Kibble and dehydrated food - questions/comments?

[JonP]

Before someone decides to start a group here for kibble or dehydrated food, I thought I would post a discussion to see what type of interest it generates. I also have some questions of my own that I hope someone can help me out with.

[JonP]

Hi Lisa, I can completely relate to your experience at the training class! I had the same thing happen just as we were finishing up our very first session! I was caught completely off guard haha! 

Lisa Tiro said:

I put him back on the high quality kibble Precise Holistic Large Breed Puppy. I only recently started him with minimal table scraps, only meats mixed in. It doesn't seem to bother him now that his teeth are in. He did get the runs from Vitamin C I started him on the other day but I gave him the regular C and not the buffered so that's why. Now he's on a low dose of the buffered and his stool is nice and firm. That used to happen to him after the bones and dog school too. It seems to be getting better now. She is kind of old for the teething reason. Maybe you should try a process of elimination with her to pinpoint the food that is bothering her. I know it sucks so bad because you're afraid to take her anywhere because she might get the diarrhea. My boy did it right in the middle of the dog class. I was so embarrassed. I would definitely try the probiotics and digestive enzymes too. It should help her. Let us know if it helps.

Lisa

[Heather Dawn]

Jon, My girl has the same issues.  She went to the vet this week and he was telling me about the probiotic fortiflora.  When we were talking he said I could get it from him for about $1.10 per packet, or I could look online. I found the one he was talking for $17.95 for 30 packets, or if you buy 3 boxes it's $16.49 each, there is also a $5 rebate. I'm ordering 3 boxes for Cane.  I was told to give it to her once a day for 30 days and when ever it starts back, do another round of 30 days.  Here's the link to the site I found it at.    http://probioticsmart.com/pets/canine-fortiflora.html

[Ken_C]

Hey Jon,

I was cruising & noticed this discussion.  I have experienced the loose /diarreah for a very brief time.  I switched to Abady & she is doing great her stool looks like firm marbles.  At first she was very finicky, then came Abady.  She is a picture of heath and will truly eat anythng.  I never thought I's say this but, I really do swear by the Abady.  It also did wonders for my Ridgeback. I live in Mass. and for some reason certain types of food are dificult to find here.  They are much to expensive to buy on line as well..  BTW, Abady is not cheap either.  I am getting a male BB pup toward the summer and I will feed him Abady as well.   Hopefully it agrees with him. 

[JonP]

Thank you both for the reply. Unfortunately I still don't have this problem figured out. I just made another appointment to visit the vet this week. I'll do another stool sample in the mean time. I am thinking I will have to break down and start the probiotics as well. I feel completely hopeless with this situation. I hope the stool sample will give me some guidance. I have been using the same food for one full bag, cottage cheese with each meal and just the other day started on my second bag and cut the cottage cheese out. When I stopped the cottage cheese, she went right back to diarrhea. I think I need to switch the food again. I will probably go with something fish based. 

Ken, I looked into Abady and it seems like a wonderful product. I wish I was able to go with that but it seems to be out of my price range. Can you recommend anything else? 

[Lisa Tiro]

Jon, Have you tried adding canned pumpkin to the kibble? I wouldn't do the cottage cheese because the dog food should have enough protein which is what the cottage cheese has. He may need some fiber to help firm up the stool. My Axel was the same way believe me. I was up every hour during the night taking him out with the squirts. It was at least a month. My son and husband were freaking out about it and brought in another stool sample and again it was fine. They didn't even seem that worried about it at the vet. I went on line like you asking questions and the canned pumpkin kept coming up so I tried it and stuck with it and in about a week the stools started getting better. Cut out any treats you may be giving her too until her stool is better. I have to tell you though I started feeding him raw on Saturday and he hardly poops at all now and it's small and has no odor. IT'S AMAZING!!!!! And, he loves it! No more standing on my head to get him to eat. It's great!

