” most of the time. Sometimes I just give him plain kibble as part of a training routine or from a puzzle toy to stimulate his brain. He likes it just the same!

He gets regular treats (Fromm, Canidae, Yummy Chummies, and Think! Alligator and Crawfish Jerky, and also kibble as treats (a different brand and flavor of the main food he is on at the moment), He also has a few natural chews like cow and lamb ears, beef tracheas, bully sticks, pig snouts, fish skins, antlers, hooves, etc.

Sorry for the rant, lol, but yeah, rotations are awesome, and Bruno loves the daily variety, and I love how he looks and feels (shiny and soft). I used to take 10 days or so to transition from one food to the next at first, then about 7 days, then 3, then 0. Now he switches so quickly because he eats a constant variety of foods and treats.

And LM, I guess you can see the replies of a person, but it will be hard to follow an Editor’s Choice topic reply by reply from individual authors. And some topics are EC exclusive.

[Carrie K]

Thank you to everyone, again, for your advice! After thinking about how much pain she must be in and the size of the stones, I ended up calling another vet a couple hours’ drive from here for a second opinion. I explained the situation with the size of the stones and the vet’s recommendations (rx foods for life, dissolve with rx food, etc), and the new place was surprised at that. They thought she should come in for surgery instead, and they echoed my fears that trying to dissolve stones that big could cause a blockage if/when they tried to pass. I preferred the surgery route because it could take two months for them to dissolve, which is two more months of my girl being in pain. No thanks. My other thought was monetary – it would cost around $400 for the rx food for the time it would supposedly take to dissolve the stones, and there wasn’t a guarantee that they still wouldn’t have to do surgery. I’d rather just get it taken care of quickly and pay for the surgery.

In the meantime, at the recommendation of the new vet, we’re adding yogurt to one meal a day and feeding the Hills rx as a topper/supplement to the Orijen kibble for the other two meals a day until the surgery next week. And of course keeping her water topped up as we always do, and letting her out every half hour or so. Apparently they send the stones away to a lab for analysis to determine if she does in fact need to be on a special diet the rest of her life, or if the stones were just caused by an infection.

It was really interesting to hear another vet’s interpretation of the situation, and I felt like they were more open to a discussion about our options. And it was nice to hear that I wasn’t the only surprised by my current vet’s blanket “rest of her life” statements without knowing exactly what we were dealing with.

[Pitlove]

Jake’s Mom, thanks for the extra info. I had no idea you had to send the cooler back. I was under the impression that they let you keep it. I really don’t like that, which upsets me because I really really wanted to try Darwins. I check my emails nightly as well after work so it wouldnt be a problem for me to change the orders I just don’t want to get caught off guard.

I have a great little family owned pet store about 30 mins from me that I often by my dogs kibble at since they carrying Orijen and other really great natural brands. They also carry the Primal Raw food, so I can definitely look into that. They also carry Stella & Chewys.

Let me know how the Darwin’s goes! I really wish they made their ordering process more straight forward and streamline and allowed you to tailor your order every time.

[Pitlove]

I love Orijen personally. My dog has just finished two bags of it (the Regional Red and the Adult Dog) and now we are on a bag of EVO. My dog used to be quite picky as well, lately what I’ve done is wet food on the bottom of the bowl topped with the dry food and I change the dry food he eats every bag, whether it be a different protein or different brand. Gives him a variety and he has been eating great since I started doing that. Before when I was just feeding the same boring dry food all the time with no wet he would sniff the bowl and walk away. Now when I’m making his food he sits right next to me and stares at me waiting for his food and devours it when I put it down. Feeding canned food can be very expensive, and because I have a tight budget I try to go for the more budget friendly wet foods like Walmarts brand Pure Balance (5 star rated on here) and Tractor Supplies 4Health (rated 4 stars on here), Merricks Whole Earth Farms line which is about 1$ more than those so I don’t get as many and then he gets special treat wet foods like Wellness CORE, Nature’s Variety and Merrick Classic. But since those are more expensive I only do like 1 or 2 cans of each. It allows me to feed a higher quality dry food, which is where you really don’t want to skimp if possible. Canned food is far closer to a species appropriate diet for them and most holistic vets will say that they would rather see a dog eating the most dumpy terrible canned food than to see them eat dry kibble.

