Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Gangringo
Jul 22, 2007

In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one sat.

He chose the path of perpetual contentment.

Fluffy Bunnies posted:

Look into Just Food For Dogs DIY. What she's doing isn't helping.

Apparently she can't handle the vegetable matter they put in the boojy dog foods, gives her the runs hardcore.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Tangy Zizzle
Aug 22, 2007
- brad

Fluffy Bunnies posted:

Cats require 30 calories per pound per day to maintain a healthy weight, with a value play of 25-35 depending on cat activity level. Most lazy cats require right at 30 calories per pound; so a 6 pound cat would require 180.


stop free-feeding your cats before "tubby" turns into "diabetic" and "diabetic" turns into "urinary crystals"; which eventually usually turns into "kidney failure". If you can afford wet, feed wet. If your cat freaks out over an empty bowl; try putting toys in said bowl so they redirect into playtime.

I really appreciate this point but was hoping you could elaborate/corroborate the 30c per lb number.

Background - I was adopted by a fat 6 year old domestic short hair named Porter last year - during our initial checkup he weighed in at 21 lbs and the vet asked us to restrict his diet. We spent a year counting his calories and capping him at 500 (which is a pretty sizable decrease and should have brought him slowly down at least a lb or two) and he somehow came up to 22lbs. We've further reduced his diet to less than 400 cals per day, which according to your math seems draconian but he doesn't seems to be losing weight.

We live in a small condo and get him as active as possible but he's not a playful guy. We think he came from a home with a really old owner who left him mostly to his own devices.

He currently enjoys 65g of Blue Buffalo diet food in the evening in a slow feeder and a can of Fancy Feast Ocean Whitefish and Tuna pate in the morning, with some extra water thrown in.

He doesn't beg for food until it's about an hour outside feeding time.

cat tax
https://imgur.com/a/geW56nQ

Proud Christian Mom
Dec 20, 2006
READING COMPREHENSION IS HARD
after like 8 years one of my cats has decided he doesnt like wet food any longer. back to crunchy it is for him!

loving cats.

Raymond T. Racing
Jun 11, 2019

Tangy Zizzle posted:

I really appreciate this point but was hoping you could elaborate/corroborate the 30c per lb number.

Background - I was adopted by a fat 6 year old domestic short hair named Porter last year - during our initial checkup he weighed in at 21 lbs and the vet asked us to restrict his diet. We spent a year counting his calories and capping him at 500 (which is a pretty sizable decrease and should have brought him slowly down at least a lb or two) and he somehow came up to 22lbs. We've further reduced his diet to less than 400 cals per day, which according to your math seems draconian but he doesn't seems to be losing weight.

We live in a small condo and get him as active as possible but he's not a playful guy. We think he came from a home with a really old owner who left him mostly to his own devices.

He currently enjoys 65g of Blue Buffalo diet food in the evening in a slow feeder and a can of Fancy Feast Ocean Whitefish and Tuna pate in the morning, with some extra water thrown in.

He doesn't beg for food until it's about an hour outside feeding time.

cat tax
https://imgur.com/a/geW56nQ



So if we take this, he should be at around ~300 calories a day, which probably explains why going to 500 brought him up, not down, given that 500 is the RER of a cat past 25 lbs.

Tangy Zizzle
Aug 22, 2007
- brad

Buff Hardback posted:



So if we take this, he should be at around ~300 calories a day, which probably explains why going to 500 brought him up, not down, given that 500 is the RER of a cat past 25 lbs.

Thanks, looks like I'm on the right track now

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.
Awesome chart! Saving that for when we next have a healthy cat to feed. We have a chronic illness cat that currently weighs 10lbs, and is barely maintaining when fed like a 15lb. Good things she likes her food! :3:

His Divine Shadow
Aug 7, 2000

I'm not a fascist. I'm a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do.
I just wanna complain about Latz, the fuckers happen to be our cats favorite and they just redid their whole line so the portion sizes are reduced to 85g from 100g and of course the prices remains the same. gently caress you Latz!

Deathlove
Feb 20, 2003

Pillbug
Thank you for very much for the chart and the food recs - my vet wants my cat down to closer to 10-11 pounds, and she was closer to 17 this past visit. Picking up some Tiki and switching off of Purina ProPlan Dry to see how that goes. I was pretty strict about 250 calories with it, but hopefully the higher protein/lower carbs/more wet of the Tiki will do the trick!

