What Are You feeding Your pets?

[corgimom]

With all the recalls, I am curious as to what everyone is now feeding their animals.

I used to feed Natural Balance. Some of what I was feeding was recalled and even though, not every product of theirs was recalled, I can't bring myself to feed their brand right now.

Cody is currently eating Fromms Dry Kibble some Fromms Canned(Fromms is a Wisconsin Company), and Evangers Canned. He loves the Fromms whole chicken thighs and the shredded Duck, but it is now $3/can which is a bit steep for my budget having 4 animals.

My cats are now eating Canidae.

[Jespah]

As just yesterday I had to return our canned food due to potential cross contamination, I am trying the canned Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken and Veggies. They love it - we'll have to wait and see if the poop is okay! :EEK:

[Merlincorgi]

I've had my boys on plain kibble (no canned) of the Nature's Recipie. So far I haven't seen it on any of the recalls... and most of the recalls seem to be based on canned foods so I will avoid them in general for now at least. Of course... my boys also get table scraps *gasp*.

[The Chipmunk's Mom]

I feed all of my dogs Natures Recipe canned and dry. They now have something called Natures Recipe Farm Select which has bits of apple, carrots and other veggies in it and I feed that sometimes also. I had already switched my dogs to this dog food because of Dale, when all this recall business started. By the way, Lady is thriving on it. Gaining weight, can go for a ride without getting sick and is running the yard again. I too check every day just to make sure it isn't on the recall list. Most of the canned dog foods that are on the recall list, have been fed to Lady trying to get her to eat.:ARG:

[darci]

Puppers are eating Timberwolf Dakota bison dry. Eagle pack canned.
May try Wild n Natural next.

Kitty has been on Blue buffalo (not the recalled), think I am going to go with Innova Evo dry for cats this time, and will pick up some canned food for her as well.

[mtoy]

Canidae All Life Stages for both dogs. They love it. We started using this earlier this year (pre-Link) and the change was drastic in Millie, so much better. We were using Nutro Natural Choice Lite before the Canidae.

I have also started supplementing with kefir/yogurt, cottage cheese, raw eggs and Missing Link Plus. But I keep considering going to a partial cooked or even a partial raw diet so who knows where we'll end up. The Honest Kitchen foods sound good too.

[Cheetah]

I was feeding Canidae before the recall, and am still feeding it. >^^;< And Felidae for the cat.

[corgimom]

You are right Cheetah, it is felidae for cats, and I had said I was feeding mine Canidae:CONFUSED:

[MVons]

I plan to feed my dog Drs foster & Smith (only the lite was on recall and I didn't like the ingredients on the lite anyway). Drs Foster & smith doesn't use preservatives like so many good food and they recommend the food be consumed in one month. My last dog was on Sensible Choice but getting it was a pain so I'd buy the 30lb 3 month supply. Having to buy Foster & Smith monthly will be $10 a month more expensive because that is the shipping. Worth paying in the winter.

I'm waiting until the end of the month to find out what the puppy will be on.

Merrie

[dcole]

I plan to feed my dog Drs foster & Smith (only the lite was on recall and I didn't like the ingredients on the lite anyway). Drs Foster & smith doesn't use preservatives like so many good food and they recommend the food be consumed in one month. My last dog was on Sensible Choice but getting it was a pain so I'd buy the 30lb 3 month supply. Having to buy Foster & Smith monthly will be $10 a month more expensive because that is the shipping. Worth paying in the winter.

I'm waiting until the end of the month to find out what the puppy will be on.

Merrie

Merrie,

Did you know that the Drs Foster & Smith recall was expanded yesterday (Friday?) Check out the latest here:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/general.cfm?gid=568

[dcole]

Still haven't given up on the home-cooked angle, although I have issues to work out - especially with supplementation. And just what meat is safe to feed (mela-chicken, anyone???)

Trevor does still need kibble for his treat ball in the morning, so for commercial food, I'm feeding the pets the following:

California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato dry (dog and cat). For wet food, Evangers, only the organic cans (dog and cat.)

And for all you Canidae and Felidae feeders, there was a poster on itchmo who recently (yesterday) got back the results on the samples they sent to an independant lab for contaminent testing. Came back with a clean bill of health so far, with more results coming in soon :SMILE:

[Dillydoodle]

Ok, the two kitties are eating Innova Evo dry and have been since long before the recall...