Glad Orijen is working for you! If she gets bored of that brand switch the brand! Just like a human being, a healthy dog can change his diet constantly with no digestive upset. You can add yogurt or kefir to the food as a probiotic and canned pumpkin for the fiber in case of diaherra. The healthy bacteria in the yogurt and kefir will help make your dogs stomach healthy enough to withstand the change in diet

[crazy4cats]

Bigthree-
Glad you found a food that works. Now I am going to attempt to answer your question about large breed food being different from all life stages food. There is no official AAFCO guidelines for large breed pups. Only for 1) adult/maintenance and 2) all life stages/puppy. So, when you see a food marketed for large breed, it is whatever the manufacturer of the food decides is best for large breeds. They tend to be a little lower in both protein and fat usually. You just have to read the guaranteed analysis to see if it fits your needs. Good luck with the Orijen. A lot of people think it is the cream of the crop!

[bigthree]

Thanks InkedMarie for you advise. I went on the food list and found one that the pet store around the corner from me sells (Orijen) which got a five star rate. I looked for the ones that you mentioned but they didn’t carry them. She loved it so much that she went back to her bowl for seconds. Hopefully this is it.

[Jennifer Y]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I have spoken to my vet about the results, and have considered contacting the holistic vet at my vet clinic. My dog’s insensitivity reactions has been mild enough that my vet and I decided to try an elimination diet.

Over the past 2 years, if I try to recall her vet appointments along with the kibble I feed her, she seems to be reactive to something in Orijen Regional Red. I believe it’s pork (since it’s the highest reactive ingredient that came back on the Nutriscan test as well). To play it safe, I began her on an elimination diet. So far, so good. No hot spots and no eye infections. When I get around to testing out pork, I will find out whether it’s been the culprit.

Susan, thanks for your input about the rice, duck and lamb. But the test indicated not to feed her anything that she showed a reaction to (mild or otherwise) in either IgA and IgM results. She unfortunately showed a medium reaction in lamb (IgA), strong reaction in duck (IgA) and a strong reaction in rice (IgA). Against the suggestion of the results, however, I have tried lamb in her elimination diet, and she seems to be doing alright. I do believe there is merit to Dr. Dodd’s test, and I trust her research. But in the case of my dog, I don’t think her intolerances are as severe as the test makes it seem. I’ve been giving her probiotics and coconut oil, which may have played a part in her doing better on her current food as well. I am also considering starting her on raw, but I’m still in the process on researching about raw before I fully dive into it.

Once again, thank you everyone for your suggestions. I really appreciate it 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Hi Carrie-

Yes, adding canned food and water would be the best for a dog with frequent UTIs. I buy four and five star budget friendly canned food at Walmart, Tractor Supply Stores and Costco to add to my dogs’ meals. Orijen is crazy expensive. I’ve never even thought about buying it! I have way too many mouths to feed to be able to afford that food. While the berries in the food are a good start, they are highly processed and probably not enough of them to be very medicinal for your situation.

Here is a link on poop eating from holistic vet Dr. Becker: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/08/23/coprophagia-poop-eating.aspx

Hopefully this is helpful. Pineapple contains enzymes. That is why it is often recommended, but it does have to be fresh otherwise the enzymes are destroyed during processing. I wish I had understood that with my dogs because I was adding canned and it did not good. I think it just made it yummier!

My pups have slowed down on that issue quite a bit, but one of them will still take a bite now and then. I am the one who usually picks up the poop. I am a poop nazi at our house. LOL! I cannot stand it when they smell like they have eaten it. And worse yet…..(this is very gross) but, if they throw up after eating it, I guarantee you that you will never, ever, ever want to have to clean up that again and it will cure you from not wanting to race out and clean it up before it gets eaten!!! Good luck!

[Carrie K]

Hi crazy4cats,

Thanks for the reply! We do add olive oil to one meal a day to help their coats (initially it was in the hope it would help Chewie’s stools pass a little easier), and we always have fresh water out for them. They go out pretty often as well, so it may just be that we need to start adding more liquid to heir food to help with the UTI issue. She’s on cephylaxin (sp?) for the infection, so hopefully that and the new food and adding more moisture to it will help. We picked up a bag of Orijen last night (with a little sticker shock!) and I noticed it has cranberries and blueberries for healthy urinary function, so I think that was a step in the right direction.

Interesting solution to the poo issue – I’ve never heard of adding pineapple to a dog’s food! I’m assuming it makes the end result more acidic than most dogs like to eat…it’s worth a try since my husband and I can’t agree on whose “job” it is to pick it up (though it’s usually me when I can’t take it anymore).

Thanks!!