Re: The Chart - If I aim for 12 pounds, trying to lose weight, I should be giving her about 200cal a day? She's gonna hate me, haha

tax:

Raymond T. Racing
Jun 11, 2019

Deathlove posted:

Thank you for very much for the chart and the food recs - my vet wants my cat down to closer to 10-11 pounds, and she was closer to 17 this past visit. Picking up some Tiki and switching off of Purina ProPlan Dry to see how that goes. I was pretty strict about 250 calories with it, but hopefully the higher protein/lower carbs/more wet of the Tiki will do the trick!

Re: The Chart - If I aim for 12 pounds, trying to lose weight, I should be giving her about 200cal a day? She's gonna hate me, haha

tax:

250 should be a good number. You start with the chart at their current weight, and use the multiplier for where you want them to go.

admiraldennis
Jul 22, 2003

I am the stone that builder refused
I am the visual
The inspiration
That made lady sing the blues
My always-been-svelte, picks-at-her-food cat somehow gained 2lbs this past year! She's not "overweight" according to the vet but 10.8->12.8lbs is a big and surprising gain! And obviously something to monitor. She's always been 10-11lbs since adulthood. Her brother (littermate) stayed the same this past year at ~13-13.5.

Historically, my two have never had weight issues (always "ideal" bodies) and don't overeat: leftover food in the bowl is not uncommon, and I've also generally given them extra when they ask for it since it's never been an issue, and usually just means they ran around the house a lot recently.

They are coming up on their 11th birthdays (hard to believe!) so maybe she's just slowing down, or was somehow more inclined to eat during the pandemic with me around all the time? They've been on Tiki Cat (wet-only) for the past decade.

nutri_void
Apr 18, 2015

I shall devour your soul.
Grimey Drawer
My cat is approaching one year and I will need to change his food from kitten food to adult food. He is currently eating Royal Canin wet food for sterilised kittens with a bit of RC sterilised kitten dry kibble on the side with a roughly 90/10 ratio by calorie.

The vets just tell me to keep him on Royal Canin and I'd be happy to do that, but their adult food is produced locally, which in my country is a very bad thing. What nutritional requirements should I be looking at? And is there a consensus on grain-free food (there's a food I found that seems trustworthy but it's grain-free)? I'm looking at wet foods.

Kramdar
Jun 21, 2005

Radmark says....Worship Kramdar
I'm bored at work and wandered into this new iteration of the food thread.

Here's my two cents on cat food with some back story:

I met my wife back in 2010 and she had two cats. Both were being fed Purina Indoor cat food. One cat was a stray named Jelly (age unknown) and the other she got as a kitten rescue while she worked as a vet tech, that one is Hopscotch. Then we married and got a third one, O'Malley, who was approximately a year old. So all three ate that food in our apartment. Then fast forward 6 months, and we move into a condo and have room for one more cat. He was a rescue mainecoon named Whiskey (age unknown) and he ate the same food. But within about 4 months of having him in our place, he developed feline Hepatitis and dropped to about 9 pounds. This was not attributed to the food, but trying to get him to eat while recovering got me to read more about food and and we eventually transitioned onto new food for everyone. The first I think was Solid Gold Indigo Moon, based maybe on an old thread. But at some point they discontinued the larger size bag or maybe the food size changed, or local stores didn't carry it anymore, but something made me switch to Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain. And it came in 14 pound bags too!

We fed them that for a year, then we added 3 foster-fail kittens and another stray (starving to death on the street and walked up to my wife when parking her car) and we kept them on this food for at least three years. The kittens all filled out nicely with beautiful coats, the non-strays were staying good sized, and the strays were heavy but I attribute that to fear of starving on the streets.

The first cat, the stray named Jelly, died of old age. Hopscotch developed diabetes a bit after her passing, we switched him to EVO. Everyone else stayed on Taste of the Wild. Hopscotch ate that Purina Indoor cat probably a good 2.5 years of his life initially. I attributed his health and need to eat constantly based on that junk and the reaction it had on his appetite.

EVO discontinued their dry food though and we never found a suitable replacement. Tiki Cat wet food, being the least processed wet food, became Hopscotch's main food with a bit of dry for more nutrition (hard to find a good balance of grain-free/high protein next to EVO). So we experimented with Fromm, some others I forget, and a different Taste of the Wild just for him.