Dillon and Gus are eating a 50/50 mix of Timberwolf Ocean Blue and Timberwolf Wild and Natural and have been on that from before the recall.

My two were eating the bluebuffalo lamb and rice but it was recalled and since i ahve switched to canned wellness lamb and sweet potato, Canidae lamb and rice and on occasion evangers lamb and rice or evangers 100% meat ( rabbit, duck, pheasant, and buffalo).

[Abbykat]

Abby has always eaten Bonnie Lite (An Australian kibble) plus raw Chicken&Veg mince. She has raw meaty brisket bones twice a week.

HOWEVER - As she is now attending a great Doggie Day Care with a view to boarding her there in the future, I am in the process of changing her to BARF Patties plus a small amount of the kibble they use there, which is from USA - Nutro Choice Light - As far as I can ascertain this is not on the recall list - Can anyone comment on this please. +UNSURE+

[Jespah]

Hey Kath - it looks like you should be okay - this is the latest release as if this week.

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/PressReleaseUS05022007.htm

[dcole]

Hi Kath,

As far as the Nutro goes, I used to feed the cats Natural Choice and Trevor their Ultra Holistic. I THOUGHT I was giving them really good food, then the recall happened and I was sick with worry because Trev was getting the Ultra wet. Thankfully it was dated before the recall but I dropped a couple hundred dollars at the vets for testing, just to be sure.

What really P.O.'d me and swore me away from the company, though, was the way they dragged their feet in the beginning of the recall, saying that their particpation was "voluntary", and that no pets had been sickened by their products, blah, blah, blah. BULL!! And I recently read that they have been, or will soon be, bought out by a major food manufacturer/distributor (sorry, can't remember which one right now.) So for me, anyhow, no more Nutro products, ever. Just my 0.02.

BTW, good luck with the BARF diet. I gave Trevor a raw meaty bone a couple of weeks ago, and although he enjoyed it, it gave him the runs the next day. So no RAW in this household! "NO:":

[corgimom]

Kathy,

I went to the site and here is what I found - according to them, no dry foods
are in the recall

http://www.nutroproducts.com/mfrecall.asp

http://www.nutroproducts.com/mfproductlist.asp

[dcole]

Kathy,

Just to reiterate my position on Nutro products: I only gave reasons why I would no longer support the company with my hard-earned $$. As Deb and Linda pointed out, their kibble is not on any recall list. So if that's what's being offered at your doggie daycare, I'm sure it's fine. :SMILE:

[disraeli ears]

I switched my two from Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice adult to Nutro Ultra Adult, right after the recalls started. I have really seen a difference in their poos!

You say Nutro's getting bought out? That's a shame. Once we get settled in our new home, I may try the kids on Canidae - I have heard great things about Canidae.

I rarely ever feed the kids wet food. but they do get bites of my food quite often. :BIGGRIN"

[sutulu]

I just switched my two to Fromm Chicken a la Veg kibble. My goal in life, beside finding a healthy and safe food for them, is to feed them only kibble. They had been eating Eagle Pack, either chicken formula or the fish formula. I love Eagle Pack Kibble for them, they do great with it. But... they don't wolf it down.

I had read good things about Fromm, my trusted Pet food supply store stopped carying it because Fromm makes 3 levels of food and they felt only their "high test" (Four Star Formula) was decent food. I had them special order the Four Star chicken formula.

So far I am very pleased. Both dive into their dish and nothing is left behind. Tuck had some runny poo at first but is back to normal. Nice poo, no gas (!), and they are eating it!!!!!

Can you believe 2 picky corgis iin one house? What are the odds?

[corgimom]

I had emailed Fromms because their canned is made in China - and I was concerned about that - like I had mentioned earlier, Cody loves the Shredded Duck and whole chicken Thighs - but it is $3 a can and I think it is the most expensive canned food around, but it looks and smells good.

Here is the email I received from Fromms regarding their canned food:

"We are happy to hear you are feeding your Corgi our dry and canned food and we thank you for your continued support.

