[Jenn H]

Wendyz I had replied this morning, but am just noticing that I must not have hit “submit”. Therefore I apologize for the delay.

I will say that after about 20 GSDs in 35+ yrs only 1 of them had pano. That was when I was a teenager. Therefore I had no control on what the dogs were fed. I just fed them according to parents’ instruction. At that time Pedigree, Purina, Blue Seal, etc were considered great food. Canned was to be used very rarely and only to give pills or extra during very cold times.
That dog grew very big very quickly. At 2 he was heading toward 100#s. Since he died suddenly at 2.5 from torsion we’ll never know what he would’ve topped out at.

With the exception of a couple of dogs I have adopted as adults, none of the 20ish dogs I’ve had have gotten hip/elbow dysplasia, OCD, arthritis, etc. With the proper diet, exercise & supplements the arthritic dogs became noticeably better. (Supplements are a whole other conversation.)

I worry about my pup because I have no idea what his father is like. His mother was a “midnight rescue”. She is 90+ lbs. His confirmation isn’t ideal. Angulated hips, roach back. Since switching him tho he has developed more muscle tone which I think has gotten him to stop walking on his hocks and has a better coat. He is also more satisfied after meals despite being fed much less amt.

It appears that quality of the proteins is more important than the quantity. Stay away from plant based. Go for meats/fish/eggs as a source. Higher biological value. Protein is important to build muscle.

You also want to control the rate of growth. GSDs can grow until they’re 3 y/o. My boy has steadily gained 2 #s/wk his whole life. Once in a while he doesn’t gain anything, but will gain 3#s the next wk.

It’s perfectly fine to give joint supplements at 6 months. Right now he gets 1.5 tabs Cosequin DS (the kind WITHOUT vitamins & minerals).

Make sure that if fish is in the food it is NOT preserved by the supplier or manufacturer with Ethoxyquin. Solid Gold & their suppliers do not use that.

If you want to have more control over proteins The Honest Kitchen may be a good choice. Even if you only feed 1 meal/day or a few meala/wk. When I contacted them regarding the puppy they suggested this:
4-6 mon Thrive
After 6 months transition/rotate with Embark, Love, Revel, Brave (that’s a LID of fish).
They make human grade dehydrated base mixes. You add the protein yourself. They include the suggested amts, but really it’s up to you.

I like to keep my puppies on the leaner side while they grow. A roly poly puppy is cute, but not ideal. I find 22-25% protein to be a good amt. But I care more about what type and the calcium.

Other LBP foods on my short list are:
*Orijen LBP/Acana
*Fromm LBP Gold although I’m hesitant to try it since a lot of people are complaining their dogs are getting sick from their gold line.
*Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Lamb & Rice. I used it when I couldn’t find Wolf Cub

Just an aside…I appreciate that you asked for my advice and am very happy to help. I am not a vet or a nutritionist. All I have is experience. Dogfoodie, Pitlove, Houndmom (I’m pretty sure that’s her name) are about the only 3 people who seem to be as conscientious as I and have offered some valuable & helpful advice. They are very good sources to reach out to also. I know there are some significant differences between GSDs and other large breeds, but there’s more similarities when it come to prevention of musculoskeleton problems.

Another aside is that I think I may switch my Lab mix to Solid Gold Barking at the Moon. I can let you know how that goes.

Good luck with the pup. I’m sure he’ll be just fine. I doubt that bout of pano will be a problem. You understand that calcium should not exceed 1.5% and the calcium/ phosphorus ratio should be around 1:1-2:1.

If I think of anything I may have forgotten I’ll let you know.

[Leslie C]

I know a little bit about seizures as I have had two dogs, a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Golden Retriever that did not live together and both had seizures. The Golden we bought as a puppy after the first Berner female died. I did a lot of research on the breeds and the issue of seizures. Bernese Mountain Dogs are prone to seizures as they age, Goldens are not. And no one knows what that means, prone to, or why. We believe that initially, the Berner had a brain tumor or cancer that travelled to her brain. I was using a regular vet who just put her on anti seizure meds that really didn’t help. No seizures, no personality, she only lived a month after we put her on the meds. As a puppy she never had seizure, therefor, we knew that she was not epileptic. Epilepsy is diagnosed before or around two years of age. The Golden was having seizures that were probably unrelated to his diagnosis, osteo-carcenoma (bone cancer) which he got at nine. He actually lived another year after he was diagnosed- usually the diagnoses is six months. Since he lived way beyond his prescribed “end”, probably because I was cooking human grade food, and because of the attention he got from his family, at his last visit to the vet they believed that perhaps tumors form elsewhere in his body may have metastasized to his brain. He got real bad real fast only in his last ten days. So I think the food was a big part of lengthening his life, making him happy and giving him the best quality nutrition, and sometimes there is just nothing else you can do. Heavy meds do not make a happy dog. He died Spring of 2015. My current Bernese Mountain Dog (unrelated, but from the same breeder as the other dog) has had four unpredictable seizures in the last year and a half. I thought at first that it might have been from the dry food because of the Golden’s seizures. I got rid of the enormous cookies (Pro-Pet) we got from Agway with our grain and hay deliveries. The dogs liked coming to the barn and chowing down on big bones. Its very odd though, his blood work was good, especially for a 9 year old Berner. My vet is a holistic vet, who gives our dogs (we have a Wheaten too) supplements to help them maintain an effective system. (Like vitamins). They are also regular vets that give shots and operate, and they absolutely believe that foods can be toxic to pets. Especially poor brands of pet food. (Look at what the first ingredient is on the label). HOWEVER, more toxic are the many unnecessary shots that they give. Really. The puppy shots and rabies (every several years depending on the dogs age) are necessary, but there are many other shots that you can ask your vet to omit. In addition, you are worried about cleaning products? If you’re okay, your dog should be okay, but you never know. I think that lawn products, stuff on the sidewalk, stuff that your dog can lick off his paws and get sick from are real problems. I am trying to find out if any of the dry foods I feed them have caused seizures or something else. The now get Merrick and Blue, and Blue Dog Bakery biscuits. Has anyone said anything about Milk Bone? (I think the UPS delivery guys give them Milk Bone when the drop boxes off). But really, I find it easy to cook for them, making chicken or fish for the family, I just make extra. We also have chickens so they get a lot of eggs, those small carrots, peas, cooked yams, apples, and even plain yogurt. If you know where it came from and if your eating it yourself its safe. Allergies are another story. I hope this helped a little bit… And please, if anyone discovered more about this bizarre and mysterious seizure conundrum, or about the dog foods and treats I listed above, please post!!

[Becky A]

I agree Kayla M. Orijen is the way to go! they’re a company based out of Canada and provide whole prey and fruits and veggies. When I got my second schnauzer I put him and his big bro on orijen and I couldn’t be happier! I mix their food with Honest Kitchen to add some extra oomph of vitamins, minerals, protein, etc.

[El]

Hi Bobby D, welcome to the DFA forums 😉

“Is it possible for a dog to be allergic to a certain food and have them be symptom free for over a month”
Yes
“or should an allergy show up much sooner than that?”
Maybe

The first thing I would do is take him to a regular vet if you haven’t done so already. I would definitely take advantage of my vet’s expertise and experience before I do anything else. Once you have a better idea of what is actually going on with his skin then you could always find out what worked for other dogs with the same diagnosis. Your vet could take one look and know what it is (hopefully). Or your vet could immediately narrow it down to environmental, or food, or fleas, or yeast, or ???

If it’s food related I would do an elimination diet before I would ever put him on a veterinary prescription food like “Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein”. Here are the ingredients;

Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein
“Brewers rice, hydrolyzed soy protein, chicken fat, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavors, monocalcium phosphate…”

It’s just rice sweepings, hydrolyzed soy and vitamins and minerals to balance it, and it costs about $100 for a 25lb bag!!!