We added one more cat to the mix (that makes 8) and he liked it too. But Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain finally got kicked to the curb though. One of the three kittens developed a gall bladder stone. So now learning that it is attributed to high phosphorus content, the search began for a dry food with low phosphorus content. I found some great list that compiled all the phosphorus contents of all dry cat food. Then I narrowed it down to what was available in the US, then at stores close by, and even better on Chewy. That one was Solid Gold Winged Tiger.

And we now let all the cats eat it. The diabetic one eats it too since it's in an acceptable threshold of nutrition vs carbs. Despite sticking to wet food for most of his diagnosis, after the EVO discontinuation, our vet was adamant that he eat dry too since he believed the Tiki Cat wasn't nutritionally dense enough (literally whole sardines in those cans!). Here we are at least 2 years post-gallstone surgery and all the cats are doing good eating the Solid Gold Winged Tiger.

And only one of the three kittens ever developed an issue. They are litter mates. Two are calicos, one's a male korat. The vet said the other two probably won't ever have the same issues as the one did. So the other two could have probably stayed on Taste of the Wild.

As for vet-prescribed food, we tried it with the mainecoon back when he was sick and he refused to eat it. Had to buy 5 different brands of high-end wet food before he mustered up the strength to actually eat any of it (something that was mostly trout).

And the diabetic prescription food was junk, carby rear end poo poo. We fed him one can, which looked like gruel, and returned the rest to the vet. I know the vet has the best of intentions, but even they can be a little uneducated on stuff like that.

With that said, it's great to find a food that multiple cats will all like. But it takes a few attempts. With the kittens having eaten the Taste of the Wild for their formative years, the Korat was a hard sell on new dry foods. But the Winged Tiger he went to real fast. And if you have multiple cats it's hard to gauge which health issues may arise, right away or down the road. So realistically it's just research and recommendations.

And the only vomiting issues I have had with all these cats is gorging. And that usually occurred when we weren't home in time to feed them at their normal feeding times (the diabetic one makes it so we do no free feed now).

So realistically, just make sure your young cats/older kittens transition to a nutritionally dense dry food. I would probably stay away from brands that were just normal kibble that later started grain-free lines. Research the brands that always focused on that market share and narrow those ones down. And then focus on protein content (high) and carb content (as low as you can go). Then if they have the data, look at the rest (like phosphorus). Then adapt to their tastes/reactions/potential allergies.


And the cats and shittens mentioned above:

Kramdar fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Apr 17, 2021

Damn Bananas
Jul 1, 2007

You humans bore me
11yo beagle has been on Kirkland's senior food for a few years, but he's been pretty farty for the past year or so, and is constantly eating grass. What's a good food to try for sensitive senior stomachs?

Price isn't really an issue, more-so convenience: Something found at Petsmart, Costco, or Chewy is preferred.


edit: I ended up getting Purina Pro Plan: Sensitive Skin & Stomach, lamb & oatmeal formula. Couldn't find anything both for seniors and digestion, but this seemed to have good reviews. We'll see how his farts improve.

Damn Bananas fucked around with this message at 22:41 on Apr 30, 2021

Cretin90
Apr 10, 2006
Just a quick sniff test (heh) to make sure this food is fine.

2 year old indoor cat we adopted ten days ago. We’ve been feeding him the poo poo the shelter was feeding him, Purina Beyond wet and Purina Beyond grain free (etc) dry. We’d like to make the switch to healthier food. He’s a healthy weight and hasn’t indicated any issues other than maybe being slightly gassy and his poop smelling like the end of the world (but what else is new).

https://www.chewy.com/weruva-paw-lickin-pals-variety-pack/dp/169209
https://www.chewy.com/solid-gold-indigo-moon-chicken-eggs/dp/112136

I was interested in the Dr Elsey cleanprotein stuff but 59% protein dry food seems.. excessive.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Cretin90 posted:

Just a quick sniff test (heh) to make sure this food is fine.

2 year old indoor cat we adopted ten days ago. We’ve been feeding him the poo poo the shelter was feeding him, Purina Beyond wet and Purina Beyond grain free (etc) dry. We’d like to make the switch to healthier food. He’s a healthy weight and hasn’t indicated any issues other than maybe being slightly gassy and his poop smelling like the end of the world (but what else is new).

https://www.chewy.com/weruva-paw-lickin-pals-variety-pack/dp/169209
https://www.chewy.com/solid-gold-indigo-moon-chicken-eggs/dp/112136

I was interested in the Dr Elsey cleanprotein stuff but 59% protein dry food seems.. excessive.

that's a hell of a concentration of protein

Weruva is a big hit around here. Solid Gold is very decent.