Fromm Family Foods elected to go to China because we could not find a human food facility in the US to produce our canned products. We searched extensively for a human-food plant to produce our products in the US but only 2 plants would agree to make our pet food at their human-food plant. Of those 2 plants we were not satisfied with the quality, they could not make whole foods (like whole chicken thighs, diced beef, or shredded duck), and they demanded gigantic product runs. As a result we were forced to look outside the country or not make our cans at all.



Our products stand out because you can recognize the meat and what's inside. There are clearly no mystery ingredients. You can see what’s in the can and you can smell the difference. Many pet food companies emphasize “Made from human-grade ingredients” or “USDA inspected ingredients”. The problem with these statements is that most pet food ingredients come from USDA inspected plants anyway, but those ingredients are not necessarily fit for human consumption yet it allows manufacturers to imply they are. The only way to ensure human-food quality is to produce products in a human-food facility like ours. China is not any cheaper for a manufacture when it comes to human-food products. We have to buy market price ingredients, the same ingredients sold in grocery stores. If we were buying by-products (or other “pet food grade” ingredients) we could retail our products for significantly less and our products would not look like they do, feed like they do, or smell like they do.



Our cans are heavily inspected by numerous governing bodies including the FDA, USDA, CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), and agencies from the European Union. Every ingredient allowed in the plant must be certified by all of these agencies for human consumption. No pet-food grade ingredients are even allowed into our plant. We have Chinese Federal Inspection at the plant level every time we produce as required by FDA and USDA for importation into the US (for human food products). Every load has a history of manufacturing process and raw materials used which is reviewed by the FDA and USDA. We also have to conform to Canadian importation requirements which makes importing far more difficult. There are Chinese CCIQ inspectors at the facility and FDA/USDA inspection of the products before the products can be allowed into the States or Canada. Again this is a requirement for human-food facilities, and is NOT a requirement for pet food facilities (in the US) as was the case with Menu Foods.



The ingredients suppliers we use have been routinely inspected and as a requirement by the FDA and CFIA we can only buy from those certified suppliers, otherwise we would not be able to bring our cans into the US or Canada. Each load has a detailed bill of lading which identifies each ingredient supplier. Most of the ingredients do come from China, however, a large portion of our chicken does come from the States as the US exports large quantities of chicken to China. We also import our pharmaceutical-grade vitamin mineral mix into China from the US for use in our cans. Every ingredient supplier facility has CCIQ (FDA and USDA equivalents) inspectors present to certify the product completely safe and fit for human consumption.



We understand the overwhelming concern with products from China given the current news headlines but we have had our own problems here in the US. US sourced ingredients have caused severe mortality in both cats and dogs from alfatoxin and mycotoxin found in our grain ingredients. In the case of the wheat gluten from China, it was contaminated in some unconventional manner and somehow made it into our pet food ingredient chain. Had those companies used whole ingredients instead of making reformed meat (fake meat chunks) this would have never happened but alas cost is always a factor. Companies do their best to make the best products possible within the retail price points their products are targeted for. Unfortunately you cannot sell shredded chicken breast meat (like ours) in a 6.3 oz can for 69 cents, it just cannot be done. Companies know consumers want “humanized” looking product, and they do their best to accomplish this with alternative methods of manufacturing. Unfortunately that means using ingredients like wheat gluten to extend their meats in effect lowering the final cost, practices we would never succumb to.



If we could make our canned products here in the US we would not hesitate. Eventually we would like to build our own cannery but until then we have to make our cans where our quality standards can be met. We refuse to make our cans in a pet food plant as the proper safety regulations regarding ingredients, manufacturing, and quality control are not currently in place. If our cans were not made in a human-food plant we would not be able to whole-heartedly guarantee our products the way we do. Our canned foods are inspected and certified to be 100% edible; 100% natural, and not affiliated with any by-product operation. We would not have it any other way."



Thanks again and please let us know if you have any additional questions.



Bryan Nieman

Fromm Family Foods

bryan@frommfamily.com

www.frommfamily.com

Phone: 1-800-325-6331

Fax: 262-242-3571

Mailing Address: PO Box 365, Mequon WI, 53092

[Abbykat]

Thank you all re the Nutro info. I feel a little easier now re this, but very interested that they may be taken over by another company. This is what happened some time ago with the Bonnie that I have been using.

