I am having problems with the new Purina One Smart Blend of Lamb and Rice. My dog refuses to eat it. He took 2 or 3 bites and hasn't eaten for two days since. He has never been a picky eater even when we had to change brands or types of food. He has even been on a diet that included the previous version of lamb and rice from the same manufacturer. He has always eaten whatever we feed him without problem.
I finally broke down tonight and made him some chicken broth and rice and he is eating it just fine. The store bought lamb and rice is still in his bowl. He just goes up and smells it then walks away.
I'm wondering if anyone else is having problems with the brand. (I didn't know where else to look and since I get most of my health related info for me and my dog from Earthclinic I just came here looking for answers.)
It's so bad she is losing weight. I just tried one quarter teaspoon Benadryl one hour ago and it seems to be working - she is not scratching.
Cross my fingers.
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
About a year ago, I started my dog on a raw meat and bones diet. There are many benefits to this diet, and as a 9 year old my dog has never been healthier! This is a long post, but I am afraid they are going to omit my links...so here goes!
First off, here are some of the benefits that I have noticed:
1. Major Improvement in Allergies
2. Less problems with fleas and ticks
3. Clean teeth with no tartar buildup
4. Increase in energy and stamina
5. Shiny coat
6. Improved digestion
7. Much smaller stools (due to no fillers, grains ect)
8. Improved overall health
9. Can cost less than premium kibble, especially for large dogs! I am saving a ton of money feeding RAW to my rott puppy.
There are many great websites to learn the specifics, but here is the basic idea:
Feed approximately 2% to 3% of the dog's body weight daily, feed more if you can feel the ribs, and less if they look pudgy. For puppies feed 2% to 3% of their ADULT WEIGHT.
Organ meat needs to be about 10% of the diet
Try to use a variety of meat to offer more nutrition
You will be feeding mostly muscle meat and meaty bones; you are feeding too much bone if the dog gets constipated, or if the stool is pure white. Too little bone can cause diarrhea. I feed muscle meat with no bone at one meal and meaty bone for the other.
Muscle Meat-Hearts, gizzards, ground meat, tongue
Organ Meat-Liver & Kidney of any animal
Meaty Bones-Chicken & Turkey (quarters, breast, necks, wings, backs), Deer, Rabbit, Pig (feet, necks, tails, roast), lamb, beef (ribs, necks)
BEWARE:
1. Your dog will likely go through a detox period when switching from kibble. They will probably have diarrhea, but it will go away.
2. Start with chicken legs and breast, the high bone content will help the diarrhea go away. Add variety & organs SLOWLY after a month or two.
3. Monitor their meals to begin, most dogs are so excited to get meat, and are used to swallowing kibble without chewing! Once they learn that you are always going to feed RAW they will slow down! Don't feed small pieces at first!
4. READ LABELS!!! Most grocery store meat is loaded with extra ingredients such as flavor and salt. Do not give this to your dog! It will make them sick. If unsure, check the sodium level, it should be around 3% per serving.
5. Don't grind the meat; this can cause constipation and they won't get the dental benefits.
6. Don't think you have to buy pre-made diets. They are very expensive and usually have vegetables and other additives. It is better to just by meat from a butcher!
Hopefully they will allow me to keep these links! They are the best most straightforward that I have found and are excellent resources!!! Please read these before you start! My advice is much more simplistic and does not cover as much as the provided links.
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
http://rawfed.com/myths/feedraw.html
Feeding a raw diet takes some time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it you will be doing the best thing for your dog. After all, this is the way dogs ate before kibble.
★★★★★
Okay now, it is somewhat tricky locating the meat at a reasonble price. I had found some chicken wings and drumsticks in bulk at Costco, but they weren't organic and I was worried about the hormones and antibiotics they were feed. Then I located chicken backs and necks at Whole Foods. They were priced cheaply when I started to buy there, but then they more than doubled the price within two weeks, unfortunately. Too many people buying for their dogs, I guess. The chicken backs are the best for removing tartar! A raw food diet is more expensive than buying kibble, but I think it is definitely worth it in the long run.
I had absolutely no issues when I switched the dogs over to a raw meat diet. No diarrhea. I have fed them raw chicken ribs, drumsticks, backs, necks without any issues of bones splintering. I was less worried about this than most people because I had tried a raw meat diet with another of my dogs about a decade ago and never had any issues. In fact, within 24 hours, the bones come out in the #2 in tiny pieces and decompose at an incredible rate, turning to chalk within a day or two. I do supplement them with fish oil 3x a week and am currently looking for a multi-vitamin to add to their food a few times a week. I might look at horse supply companies to keep my costs down.