Cretin90
Apr 10, 2006

Fluffy Bunnies posted:

that's a hell of a concentration of protein

Weruva is a big hit around here. Solid Gold is very decent.

Any suggestions over solid gold for a generic/no special needs adult cat diet?

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Cretin90 posted:

Any suggestions over solid gold for a generic/no special needs adult cat diet?

I'm really enjoying Acana right now. It's not perfect, but it's good stuff.

nunsexmonkrock
Apr 13, 2008
My cats really liked SG Indigo Moon. We eventually switched to Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain because it was a little cheaper per oz and they happily eat it.

https://www.chewy.com/taste-wild-rocky-mountain-grain-free/dp/181327

Edit: Just remember to slowly adjust your cat to the new food by mixing in a little new with mostly old, and adding a little more new and a little less old every few days. Otherwise there might be vomiting and diarrhea.

nunsexmonkrock fucked around with this message at 00:10 on May 12, 2021

powerfulbuttranger
May 30, 2019
So, is raw or freeze-dried not as much a risk as it seems like it would be? I mean, contamination is contamination, cat food or human food. No? Raw is raw.

Animals in the wild eat it raw bc it's fresh and they have to, but doesn't mean it isn't at risk for bad bacteria.

P.s. Don't bother telling me I'm stupid, I know.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

powerfulbuttranger posted:

So, is raw or freeze-dried not as much a risk as it seems like it would be? I mean, contamination is contamination, cat food or human food. No? Raw is raw.

Animals in the wild eat it raw bc it's fresh and they have to, but doesn't mean it isn't at risk for bad bacteria.

P.s. Don't bother telling me I'm stupid, I know.

Can you get a little more exact with what you're asking here? Because I'd like to help, but I'm a bit confused. And for dogs or cats?

powerfulbuttranger
May 30, 2019

Fluffy Bunnies posted:

Can you get a little more exact with what you're asking here? Because I'd like to help, but I'm a bit confused. And for dogs or cats?

I'm sorry. I was standing there in the store at the time, two bags in my arms, like an idiot.

This is for cats.

I see people talking up orijen and other foods that contain raw or freeze-dried ingredients. Is it not a risk for them to be eating that? Why wouldn't it be?

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




Freeze dried is going to kill any bacteria, parasites or eggs, probably. Not many things can survive being completely dehydrated.

Raw and fresh refrigerated pet food is relying on the same sort food hygiene that makes it possible to eat steak tartar or sushi. People can eat their steak hella rare now because it is quite unlikely that you're going to catch a tapeworm from a modern feedlot farmed cow. If the meat was clean and healthy and it is stored properly the entire time, then raw meat can be safe. The difference is that if your food wasn't stored properly somewhere along the chain and has gone off you'll probably smell or at least taste that something is wrong with your food -- but you might not carefully sniff or taste your pet food, and your pet might not shun food that has gone off if they are hungry.

I tried a fresh refrigerated food once. Cat didn't like eating cold food. I didn't like microwaving cat food to get it to an acceptable temperature. Didn't buy it again.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

powerfulbuttranger posted:

I'm sorry. I was standing there in the store at the time, two bags in my arms, like an idiot.

This is for cats.

I see people talking up orijen and other foods that contain raw or freeze-dried ingredients. Is it not a risk for them to be eating that? Why wouldn't it be?

So, cats and dogs have different systems than we do. While there's still a possibility of illness, it's there in kibble and everything else they eat, too. They have an incredibly good system for killing off pathogens that make us sick: it's why you see strays eating 3-day old roadkill and not really getting sick from it. Is that ideal? Nah. But still, they can do it. We can't.

Having raw fed cats a lot (especially cats, I'm a huge proponent for raw-fed cats, it just takes some learning to do it), I've never had one get sick. I run their meals through my grinder, bag, tag, and freeze. When I want to feed them, I remove a bag and go on ahead and let it thaw in cold water. Once thawed, I portion it between the cats and give it to them. In an hour, I throw out anything not eaten.

