SheltieGuy
Forums Enthusiast
I thought I was helping someone make an informed decision by providing information.
And I too feed kibble.
A little help on what to feed now
- Thread starter frankienme
- Start date
I thought I was helping someone make an informed decision by providing information.
And I too feed kibble.
frankienme
Forums Regular
Okay all, update on where I am - since I started this thread and now my eyes are popping out of my head with options 
I went to my pet store today and told them of my Frankie's liver values - by the way the acid bile test came back mildly elevated - so we are doing Actigal for a month, Denamarin and watching him to be sure he gets better - and I am taking him off Orijen as so many have confirmed my gut feel that the protein is just too high - especially if there are gall bladder issues - so the store owner, who is so knowledgeable like all of you- right away said "I think you want to try Now!" I believe BarbV mentioned this. So I will try this in the interim - but am also considering some other options based on some research and videos I watched by Dr Karen Becker on feeding. Has anyone seen these? They are great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTWHxvjI_as&feature=relmfu
Anyway, one thing I have noticed on these threads I have been checking out - no one really seems to mention feeding the wet/canned food. I was wondering if there was a reason since there is a conversation with Dr. Becker and the pet store owner I met today and some others about making sure the animal is getting enough hydration from the food and that the dry does not provide enough of that. So I am also considering Go! wet for Frankie -either as a supplement or to switch over - we'll see - it is not cheap, as they say - but I was wondering why the wet is not so popular here - or does not seem to be - all feedback is welcome - thank you so much!
I went to my pet store today and told them of my Frankie's liver values - by the way the acid bile test came back mildly elevated - so we are doing Actigal for a month, Denamarin and watching him to be sure he gets better - and I am taking him off Orijen as so many have confirmed my gut feel that the protein is just too high - especially if there are gall bladder issues - so the store owner, who is so knowledgeable like all of you- right away said "I think you want to try Now!" I believe BarbV mentioned this. So I will try this in the interim - but am also considering some other options based on some research and videos I watched by Dr Karen Becker on feeding. Has anyone seen these? They are great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTWHxvjI_as&feature=relmfu
Anyway, one thing I have noticed on these threads I have been checking out - no one really seems to mention feeding the wet/canned food. I was wondering if there was a reason since there is a conversation with Dr. Becker and the pet store owner I met today and some others about making sure the animal is getting enough hydration from the food and that the dry does not provide enough of that. So I am also considering Go! wet for Frankie -either as a supplement or to switch over - we'll see - it is not cheap, as they say - but I was wondering why the wet is not so popular here - or does not seem to be - all feedback is welcome - thank you so much!
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
My old post was incorrect...It should have said Senior and Weight Management. As my boys tend to be on the tubby side, this food has worked well for them (along with the reduced protein for Bacca).
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
Okay all, update on where I am - since I started this thread and now my eyes are popping out of my head with options
I went to my pet store today and told them of my Frankie's liver values - by the way the acid bile test came back mildly elevated - so we are doing Actigal for a month, Denamarin and watching him to be sure he gets better - and I am taking him off Orijen as so many have confirmed my gut feel that the protein is just too high - especially if there are gall bladder issues - so the store owner, who is so knowledgeable like all of you- right away said "I think you want to try Now!" I believe BarbV mentioned this. So I will try this in the interim - but am also considering some other options based on some research and videos I watched by Dr Karen Becker on feeding. Has anyone seen these? They are great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTWHxvjI_as&feature=relmfu
Anyway, one thing I have noticed on these threads I have been checking out - no one really seems to mention feeding the wet/canned food. I was wondering if there was a reason since there is a conversation with Dr. Becker and the pet store owner I met today and some others about making sure the animal is getting enough hydration from the food and that the dry does not provide enough of that. So I am also considering Go! wet for Frankie -either as a supplement or to switch over - we'll see - it is not cheap, as they say - but I was wondering why the wet is not so popular here - or does not seem to be - all feedback is welcome - thank you so much!
The decision between Raw and non-Raw is not so much about the water content, but more a fundamental principle. Some people do both. I tried feeding chicen thighs for a while because I thought it would help their teeth, but I just found the mess not worth it.
The frozen diets you saw on the video support the overall benefits of Raw, but without the benefit of the raw bones (for the teeth).
If you dog does not drink alot of water, then adding wet food to the diet is definitely an option. If your dog drinks plenty and his happy with his kibble, there there no need to add wet.
This is personal opinion only. I tend to err on the side of providing a healthy but not overly rich diet for my dogs. (i.e. straight kibble) So that when I do want to treat them, it truly becomes a big reward.
btw - my dogs go ape over baby carrotts! Best reward ever!
With dogs you dont necessarily have to worry about the hydration issue, it generally only holds true with cats since they eat a higher protein food you want to make sure the have enough to flush out their kidneys (and cats dont drink like dogs) so they dont develop issues. Not that it cant happen in dogs but its a lesser threat than kitties. So generally canned food is not needed with dogs. You can add canned if youd like, I cheat with canned when I run out of fresh food for the dogsOkay all, update on where I am - since I started this thread and now my eyes are popping out of my head with options
I went to my pet store today and told them of my Frankie's liver values - by the way the acid bile test came back mildly elevated - so we are doing Actigal for a month, Denamarin and watching him to be sure he gets better - and I am taking him off Orijen as so many have confirmed my gut feel that the protein is just too high - especially if there are gall bladder issues - so the store owner, who is so knowledgeable like all of you- right away said "I think you want to try Now!" I believe BarbV mentioned this. So I will try this in the interim - but am also considering some other options based on some research and videos I watched by Dr Karen Becker on feeding. Has anyone seen these? They are great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTWHxvjI_as&feature=relmfu
Anyway, one thing I have noticed on these threads I have been checking out - no one really seems to mention feeding the wet/canned food. I was wondering if there was a reason since there is a conversation with Dr. Becker and the pet store owner I met today and some others about making sure the animal is getting enough hydration from the food and that the dry does not provide enough of that. So I am also considering Go! wet for Frankie -either as a supplement or to switch over - we'll see - it is not cheap, as they say - but I was wondering why the wet is not so popular here - or does not seem to be - all feedback is welcome - thank you so much!
Mine eat fresh cooked chicken, beef and fish and veggies with every meal plus their kibble...heck they eat better than me some times!!Also I mix warm water in with their kibble as well!
frankienme
Forums Regular
- My dog did not drink a lot of water at all but since this gall bladder thing, he is drinking more - not a lot more so that it is alarming or excessive, but a bit more so that I, who work from home so am with him all day, know that there is an increase - so unusual enough to note - so the hydration issue caught my attention.
Yes, Frankie LOVES baby carrots too for a treat! I also always feed green beans - his ultimate favorite - and peas with dinner and green beans and organic pumpkin for breakfast. Sometimes I add apples or he loves blueberries for treats too. He also loves to pick the strawberries out of my garden in the summer
Justicemom
Forums Celebrity
Generally wet food + increase teeth issues ie peridontal disease and tartar build up. Not because dry does anything to prevent it but it doesn't tend to stick to the teeth surfaces. Shelites in general are one of the breeds more prone to peridontal disease. At least, that is why I don't do canned.
same here, and for same reasons
LadyMcBeth
Forums Enthusiast
I switched from TOTW to High-Tek naturals grain free.... very reasonable, and Daisy is doing well with it....stools are actually smaller and she loves it. Very reasonable...I buy it on Amazon. I have an earlier thread here under commercial food with the link to their website...they seem to have their act together, plus the 15 lb. bag is $10.00 cheaper than TOTW.
I just wanted to let you know that living with a diabetic husband makes you totally aware of carbs. While there are carbs in vegetables, they are generally not high with the exception of a few. For example, peas require a half of a cup to get 6 grams of carb whereas cooked barley for the same amount has 20 grams. Since we can't and shouldn't erradicate carbs from the diet it becomes a game of trying to reduce them for her. Half a cup of peas sounds like a small portion but try measuring it on to a plate sometime - it's more than we would have ever eaten before.
I have an issue with people telling us that we are poisoning our dogs if we don't feed raw. Since the average life expectancy in our house, and the homes of the dogs I have placed over the years, without a lot of veterinary intervention is 16 years and I have fed everything from Pedigree to high end "natural" diets, have tried cooking for dogs and feeding raw I have come to the conclusion that most dogs will do well on any reasonable quality kibble or well researched raw diet. It's got to the point that people are made to feel bad if they don't jump on the raw bandwagon. I have successfully raised from birth to death at least 20 dogs and followed the lives of the many puppies that were born here with the exception of 1. All were fed kibble and I can count on one hand the number that died before the age of 14. Phoebe's issue was too many stressors allowing yeast to take over. She seems to be well past it as she got through eating cat food mistakenly for 3 weeks without a scratch and it is high as yeast is added. I will continue to give her enzymes - after spending thousands of dollars to find an answer and get her body back in balance, I won't take chances.
I have an issue with people telling us that we are poisoning our dogs if we don't feed raw. Since the average life expectancy in our house, and the homes of the dogs I have placed over the years, without a lot of veterinary intervention is 16 years and I have fed everything from Pedigree to high end "natural" diets, have tried cooking for dogs and feeding raw I have come to the conclusion that most dogs will do well on any reasonable quality kibble or well researched raw diet. It's got to the point that people are made to feel bad if they don't jump on the raw bandwagon. I have successfully raised from birth to death at least 20 dogs and followed the lives of the many puppies that were born here with the exception of 1. All were fed kibble and I can count on one hand the number that died before the age of 14. Phoebe's issue was too many stressors allowing yeast to take over. She seems to be well past it as she got through eating cat food mistakenly for 3 weeks without a scratch and it is high as yeast is added. I will continue to give her enzymes - after spending thousands of dollars to find an answer and get her body back in balance, I won't take chances.