With a TRUE elimination diet you would pick 1 protein and 1 carbohydrate that he has never eaten before and feed ONLY those 2 things for at least 12 weeks.

Once you see a vet, please come back and let us know what’s going on!
Best of luck to you and your furry one 😉

[Leslie R]

I’m new to the forum here and I saw that on Feb 20 2013 Hound Dog Mom posted an assessment of Big Country Raw which listed the vitamins and supplements it would need to be a complete feed. I followed the original question and found Dawson didn’t do well on it. I have friend’s who swear by it and they have aussies with magnificent coats and apparent excellent health. I have a rescue silky terror that has gone from a greasy coat to a better coat although a bit dry through kibble changes. I am seriously considering raw and as I live down the street from BCR I wonder if you possibly have the time to reassess this product. I would also love your opinion on mixing proteins also as there is so much debate I find on this topic. Thanks in advance!

http://www.bigcountryraw.ca/menu.php

[zcRiley]

January 29, 2016 FYI FYI FYI FYI FYI FYI

Those who buy Canine Caviar know what it looks and smells like. Very small round dark dark brown kibbles, smells like aromatic herbs. I’ve been buying a lot for rotation since mid 2015, no issues with the Coconut, Coconut Oil, Anise Oil, Thyme Oil formula. My pups loved it, I loved smelling it.

I opened a new 4 lb bag yesterday, back upper left of bag printed “BEST USED BY 11FEB17 EW2 0150821972 233 15:08 MO”. This was what I found:

It smelled just like when you open up a bottle of synthetic vitamins. Each kibble shape was similiar to a soft contact lens, but a flatter cupped saucer, nickel/dime size. Hard, dry, gray beige in color. Crumbled like plaster when I broke it in half with my fingers. To me, it looked and smelled like they ran out of venison meat and the oils and the production just kept cranking it out. My 1st strange, brow raising experience with a dog food bag.

I did not give it to my pups to eat. I’m being sent a replacement bag but before I toss it out, of course I’ll compare batch #’s and the contents.

[Bobby dog]

Just an FYI for anyone who supplements or is thinking of supplementing their dog’s food with a human multi vitamin. Dr. Susan Wynn, DVM used to have a homemade food recipe posted on her site. She took it down because it called for a human multivitamin supplement to balance it. Her explanation from her FB page 8/18/15: “For those of you who have asked – the homemade diet on my website was taken down for a good reason. As it turns out, human multivitamins have, almost across the board, increased their vitamin D contents to a level that approaches the upper safety limit for dogs. So I can’t recommend a generic diet with human multis anymore. There are options, but they are more limited if you want to do this correctly. Make an appointment to discuss the right strategy for you and your dog!”

[Sara J]

Well yes, just recommend vitamins in general but I am curious and slightly disagree as calcium I’ve been recommended calcium supplements for my pets on more than one occasion but I was looking for a multivitamin

Idea originated from an article here on the lack of nutritional value in dog food that I can’t link unfortunately

[jakes mom]

Not sure what your question is. Do you want vitamins to supplement a vegan/vegetarian pet food? No dog should be on such a food in my opinion. They need protein from meat. They may survive on veg based food but they will not thrive.
A healthy dog eating appropriate food does not need vitamin supplements.

[Olivia]

My puppy is now almost 6 months. He is a corgi, and his name is Thumper. I’m a bit new to all of this, and I want to be sure my little guy has a healthy diet and is properly nourished. I am just seeking general advice, especially from fellow corgi owners. What’s the best dog food, treats, supplements? How do I ensure he’s getting all the vitamins, protein, etc in his diet? Should I consider getting him a probiotic? Any and all tips and advice are greatly appreciated!

[Shawna]

Hi Pittiemama,

Hopefully I can help you here. My puppy had kidney disease right from birth. It is believed her kidneys just weren’t able to develop (she was the sixth puppy, the runt, for a 12 pound Chihuahua / Boston Terrier mix). The breeder had to had feed her, due to a collapsing trachea, raw goats milk and egg whites to keep her alive. She had symptoms (excessive drinking and urine) at just six weeks of age. She was officially diagnosed at one year and given a year to live. She lived to eight years and seven months old and then passed for reasons not directly related to kd.

A little background on me, my father is a naturopath. I did consult with him when I got Audrey’s diagnosis but being raised by him, I was able to mostly formulate the plan of attack myself.

Audrey’s numbers, when she was diagnosed, were right around the same as your babies — and she lived almost seven more very very healthy and happy years. It could happen for your baby too.

The first thing I would suggest is to keep up on his dental health. You won’t want to use anesthesia for dental cleanings so RIGHT now start doing anything and everything you need to keep his teeth clean. It was actually bacteria likely from a dental infection that got into Audrey’s kidneys and ultimately took her life. Use fresh garlic in his meals. Use an enzyme supplement in his water, Dr. Melissa Shelton’s essential oil called Dog Breath is very effective and a drop can be added to his water dish or you can mix with water in a spray bottle and spray right on teeth. http://www.animaleo.info/dog-breath.html I would also recommend a product made by Green Pasture’s called Infused Coconut Oil. It’s high in vitamin K2 (which has been shown to have great benefit for teeth) and has other wonderful nutrients. All of my dogs get it but I found it when Audrey’s teeth were already needing some extra support. 🙁 http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/InfusedCoconutOil/index.cfm

I HIGHLY recommend Standard Process Canine Renal Support. It is a food based supplement that “feeds” the kidneys but also has a product called a protomorphogen (which is the RNA/DNA of the kidney cell) that helps prevent inflammation to the kidneys. It is the one supplement she never went without. I also used their SP Canine Hepatic Support when I thought she needed a little liver support — helps with allergies too. I also used their Cataplex B and C as water soluble vitamins may need to be added due to the large amounts being urinated out.

ONLY give filtered or other forms of “clean” water. I would avoid tap water at all cost. Lower sodium mineral waters with good amounts of calcium and magnesium have been shown to be beneficial for dogs with kd. I like Evian water because it is high in calcium bicarbonate. I didn’t give it all the time but made sure (at least in the beginning) to give it regularly — I got lax in the later years and I truly believe Audrey would still be with me if I had not. She was doing so well though and my life got busier..

I HIGHLY recommend getting some Garden of Life Primal Defense probiotic and Garden of Life Acacia Fiber supplements as well. These are used as “nitrogen traps” and as BUN begins to build up the bacteria consuming the fiber will cause some of the nitrogen to be routed through the bowels freeing up the kidneys from having to deal with them. I gave probiotic foods (like green tripe, fermented veggies etc) frequently but when I noticed she was feeling a little lethargic, depressed, not feeling well etc I assumed nitrogen was building up and I’d give her the probiotics and prebiotic for several days. Always worked like a charm. Will be quite important as the disease progresses and he starts getting symptoms. This also allows for a higher protein diet. The protein doesn’t damage the kidneys but it does, due to BUN, add to symptoms. Oh, I forgot to mention. Audrey ate a HIGH protein raw diet up until the last six to eight weeks of her life. Audrey never had a problem with phosphorus but as your puppies disease progresses you may have to watch the amount of phosphorus in the foods you are feeding. The golden rule is to limit phosphorus but it’s obviously not always necessary. That said, phosphorus can damage the kidneys if it gets too high in the blood so either monitor it or feed the right amounts of phos for the stage your pup is at. Right now while phosphorus isn’t as big an issue, I like the Honest Kitchen Brave. To that I would add a raw egg a few times per week and give Answer’s raw goat milk regularly as well. Both raw eggs (if not whipped etc) and raw milk can easily increase the “master antioxidant” in the body called glutathione. This will obviously help out everything. Later, when phos needs to be more restricted, you may not be able to give the whole egg (as the yolk is higher in phos).

Supplements —
1. Organic Turmeric is good as it is anti-inflammatory but it also is anti-fibrotic (prevents scar tissue). Audrey didn’t tolerate turmeric well so she didn’t get it but in general it would be quite helpful for a dog with KD.
2. Spirulina, chlorella and pumpkin seed oil are all high in chlorophyll and supplies lots of other nutrients. Dogs with KD can be at risk for anemia and chlorophyll is awesome for anemia.
3. Burdock root is a prebiotic and of the herb world is considered to be the “blood cleaner”.
4. Milk thistle helps spare glutathione and is a good detoxer.
5. Distilled water (given once in a while) and food grade activated charcoal are good detoxers too.
6. Copaiba essential oil is great for pains and inflammation plus more. A therapeutic grade, like Dr. Sheltons, is the only kind to use on pets. Can be given in food or rubbed into the skin over the kidneys as an example.
7. Braggs brand apple cider vinegar can help with indigestion or tummy issues. Audrey didn’t need it often but when she did I would mix it 50/50 with water and syringe feed it. She hated it but within seconds would burp and feel better.
8. Therapeutic grade peppermint oil, ginger extract or Dr. Shelton’s GI Joe essential oil work great for tummy issues as well. I got sick to my tummy and used the GI Joe to help. Kept me from vomiting and soothed my tummy.
9. Learn about essential oils if you don’t already know. If you have a Facebook account, join AnimalEO’s page and sign up for Dr. Shelton’s Friday Fun Facts. I didn’t know about them early enough to be much use with Audrey (specifically Dr. Shelton’s oils) but I sure wish I had.

DON’T do ANY more vaccinations – not even rabies if you can at all avoid. Audrey was legally exempted from having to get the rabies vaccine for life. She wasn’t protected either as she only got her first shot (at six months) before diagnosis was made. No heartworm, flea/tick or anything like that either.

I know there’s things I’m forgetting but hopefully this is enough to give you a good jumping off point.. 🙂 Hugs to you and your baby boy!!!!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Shawna.

[Pitlove]

Hi Juanita- “The only thing I do not like about Zignature is although it stops the itching and there are no synthetic vitamins it appears it doesn’t have all the necessary nutrients in it but I might be wrong.”

Zignature does use a premade synthetic vitamin pack. There are only 2 food brands (dry kibble) on the market that don’t- one is Nature’s Logic and the other is Carna4. Also Zignature is a complete and balanced food, so it does have the necessary nutrients.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.

[Juanita B]

Go to AllergicPet.com A lot of positive results for all types of issues. I use the oil and spray on my dog and it helps but I just use it on his paws. There is also a powder to put in the food. Review. You might like it. All natural ingredients.

The allergies are not the food but the protein in the food. The brand also makes a difference. A dog may be allergic to one protein and not allergic to another protein in another brand depending on the combination of ingredients and other proteins interacting with each other. A neighbor of mine uses Zignature for her dog. The only thing I do not like about Zignature is although it stops the itching and there are no synthetic vitamins it appears it doesn’t have all the necessary nutrients in it but I might be wrong. The allergies could be environmental too. My dog is itching a lot this time because he keeps laying by the heater and maybe he has dry skin. I purchased Furminator itch relief shampoo; other than mild surfactants it has all natural ingredients. I also put a Furminator (all natural) conditioner on it afterward. It is not a cure but it helps. There is also tearless puppy shampoo. There are no parabens and no chemical dyes and is made in the United States. Go to furminator.com or amazon.com. Maybe chewy.com sells it too. I get mine from PetSmart.

[Keira L]

Hi Shawna,
Thank you so much for your reply! Your story is honestly what keeps me from breaking down after any vet visit! So thank you for sharing!
Like I said this is all very over whelming so I’m so appreciative of your response .

Creatinine 5.6
protein 71 mg/L
BUN 9.60mmol/L

She drinks a lot of water, but we live in a hot climate and I watch what she drinks and her energy compared to my other boxer and there’s not a lot of difference between them. She has a big drink before and during sleep so that’s why I think she has little accidents I try to get up in the night and take her out for a wee.
She has a BIG appetite! Never feels like she has eaten enough, I had started given her 3 meals rather 2, they’re small to medium in portion because she just seems to want to eat all the time! Even tries to eat my other dog , Muddys food 😂

I read what you said about Audrey , “you would never know she had kidney failure apart from her levels” That’s Lola too! I was sure they had made a mistake?!
We have been feeding her sweet potatoe boiled, carrots ,celery, and lean raw mince- only just started her on egg yolk ( our 4th day)
still giving her HILLS wet food in the morning for breakfast as we re weening her off it.
I bought standard process canine support because of you! 😀 Starting her on that, this week😀
I have enzymes , and a mix pre and pro biotic powder- would love advice on how much to give her with these enzymes and pre and pro? I also heard parsley was good but it’s also a diuretic?
She gets a 150mg Q10 ,
she gets an osteo pill for bone strength ( vet recommendation)
fish oil ( was giving everyday but just 3 times a week now- as I didn’t want to give too much, still researching and tweaking amounts)
Also vitamin b complex
We give her little pieces of watermelon through the day sometimes for a treat

Would you recommend vitamin c as well since she isn’t getting enough in her food then?
I was giving human vitamins as I heard they’re better quality (fish oil, vitaminB )
Thanks again Shawna, and sorry to hear about Audrey, what a lucky girl she was to have you as her mum and a great life she would have had ❤️
Keira :))

[Susan]

Hi Janet, sounds like acid reflux, my boy also a rescue that I rescued 3 years ago, started doing the licking & swallowing around 11pm at night, he was on Royal Canine vet diet Hypoallergenic for his skin, he came to me in very bad condition, the fat was too high at 19%, so vet changed his kibble too a lower fat kibble 10% this did heap but it was a vet diet with corn etc no good, he still would have these licking & swallowing episodes, lick my sheets, lick & lick his front paw, the vet said when they lick & lick they can be in pain & the licking sets off their Endorphins, he’d eat grass, feel sick, vomit, he’d grind his teeth, in the end I had an Endoscope & Biopsies done & he had the Helicobacter-Pylori & IBD, he’s also a stress head & causes his acid reflux sometimes. We went away for Xmas a 2 hour drive, I had started him on a new kibble a month before just Fish & Rice, no other ingredients & the fat % is 12%, he was doing real well, no acid reflux, I cook as well, then I brought out my suit case a week before we were going away & I started putting things in so I didn’t forget them, I even got him his own bag & put it next to mine & put his toys, an old bowl he doesn’t use no more, then he started following me everywhere in the house, he became my shadow again like when I first rescued him, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight, then he started getting his acid reflux again, he grinds his teeth & swallows, so out came the liquid Mylanta, I keep in the fridge, keeps it cool, so when I give it to him, it soothes his throat, the acid comes up into his throat, sometimes he has had a real sore throat, I give 4 mls in a syringe of the liquid Mylanta & it works the best with him, Zantac works OK but the liquid Mylanta settles the acid straight away, vet did not want him on a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Prilosec-Omeprazole, Somac-Pantoprazole etc you can’t not just stop taken a PPI after you’ve taken it for 15 days need to be reduce…..

Can you buy chicken breast or lean Turkey breast mince & just bring to the boil & take off stove as soon as its cooked, with the chicken breast, I cut up into chunks & remove any fat & as soon as it’s about to boil, I remove from stove & empty out all the water, all the white frothy fat comes to the top, I boil the jug & rinse the chicken breast pieces with the boiled water, let it cool or run cold water over chicken pieces, then I make up 1 cup sections in freezer bags & freeze I put 2 bags in the fridge, I also boil, 1 potato, 1 zucchini, some broccoli, sometimes a bit of pumkin, I put in container in fridge, then I put in a blender a 4-5 pieces of boiled potato, some of the broccoli & 1/2 a cooked zucchini….
The fat in the wet tin foods is high if it says 5%-fat when you converted to dry matter (Kibble) 5%fat is around 22%-25% fat if it was a kibble, so you need to look for wet tin foods that are around 1-3 % fat only & limited ingredients no corn, no wheat, no by-products etc…… when you cook, you know what they’re eating, you can control the fat & it works out cheaper then wet tin foods also the kibble made Patches acid reflux worse, so I started to I feed just the cooked chicken & potatoes etc for 1-2 months & let the stomach rest. I do add cooked kangaroo rissole sometimes that I bake or 1/2 tin of salmon in spring water & drain all the spring water, I also add 1/2 teaspoon DigestaVite plus-100 powder it’s vitamins/minerals, prebiotics for the stomach skin etc but at first I only feed Chicken Breast & some sweet potatoes then I slowly started adding 1 new ingredient each week & watched it didn’t give his acid reflux, find a limited ingredient kibble that’s just Fish & Rice no peas, no lentils, nothing that can upset her stomach, or Fish & Potatoes but the grain free kibbles normally have peas tapioca, lentils etc change her diet to a lower fat diet 10-12% fat, I also feed 4 small meals a day, 7am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm…at 7am & 5pm is the cooked meal & 12pm & 8pm is his 1/2 cup kibble… you will find what works for your girl, if you do have the Endoscope make sure you get the Biopsies as well, when the vet looked down Patches throat into his stomach everything look excellent, I was waiting to pick Patch up & I can still hear 1 of Patches vet saying, everything looked good, see I told you, we need to cut him open & look at his small bowel, I said we still have to wait for the results from the biopsies & I kept saying it’s Helicobacter cause I’ve had the Helicobacter twice when I was younger & it makes you feel awful & you have stomach pain, bad acid reflux, it’s awful…. I feed kibble that have prebiotics, no Probiotics, Probiotics made Patch worse I don’t know why…. vet said prebiotics are better for the stomach & small bowel….

[Susan]

Hi Jamie, I would be feeding a wet tin food or home cooked meals now, wet will be easier for her to digest then a kibble……. I cook chicken breast cut up into small pieces & brought to the boil then the chicken is normally ready, don’t boil the chicken pieces they will be like leather, I rinse any fat off the chicken pieces with boiled jug water, I cool, then I make 1/2 cup & 1 cup cooked chicken in plastic seal bags then put 2-3 in the fridge & the rest in freezer, I boil one cut up potato in small pieces that last 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, some boiled broccoli, some boiled zucchini, carrots & I boil half a butter nut pumkin & freeze small pieces of the pumkin, the frozen pumkin thaws quickly, all these foods can be cooked then frozen & taken out the night before for the next day meals…..I put chicken & veggies all in a blender & blend for a few seconds then warm blended in micro wave then add any vitamin powder etc

See how she does when she comes home on the cooked bland diet first, then if poos are firm & she isn’t having any wind pain while digesting the cooked meal then you can add 1/2 a small tin of salmon in spring water, drain spring water, I add the salmon with the breakfast chicken meal, I also add 1/2 teaspoon DigestaVite Plus 100 powder, its Vitamins & minerals to balance the meal, also omega 3,6 & 9 oil is good, add a squirt to meal, its good for skin coat & stomach…I didn’t add no vitamins etc when I first started the cooked diet cause Patch has IBD & I needed to know if any of the ingredients I was adding would give him diarrhea, pain, acid reflux etc….Vet said he’ll be fine eating an un balanced diet for 1 month till I work out what he can eat & can’t eat…….

Having a small dog you wouldn’t need to cook much, over time you can slowly start adding some foods you are cooking for yourself as long as dogs can eat them…. white meats are easier to digest, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Rabbit….
Canidae make wet tin foods, also Dave’s Pet Food is suppose to be good…..
http://davespetfood.com/catalog/for-dogs/can/

[DogFoodie]

Hi Craig,

Chicken and rice shouldn’t be fed long-term unless recommended by your vet. This diet lacks vitamins, minerals, amino acids, Omegas, etc. White rice has very little nutritional value.

I would suggest that you consider rotating proteins that you’re adding as toppers. Your dog would benefit a great deal from the addition of tinned sardines a couple of times weekly. Chicken is fine occasionally, but rotate that with the sardines and a red meat protein. Make sure that the extras (including treats) make up no more than 20% of your pup’s daily intake to avoid throwing off the nutritional balance of his diet.

Since you have a smaller dog, and he seems to like homemade (probably warm) food, you could fully investigate making home cooked meals, that are complete and balanced. It must be properly balanced or it’ll do more harm than good when fed long-term. A good book to read would be Dr. Karen Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Cats and Dogs. Dogaware dot com is a great website with lots of information about nutrition and home cooking meals.

If you are looking for commercial diets, you might investigate dehydrated or freeze dried foods. My favorite dehydrated foods are from The Honest Kitchen. Zeal might be a good choice to start. Freeze dried (and canned) foods tend to be higher in fat which is very important in your dog’s diet, but should be fed in moderation. Your dog is eating very little healthy fat currently, so any increase in fat should be done gradually. A good freeze dried food is Orijen, but it’s high in fat. You might also look at a lower fat canned food as an option, such as Wellness Core Reduced Fat.

You’re obviously a very caring pet guardian! I’m sure you enjoy cooking for your dog and you could fix him chicken and rice once a week or so. As long as his diet is balanced the rest of the week, it’ll be fine. I’d probably use brown rice for a little more nutrition and fiber rather than white rice. Good luck and have fun!

[bob b]

Hi im new here and just had a quick question. I’m thinking about getting a Boston terrier and honestly haven’t done much research on dog care yet (so I don’t know too much about dog diet and all) but there’s a few things from what iv read that I feel I want to incorporate into my dogs diet. First I want some of the food to be raw. Also im thinking of rotating my dogs diet daily with different dogs food in order to add variety. Lastly my main goal is to feed food with no synthetic ingredients at all(which is hard because from what iv seen even the best foods are loaded with synthetic vitamins and minerals). Furthermore the only foods Iv been able to find that fit into the above criteria are:carna4,Nrg raw one, answers straight+ maybe urban wolf, and smack raw(I know natures logic and natural variety are also okay also but im going to avoid these because of some controversy about montmorillonite clay. So my plan is to rotate between some of the above foods daily in order to insure it gets better nutrition. So does this sound okay for my diet plan?

[Coonhound Mama]

I’m sorry to hear about this 🙁 I would strongly recommend trying bone broth for your girl while she’s still having issues with nausea and vomiting. It’s got many beneficial vitamins and minerals in it that will be easily digestible to your dog. You can buy bone broth from some specialty pet stores already made (popular brand Honest Kitchen makes some) but it’s really easy to do yourself! It’s not a complete and balanced diet, but starting your dog back onto regular food isn’t always easy and this is a solid, nutritious start. Regarding raw, I disagree with the previous poster in that raw isn’t good for a dog in this condition. I think you may just want to keep her fat intake to a minimum. Darwins is notorious these days for high fat levels so if you’re looking for a brand with a lower fat content, try Natures Variety Instinct Frozen Raw.

Here’s a link to bone broth!

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/reasons-your-dog-love-bone-broth/

[Mom T]

I was given a 10+ yr. old, very neglected, St. Bernard/Husky mix male dog for Christmas! He is so sweet and fits well in our family. After a couple of vet visits he is overall healthy with a few issues being heartworms, severe flea allergy and mild hip dysplasia. He also roughly half his weight at 65 lbs.

The more I read, the more I am confused on how to best put weight on him. The vet recommended puppy food. With his age I am concerned about pancreas issues feeding him a high fat diet. What would you recommend for…
Wet and dry foods?
Additives to food such as raw eggs, oils?
Vitamins…Pettabs?

Thanks for your help!

[El]

Hi Gwen J, welcome to DFA, and yes, you’re in the right forum.

First of all let me say that your friend is blessed to have so many apparently healthy dogs who live to be 12 to 15 years old 😉

Health and longevity in dogs, like in people, is related to a combination of genes and environment. So, while your friend’s dogs appear healthy and live to be 12 to 15 years old on what you call a below average kibble, I believe that with all other things being equal, those same dogs would have been a little healthier and might have lived a bit longer if they had eaten a less processed, more species appropriate diet than a below average kibble.

That was the easy part, the difficult part is figuring out exactly what a healthier more species appropriate diet is and how you can achieve that within yours or anyone else’s financial and other constraints.

One way is to add approximately 10% lightly cooked meat to a dog’s diet. I would stick to a meat that is already in the food your feeding. Another way is to rotate between 2 or 3 different kibbles that don’t have overlapping proteins. Most companies now have a red meat, a lamb or a venison, a fish, and one or 2 poultry formulas.

The reason for adding only 10% lightly cooked meat is that the kibble is probably balanced as far as vitamins and minerals go, and if you added more than 10% of anything, you could unbalance that diet over the long term. The reason to rotate is that it helps expose your dog to a variety of proteins and nutrients and helps a dog have a more diverse population of healthy bacteria in their gut, and a diverse population of bacteria is very beneficial to a dog’s immune system.

Transition between foods s l o w l y. The longer a dog is on the same food the greater the chance of problems when switching foods. Try a 3 week transition to begin with. Add 10% of the new food to the old food, then every 2 days go up another 10%, so that it takes 20 days to fully transition.

Hopefully things will go well and then every 3 months or so you can switch to a new food until you find at least 3 foods that don’t cause any problems, and that your dog enjoys.

I know I wrote a lot of stuff, but in reality I’ve only scratched the surface. For now I’ve told you about 2 things that I believe will improve the health of yours and your friends dogs.

Good luck, keep us updated, and in the future if someone replies to you in a manner you don’t like, just IGNORE THEM, you’ll have a much better experience here if you do!

[Howard J]

Thank you so much. I’m going to bring her in to see a nutritionalist vet on Monday. Her poop is still watery and yellow. I’m also going to try the Honest Kitchen dog food and see if that works for her. I’ll give her mashed sweet potato and chicken breast tonight. If I were to give her cooked food I would have to supplement with amino acids and vitamins. DigestaVite Plus 100g looks great and will probably help put good bacteria back in her system. However, I don’t know where to buy it? The site doesn’t have a checkout and I looked on amazon and it said it would ship between january 5-February 8, which is a long time from now. It’s obviously not an American company.

What fruit and veggies do you recommend? I know that they most likely have to be pureed or boiled for easy digestion. I just don’t want to overwork her pancreas that’s why I want to give her pancreatic enzymes, they are just expensive.

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

[Susan]

Hi Howard, did she take Metronidazole (Flagyl)? its an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel, also smell her breath does it smell & what of?? that’s how I know what’s happening with my boy when I smell his breath, when my boy starts doing the yellow mushy poos I have a few scripts of Metronidazole the vet has given me & I put Patch on the Metronidazole with food for 10 days & change diet, also I cook potatoes instead of rice, boiled rice can irritate the bowel…. Australian vets are using boiled potatoes now instead or the old fashion boiled rice..
When Patch has had the gurgling pinning bowel noises it was either from the boiled rice or an ingredient he was sensitive too, then over the years I found he has food sensitives…. He has had Pancreatitis when I first rescued him, vet put him on a vet diet for his skin allergies & the fat was toooo high at 19%…..now I cook chicken breast, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, it depends some days I add Kangaroo rissoles some days or I add salmon in spring water drained, I put it all thru a blender for a few seconds….
I cant get The Honest Kitchen in Australia if I could I’d be feeding Patch the “Zeal” the fat is only 8.50% its low in carbs & limited ingredients & fish as protein so easy to digest, for the days I’m lazy…..http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal

I wouldn’t be feeding a raw diet with those symptoms, or if you do want to feed a raw diet, I went thru a Naturopath cause Patch was diagnosed with IBD & needs low fat diet & has Skin Allergies the raw worked for his skin but not his stomach (IBD) he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw Kangaroo & blended raw veggies but when I bake the kangaroo into rissoles & boil the same veggies, he’s OK, so I cook instead now & freeze meals…..

Sounds like you just haven’t found the right diet yet or she may do what happens with Patch, he needs his foods changed every month when I feed kibbles or he starts reacting to an ingredient, I posted a link about this I’ll try & find it, he cant stay on the same kibble too long he starts doing yellow sloppy poos….
Go supermarket get a couple brown potatoes, 1 small sweet potatoes, 1 zucchini & a small broccoli head, peel boil & put in containers in the fridge also maybe change the chicken to turkey or try the chicken & potato & see if there’s any gurgling pinning bowel noises & yellow mushy poo, if its still making loud noises change the protein, no chicken…maybe at first just do the chicken & potato & see if there’s improvement in stools, if there is then add some zucchini wait 2 days look at poos if poos are firm then add broccoli or whatever you want to add, then after a couple of weeks start adding some tin salmon in spring water drained to get all the healthy omegas & vitamins from the salmon, I add 1/2 a small tin per meal but you could make a few meals for a couple of days having a smaller dog… if you do see vet ask for a script for some Metronidazole its good have in cupboard when this happens, she may have too much bad bacteria in the stomach/bowel (S.I.B.O) & needs the metronidazole to fix everything up again….

[zcRiley]

Of course, anything that causes diarrhea stop feeding immediately (and to the vet if more than a few days). Your pup can’t have “too much protein” as the body excretes what’s not needed; however, it’s probably one or more of the other long long list of ingredients that’s causing an intolerance (gassy, loose stools). You can pick great food within your budget by reading ingredient lists, isolating proteins to see what helps, less is more and make sure it has vitamins/minerals.

We switched to Zignature Zssentials (4 stars) when they became diarrhetic to Orijen’s after the company tweaked their ingredients. It also states all the bad stuff it DOESN’T contain.

You can read all the ingredients for everything under the sun on Chewy.com. Fast and free shipping for $49 or more. I have not entered any pet store for anything since I discovered their website.

[MAUREEN W]

The dog had surgery 2 weeks ago to remove the stones so she is doing wonderful now. The dog was on poor cheap dry food only & locked outside for several hours at a time all summer so Im pretty sure poor diet & likely not enough water was the main cause for this. Of course I want to avoid it at all again & why i am looking for help but I dont believe for a minute prescription dog food is the answer, (have you read the label on that stuff), nothing of nutritional value in it at all in my opinion. The cost of the food is not a concern, grain free & healthy diet are what i look at for my pets. She is drinking water all day & pees alot too so just want to do whats best.
I take one of my dogs to get acupuncture & last thing she says to do is Royal Canine or the rest of the prescription foods. Im not one to take meds myself unless its vitamins& supplements & want to avoid that in dogs too. I am only used to giant breed dogs & having 3 Saint Bernards & 2 lived to almost 12 & 13 & one i have still is 11. I feel I have done something right in their health & well being to live that long. I like to research everything & glad i came across this form. I appreciate all the help & concerns. I have only her best interest at heart. I plan on getting her regular xrays to make sure shes not getting stones again. but hoped to be able to do something daily to help prevent. Maybe someone reading this had the same problem & found a good answer. Ive been told by several people whos dog had stones, to feed wet food mainly in which I have done since rescued her. Thanks

[Susan]

Hi Brenda,
There has to be another cheap dog food with better ingredients then Pedigree & Purina brands, I have a yeasty dog, so I’ve been feeding less kibble… I find the Grain free kibbles make him smell more, probably the potatoes & peas, your dog might be different & be OK eating potatoes & peas all dogs are different & react to different foods, like carrots as soon as I put carrots in his meals he starts scratching his ears after 2 days from just adding carrots.. Patch does best on a fish & rice kibbles, I feed cooked meal for breakfast & kibble for dinner, some days he gets chicken, kangaroo, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, pumkin then when the cooked kangaroo is finished in 2 days, I feed Chicken, Salmon, broccoli, zucchini, etc whatever I have left over I add to meal… buy some tin sardines in spring water, add a couple sardines with the beef & veggies even try adding some rice instead of the kibble, my boy has IBD & the cooked rice irritates his bowel but the grounded rice in a kibble is OK….sardines are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, Coenzyme (CoQ10) & vitamins excellent for the skin & heart….
Do you have a Costco near by they sell 6 tins Sardines in spring water for $10 or the supermarkets have their brand sardines real cheap, make sure they’re in spring water not tomato sauce or oil also Costco’s Grain Free dog food “Kirkland Signature” Nature Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato 35lb bag is made by Taste Of The Wild & cheaper…or Sportmix Wholesome Fish meal & Rice chewy sells 40lbs for $30 these kibbles may be a bit dearer but it will last longer & need less per meal then the Pedigree/Purina kibbles & your dog will be healthier in the long run…also bath weekly in an anti fungal anti bacterial dog shampoo…I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, I’ve seen a cheaper antibacterial shampoo at Walmart for around $7…. so maybe just changing to a better food & bathing weekly his skin will improve & still add some cooked food with the kibble once he’s doing good again…

[Z B]

Up until a few months ago HEB carried a grain free canned store brand called DaLeash, rated 5 star here on DFA:
/dog-food-reviews/daleash-dog-food/

DaLeash Chicken & Veggies CANNED:
Ingredients: Chicken, beef broth, chicken broth, liver, beef, dried egg whites, dried egg product, potatoes, potato starch, carrots, peas, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, dried beet pulp, salt, guar gum, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, sodium carbonate, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide), choline chloride

When DaLeash was discontinued, Heritage Ranch showed up on the shelves at HEB. Seems pretty much the same recipe:

Heritage Ranch Chicken and Veggies CANNED
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Whites, Potato Starch, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Peas, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Guar Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Carbonate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D‑Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride.

I used DaLeash regularly in my rotation until it was discontinued, now using Heritage Ranch. Canned versions only, so I can’t comment on the dry. The price is good at $1 a can, less if you buy the 12 pack. No complaints here. I feed a combo of homemade and rotate affordable canned foods like this one, Pure Balance and 4Health.

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

[Sherri P]

Hi, God Bless Everyone,

My Lab Tank Drake, likes these bones. He is a very sensitive doggy & everything seems to upset his tummy. The vet recommended this, so My husband & I started buying him Grain Free dog food by Rachel Ray which has helped him tremendously & this DreamBone which is rawhide free, cause our boy tank cannot eat rawhide either, without vomiting all over the place. I have read a lot of your comments & I am posting what the ingredients are in this: which I am copying right off the bag. DreamBone- (Dino chews) Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Helps maintain healthy teeth & gums, natural added vitamins…. Sweet potato, flour, pea flour, chicken, vegetable glycerin oil, dried brewers yeast, calcium carbonate, peanut butter, fish oil, dried kelp source of chlorophyll, dried tomato, calcium ascorbate source of vitamin c, vitamin e supplement, rosemary extract. Plus no GMO’s. All I can say Tank hasn’t vomited up by eating them. Which makes Dad & Mom Happy & Doggy Happy too 🙂

[Rhonda S]

Hi Melanie

I’m sorry to hear about your dog’s illness. I don’t have a low-fat recipe, but you could probably get one from a holistic vet. They often treat illness and disease through diet. Also, home-made diets are often lacking in vitamins and minerals, so any vet should be able to let you know if you need to add anything to the hamburger and rice you’re currently making.

In the posts above, there are some links from other members that might be worth checking out.

[Shawna]

First they target homeopathy and then they’ll target herbs or essential oils or anything else that is a risk to big pharma… At one point the government was targeting food based vitamins. It’s really quite laughable.

[Coonhound Mama]

Hi Ryan Y:
I’m new to raw feeding so I will stick to quoting the tried and true veterans of the field, but I do know that you have to be careful balancing phosphorous and calcium ratios as well as avoiding too much Vitamin A (often found in liver and fibrous carbohydrates like pumpkin). An older post in this forum written by Hound Dog Mom on the topic of Raw Feeding has a wonderful recipe she’s come up with (and also tested against AAFCO standards) that seems easy to make and is balanced as a full vitamin and mineral mix. Reminder that these are vitamins and minerals in their dietary form and not their tablet or pill form if that makes sense. I’ll post it here for you as I’ve copied it for my own use and don’t have time to hunt around for the original post!

Hound Dog Mom’s Whole Food Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Supplement (for her large dogs):

4 oz kelp powder
4 oz alfalfa powder
4 oz wheatgrass powder
4 oz spirulina powder
4 oz chlorella powder
4 oz bee pollen powder
4 oz turmeric powder
2 oz garlic powder

I know she also uses apple cider vinegar, cod liver oil, Himalayan crystal salt, calcium citrate, coconut oil and various mixed tocopherols tocotrienols in her dogs’ diet, but these would vary with dog size, age, weight and of course the other food items being fed at the time. Again, if you look through the forums, you should be able to find some of her outstanding dietary advice.

[weezerweeks]

I have been using the veg-to-bowl fine ground mix. It calls for 4ozs of protein a day which would be 1/4 cup in morning and night and then 1 scoop of mix which makes 1/4 cup. When I do this he’s getting 3/4 cup a day. He’s gaining wt. He needs 1/2 cup a day. If I give him only 1/4 cup of meat he’s only getting 2 ozs of protein a day. Is this enough protein or can I give him less mix and if I give him less mix will he still be getting all vitamins,etc. that he needs. He gains weight so easy and we walk a mile in morning and mile at night. He did weigh 7.3 and this morning he weighed 8.2. I noticed that grand ma lucys premixes said 1/4 cup of mix and 1/4 cup of meat all day.Any suggestions. I might have to go back to canned food. He loves the cooked meat I give him so I hate to go back.

[C4D]

Hi Shawna,

Yes, you did give me some food for thought and more research! 🙂

I did go back and read that portion of the article again. She did say that it didn’t work for her dog. I did find articles stating that famotidine can cause inappetance in some. In my case it seemed to help and I used it on an “as needed” basis. We are going back over 4+ years when I was doing the initial research. My vet recommended the famotidine (when we were in the later stage) and I found it on many sites as well the dogaware site. I was using almost every natural supplement recommended on the dogaware site as well as both mirtazapine and b complex vitamins, alternately, to help increase appetite in the later stage. They did seem to work. This is another one of the dogaware links that include the use of famotidine:

http://dogaware.com/health/kidneynattie.html

I understand your point that it might only be masking the sypmtoms, but in the case of CKD in an older dog, I think it might be helpful, particularly if there would be nothing done otherwise. I’m aware of the peppermint oil and ginger extracts and agree that this is quite helpful. I did find that apple cider vinegar can be used, but it seems to have mixed results, depending on the problem, on some sites such as livestrong. I found that sodium bicarbonate could be added to the Sub-Q fluids to combat the acidosis, but this was on a more traditional kidney site (the merck manual).

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/urinary_system/noninfectious_diseases_of_the_urinary_system_in_small_animals/renal_dysfunction_in_small_animals.html

Since in the traditional sites they are mentioning the metabolic acidosis as part of the kidney problem, are they the holistic vets disagreeing with this? I understand your point that indigestion, not necessarily related to kidney disease, can be related to insufficient acid production.

On another note, what do you think of the OP’s recent question regarding giving liver and kidney a few times a week?

[C4D]

Hi Vicky T,

I have been through this with one of my older dogs a few years ago. I strongly recommend you ask your vet about the BalanceIt website. They can create a homemade recipe for you based on your dog’s kidney (bun/creatinine) levels. There are also a couple of very good sites which I found very helpful in dealing with CRF. One is dogaware which has a ton of information regarding diet and supplements. Here’s the link:

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

Another helpful site is a bit older but still loaded with information. It’s on Facebook and is called CRF Dogs. It’s exact name on FB is: CRF Dogs (Chronic Renal / Kidney Failure). for some reason, disqus never links the FB pages. Both sites are loaded with homemade diets that worked well for my dog. He was in CRF for almost a year and was not the ulitmate reason we had to put him down.

Wet food is the best thing you can do and the key is not necessarily to restrict protein, but to bind the phosphorus. You would do this with calcium and do this in various ways. Epakitin is a nutritional supplement that helps to bind the phosphorus. You can check with your vet on dosage. My vet gave me some to try. There are also many foods listed on those sites that are moderate in phosphorus levels. Green Tripe (without added minerals and vitamins) and cooked egg white are 2 proteins that are kidney friendly.

The subQ’s are essential to keep the kidney flushed from toxins. You may also need to use famotidine (generic Pepcid AC) to help with the acid that occurs and causes nausea as the disease progresses. Again, your vet should be able to help you with all of this information. Shawna is a frequent poster that has a lot more experience in dealing with Kidney Failure in a young dog, but has a wealth of information.

Good Luck!

[Maureen H]

Sorry I am responding to this over a year after it was originally posted, but just found it. My Scottie was diagnosed in Oct. 2014 with TCC during a Purdue TCC Screening Study. She has been on 25 mg of Deramaxx since then and the tumor has shrunk considerably to where it has almost disappeared. I changed her food to home cooked meals of chicken/turkey breast and leafy green vegetables. She also is given milk thistle, SAM-e, probiotics, Omega 3 oil, and vitamins. I also feed her poached eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese occasionally. I eliminated carbohydrates, no grains. She is doing remarkably well, never showing any signs of the TCC. We were fortunate that Purdue found the tumor early by an ultrasound. We are truly blessed.

[Robin P]

Great Life was founded by Dr. Elliot Harvey who has written books on holistic dog food. Great Life is GMO free and before each batch goes out it is tested at an independent lab to make sure of it being GMO free. All Vitamins are sourced and packed in the USA.

[pugmomsandy]

You might consider using a premix that contains the vits/minerals like CarnivoreRaw (comes with or without calcium). Other premixes are Urban Wolf, Grandma Lucy’s, Honest Kitchen and Sojo’s but these do not recommend adding bone, just muscle meat. Dr. Karen Becker has a recipe book with simple recipes but you will need to purchase some vitamins and grind them up to add to the food at serving time. You can make a batch of the vitamin mix that will last a while.

Also, you might see if there are any raw feeding groups in your area. Several times a year, the one near me orders bulk from a few companies at less than retail, sometimes wholesale.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by pugmomsandy.

[Laura C]

I have been feeding raw for over 5 years now, but as life becomes more hectic I’m really struggling with it. Does anybody have any recipes for raw food that cover all the essential vitamins and nutrients? To buy commercially prepared raw food would be way to costly (I’m feeding a 75 lb lab mix and a 110 lb Rottweiler/Doberman mix)! So my thinking is that if I can get a few good recipes that I can grind (I have a very good grinder that can handle chicken bones), spend an hour or so every couple of weeks grinding and freezing everything in portions, throw in a chicken back once a day to keep their teeth sparkling, it would help simplify my life! I just can’t seem to find any recipes to follow. I just want to be sure my doggies are getting everything they need. Honestly, I think I overthink things way too much….my girls have shiny coats, sparkling teeth, and lots of energy, but I’d appreciate any advice anyways!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kevin R:
I recently downloaded a book of home cooked recipes by Susan Lauten, PhD. It includes grain inclusive and grain free adult maintenance recipes using human vitamins that are fully balanced to AAFCO requirements and NRC recommendations.

She lists the sites where you can purchase the vitamins. Some I have purchased from drug or health food stores in the past. I made one recipe to use as an unbalanced topper to try out since I don’t have the supplements on hand. My dog enjoyed it very much. There are also a few treat recipes included:
http://petnutritionconsulting.com/susan-lauten-phd/
http://backtobasicspetcare.com/

I currently use Balance IT Carnivore blend for making a few balanced home cooked meals per week. Their site has a free recipe generator and the fresh foods can easily be found at your grocery store. Very simple directions and easy to make:
https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php

[C4D]

Hi Judith B,

I cook for my dogs frequently, but it’s always fresh, not canned, meat with a few organic veggies, generally carrots, celery and fresh parsley, sometimes broccoli or squash, depending on what I have in the garden or is on sale, NO SALT. I add this to a premix, like The Honest Kitchen, Sojos, or Grandma Lucy’s, which has the vitamins added. I also feed my dog’s a regular diet of commercial kibble, canned or raw that are complete and balanced.

I appreciate that you want to provide some healthy fresh cooked food for your dogs, but, IMHO, I don’t think you should be adding canned soup and broth. There’s a lot of sodium in those and dogs (or people) don’t need that much sodium. Regular Swanson a whole can has about 50% of the normal human daily intake. Tomato soup is also high in sodium, I just linked Campbell’s, but I’m an avid label reader and they all tend to have about 33% or better per serving, which is less than 1/2 the can.

http://swanson.campbellskitchen.com/broth/beef-broth/

http://www.campbellsoup.com/Products/Condensed/All/2341

This is the nutrition data of Cheese Whiz. I didn’t know which one you use, but they are all very similar in salt content. This is for 2 tbsp, not the whole jar, which would be a lot more.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/160/2

These are not healthy products to be adding to your dog’s diet. If you want to add some broth, cook fresh meat with a bit of water and use the cooking water as the broth. I do this all the time. I even use it as stock to make soups for my family.

I truly appreciate what you are trying to do for your dogs, but if you keep it to some fresh meat and vegetables in the crock pot, your dogs will be much healthier. I would still use this as a topper to a balanced dog food to keep your animals in the best of health. The balanceIt website, Whole Dog Journal, or dogaware has some recipes to give you an idea of what a balanced meal or supplement to their diet should look like. Good Luck!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by C4D.

[zcRiley]

The pups need a complete and balanced diet. So if you’re not adding the right vitamins and minerals to that yummy stew, than all that “cooked” food is not doing much for them. The personal reviews of foods is just that. The editor’s ratings is to guide you towards higher quality dog food formulas. So time to ween the other way, the stew should just be a topper on either kibble or wet food.

[Shawna]

Hi Sheila23,

Although a homemade diet is absolutely doable I would do a LOT more research before you decide on any one brand. Example — Tripe is a great food for kd dogs but it is supposedly already balanced in calcium to phosphorus. Adding a premix like Preference, that is designed to balance higher phosphorus meat, could be problematic. Although phosphorus needs to be watched, you can go too low too early in the disease.

Balance IT could be an option but I personally wouldn’t have fed my KD girl such a low protein diet (ESPECIALLY in the early stages). Based on the nutrient profile of their beef and rice early stage kd diet the protein amount is only 15.3%. That’s ridiculously low for early stage kd without any complicating issues like proteinuria. Not even enough to meet the minimum protein amounts required for an a complete and balanced diet. They also use corn oil — EEEEKK. The chicken & rice recipe is even worse at 14.9% protein.

If you can afford it, I would highly recommend looking at Darwin’s prescription KD diet formulated by vet Dr. Barbara Royal. The ingredient list is
“Human-Grade Meat: Beef Meat, Beef Tripe, Beef Pancreas, Beef Lungs, Beef Kidneys, Beef Liver, Beef Heart, Beef Spleen.

Vegetables: Cabbage, Celery, Squash, Sweet Potato, Beets, Romaine Lettuce.

Special Nutrient Mix: Filtered Water (for processing), Sardine oil (source of EPA, DPA and DHA), Egg Shell Powder, Parsley, Apple Cider Vinegar, Inulin, Cornsilk, Dandelion Root, Cinnamon, Cranberry, Linden Flowers, , Chitosan, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin E, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3, Aloe Vera.” http://www.darwinspet.com/our-raw-foods/our-raw-dog-food/intelligent-design-ks/

I LOVE that you are starting Alvin on Standard Process Renal Support. It is the one supplement that my Audrey NEVER did without since diagnosis. She had KD from birth (symptoms showed at just 6 weeks of age) but she wasn’t diagnosed till she was 13 months old. She was given one year to live after that. She lived to almost her ninth birthday and it was an infection that took her life not the normal progression of kidney disease.

Some other things to look at for Alvin — purified water (as much as he wants), extra water soluble vitamins if he urinates large volumes of water. A high quality probiotic and a prebiotic made with acacia fiber helps to clear BUN etc from the blood allowing for higher protein to be fed or simply helps clear BUN when necessary. This is called “nitrogen trapping”. Giving Evian (or another higher calcium, lower sodium mineral water) has been shown to be beneficial for kidney disease. I did give my Audrey fresh, raw garlic most of her life. I still believe that if I hadn’t gotten lazy and quit giving it to her near the end of her life she wouldn’t have developed the severe infection that ended up damaging her kidneys and taking her life. Enzymes to help with the digestion of his food. Certain supplements and herbs can be helpful — spirulina provides many nutrients, food grade activated charcoal given off an on in small amounts can help clear toxins, organic turmeric helps with inflammation and also helps prevent scar tissue (works best when combined with pepper or the enzyme bromelain from pineapple). Chlorella is a wonderful detoxer and it helps build red blood cells due to the high amounts of chlorphyll in it. Apple cider vinegar can help with indigestion (fed with food in small amounts or given via syringe but must be diluted first). Ginger extract and therapeutic grade peppermint oil can help with nausea (later in the illness). I also recently read that there is other therapeutic grade essential oils that can help the kidneys but I don’t remember the particulars of the article. Vet Dr. Melissa Shelton would be the person to seek out if wanting to incorporate essential oils.

I was lucky with Audrey, she was able to eat commercial raw products clear up to a few months before she passed. I’m not sure if that was because of the supplements, being fed raw from weaning or what but she did quite well. Possibly look at lower phosphorus commercial foods and then add small amounts of low phosphorus toppers (lightly cooked egg whites and coconut oil as an example) to keep the calories up while lowering the overall phosphorus even more. There are some great nutritionists out there as well that could be quite beneficial to you and Alvin.

Hoping Alvin does as well as, or better than, my Audrey!!!

Thank you Marie!

[C4D]

Hi Reewa R,

Some of us have to sleep and work, so answers are not always immediate. Your posts were in the middle of the night in my area and I work as well.

I can’t answer your questions on feeding a puppy raw since I haven’t had a puppy in many years. I have adult dogs. I do feed kibble and raw as I have several large dogs. I feed canned/kibble for 1 meal and raw/cooked for the other meal. Some people feed raw and kibble together in the same meal. I don’t supplement with vitamins since I’m using commerical foods that already are complete and balanced. The links I included in the earlier post may be able to answer that question.

[C4D]

Hi Reewa R,

Although aimee and I don’t always agree, I do agree with her in feeding a commercial raw as it is very important to make sure the diet is balanced. This is particularly important since you have a very young dog who could suffer some serious deficiencies if he doesn’t get the correct vitamins and minerals in the right dose.

You could feed homemade raw or homemade cooked, but you need to follow a diet that is balanced. Whole Dog Journal has several articles on balancing a diet as does dogaware.com and as Jonathon said, Dr. Karen Becker has some balanced home made diets. Here’s the link to dogaware:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_7/features/Home-Prepared-Dog-Food-Nutritional-Information_20568-1.html

http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade3.html

[Jonathan S]

I’m not a professional, but I do feed raw to my pups. Do lots of research first. there’s going to be a time and effort commitment as well as a financial commitment. Check out different recipes. Go to youtube and look up Dr. Karen Becker… she’s got lots of really great advice. The hardest thing is going to be convincing yourself that you’re doing the right thing. You’re going to find information out there and opinion that make it seem like handling raw food is like handling poison… it’s not. Take the same precautions you would with handling the food you serve your family.

The next hardest thing is perseverance. You’re going to affect their digestion and it might be messy at first. That doesn’t mean you should stop. You need to give them time to adjust. You will also need to take into account what proteins may or may not agree with your dog. Also, your raw food, especially if you’re making your own, will likely be higher in fat. That can cause some issues if you’re still feeding kibble as puppy food is usually higher in fat. I had to take my pups off puppy food much earlier than I expected.

I read some good advice about not feeding 100% raw. Most of your really good commercial foods are focused to provide complete nutrition, so they have vitamins and minerals in there that you might miss. I feed my dogs 50% raw and 50% kibble to make sure I don’t miss anything.

Another thing I do is review this site very carefully. If dog food advisor thinks that a particular ingredient is a positive thing in a highly rated food, you can bet it’s going to make an appearance in my food.

I hope this helps!

[Pitlove]

Some foods DO have it printed right on the front of the bag, but more often than not you will need to refer to the AAFCO statement to find out if it is complete and balanced. Usually too you can tell if you see vitamins and minerals included in the ingredient panel.

[Kristin C]

Lucky? 1 dog going from 10 ticks per week to none, and 1 dog never having ticks living here is lucky? I think there is more to tick and flea infestation than is being discussed. If I am brave enough next year I will completely omit the Advantix and just go with feeding a raw diet plus B-vitamins and see what happens. I will say that I have almost completely eliminated one of my dogs heart murmurs by feeding her raw heart, so I do believe a lot has to do with diet.

[Kristin C]

C4D-I was just asking a question about the possibility of the immune system being a factor. I actually live in Salem, CT, Lyme tick heaven. We live on 2 1/2 acres where my dogs have regular free roam in the woods. One of them (6 yrs) has had 10 ticks a week in the past (with Advantix). Since switching her to raw food, plus B-vitamins, even with a half dose of Advantix I can’t remember the last time she had a tick. My younger dog (2 yrs) has never had a tick, and she has spent a considerable time roaming the woods, and she is on the same raw food, B-vitamins, half dose of Advantix. I was worried a few months ago about fleas since they were both itchy, but I added more chicken to their raw food diet and that solved it.

[Kristin C]

Is it possible the immune system of the dog contributes to the frequency of flea and/or tick problems? No one seems to have mentioned that in this post so just wondering. I feed my dogs B-complex vitamins with their raw food, plus am currently giving them each 1/2 Advantix dose every 8 weeks and there has not been one tick on either of them this summer. No fleas either as far as I can tell. I think they are both pretty healthy is my point, and I am considering taking them off Advantix completely next season, keeping up with the B-complex, liver treats and raw food.

[Pamela N]

I would like to nominate Purina Pro Plan Natural Plus Essential Vitamins and Minerals. This appears to be a very good dog food and I would also like to see it reviewed.