For the stuff in the bags, freeze-drying destroys any surfaces that pathogens might form on. The "raw coated" stuff that orijen does is more gimmick than anything else. They're just kinda spraying it with raw cat food juice and then, if I remember correctly, they go ahead and re-cook it so it isn't just molding in your bag. Which is gross.

I dunno if FA is talking about Freshpet or another one of the fresh foods, but yeah. It's just bringing pet food up to human cleanliness standards.

Hirayuki
Mar 28, 2010


Sorry if this has been covered; I skimmed the thread, but didn't see anything about this. It might just mean I'm in the wrong thread, though. Warning: bummer ahead.

Our pup Stanzie is 17½ and has been poorly for a while simply due to old age. She started to decline sharply this week. First she stopped eating her dry food, but wolfed down a plain omelette (two eggs, nothing more); then she would only nibble at an omelette; now she half-heartedly nibbles and then immediately spits it out. She's too weak to sit up or stand on her own, and seems so anxious about her positioning even when supported that she will not eat. We can only offer her food when she's laying on her side, which is always. We give her water by syringe on the side of her tongue, or she wouldn't drink at all. (As it turns out, she will lick CBD oil out of my hand, but not lap water.) She's in no pain as far as we can tell, and not mean or snappish. Just worn out.

We know this can't go on for much longer, but want to keep feeding and watering her as tolerated until her poor body finally gives out. Is there anything at all you can recommend for some easy-to-feed nutrition? Some kind of goop we can squirt onto her tongue like we do her water? That does seem to work. We'll gladly cook/formulate from scratch.

Hutla
Jun 5, 2004

It's mechanical
My god, quit torturing her and call an in home euthanasia service. Letting your dog slowly expire from starvation and dehydration is cruel beyond measure.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Hirayuki posted:

Sorry if this has been covered; I skimmed the thread, but didn't see anything about this. It might just mean I'm in the wrong thread, though. Warning: bummer ahead.

Our pup Stanzie is 17½ and has been poorly for a while simply due to old age. She started to decline sharply this week. First she stopped eating her dry food, but wolfed down a plain omelette (two eggs, nothing more); then she would only nibble at an omelette; now she half-heartedly nibbles and then immediately spits it out. She's too weak to sit up or stand on her own, and seems so anxious about her positioning even when supported that she will not eat. We can only offer her food when she's laying on her side, which is always. We give her water by syringe on the side of her tongue, or she wouldn't drink at all. (As it turns out, she will lick CBD oil out of my hand, but not lap water.) She's in no pain as far as we can tell, and not mean or snappish. Just worn out.

We know this can't go on for much longer, but want to keep feeding and watering her as tolerated until her poor body finally gives out. Is there anything at all you can recommend for some easy-to-feed nutrition? Some kind of goop we can squirt onto her tongue like we do her water? That does seem to work. We'll gladly cook/formulate from scratch.

Beech Nut whole meat baby food. It's just meat and broth blended down.

Talk to your vet about your options. 17.5 is incredible. I'm dealing with two hospice cases at once myself. It could be simple dehydration or a surprisingly easy fix. Old dogs are often quick to drop but can pull themselves back up. A feeding tube may also be an option.

Hutla posted:

My god, quit torturing her and call an in home euthanasia service. Letting your dog slowly expire from starvation and dehydration is cruel beyond measure.


A lot of places do not have these, especially during the pandemic.

Hirayuki
Mar 28, 2010


Fluffy Bunnies posted:

Beech Nut whole meat baby food. It's just meat and broth blended down.

Talk to your vet about your options. 17.5 is incredible. I'm dealing with two hospice cases at once myself. It could be simple dehydration or a surprisingly easy fix. Old dogs are often quick to drop but can pull themselves back up. A feeding tube may also be an option.
Thank you very much for this. The Kroger a half-mile down the road has both beef and chicken varieties, so we'll pick up a handful of jars this morning.

Even before she got quite this bad, we noticed she'd be a lot less willing and able to get up and around if she happened to miss a meal. The hope is that some food in her belly will be enough to fortify her out of this low point, at least a little. She tried to drink from her (raised metal) bowl today, but seems leery of bending down far enough to actually lap any up for fear of falling over and potentially onto the bowl. Maybe the food will help her there, too.

Hospice is exactly what this is. Best of luck with your two sweethearts, and thank you again.

e: She loved the beef--licked three-quarters of a jar out of my hand and even off the spoon. Thanks again.