I highly recommend this diet for those who have overweight dogs that like mine, aren't losing weight with exercise or dietary changes! I also suggest buying a book or two on the subject to figure out how much to feed your dogs. Mine need about 1 lb of food at every meal.
Beef Liver
I am now on the natural cures and food.
I use raw and cooked, veggies and fruits. everything in moderation. also no chemical at all! . it takes effort but its worth it. I never fed him commercial pet food anyway. My instincts are not to trust corp. dog food manufacturers. I trust my own food source.
Brand Comparisons
★☆☆☆☆
Brand Comparisons
Well my husband spent 3 weeks on the internet researching and came up with Honest Kitchen a dehydrated barf diet (we cant feed full barf without a yard...too messy....problem is our finicky eater didnt eat it. Then we stumbled on a VERY reasonable and excellent brand "Flint River Ranch".
Within 6 months she was given a clean bill of health (although not as good, I think Natural Balance helped in this process). Since then we have also fed Wellness brand (she need loads of protein) because of the added vitamins and minerals, but with shipping it is alot more, where Flint River includes shipping and can be ordered from a distributor out of state to avoid sales tax (We order from Arizonia and it ships from Southern Cal that day!) Now at 2 1/2 she is healthy and beautiful, weighing in at 70+. She also can eat Chicken brand (vets told us to avoid it), but loves the trout and Lamb.
At ALL cost do NOT feed Science Diet, purina or any other national brands...always go for smaller healthier alternatives. I believe the extra cost will be saved in vet bills later....pay more now, or a lot more later.
EC: Haven't tried it yet, but we've heard good things about Flint River!
Footnote: If you are concerned about giving you dog raw bones, give them under supervision.
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
My 2 large breed dogs (Rotweiller & German Shepherd) have been on a raw diet for almost 2 years and are doing great. I have gotten most of my information from a Yahoo Group called 'rawfeeding'. They have over 13,000 members, up from 8,000 when I joined 2 yrs ago.
The dogs get only muscle meat, raw bone that is connected to the muscle meat and organs (the squidgy type) for vital nutrients. 80% meat/10% bone/10% organ
I advertise on different sites for freezer burnt meat and get a great variety. My freezer is always full. Chicken is best to start with for the first month, then start adding other meat gradually.
My guys have chicken, beef, pork, venison, elk, buffalo, rabbit, fish, etc. They haven't turned anything down, yet.
Stay away from processed meat like bacon, sausage, ham, lunch meat, hot dogs, etc. I rarely eat that food, either.
Brand Comparisons
The following brands have been cleared by our dog with fantastic results;-)All have vitamins and NO by products or unhealthy ingredients...
Flint River- when gas skyrocketed they were forced to raise prices because of shipping being included.
Wellness- Core has been amazing for our dog and helped keep on wieght.
Blue Buffalo Company- Probably the best priced for what you get if buying from store.
Orijeen- Probably one of the highest quality kibbles, but also the most expensive.
The Honest Kitchen- Dehydrated raw food for those who want to feed raw without the hastle.
Nature's Variety- Another great product, but again its pricey..
Innova- All lines are very good.
Eagle Pack Holistic- Another excellent product
Timberwolf Organics Bison- Very strong protien with all the nutrients.
Also recommended is, Dick Van Pattens, Royal Canin,Solid Gold and Authority.
And for the SHOCKER for those on a budget: Costco's
Kirkland Signature brand (Chicken rice and veggie)!! I know I was shocked too, but check out the ingredients.
Please, please please please avoid these brands at ALL cost, especially if your dog isnt in perfect health:
Iams
Science Diet
Nutro
Pet Gold
Pro Plan
Ol Roy- Lowest rated food out of 100
Eukanuba
Purina- 2nd lowest rating
Pedigree
Finally we always put a teaspoon of ACV and Food Grade only Diatemacious earth, which is a natural dewormer, in our dogs food daily.
If you have ANY health problems, START with their food. Also if you have a food processor grind up some organic veggies (must break the cell wall of the veggie for your dog)and put in food. Also a good plain yogurt and vitamin C (caplets)is recommended. I guarantee if you do this you will get results :-)
I hope this helps saves some dogs like it did mine!
Reader Feedback
aka "The Great Misconception"
They LIE. Major manufacturers of pet foods show you lovely staged commercials with fresh meat, crisp vegetables, happy bouncy animals, all the while telling you this garbage in a bag is good for your pet and 100% complete and balanced.
Complete and balanced is a myth. Here's what Randy Wysong, DVM has to say about a "complete and balanced diet" in his book "Fresh & Whole:Getting Involved In Your Pet's Diet":
"A 100% complete processed diet requires:
1. 100% complete knowledge of food.
2. 100% complete knowledge of nutrition.
3. 100% complete knowledge of #1 & #2 requires 100% complete knowledge of every science.
4. Since #1,2 & 3 are not possible, the 100% complete processed diet is a myth."
Did you know that ingredients are far more important than the "Guaranteed Analysis?" If it has 28% protein, how much of that is from an animal source and how much is from grain? What is the animal source? If it is not labeled, as chicken, turkey, lamb or beef but simply states "Animal Meal", "Meat and Bone Meal" or "Animal Fat", exactly what animals are we talking about here? Scared yet? Here comes your answer.
Any of the above, if not from a named protein source can come from ANY mammalian tissue. That's right. This includes cats, dogs, road kill, horses, 4D animals (Dead, downed, dying and diseased) and any other critter they want to throw in the vat.
"The National Animal Control Association has estimated that animal shelters kill over 13 million household pets a year. Of this total, 30% are buried, 30% are cremated and the remaining 40%, about 5 million pets, are shipped to rendering factories to be recycled and used in pet food." This information has been confirmed in great detail by Ann Martin in her book, Food Pets Die For.
Are you getting it yet? These large multinational companies have no interest in anything but finding a way to turn nutritionally devoid byproducts of the human food and rendering industries into a profit. Do they care about your pets? NO. They care about your bank account.
Pet food only became well known after World War II. Prior to that pets ate what we ate and suffered few diseases. Since that time we have become brainwashed by clever marketing and even our sage vets into thinking that the stuff in the bag is best. This is not the case. What is best for our pets is what it best for us. Wholesome, fresh minimally processed foods.
Here is what Lew Olson, PhD in Natural Health, has to say about the dog food industry in her August 2005 B-Naturals newsletter: "...several marketers of the new dog products were stating that their products were superior, as they were able to utilize waste products such as grain hulls, sweepings and meat unusable for human consumption. Another argument was that fresh meat was just too expensive to feed dogs, and that it actually made them too 'finicky' While it was noted fresh meat and vegetables were superior, they argued that dogs could be fed more economically with these factory waste products, and still do well. ...The sales of dry processed dog foods picked up considerably after World War II. Mill operators and grain dealers were finding a good source for their by-products in the dog industry. Slaughterhouses were also available to sell non-human grade, diseased meats, unusable parts, and meat by-products to pet food manufacturers. This created a market for products that previously had been discarded. Since many of these meat sources were non-human grade, the practice became common to mix these with the grains and cook them together for many hours or days to kill bacteria and disease. The final mix was then formed into pellets that were easily bagged for convenience of feeding."
MMM. Sounds delicious! Is this what you envision when you see a Beneful commercial? Here is further evidence from the same article that shows the beginning of the conspiracy. "In 1969, according to Dr Kronfeld DS PhD DSc MVSc from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, the pet food industry utilized veterinarians to proclaim that all meat dog foods were incomplete. He reports the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association also agreed with this, and said dog foods needed to be fortified with nutrients, too much protein was harmful and some carbohydrates are necessary for the dog's health. ... The second selling point was developed by a professional marketing campaign. Dog food companies began labeling their dog foods as complete, with no additional foods or supplements being necessary. In fact, they began warning the public that adding table scraps could actually be dangerous to the dog's health. An active campaign was developed in 1964 through the Pet Food Institute, to inform the public of the dangers of table food scraps, and the importance of feeding processed dog food. This was accomplished through press releases to one thousand newspapers, articles in 16 magazines, including Redbook and Good Housekeeping and airing this information on 91 radio stations." Good PR isn't it?
Did you know that FiFi, laying their in your living room is actually the same species as the wolf? Until 1993, dogs and wolves were classified as separate species. This change was formalized in the 1993 publication: Mammal Species of the World, A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, edited by D.E.Wilson and D.A.M. Reeder, published by the Smithsonian Institution in association with the American Society of Mammalogists. This reference book is the final authority of the scientific community on mammal classification.
Let me exercise your common sense for a moment. If dogs and wolves are the same species and have the exact same nutritional requirements; Why aren't wolves in the zoo fed dog food? If dog food is the "be all, end all of nutrition", why don't zookeepers dole it out to their captive wolves? Why? Because it isn't species appropriate and they know better, that's why! All commercial dry pet foods contain species inappropriate ingredients. These so called safe ingredients are why we are seeing alarming rates of cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders, liver and kidney disease, allergies and a host of other ailments in our pets. Here comes question number two. Would you feed steak to a horse? If not, why do you think it is ok to feed your captive wolf a bowl of cereal?
Wolves, like Dogs, are what are described as obligate carnivores, which means they will scavenge for food -any kind of food dead or alive or otherwise - in order to survive. However, this also means that given a natural choice or preference they will choose a meat and bone diet for their optimal health to thrive. Have you ever seen a wolf in a corn field? NO?! Then why is ground corn or any other grain for that matter such a large part of most commercial pet foods? Because it is cheap and the grain proteins inflate the "Guaranteed Analysis" making you think that there is actually some meat in that bag.
Why didn't my vet tell me this?" you ask. Because sadly he does not know any better. Guess who provides the textbooks and other learning materials for his limited nutrition classes in vet school? If you are smart and I know you are, then you got it right. The dog food companies, mainly Hills. Your vet will fight you tooth and nail about raw feeding, or even feeding a homemade cooked diet, but listen to your heart. Try it for one month and see the difference for yourself.
If this makes sense to you, I bet you are wondering what to do next. Do you run to the butcher and buy everything he has? No. You start reading books. Research the internet. Like any nutritional program, you can make mistakes and need to be aware of the basics before starting. Is every meal going to be complete and balanced? Absolutely not. You achieve balance over time by varying the ingredients. Is every meal you eat complete and balanced? Of course not. The same applies to our dogs. Be sure that you have mastered the basics before starting. It's not rocket science and is actually easier than you think. There is a great article on my forum that tells you how I got started and gives step by step instructions. Visit my website and take a look. In addition to that here are a few excellent sites to start with.
http://www.dogaware.com
http://rawfed.com
http://www.rawdogranch.com
If you need help, go to http://groups.yahoo.com and join the K9Nutrition email list. There are thousands of members on this list and all are seasoned pro's at helping people to create diets that work for them and their pets. Or you can send me an email. I'll try to help as much as I can.
RSO and Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Vegan Diet
A Vegan diet is best. Does anyone have an opinion?
Water Kefir
The other time daily, they get ACV.
Namaste, Om
Diet for Puppy
That's a lotta scooping you are doing!
A couple things come to mind.
If you are feeding a puppy kibble, your pup's metabolism shifted into low gear right around 16 weeks; he no longer needs the extra OOOMPH from the puppy kibble, so you might consider switching to adult chow.
That said, if you are feeding grain free you might be over feeding; if your puppy has puppy fat and you cannot easily feel the ribs, you may be over feeding. Even if he looks age appropriately rangy and not fat, you might consider cutting out the noon meal and seeing if that makes a difference.
And what treats are you giving? Pig's ears for snacks, raw hides for working the jaw, biscuits during training sessions? A chunk of cheese because you are standing in the kitchen with the fridge door open and he just happened to look super cute? They add up... and come out!
And the pumpkin - I know you added this for the constipation from the last food, but why are you continuing it? It certainly cannot be over looked as to why your pup has so many stools.
And how is his temperament over all? Is he a nervous Nelly or a laid back Larry? A high energy nervous type will simply have to 'go' more than a couch potato because the nervous Nelly's nerves just work things loose.
Best Nutrition for Dogs
Reader Feedback
Pumpkin
Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Homemade Dog Food Recipes
I had a dog come to me from a neighbor who was starving and I had to research foods for dogs and came up with the findings that our dog foods we buy at the store are mostly garbage... From that point on I began supplementing our dogs normal food with home cooked meats and vegetables, except for broccoli, and never any grapes at all. But I give them about three times a week, a pound of beef, mixed up with a cup of oatmeal, and a can of green beans, and 4 tbsp mayonaise, and total cereal, 1/4 cup evaporated milk,
a couple of long squirts of Karo syrup the light kind, and then 4 Tablespoons of olive oil, since I seperate this into four servings one for each dog. Then I put two full droppersful of infant vitamins into this mix. I put in a cup of yogurt when I have it...if I don't have all the ingredients I can just do the meat and the oatmeal, the veggies, the oil and the vitamins. If I were trying to gain weight on them I would add macaroni and cheese, but the other dog has gained enough weight back on.
They like these...they are such big dogs, that they eat all this and I do it about three times a week. When it is time to get treats, I buy small bags of authority, as I read earlier, baby carrots.
As far as outward measures to combat dry skin, I do oatmeal water rubdowns, the bathe them with dove soap and dry them without rubbing. I put olive oil on any irritated areas, and it clears up. If not they get dosage of benedryl about 1 mg per pound of body weight.
Brushing and massaging their fur down the the skin is important also. Brushing is an everyday thing for all of them.
I have found that Frontline does not work anymore the formula has been changed or the ownership has changed hands.... I do the brewers yeast tablets, and I call them candy and dip them in gravy.
I am going to buy the powder brewers yeast in a shaker and put it on them all the time also.
I also intend to try diatomacious earth as well.
It is important to realize you can substitute fish oil pills for olive oil, 1 tbsp for a big dog, 1/2 tbsp for a medium size dog and 1/4 tablespoon for a small dog on a daily basis.