[Carrie K]

I couldn’t find a way to search through the archives of the forums, so I apologize if this has already been answered somewhere else. My 2.5 year old shepherd mix (Chewbacca) has had some pretty gnarly urinary tract infections in the last five months, and our vet thought it could be due to her food. We switched both her and my boxer (Diosa) to Fromm’s Gold from Natural Balance about six months ago, and the boxer hasn’t had any issues (in fact, she’s improved and some health issues she was having on the old food went away).

This may not be related to the food, but Chewie also recently developed a taste for the poo in the yard – she used to only have a snack in the winter when everything was frozen solid (we live in the upper Midwest), but now it’s nearly constant, even in the spring/early summer (i.e. she’ll go back outside after Diosa does her business and clean it up). Could that also be related to the food? Has anyone else had something like this happen after switching brands? I’m just looking for some guidance, I guess…we’re looking at switching them to Orijen instead, so I’m mostly curious if anyone else’s dog has UTI issues or poo-eating related to their food intake.

[Pitlove]

Linda- Rotties! i love them. we also have a Rottweiler along with our Pitbull a chocolate lab and an English springer spaniel. Sam, our Rottweiler (technically he is my boyfriends parents dog, so I dont get to control what he eats unfortunetly but i still think of him as my dog since I give him the most attention as hes the outside dog) is 2 probably almost 3 years old now. The bf’s parents have had all the dogs on Purina ONE lamb and rice since forever. The family dog has always been Rottweilers and unfortunely all but maybe one passed away at around 8 years old. Cancer, e-coli poisoning, you name it its happened to our Rottweilers. If it were up to me and I got to choose his food I would feed him the way I feed my Pitbull who is also prone to the problems that large breed dogs have as he is 66lbs at a year old. I do what is called a rotational diet with my dog. I certainly have him on Orijen’s Adult Dog and after that bag is through i’ve got EVO lined up next for him to try. I also feed him wet food. Now that your Rottie is far past the point where you have to worry about the calcium levels not being too high or too low to prevent rapid growth thus causing many different skeletal related disorders, you can kinda give him a nice variety of foods. If you are on a budget as someone who is retired and need to stick with kibbles, definitely go for the 5 star rated ones. I know a lot of people on here have issues with Taste of the Wild. I BELIEVE its manufacture by Diamond which has a long recall history and a terrible reputation. You want to make sure that the kibble is as species appropriate as you can get if you, like myself, can’t feed a raw diet, which would be the healthiest way for any dog to eat. Species appropriate for ANY dog of any breed being high in animal protein, at least 30% or more, moderate in fats, and low in carbs. Foods that I like and have and will use in my rotation for my pitbull are Orijen (all of them), Wellness CORE, Nature’s Variety, Merrick (GF only), EVO, Grandma Mae’s GF. I’m still working on my list but that is what I have so far.

As for raw, if it is something you are interested in, PLEASE make sure you do A LOT of research before feeding raw because it is possible to make your dog very unhealthy by not feeding a COMPLETE and BALANCED raw diet.

Also to help with the transitions to the food, you can add probiotics to their diet, like canned pumpkin and kefir. I also use a supplement thats premade in a power form made by a very great company called The Honest Kitchen. They use human grade ingredients and make their food in a human grade factory. Its called Perfect Form. Probiotics help build healthy flora(bacteria) in your dogs gut to make transitioning to a new food pain free for you and your dog. Just like with humans dogs should be able to eat a different food or protein every meal if not every couple months without digestive upset. Dogs whos stomachs are already sick and lacking those bacteria that make their gut strong due to being fed the same food day in and day out are the ones who get loose stool and vomitting when you switch their food. Instantly the owner blames the food and switches them back and never switches the food again under the claim that their dog has whats commonly called a “sensitive stomach”.

The joint supplements are a great idea. Glucosamine is a great supplement for joint and hip problems. Cancer, I feel, and I think others do too can have a lot to do with a poor diet. A lot of poor grade dogs foods do contain ingredients that are carcinogenic even for humans and without variety in their diet they are being fed those toxins for years and eventually is catches up with them. The rotational diet helps prevent that and the build up of allergies as well. If your Rottie is already allergic to a protein source like chicken, you are going to want to be very careful with the food you choose as many have chicken meal or chicken fat hidden in the list of ingredients. Its all about reading ingredients but more importantly HOW to read the ingredients and the GA, which is why this website is so helpful. But like many here including Dr. Mike will tell you, its a jumping off point. Once you find a good food, you want to look further into the company that makes it, the co-packers, the recall history etc and make sure that you’re not being fooled into thinking its a good food based on the ingredients. Also knowing where the company sources from is important, what with all the problems we have been having with China lately. Avoid China. Thailand on the other hand is ok.

I really hope that I’ve helped a little and that others will contribute or correct me if I’m wrong about any of my points. I love Rotties so I’m glad to be able to give you some direction with his health!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Linda G]

Dori – I was mostly cooking chicken and adding rice and/or vegetables. Had 2 dogs – One was sick for about 2 yrs (old age 17 yrs old), and was worried about her eating and started cooking for her. Now my other dog won’t eat anything else, but cooked foods. I was worried that she may not be getting all the nutrients needed, so started looking at raw foods. Started with Nature’s Variety…had kibble with freeze dried chicken in it. One dog wouldn’t touch it…..the other ate the freeze dried chicken and left the rest. Then tried Bravo….neither dog touched it. Moved to Primal Freeze-Dried Formula (Duck) and it’s a hit and miss. Just got some small packs of Acana – Lamb and Okanagan Apple and Orijen – Six Fish. Trying to find that right combo that they would enjoy eating.

[Pitlove]

no problem! i wish you the best of luck with finding a quality food for your old girl. Ill leave you with a suggestion for a food that I really like and Im currently using, which would be Orijen. It is high in animal protein moderate to low in fat and has 0% grains potatoe or tapioca starch. Some don’t like the use of lentils in it, however so far i’ve had great success with it. it’s on the more expensive side but it’s worth the money. they use human grade ingredients, the company that manufactures the food is award winning, all their meats poultry and fish are sourced regionally in Canada where the food is made and delivered to them fresh every day.

[DogFoodie]

My three favorite “senior” foods are Wellness Core Reduced Fat, Go! Fit+Free Senior and Orijen Senior. All three are quality products made by manufacturers I trust, of quality ingredients. All have protein in excess of 30% and a bit less fat, but still high quality fats.

[jamie f]

Hi, I’m new here and would love some advice! I have an adult shih tzu
who only ate kibble the first 6 or 7 years of his life, and last year we
rescued a second dog who needed to gain weight. I added wet food to the
kibble for both dogs (didn’t want to show favoritism!) and now I can’t
get them off of it. Why try, you ask? Most importantly, I notice they
throw up once in a while (too rich?) and have bad gas, but it’s also not
as convenient (I’m a mom of two small children, one with special needs
so my life is pretty stressful)… I figured my shih tzu would eat if
he’s hungry enough but no luck so far – I’m caving in and throwing in
some nitrate free deli meat or boiled chicken here and there… but I
really want to get back to just kibble! I wonder if I find a tastier
kibble? (currently using Orijen grain free)
Thank you for your help!!

[L T]

Check your local (not chain) pet stores, they may stock this or get it in for you routinely. Champion has a free bag program after 10 bags your 11th is free. Doesn’t have to be the same kind, but the free will be the smallest size you have on the card. My local one in Virginia deals directly with Champion and manufacturers of other high quality food, in other words they don’t sell food you can find in the chains. Also, as I said before the feeding guide for Declan at 87lbs is 3 1/2 c daily. I feed him roughly 2 1/4 c daily and he has maintained that weight for over 1 1/2 yrs. He goes to doggy day care (play time) 3x week and is considered pretty active. My local pet store rep and I talked about the amount and he recommended factoring in other food/treats and underfeeding the kibble. Declan does not seem hungry, but as a typical Lab he will never turn down the opportunity for a morsel. Good luck. I have tried the 6 fish and it worked out fine (you definitely know it’s fish in the bag), but since Declan doesn’t have any allergies I went back to Regional Red (Orijen) or Ranchlands (Acana). Keep us posted!

[DogFoodie]

Not all dogs need a lot of fiber. One of mine is fine with high fiber, the other (which is also the one with several food intolerances) would get terrible loose stool with high fiber.

Orijen is far from limited ingredient. Multiple animal proteins, plus all the extras… you’d be hard pressed to figure out what the dog was reacting to if the Orijen didn’t agree with him/her.

[L T]

Sheryl,

I would ask them about pesticides if you are worried. Given the caliber of food, not outsourced and human grade, I suspect they are pretty careful on all their ingredients. As I said, I feed Declan the Orijen Regional Red or Acana Ranchlands dry dog food. I have not used the freeze dried, but may give it a try at some point. To date, I have been very pleased with the food. Lisa

[jella]

Dear LT, I finally found the list with ingredients. Thank you for your help. I did receive an email back from Orijen an Acana telling me that all their products including the treats contain alfalfa. Fiber for the dogs. What do you think about the alfalfa being in it? With so many pesticides, etc. in grains I am not sure. I didn’t realize that dogs needed extra fiber or that much. Still undecided about this one because of the alfalfa.