Hirayuki fucked around with this message at 14:31 on May 27, 2021

LeeMajors
Jan 20, 2005

I've gotta stop fantasizing about Lee Majors...
Ah, one more!


Main Paineframe posted:

To throw my anecdotal experience into the mix, my dog used to be on a grain-free food, Acana Limited Ingredients.

Now he's on a prescription cardiac diet, after he went into congestive heart failure before age 5 due to severe DCM, which the cardiologist said is almost certainly caused by the grain-free food because it's extremely rare for this to happen this badly to a dog that's this young and doesn't have any particular aggravating factors.

Obviously this is just one anecdote, the FDA still says that the number of cases is still very small and that only a tiny percentage of dogs are likely affected, the link is neither clear nor conclusive, and so on. But even if the overall risk is low, the prognosis can be pretty lovely if your dog is one of the unlucky ones, so think twice about taking that bet unless your dog really needs to have specifically grain-free food.

So my 8yo standard poodle had a grade 1 heart murmur at her last yearly appointment and she's been on Acana Singles for like 7 years due to severe colitis. Her first vet recommended switching to a grain free diet back in 2014 or so after several severe bouts of colitis with melena. I hadn't even heard about the possible DCM link and we've never had any dietary issues we knew of and thus we've never discussed diet with her vet of the last 5 years. She had a rough time with colitis at that time and then dx of Addison's we've been treating successfully and without issue since.

So we heard about this possible grain-free link with DCM (which hasn't developed yet apparently) but she's started showing some exercise intolerance and I'm starting to get a little worried.

It's so hard to find reliable information on good balanced diets and I'm thinking of switching over to the wholesome grain formula or over to some other food to try and prevent any further damage, if indeed that is what is causing it.

E: I'm thinking of transitioning her to Hill's Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin Large breed--I remember my folks having good success with the prescription Hill's with their pets. Any thoughts?

LeeMajors fucked around with this message at 17:15 on May 29, 2021

El Mero Mero
Oct 13, 2001

Anyone listen to the most recent science vs on pet food? I thought it had some interesting bits and felt it was pretty convincing to me for dog food at the least

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

LeeMajors posted:

So my 8yo standard poodle had a grade 1 heart murmur at her last yearly appointment and she's been on Acana Singles for like 7 years due to severe colitis. Her first vet recommended switching to a grain free diet back in 2014 or so after several severe bouts of colitis with melena. I hadn't even heard about the possible DCM link and we've never had any dietary issues we knew of and thus we've never discussed diet with her vet of the last 5 years. She had a rough time with colitis at that time and then dx of Addison's we've been treating successfully and without issue since.

So we heard about this possible grain-free link with DCM (which hasn't developed yet apparently) but she's started showing some exercise intolerance and I'm starting to get a little worried.

It's so hard to find reliable information on good balanced diets and I'm thinking of switching over to the wholesome grain formula or over to some other food to try and prevent any further damage, if indeed that is what is causing it.

E: I'm thinking of transitioning her to Hill's Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin Large breed--I remember my folks having good success with the prescription Hill's with their pets. Any thoughts?

Hills is garbage but if you have a sensitive gut, you have a sensitive gut. Go with what she'll eat.

What's your budget like?

LeeMajors
Jan 20, 2005

I've gotta stop fantasizing about Lee Majors...
Ah, one more!


Fluffy Bunnies posted:

Hills is garbage but if you have a sensitive gut, you have a sensitive gut. Go with what she'll eat.

What's your budget like?

I pay like 70-80 per 22/25lb bag of Acana, prob wouldn’t want to exceed it.

She’s a grazer though in spite of her steady river of supplementary corticosteroids.

candystarlight
Jun 5, 2017

I am very glad I found this thread. I've been feeding grain-free since at least 2011 when we discovered my Boston had a corn allergy. Thankfully no heart issues.

We have 3 dogs -
2 year old Aussie Shepherd/Corgi
3 year old Red Heeler/mutt
11 year old Boston Terrier

Have been feeding Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain Free for about 3 years now. Is it worthwhile to switch to the Ancient Grains version, or go to something else entirely?