[JonP]

Hi Lisa, yes I have tried canned pumpkin. I did this for several weeks a few months ago. It did do a lot for the stools but it also came with horrible gas. I was on here earlier and talking with Lee about my problem and he recommended the cottage cheese. From what he told me and the research I did, cottage cheese does the same as the pumpkin. Her squirts are exactly the same as you described. It's awful. As for now, she isn't getting any treats whatsoever. What raw diet are you currently feeding and how much are you spending? I may try for raw again, I bought another freezer a while back and was all set to get going but couldn't find any good deals. The cost and the time keep holding me back. Not to mention, I don't want to make her feel any worse right now. I am moving to a new home at the end of the month. Once I get in and get settled I may try to find a new source for raw. Im thinking about trying Costco as a source. For now I need a solution elsewhere. I am most likely going to purchase "probiotic miracle". 

[Lisa Tiro]

Jon, I saw after I wrote this that I already told you this whole story on page 1 lol....I would still get the probiotic. I started him on whole chickens from Cosco $1.00 per pound. There are 2 in the bag about 5 lbs each. I cut them into quarters and was feeding a 1/4 in the morning and 1/4 at night. The stool today was kind of small and crumbly so I gave less bone today. I cut up a roast beef I had in the freezer from my other dog when she was sick and I gave him about 1 1/2 lbs cubed in 1-2 inch chunks for a.m. and then 1/4 chicken (leg and thigh) for dinner. I am taking it slow. I will add organ meat in a few more days after I know he tolerated the beef. I am going to my father-in-laws butcher to talk to him about buying stuff he doesn't need. I was paying $53 per bag for kibble about every 2-3 weeks for him and going back and forth to Petsmart buying canned food or pumpkin ($2.00) to mix in with his food to get him to eat it. I can't see that it can be much more expensive than that and to be honest I don't care because I know he likes it and it's good for him. He looks different already I swear! I am going to give him a supplement with it and I already give him Vit C, salmon oil and joint supplement.

~Lisa

[JonP]

No worries Lisa, you were just trying to help! I really appreciate all your effort! Thanks for the info on the Costco pricing. I will start with probiotics and see what I can get out of them. Thanks again for your help! 

[Sweet Pea]

Jon, 

If you're interested in finding out what raw may cost in your area, check out the Yahoo group: CarnivoreFeed-Supplier. It's a national list where suppliers list their deals and people buy thing in group bulk. I'm sure if you search for the area you are in, you'll find some kind of deals. 

[JonP]

Thanks Kimberly,

I like the idea of a group like that, but I really hate dealing with Yahoo groups in general. I have never had good luck with finding useful information or knowledgeable people on that site for some reason. I may give this one a shot though. Are you aware of any other group or site that supplies that same information?

Kimberly Baker said:

Jon, 

If you're interested in finding out what raw may cost in your area, check out the Yahoo group: CarnivoreFeed-Supplier. It's a national list where suppliers list their deals and people buy thing in group bulk. I'm sure if you search for the area you are in, you'll find some kind of deals. 

[Lisa Tiro]

Jon,

Kimberly gave me a person that has drop offs every 3 weeks about 20 minutes from me. I met her last night and got frozen chicken necks and backs (2- 40 lb. cases), 5 lbs. of liver and 5 pkgs. beef, tripe & organ mix rolls in 5 lb. rolls. All of that cost me $95. And, the bone and liver will last me a very long time. I just picked up a used freezer on Craigslist today. Axel is thriving on the new diet.

~Lisa

[Sweet Pea]

No, Jon, I'm not aware of any other groups outside of yahoo. I understand your disdain for Yahoo groups, but unfortunately the other side of the coin is that it provides a cheap and easy way to share info. If it saves you $$ then it's definitely worth it!!

JonP said:

Thanks Kimberly,

I like the idea of a group like that, but I really hate dealing with Yahoo groups in general. I have never had good luck with finding useful information or knowledgeable people on that site for some reason. I may give this one a shot though. Are you aware of any other group or site that supplies that same information?

Kimberly Baker said:

Jon, 

If you're interested in finding out what raw may cost in your area, check out the Yahoo group: CarnivoreFeed-Supplier. It's a national list where suppliers list their deals and people buy thing in group bulk. I'm sure if you search for the area you are in, you'll find some kind of deals.