[Adriana R]

So I’m wanting to change my dogs food. I have 4 Chihuahuas between 5 and 15 pounds, ages 3 to about 9.
Their currently on Authority grain free and Simply Nourish grain free. I want to keep them at a 4 star kibble or put them on a 5 star. But it has to be sold at PetSmart as I don’t buy online. It also has to be grain free because 1 of them needs to be on grain free because of his allergies.
I was considering Natures Variety Instinct Ultimate Protein small breed (raw inspired but not raw..? I think)
But I also can do Blue or Wellness. Maybe Crave.
The little one needs dog food with extra calories (just took him to the vet on Monday and they put him on puppy food) so maybe I’ll either put them all on higher calorie kibble. Or just have him be on a different kind.
Any ideas?
I want to switch them because mom thinks the food is not helping Jr as he needed to go to the vet on Monday for another ear infection. I would also like to get him off of chicken.
Simply Nourish and Authority aren’t too expensive and I’m hoping to get a kibble that won’t break the bank.
Within a month I’ve had to take all 4 to the vet. So money is a bit tight at the moment.

[anonymous]

I recommend Nutrisca salmon for a dry, but add a little water to kibble and add a topper.

I have a senior small breed that has some unexplained weight loss, so I am giving her 3 or 4 small meals per day instead of two
I am adding a bit of Mighty Dog (small cans) to meals, dogs love Mighty Dog, the dog food snobs will tell you it is bad, but I have had good results with it.

[Adriana R]

My dogs use to get mighty dog but I stopped.
The little one also loses weight so fast. He doesn’t do well with can food he gets more BM’s and he gets too full.
I’ve tried Nutrisca but they don’t sell it at PetSmart. I also doubt they sell it at PetCo.
I think I had bought it once at Fry’s but don’t know if they still have it there.

[anonymous]

That’s odd.
I looked up Nutrisca at the Petsmart website https://www.petsmart.com/search/?q=Nutrisca

Maybe your store could order it for you?

We use Zignature as a base kibble, but it,’s not cheap. So far, so good.

[Adriana R]

It’s online only.
I looked at the calories and it’s less than 400. He needs one with at least 400.

[anonymous]

The Zignature is higher in calories. If you are interested, you can go to their website and they will tell you where you can purchase it in your area.

We use the whitefish or catfish.

[Adriana R]

I’ll have to look more into Zignnatue as I wasn’t even aware it was a brand of dog food.
Well you see that’s why I’m wanting to put him on Instinct. Small breed chicken has 463 and their “ultimate protein” has 491.
But I’m a bit “scared” that because their higher in protein that his system couldn’t handle it. If that makes any sense.
I don’t think I’d be able to afford it for all 4 plus the biggest bag they have in the small breed formula is like 11 pounds. I’m sure it’s crazy expensive. But I’d be able to afford it for one dog.
But I have to wait as right now hes on Wellness Puppy. They told me to keep him on it for a while. I bought a 4 pound bag (I think) and I’ll probably buy one more before I switch him.

[Adriana R]

I forgot to add:
Can he be on 2 different kibbles at one.
So let’s say half of his meal is Simply Nourish grain free and the other half of kibble would be Instinct chicken?
Is it possible to do that?

[anonymous]

Sure, as long as it agrees with the dog. Just my opinion.

If the Wellness puppy is working why not just keep him on that. Wait and see how he does.

[Adriana R]

Thanks 🙂

[anonymous]

You’re welcome

[Susan]

Hi Adriana,
Have a look at “Canidae Pure” line & Canidae Pure Petite line only has 5 ingredients for petite dogs with food sensitivities/allergies, all of the Canidae Pure line is really good for dogs with stomach/bowel & allergies & for your 9yr old have a look at “Canidae Pure Meadow” Senior, it’s excellent for aging dogs, the Protein is 28%min email Canidae for max Protein % you usually add another 1-5% more when it says min but with Canidae it’s only about 1% more, the fat is not high at 10%min-fat, that’s what I like about the Pure Meadow Senior formula, as dogs age their stomach doesn’t work as well as when they were youger dog, the fat is only 10.80%max, I’ve already emailed Canidae & asked them what is the max fat %, the Pure Meadow Senior has all the supplements needed for aging dogs, it’s high in omega fatty acids for skin, coat, brain, heart etc & Glucosamine + Chondroitin for bone & joint health. Canidae grow their own vegetables, fruit & source ingredients from local farmers, their ingredient are fresh & their foods are made in smaller batches, the kibble size is nice & small so very easy to digest….
Here’s the Canidae link https://www.canidae.com.com/dog-food/products

also google “Toxins In Dogs Foods” then look for a company that has
completed a study of 1,084 pet food products from 80 brands. Products were screened for over 130 toxins including heavy metals, BPA, pesticides and other contaminants with links to cancer and other health conditions in both humans and animals….Canidae formula’s & Canidae’s other brand “Under The Sun” did really well when tested for 130 Contaminates & Toxins….You’ll see the 5 star dry dog foods, 3 stars then the 1 star dry dog foods.
I stay away from dry dog food brands once I see 1-2 of their formulas with 1 star rating that means they probably will have more foods that are full of toxins & contaminates..
A few of Wellness formula’s did poorly, Wellpet make Wellness, Holistic Select & Eagle Pack Holistic Select had a few bad formula’s get only 1 star…. Simply Nourish LTD Sweet potato & Lamb formula, Nutrisca Lamb & Chickpea they all got 1 star as well which means they were high in toxins…

[Adriana R]

I looked quickly at canidae. I looked at the one for all lifestages and the chicken version is very close to how many calories per cup Buddy Bear needs in a day to keep up his weight. Plus it’s like 30 pounds for $50 I will keep that in mind. But I’m honestly still considering Wellness. I’m not sure if their cheaper by much. Plus I can buy Canidae at Petco which is farther then PetSmart from where I live but I’ll keep it in mind.
But my main thing is that Buddy Bear is doing good on Wellness puppy I’m thinking he’d do good on Wellness adult.
I wasn’t aware that their was a list of dog food that have high toxins. I will take a look.

[anonymous]

Please don’t be fooled. Clean Label Project is not a reliable source of information.
Ask your vet. Phony baloney fear mongering stuff.
It has been discussed here before
/forums/search/clean+label+project/

BTW: Nutrisca chicken kibble is slightly over 400 calories per cup, check the Petsmart link I provided.

And, I agree, stay with Wellness if it is working.

[Adriana R]

Looked at the site. It’s a bit hard to believe that Purina puppy chow was #5 on the least amount of toxins. Only because they’re on the cheaper end of the dog food market.
Tbh my Chi mix Jr had Puppy chow. And he was just fine on it. After a year or so that’s when he had developed a allergy to grain.
Also says dog food labels that stated “grain free” has twice the amount of toxins yet Canidae under the sun grain free was # 3 on the least amount of toxins.
But I guess it’s one of those whatever you want to believe. Btw I’m don’t know much about dog food and ingredients so this is all just my opinion.
I just hope that the other 2 will also do good on Wellness.
I’m also thinking of putting the one that has to be on grain free to have the same brand but the grain free version.
Or maybe even Wellness core.

[Adriana R]

Jr has allergies as well as allergic to grains. Would you recommend fish or lamb? I want to see if chicken is making his ears worse…? Thoughts?
My aunt’s dog was put on lamb food because of her skin once. Is lamb “better” than fish she it comes to allergies.

Wellness adult is 30 pounds for $52 I’m trying to see if that’s reasonable.
What I usually buy is 24 pounds for $47 so I guess it’s not much of a big jump. My mom just wants to take them off grain free as she feels since they don’t need it (with the exception of Jr) they shouldn’t be eating grain free. At the same time I could just put them on Authority regular. Which is 34 pounds for $35.
I seriously need to see if I can afford Wellness long term as this only counts for 3 dogs and I have 4.
Maybe I can leave Buddy Bear on Wellness adult and the other 2 on Authority regular Which really isn’t “fair” but I really want Buddy Bear to keep his weight. But the whole point is to have 3 of them on the same food.

[anonymous]

I went through the allergy thing with my small breed, in the end it was determined that her allergies were environmental and had nothing to do with food.
She is stable now and sees a veterinary dermatologist once a year. She receives ASIT, treatment is lifelong, her allergy symptoms were severe.
These little ones can be high maintenance, as you know. 🙂

I never tried the lamb, but that might be a good idea. She seemed to do the best on the Nutrisca salmon (no grain/no potato) as a base, that’s why I mentioned it.

[Adriana R]

Jr has never had salmon before and I know that my neighbor had bought a bag of salmon and his dog’s wouldn’t eat it. I recommended adding a bit of chicken broth and they ate it.
Jr can sometimes be very picky. I’m wondering if he even would touch the salmon. He has had Simply Nourish limited ingredient lamb and he did eat it.
I once bought Nutro and it made Jr sick. But I’m kinda wondering if he’d doing fine on their limited ingredient formula.
Next time I go to Frys I’ll see if they still sell Nutrisca.
Jr hasn’t had an test for his allergies. But I do really believe he has environmental allergies as well as allergic to grains.
I think I’ll look for a grain free kibble with only lamb as a protein

[anonymous]

Plain chicken broth and boiled chicken meat are staples here, added to the kibble

I boil a chicken about once a month, it’s cost effective but a bit of work

Debone the chicken, defat the broth, separate containers, baggies and freeze.

Dogs LOVE chicken.

[Adriana R]

I actually don’t add chicken to their kibbles only when their sick. They get chicken and rice.
My girl dog yesterday went to the vet for vomiting 2 days in a row and so I put her on chicken and rice. They couldn’t give a clear answer though. They gave her anti nausea pills.
I’m hoping that’ll do it. If not she will need a blood work test.
Dogs can be so much work. But their so worth it.
I swear it’s been “dogs” all week. I need a day for myself this weekend just to clear my head. But I 1st need to find new dog foods lol.
Btw thanks for responding every time I post. You have been helpful.

[anonymous]

You’re welcome.

Make sure they are drinking water, add a little to the kibble.
Adequate hydration helps alleviate nausea, plus some dogs just don’t drink enough.
Of course, they will need more bathroom breaks, but I think it helps.
The vet probably wants to rule out pancreatitis, hopefully it won’t come to that.
Sometimes they just get a virus or something, takes a few days to get out of their system.

[Adriana R]

She actually drinks plenty of water tbh.
If its a virus or something I feel like he should have gave her some other medication.
But 2 days before Christmas my dog was vomiting a lot. And all they had gave him was the same medicine but a shot and IV Fluids.
She wasn’t dehydrated and she wasn’t vomiting as much as Jojo.
So he said it’s a bit different. Why he could only give me anti nausea pills.
I’m hoping she’ll be fine.
Oh and he also told me to feed her very small amount of chicken and rice every hour. So like a tablespoon.

[anonymous]

They don’t give anything for a virus, it just has to work itself out of her system.
They treat the symptoms.
The small frequent meals are to keep her from getting nauseous so not to trigger vomiting.

If it is an acute condition they are usually back to normal in about a week,
Otherwise she may need more testing (labs) to diagnose.

She may sleep a lot while recovering.

[Adriana R]

Oh okay thought they did give something if it’s some sort of virus.
But she has normal stool. No diarrhea.
With Jojo they said he must’ve eaten something.
They didn’t say that for my girl dog though.
Now that she’s getting older she wants to sleep more. I put her out in the backyard with the other dogs and she “cries/barks” to come in. I put her in and she just sleeps.
I told the vet and he says probably just her age.

[Susan]

Adriana,
dont be fooled if it’s cheap it’s not good, Purina Chow got those 5 star cause it didnt have all the toxins & contaminates some of these high end more expensive foods cut corners & fly under the radar they have a good name & people think their ingredients are good cause its ” blare blare” brand but they’re NOT, people think cause they’re paying more money the dog food has to be really good, if you seen a cheaper food on the Clean label toxin site & your dogs do well on it & its cheaper then feed it. Don’t be fooled cause its grain free its better cause its not its just more expensive…. if you can cook & make a batch of cooked meals then cook & freeze them, cooked meals are healthier for your dogs then dry processed kibble, if your dog does well on cooked chicken & rice then why not feed a lower fat chicken & rice kibble?? especially if she is vomiting the fat may be too high in the food she is eating & causing her acid reflux like my boy gets, alot of dogs as they age suffer in silence with bad acid reflux & their owners dont even know, Canidae has their All Life Stages Platinum for all ages & seniors formula, you could feed all your dogs the Platinum dry formula & rotate & feed another brand as well for their other meals thats what I do for Patch, breakfast Patch picks which kibble he wants to eat then for lunch he gets a scramble egg, then dinner he gets either the same kibble he had for breakfast or he gets another brand kibble it all depends if he has been well thru the day, a few dogs with Pancreatitis & stomach problems do really good on Canidae ALS Platinium formula, some Puppy formula’s are higher in fat & protein, maybe you girl cant handle the higher fat & higher Kcals ?? the higher the Kcals the harder the kibble is to digest cause its more dense…if your trying to keep weight on a dog (this is something my boy with IBD has had a a problem with his weight) I feed 5 smaller meals a day 7am, 9am, 12pm, 5pm & 8pm, you work out how many cups of dry food she should be eating a day & add another 1/4 to 1/2 a cup extra of the dry kibble then you divide up her meals over 4-5 meals a day….
Have a look at Hills Science Diet Youth Vitality 7+ small breed & toy breeds wet & dry formula, it has all the supplements she needs for an aging dog & its easy to digest & she should gain weight the fat is 15% & the Kcals are 363Kcals per cup feed her more then the recommended amount & make sure she is eating her food by herself & the other dogs can’t take any of her meal or look at Hills Science Diet adult 7+ small breed & toy breed formula its for small breeds with special needs, stick around 350-370Kcals per cup this will be easier for her to digest & is not as dense as a kibble thats over 380Kcals per cup, you never see a vet diet over 370 Kcals for cup when it for Intestinal digestive problems the vet diets are around 350-360kcals per cup she probably need to be put on the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore wet stew canned food & teh dry kibble look at the Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach its often on special its very easy to digest, how you know if its easy to digest get a glass of warm water & put about 2 kibbles in teh glass of warm water the kibble should float to the top & the kibble should go soft within 15-40mins, the Hills Sensitive Stomach goes soft & swells up within 20mins, I was minding a rescue dog a few months ago for a few days & the rescue group put him on the Hills SD Sensitive stomach Egg & Rice & he was doing really well & Patch kept wanting his Hills Kibble & the dog kept wanting Patches kibble, so I ended up buying Patch a small bag of the Sensitive Stomach Egg & Rice it was on special its always on special either online or at teh Pet shop & its money back guaranteed so you cant lose if after your girl doesnt get better orgain weight take it back & get a refund I email Hills & they end up giving me vochours + I got my refund at the pet shop this was for another hills vet diet formula, while Patch was eating the Hills Sensitive skin he gained weight & now after eating teh Nutro essential he finally weighs 18.6kg he was weight yesterday at the vets I’ve never had him at 18.6kgs in the whole 5yrs Ive had him 18kg is the highest in weight I have gotten too but he was active & went on daily walks etc also he has been sleeping alot lately & seems very unwell & is going into vet hospital Tuesday & have an Endoscope & biopsies on his throat & stomach, I’m praying he doesnt have esophageal or stomach cancer but something is defentley wrong with him, he’s not the happy go lucky Patchy everyone knows, instead he’s following me around all day whinging & crying today he has been a bit better, he just turned 9yrs old Novemeber & looks really good, his teeth are white, there’s no blue in his pupil of his eyes, not much grey fur, some dogs are grey all over but not him he runs & acts like a puppy people who first met him think he is a young teenager dog, I thought cause we have just moved he’s a bit depressed then I went into hospital & when I came out Patch was so unwell my daughter said there’s something wrong with Patch he’s not listening he just stands there with his head hung low he looks like he’s drug up…This is what happens when we have pets they break our heart & get sick & I wish they could talk & tell us where hurts & what is wrong. Patch normally shows me where’s sore or hurts but this time he’s not showing me soo its internally something inside is very sore…
Good luck with your dogs & finding a few foods that agrees with them. I’ll post the info about the lawsuit that has been filed against Wellpet who make Wellness foods, this lawsuit is cause of the finding in the CLP toxin test/study so if these toxic test/study were Baloney like anon says it would not make it court, Anon does NOT know anything when it comes to dogs foods & diet especially when they are ill with stomach/bowel problems.

[Susan]

Anon
if Clean label is baloney then why is Wellpet being sued? there’s a lawsuit againt Wellpet & another pet food company after being tested for toxins & teh result coming back very high back in August..
Everything is a load of bull to you, if its healthy natural & holistic its a load of bull…..

On July 19, 2017, a class action lawsuit was filed against Wellpet LLC and Berwind Corporation, parent company of Wellpet which makes Wellness dog food. According to the suit, plaintiffs are suing for negligent misrepresentation, violations of California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, violations of the California False Advertising Law, violations of the California Unfair Competition Law, Breach of Express Warranty, Breach of Implied Warranty, and negligence per se.
The lawsuit is based on testing performed on Wellness CORE Adult Dry Ocean Whitefish, Herring Meal and Salmon Meal and Wellness Complete Health Adult Dry Whitefish and Sweet Potato, finding them to be contaminated with significant levels of arsenic and lead which are both known dangerous toxins for humans and animals. According to the lawsuit, inorganic arsenic can contribute to cancers, heart disease, diabetes, declines in intellectual function, and can decrease a body’s ability to respond to viruses. The organic form of arsenic – the form found in arsenic-containing compounds – has been shown in recent studies to easily convert to inorganic arsenic.
FDA has set allowable limits of arsenic at 10 parts per billion (ppb) in apple juice and the EPA has set levels of 10 ppb in drinking water. FDA is considering limiting the action level for infant rice cereal to 100 ppb. In testing, the Wellness CORE Adult Dry Ocean Whitefish, Herring Meal and Salmon Meal contained 1,500 ppb of arsenic and the Wellness Complete Health Adult Dry Whitefish and Sweet Potato contained 1,200 ppb. These levels are more than TEN TIMES the amount considered safe in infant cereal.
The FDA has set limits for lead in bottled water at 5 ppb. These two dry pet food formulations contained 221 ppb and 220 ppb of lead, respectively. Lead is a carcinogen and developmental poison known to cause health problems including cancer, developmental and reproductive disorders, and injury to the nervous system and other organs. Lead builds up in the body over time which means chronic exposure leads to higher levels in the body.
Sadly, pet food consumers have been lied to by pet food companies and veterinarians for many years, making them believe the only way a pet will thrive is to feed them the same “balanced, complete” diet, day in and day out. If that “diet” has imbalances and impurities, they will have chronic exposure to toxins like arsenic and lead.
Wellness advertises itself as a healthy product, promising “Uncompromising Nutrition” and “Unrivaled Quality Standard”, offering complete health and “nothing in excess”. Obviously, the arsenic and lead are in excess at dangerously high levels, making this false advertising and misrepresenting the food as being healthy.
From the Wellness website:
Our Standards. Our Promise.
At Wellness, your pet’s health is at the core of all we do. That’s why we have developed an extensive quality assurance program, guaranteeing that all of our products are safe, pure and balanced.
I think not.

[anonymous]

“But she has normal stool. No diarrhea.”
“With Jojo they said he must’ve eaten something.”

@ Adriana R
No diarrhea or loose stools is good. It’s always a possibility that the dog got into something she shouldn’t have (vomiting) but as long as it stopped, plus she has an appetite, that’s another good sign.
I hope she continues to improve. They scare us so with these sudden illnesses 🙁

PS: I will not discuss further the topic (controversial study) in the above post.
The administrator at DFA has asked us to refrain from doing so, as noted in a prior thread on the subject.
Peace

[Mike Sagman]

To protect those readers who may be less informed regarding some of the topics introduced into this discussion, please respect and do not ignore my previous message:

“Until CLP becomes more transparent with its test data and its controversial claims have been verified by an independent third party or by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, we ask readers to refrain from posting any further references to this organization or its opinions anywhere on this website.”

Thanks for your cooperation. This thread is now closed.

[Author]

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