We've gone with the Duck alternative as they won't touch Lamb. We tried Wellness Chicken (also the grain free version) but it gave the Heeler bad hot spots, though the 3rd ingredient of the Wetlands is chicken but it doesn't seem to cause her issues otherwise.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
https://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/taste-of-the-wild/ancient-grains/dog-formulas/ancient-wetlands-canine-recipe-with-roasted-fowl/

Cute Tax:
http://imgur.com/gallery/tIZ16BG
http://imgur.com/gallery/jcnqLw3
http://imgur.com/gallery/HAepvdl

Culex
Jul 22, 2007

Crime sucks.
As far as I know, there is no tested evidence that the 'ancient' grains are any better at preventing the taurine from uptaking, so they might be just as bad. See the old lamb and rice dcm cases from long ago, iirc, that had a lot of beet pulp for fiber but also caused poor uptake.

Raymond T. Racing
Jun 11, 2019

We still rank Orijen pretty highly for cat food, right?

Mine are currently on Instinct by Nature's Variety but that was more a limitation of Chewy not selling it due to Orijen taking the ball and going home. Now that they've got Orijen again, I really don't see a downside to switching, but just wanted a second opinion.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Buff Hardback posted:

We still rank Orijen pretty highly for cat food, right?

Mine are currently on Instinct by Nature's Variety but that was more a limitation of Chewy not selling it due to Orijen taking the ball and going home. Now that they've got Orijen again, I really don't see a downside to switching, but just wanted a second opinion.

Wet orijen is better than dry orijen but orijen in general is a good food.

Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


I'm caught between two cat food problems.

1. Cat needs urinary-diet food; he's 11.
2. Cat gets the shits whenever he eats corn products.

I'm not trying to do grain-free, but the vet-grade cat foods I've seen have corn byproducts; they also don't offer a variety of flavors. Cat is a picky rear end in a top hat who won't eat the same food all the time.

Fluffy Bunnies
Jan 10, 2009

Arsenic Lupin posted:

I'm caught between two cat food problems.

1. Cat needs urinary-diet food; he's 11.
2. Cat gets the shits whenever he eats corn products.

I'm not trying to do grain-free, but the vet-grade cat foods I've seen have corn byproducts; they also don't offer a variety of flavors. Cat is a picky rear end in a top hat who won't eat the same food all the time.

Go raw. This is the common solution to your problem. Urinary diets typically have a bit more salt to them to encourage water retention/drinking. Raw is full of moisture. Or, if you feel dicey about raw, canned food or fresh food is good, too.

What kind of crystals does kitty have?

Arsenic Lupin
Apr 12, 2012

This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.


I have forgotten; he's just had urinary problems in the past, and the vet recommended a veterinary diet for them.

effika
Jun 19, 2005
Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

Arsenic Lupin posted:

I have forgotten; he's just had urinary problems in the past, and the vet recommended a veterinary diet for them.

See if you can get a referral to a vet nutritionist. They exist, and can help you sort out the dilemma of corn gives him the shits/he needs urinary food and they're corn-filled. You may have to order in food, but at least the cat will be healthy.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Rectovagitron
Mar 13, 2007


Grimey Drawer
I've never had a picky dog before so am kind of at a loss.

My dog is a 1.5 year old 33lb Jindo that we've had since she was 4 months old. She had pneumonia and kennel cough when we got her (but is very healthy now), and the place we adopted her from had her on a raw-ish diet of Honest Kitchen's whole-grain stuff and some local frozen raw chicken for dogs, plus some added vitamins + probiotics.

Our vet recommended (and I preferred) switching to kibble instead of any raw food, both for the convenience, science behind it, and friends who are vets recommending kibble. But, our dog hates everything, and is not food motivated.

So far we have tried (at least):
- Several kinds of Royal Canin
- Hill's Science Diet
- Purina Pro Plan
- Eukanuba

We've tried a mix of wet and dry foods, just dry, just canned, making her do tricks for food, using food dispenser toys, only having food available for short amounts of time, and just about everything. We always do 2 weeks of transition time then at least 2 weeks of dedicated time on a food to see if she settles down with it.

She hates everything except the Honest Kitchen whole grain rehydrated food. She is the kind of dog that will spit out a treat if she is distracted by a squirrel, or excited in general. With Pro Plan, she'd just pick out the nuggets and barely graze everything else. Her weight is stable, and her vet is a little concerned that she is on the thin side, but she isn't losing weight so the vet isn't concerned about that.

Nonetheless, I'd prefer to have her on something more mainstream and less marketed at the raw/grainfree crowd, and would prefer a brand that did AAFCO testing instead of just formulation. Is there anything else we can try, or are missing here?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply