[Naturella]

Hey, all!

So, I feed Bruno 4 kinds of the The Honest Kitchen (THK) dehydrated food as toppers 4 times/week (4 meals). I was wondering, would it be good/be bad/not make a difference to mix 2 of the THK Perfect Form packs (the small individual ones, not the cylindrical container) per box of what’s left of the THK foods? I was thinking, this way Bru would get a tiny bit extra probiotics/whatever good things are in the THK with some of his meals regularly, just to keep his tummy super healthy. Or, would that cause his tummy to build a “tolerance” to THK PF, so when I really need to use it, i.e. when his tummy is really upset, it won’t work on him in the recommended dose because he already has some of it almost daily?

Any thoughts, comments, advice?

[Dog_Obsessed]

I’m not really sure about doing PF regularly, I don’t think it would hurt him but I don’t know about the resistance thing. I know that THK also makes a goat’s milk probiotic called Pro Bloom. Maybe you could use that as a daily thing?

Also, I’ve been wondering for a while, how do you keep the boxes fresh when just using them as a topper? I use samples of THK as toppers, because a box would last forever!

[Naturella]

D_O, I also have some of the ProBloom too, I could use that, you’re right. I mean, Bruno’s stool is pretty good, I was just wondering if there’s anything I could do better…

Ok, so what I did in the end of last year, I packed sandwich bags with each of the THK foods and I keep those under the sink for the daily use, with the rest of Bruno’s dry foods (except some of the dry are in the freezer). I think a sandwich bag the way I packed it would last approximately 1.5-2 months each. Then, the rest of the THK are in labeled sandwich bags in the fridge. IDK if this helps, I am really hoping so, but I am not TOO worried… If his stool changes in a way that I can determine that the THK is causing it, I will stop it, but so far so good, he’s doing well. If I am to add anything to the mix itself, I could just take all the fridge THKs out, leave them out unopened overnight to “thaw”, and then mix them up (one kind of THK with a pack or 2 of either PF or PB), and then repack in sandwich bags and throw them back in the fridge or freezer.

[theBCnut]

It is possible that if you use PF all the time, your dog will develop a colony of the type of probiotics that digest fiber and the PF would be less effective. I don’t know how likely it would be, but it is possible.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks Naturella!

[Naturella]

Or, I could mix 1 pack of PF and one of PB per THK recipe, but that may just be overdoing it a tad, lol. I could just not mix anything unless necessary.

[Naturella]

D_O, you’re welcome. Idk if this truly does help, but I have heard of freezing dry kibble to prolong freshness, so I am refrigerating the dehydrated food for the same reason, hope it works out. BCnut, that’s kind of what I thought too. I will just stick with using herbal/natural supplements as needed and not just give them to give them. 🙂

Sometimes I need to remind myself of the golden rule: “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken”. 🙂

[crazy4cats]

Naturella-
I had that same question a while back. I like Perfect form a lot too, but worried that they would become dependent on it. I think of it more as a digestive aid than a probiotic though. I decided to rotate it with Vetri-Pro BD made by Vetri-Science and Gastriplex. Not sure if you would be interested in those or not. Just thought I’d share with you. Who’d ever think feeding our pups could be so complicated? Lol!

[Naturella]

C4C, I will look up that probiotic and see. I don’t know if he really NEEDS it or PF constantly, he also does get yoghurt again twice a week, and he seems overall ok, I was just trying to make things more complicated than they already are, I guess! LoL! But thank you for the suggestion, I will check it out! 🙂

[Dori]

Hi Naturella. Why exactly do you want to give Bruno PF every day? Perfect Form is not really a probiotic and as BC stated it is possible that it will become less effective when you truly needed it for any tummy issue. If you want Bruno to have a probiotic on a regular basis than you need to get a probiotic that some of the regulars here use. I don’t normally use probiotics so I’m not too much help in that area. When I have, I’ve used Mercola brand. There was another brand I used also but I can’t remember what it was. I’m sure BC can help you out with the name of a good one as can others. As mentioned above by D. O., Pro Bloom is their version of a digestive enzyme and probiotic but I think you could do better and for less money.

On another note not having anything to do with THK’s PF but felt I should speak up. In my opinion keeping dog food under the sink is a really bad idea. There is the heat of the pipes (plumbing hot water) under the sink and also humidity that needs to be considered. It’s unavoidable that under your kitchen or any sink is going to be warmer than what you want for keeping food. Dog food always had to be stored in a dark cool area. Sorry Aleks, but I feel you really need to find a different place to store the food. It could also be the cause of why sometimes Bruno has loose stools. Maybe.

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

[Naturella]

Dori,

Yeah, I guess I was just thinking of adding more probiotics to his diet, but as noted, I’m not really sure he needs them. I will consider all suggestions on good brands though, including what C4C suggested. I have decided to not use PF regularly, and use it as needed only.

As for the food under the sink – thank you for your concern and suggestions! I do know that they should be in cool dark places, but it appeared that the coolest/darkest place would be the cabinets under the sink. The plumbing (pipes) is insulated with some plastic covers so the pipes themselves are only bare toward the top of the cabinet where they connect with the sink above. It is pretty dry in there from what I’ve seen and felt (no leaks or steam/moisture that I’ve seen), and it is cool for sure because when we have freeze warnings they tell us to open those cabinets so that the air in there is not too cold and the pipes don’t freeze up. BUT, with that said, I would consider putting the foods somewhere else, like the closet maybe. The pantry is not an option and neither are any of the kitchen cabinets. So that leaves us with the closet, as dark and cool as it gets in there. So thank you for bringing this to my attention! 🙂

[Dori]

C4C. If we put as much time researching and figuring out what is best for us nutritionally as we do for our dogs, just think how healthy we would all be. I bet most of us don’t take pro or prebiotics. And I’d also bet that most of us do not eat as healthy as our dogs do on such a consistent basis. Funny, isn’t it? Or is it sad that we don’t put as much effort into our nutritional health as we do our dogs. I know Hannah, Katie and Lola are way healthier than I am, that’s for sure. lol

[Naturella]

Hm, I could also put them in the laundry room, on the top shelf… I will go play with some ideas now, and see how it goes and where they fit the best.

[Cheryl Pepper Millie Sophie]

naturella,
I am chiming in here with a couple of thoughts-with kibble once it’s opened i put them in my refrigerator. I have pyrex bowls that I use to put kibble in say for 2-3 days-the bags are quickly taken out and put rt. back in.

As for the probiotics I used the perfect Form when I was transitioning Pepper on the HK food, once I saw she was ok with it -i stopped, like everyone else said I want it to work when i need it. I also purchased the Pro-Bloom can’t tell you how that 1 works haven’t used it yet.
The only probiotics i used were the Mercola and honestly I just am not pleased with them.
I think just like for us a good probiotic MUST be under refrigeration and never quite understood why once they were opened (I did anyway) it was not recommended to be refrigerated.
Also, I just feel probiotics should not have to be used every day. But, again, that is a personal choice. If and when i need a probiotic, I am going to try what C4C uses-I think the mercola for the price is a thumbs down.

You might consider butting the food in airtight containers-I use the kind for bird food-I keep their unopened food in them in my laundry room.

Dori,
Again is so right , Pepper and Millie are researched much more than I would ever go through the trouble for myself-I need a TENS unit for my tennis elbow-I swear every time I go on Amazon to look for a unit- I wind up buying more stuff for my babies -sad but so-so true

[crazy4cats]

Dori-
Yes,my wish I spent as much time on my human family’s diet! We often use Hamburger Helper for our dinner premix! Lol!

Naturella-
Again, I don’t consider PF a probiotic. It’s a digestive enzyme with ingredients that soothe the intestinal tract. You can use a probiotic in addition to that supplement if you need to. A couple of the supplements that I mentioned earlier do contain both, I believe. I often use ProFlora probiotic soft chews as well. I’ve been dealing with leaky guts due to parasites and antibiotic use, I’m afraid.
I ordered a couple of plastic tubs on wheels to store my cat food as I was also keeping under the bathroom sink until I caused a leak by bumping the pipes too many times. I have to feed my cats in our bedroom bath to keep them away from the dogs. It’s kind of a pain. I ordered them from Petco when they were offering one of their deals.

Cheryl-

I got most of my info on digestion supplements on http://www.dogaware.com. I agree, the Mercola is thumbs down for me also. Not worth the money.

[Naturella]

Thank you all for the suggestions! And like I said, no PF will be used daily anymore – if anything, I will use some probiotics after some research.

And ok, so unopened foods are relocated in our closet. That’s where I keep the samples actually. I hope it is dark and cool enough – we usually keep the closet door closed and when the heater is on in our bedroom, the closet is still frigid, lol. I don’t think having the light on every once in a while will hurt anything too.

As for the opened food, I don’t really want to put it in the fridge because going in there twice/day, even just to grab a quick scoop, I fear of condensation, although it is such a quick thing. The opened food will stay in an airtight container, closed up with a food clip under the sink in the bathroom where we feed Bruno. I could repack it in freezer bags to keep in the fridge, but in a medium-sized 2-bedroom apartment, and a roommate that occupies equal space, places for dog food are limited, especially with shared fridge and pantry – plus the fridge and freezer already have all sorts of other foods bunched up in there, THK, some kibbles, some raw for Bruno and for humans (to cook), so yeah… One day, when we finally live alone (Brian and I), I will be free to put anything anywhere I want! 🙂

[Naturella]

… Ok, I caved, Wysong is in packs in the fridge now… All that’s under the sink are the sandwich bags with THK for toppers, small bag of BDN tripe (for topper), and the freezer bag with about 1/3 of the Wysong for feeding for the next 10 days or so, however long it lasts. I don’t think anything else can enter this fridge until we eat some of what’s already in there. I guess that’s a good thing? 🙂

[theBCnut]

I get a couple different probiotics from Swanson’s. I take the same ones I give the dogs. I use either Dr Langer’s or Soil Based Organisms. I feed tripe once a week and give probiotics once a week.

[Naturella]

BCnut, I had forgotten about Soil Based Organisms! Thanks for reminding me!

And do you feed raw green tripe, canned, or dehydrated/air-dried?

[theBCnut]

Raw frozen from Hare Today or My Pet Carnivore. Freeze dried would be ok too.

[puppypiles]

I would not mix Perfect Form long term. PF contains slippery elm, a gastrointestinal tract soother. It’s an emollient that creates a film over the GI tract (and everywhere else, great for sore throats btw). However, this film also blocks the absorption rate of essential nutrients, and using it long term could result in serious nutritional deficiencies.

[Naturella]

@puppypiles, thanks for the explanation! I did decide not to use it like that, and just keep it for tummy-trouble emergencies.

[crazy4cats]

Puppypiles-
Thanks for the info on slippery elm. I rotate supplements, but I think they all contain SE. Your reasoning sounds correct so I think I need to give my pups a break from it. They have struggled with loose stools for some time now and slippery elm seems to help. But, getting all of their nutrition is a little important too. Lol!

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