I am seriously considering eventually dropping the kibble completely, and just using Dr Billinghurst's Genuine Aussie R.A.W.(BARF) Patties (which are available at the Dog care), even though they are quite expensive. Abby tolerates raw food very well :SMILE: - apart from the kibble she has never had any cooked or canned foods.

[darci]

I have been thinking of trying Natures variety raw patties.

[MVons]

I guess my hesitation to switch from dry kibble is that Pepper lived to 15 years, her sibling and mom did, and her dad lived to 15 years on Pedigree small dog dry kibble! Pepper's teeth were rarely brushed and the Vet was astounded how great they looked at age 15 with only eating dry kibble.

So based on how long the dogs lived and quality of life, I have to stick with dry kibble. After being on the forum, I know I never would have switched Pepper to senior food because I noticed her coat lost it's luster. And now that food is recalled. I know each dog can be different as Pepper had a sensitive stomach causing us to feed her the chicken and rice. So we'll see what the puppy is on and go from there.

Merrie

[sutulu]

Linda:

Isn't it interesting the Fromm Company, under Bruain's E mail sent such a full E mail. I'm sure they seend out E mails a lot.... but I am impressed.

Speaking of seeing what you are getting in the food.... Merrick canned is very much like that. Deb and I were chatting about canned food and she told me in Canada Merrick is really expensive. I thought it was "middlie of the road" when I was adding it to Merrick Kibble to get Tuck to eat.

I thought I read somewhere that chewing hard kibble (f0r dogs able to chew...) is good for their teeth.

[Jespah]

I have read that the larger the kibble the better it is for the teeth as it scrapes the surfaces as they chew. The majority of what I feed is kibble and I add the canned food+pumpkin+yoghurt for flavour and moisture. I always feel that eating just kibble would be somewhat like eating just Melba toast for dinner - satisfying but I wouldn't be able to whistle for hours! :WINK:

[corgimom]

Linda:

Isn't it interesting the Fromm Company, under Bruain's E mail sent such a full E mail. I'm sure they seend out E mails a lot.... but I am impressed.

Speaking of seeing what you are getting in the food.... Merrick canned is very much like that. Deb and I were chatting about canned food and she told me in Canada Merrick is really expensive. I thought it was "middlie of the road" when I was adding it to Merrick Kibble to get Tuck to eat.

I thought I read somewhere that chewing hard kibble (f0r dogs able to chew...) is good for their teeth.

Susan,

I was really impressed with the email. At first when I opened it, I thought it was going to be some short statement saying their food was safe and was totally surprised at the detail he went into to reassure me that their food was safe and good quality - the thing I am finding is that the canned Fromms is the most expensive especailly the shredded duck and whole Chicken Thighs,
I think Evangers comes in close behind in price - with the same type of products; but this is at our store around here.

I have done some reading in the past about dry kibble and keeping their teeth clean and there are lots of different opinions on it. My own vet does feel it has some benefit. One person commented(in an article I read) that a dog eating dry kibble and hoping it would clean his teeth would be like us eating a Trisket and expecting a cracker to clean our teeth - I am really not sure what to believe on this one.:CONFUSED:

[The Chipmunk's Mom]

When Chip was eating the Science Diet TD for treats, his teeth were really white. Not that they aren't now but I have noticed a difference. I threw away the bag I had when Science Diet was on the recall list at $15.00 a pop. Oh well.

[Dillydoodle]

well, ok, i don't know as much about dogs on this subject, but i do know about cats and dry food cleaning the teeth better than canned is a myth. First of all, the small kibbles are swallowed practically whole, then when they do get some that they chew up, the remaining food remains stuck to their back teeth, and becuase they don't brush their teeth after every meal to remove it and due to the high sugar content in their mouth, it promotes bacteria growth...and then you get the plaque and tartar... Truthfully, with cats, it is actually better for them to be eating canned food over kibble... and they are obligate carnivores who are designed to eat meat, not grains...

here is a great link about cats eating canned and about the myth about dry food cleaning teeth better than canned:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/?action=library&act=show&item=doesdryfoodcleantheteeth


As for the TD forumla of Science diet, I speak from personal experience, my cats were all on it before Misty was diagnosed with Diabetes... The only reason i think it kept their teeth cleaner was becuase it was forumalted with some chemicals to help keep the teeth cleaner... Their ingredient list doesnt look like food, as much as it looks like chemical compounds and such... If i sound negative about HIlls it is becuase i am absolutely convinced that the feeding of their high end veterinarian prescribed foods were what led directly to misty becoming diabetic and remaining insulin dependent until i finally took her life into my hands and switched her to Wellness canned food...and within 6 days of the switch she had nearly gone into remission, went from 7 units of insulin a day to 1/2 a unit to 1 depending on the day... The only change I made was low carb canned food vs. dry hill science diet WD...


Emilie

[Fluffypants]

Jackie gets Nature's Variety Prairie Formula kibble (venison & millet). I don't give her canned - just some pumpkin & yogurt (with her vitamin C pill and Missing Link Plus that I mentioned in Linda's vitamin thread). I love this kibble. Her stomach has been so much better since we switched her to it last year, and she LOVES the taste. She dives right in!

[sutulu]

Linda:

My two will be reaching the end of that 1st bag of Fromm (chickel a la veg) next week. I just called my pet store and had them order me another bag + a bag of the White fish blend (I thought about the salmon but the fat content was a bit high???).

I thought about ordering it from Petfooddirect.com but I think the $13 shipping is more than the extra $2 the store charges me per bag!.

besides... keeping my store in business (worry about the Petsmarts of the world putting the little guy out of business!).

Susan with two corgis loving their food! Finally!

[MVons]

After finding out Sensible choice senior is recalled for having melamine IN it, I emailed Foster's & Smith who did a recall because their food was processed after a competitor's melamine batch was done. They replied promptly. I asked With the concerns on dog foods, have you created tests for your raw materials to ensure there are no contaminates before they enter manufacturing? Do you have more stringent testing than the other brands that your manufacturer makes.

Their reply:

Our manufacturer follows all FDA testing guidelines for products received. First, all protein meals and powders are from APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) certified facilities, and are tested for fat protein before unloading. Second, they are tested for moisture and density along with visually checked for color, general appearance and COFO (commercially objectionable foreign odor). Since these developments there is no question that new testing will become mandatory. We hold our manufacturers to higher quality assurance then most of our competitors and assure you that this will be a rare occurrence. Please also remember that this recall is precautionary as none of our foods have tested positive for Melamine and no dogs have become ill.

Please let me know if you have further questions,

Jaimie A
Assistant Manager
Drs. Foster & Smith
Jaimie.anderson@drsfostersmith.com

[corgimom]

Linda:

My two will be reaching the end of that 1st bag of Fromm (chickel a la veg) next week. I just called my pet store and had them order me another bag + a bag of the White fish blend (I thought about the salmon but the fat content was a bit high???).

I thought about ordering it from Petfooddirect.com but I think the $13 shipping is more than the extra $2 the store charges me per bag!.

besides... keeping my store in business (worry about the Petsmarts of the world putting the little guy out of business!).

Susan with two corgis loving their food! Finally!


Cody just got done with the Salmon one(yes, the fat content is a bit higher) and he is now eating the Whitefish blend - and I will say, if our local Pet Supply Plus store did not stock it, I know I would not be paying that shipping charge(which I think would almost be the same cost of the food). Cody has also eaten the Holistic one from Fromms but the store only carries that in the larger size bag and the fat content is 16% in that one also; lately, every time I go in the store, it seems to be sold out .

I will say that now that he is on this Fromms food, I no longer give him the pumpkin as his stools are looking "good" - and since I am in wisconsin I am happy to support a company in our state.

I did check go to the Merrick Link, after you posted, and checked out their foods also; and they do have some good stuff - I never really checked it out before. They have a canned cat food that has a lower ash content than the Felidae and it looks like they will be coming out with a holistic dry kibble for cats soon. I am going to check out their stuff the next time I make a trip to the pet store as they did have some canned stuff that I think Cody would like and I may rotate one of their try kibble along with the Fromms for Cody.

[mtoy]

I will say that now that he is on this Fromms food, I no longer give him the pumpkin as his stools are looking "good" - and since I am in wisconsin I am happy to support a company in our state.


I'm originally from Wisconsin, now in Michigan. it's very hard to find Fromms here, there are 2 stores in my county and both are a long drive. I wish our Pet Supplies Plus would get it, or better yet the neighborhood feed store. I'd like to try it. I plan to rotate our food a bit now.

[corgimom]

I'm originally from Wisconsin, now in Michigan. it's very hard to find Fromms here, there are 2 stores in my county and both are a long drive. I wish our Pet Supplies Plus would get it, or better yet the neighborhood feed store. I'd like to try it. I plan to rotate our food a bit now.


Pet Supplies Plus will often special order foods for you at no extra charge - you just have to ask. I did inquire about the Timberwolf as that is the one brand they don't carry and there was a problem with them getting it - something with thier distributer, and I can't recall what it was. But if you ask, they may be able to order the Fromms for you - see what they say.

[mtoy]

That's a good idea - I'll have to ask them!

[corgimom]

mToy,

I don't know where you are in MI, but I checked the Fromms link and here are the stores that carry their product

http://www.frommfamily.com/dealers-us.php?state=MI&view=all

I am not sure how up to date this link is, as I see our Pet Supply Plus store is not listed and a different place that went out of business is.

[sutulu]

I have to ask my pet store to special order. They get it from their supplier with all the other food. And they don't charge for shipping.

The Fromm site told me several stores in y area carried it but they carried their other formulas, not the Four Star Nutritionals.

[manymuddypaws]

I know i'm a little late but just got home from the weekend...

I feed the corgis' Orijin- made by Acana(made in alberta, canada) The corgis are doing great on it so far- good poops, and great coats...It has no grains at all in it....I rarely give canned food- but give yogurt, or cottage cheese at least 4 times a week....

I have fed wellness fish and potatoe with success in the past- as my shepherd has allergies...I switched her to acana salmon and potato and she is doing just as great on it...

[dcole]

Thank you all re the Nutro info. I feel a little easier now re this, but very interested that they may be taken over by another company. This is what happened some time ago with the Bonnie that I have been using.


I found the link to the Nutro buyout - they're being taken over by Mars Corp.

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/05/02/pet-food-recall-more-recalls-and-text-of-durbin-amendment/

Scroll down the blog a bit and you'll see the story. I also found it buried on Nutro's website, in a press release.

[dcole]

I know i'm a little late but just got home from the weekend...

I feed the corgis' Orijin- made by Acana(made in alberta, canada) The corgis are doing great on it so far- good poops, and great coats...It has no grains at all in it....I rarely give canned food- but give yogurt, or cottage cheese at least 4 times a week....

I have fed wellness fish and potatoe with success in the past- as my shepherd has allergies...I switched her to acana salmon and potato and she is doing just as great on it...

Good to hear that you like the Orijen - I think they are on the short list of companies that manufacture their own food. Their ingredients look very good, too. Wish they sold it down my way. I may have to import some to avoid the melachicken dilemma. +SAD+

[mtoy]

mToy,

I don't know where you are in MI, but I checked the Fromms link and here are the stores that carry their product

http://www.frommfamily.com/dealers-us.php?state=MI&view=all

I am not sure how up to date this link is, as I see our Pet Supply Plus store is not listed and a different place that went out of business is.

Yes, I found that on their site. There are a couple places in our county but we live in a huge county, and with the traffic it would take anywhere from 2-3 hours round trip. I'm just not going to drive that far for dog food. I will check with Pet Supplies Plus though.

[MVons]

I found the link to the Nutro buyout - they're being taken over by Mars Corp.

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/05/02/pet-food-recall-more-recalls-and-text-of-durbin-amendment/

Scroll down the blog a bit and you'll see the story. I also found it buried on Nutro's website, in a press release.Turns out Mars corp also owns stock or all of Royal Canin, Pedigree I think too. Personally then I wouldn't be concerned because it appears Mars Corp is just a holding company, unlike other buy outs.

Merrie

[Denaluvscorgis]

I just started Chloe & Jackson on Canidae, All Stages. They were eating Exclusive before that. Exclusive wasn't part of the recall, but does contain corn gluten so I didn't want to chance it.

[Milosmom]

I was feeding Milo Nutro Ultra-weight management...but since the whole food recall thing, I switched both Milo and kitty Mieko to Eagle Pack. I have been very pleased with it. Milo loves it. Mieko has bowel issues, he has the weirdest poo i've ever seen coming out a cat. It is not like tootsie rolls, more like... good God, can't even describe it. :SHOCKED: (Anyway, he did 2 rounds of flagyll and benebac, and at least his butt isn't leaking anymore).

Point is, once I started him on Eagle Pack kitty food, his bowels have seemed to "calm down" and his poo's are better, his coat is glossy and he is filling out. I think Eagle Pack sets well with his little kitty system. So I recommend Eagle Pack highly.

[Dillydoodle]

Poor little meiko! some foods just dont work with some pets... Glad the eaglepack is working out so well for you. Did the benebac work on Meiko? I was just telling Linda ( corgimom) about that stuff the other day. My sisters cat had been taking a lot of antibiotics and they must have killed off all the good bacteria in her tummy becuase she was getting sicker and sicker, so she took her off all the antibiotics and gave her benebac for a bit and it seemed to work wonders for her kitty. It is nonprescription and can be purchased at Doctor Fosters and smith and even at petco.... what did you think of it?

Emilie

[Penutsma]

Natural Choice (Petsmart) is what we feed all the dogs except the new puppy. They don't have anything small enough for him except canned. I don't feed canned except for really special occasions such as Christmas and birthdays. The puppy is on Eukanuba tiny bites - for toy puppies. Of course, all of them (cats too) get to have treats such as food leftovers in small quantities.

The oldest dog - Sampson - was overweight and had a dull coat when he came to live with us. He now has a waist again and shines like liquid blackgold! (see picture, made today) This picture was made with my cell phone - inside without a flash. Yeah, poor quality, but you can still see the shine in his coat. See Cheryl - he is doing great!

[Lauren]

Frodo is fed a raw diet.
Izzy is on Canidae ALS (she has GI issues and raw was too hard on her stomach).

[mtoy]

I thought my dogs were happy when I changed from Nutro to Canidae...and they were...but I was totally unprepared for their reaction to raw food. OMG - it's kind of scary, they go WILD for it! It seems to be agreeing with them, their poops look great and there are no icky side effects. They still get Canidae for breakfast, my husband feeds the morning meal and he isn't one to bother with anything more than he has to before rushing off to work. I've been feeding them mostly Natures Variety medallions, and yesterday I found some Aunt Jeni's just up the street so I'm trying that out too. Some day (hopefully soon) I will figure things out good enough to make my own.:EEK:

[Lauren]

but I was totally unprepared for their reaction to raw food. OMG - it's kind of scary, they go WILD for it!

I agree, at first I was thinking 'there's no way he's actually going to eat it'...pfft! He dug right in!!

This pic of last night cracked me up, he looks so much like a big cat stalking prey (in this case an ox tail):
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/NerualSSDD/1%20year%20old/IMG_1362.jpg

[taflar]

They don't have anything small enough for him except canned.

You can add water and soak kibble till it's soft and mash it with a fork. Then he could eat the same thing you're feeding the other dogs.

Peggy

[Milosmom]

Poor little meiko! some foods just dont work with some pets... Glad the eaglepack is working out so well for you. Did the benebac work on Meiko? I was just telling Linda ( corgimom) about that stuff the other day. My sisters cat had been taking a lot of antibiotics and they must have killed off all the good bacteria in her tummy becuase she was getting sicker and sicker, so she took her off all the antibiotics and gave her benebac for a bit and it seemed to work wonders for her kitty. It is nonprescription and can be purchased at Doctor Fosters and smith and even at petco.... what did you think of it?

Emilie


Emilie,

I didn't know benebac is non-prescription...thanks for letting me know. I will get some when I run out. Mieko has feline herpes (rhinotracheaitis) and it plays havoc with his sinuses and trachea/throat. He has been doing well since I give him a L-Lysine capsule mashed in his food every day. That and the good quality of Eaglepack seems to agree with him.
He's a mess but he is smart and cute as can be.

[corgimom]

Here is the link for the Benebec. You know you can buy Lactobacillus acidophilus at the Health food store in the refrigerator section. It comes as a fine powder - I had actually given it to one of my other cats(per my vet) in his moist food. But The Benebec comes in a gel form.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3563&Ntt=benebec&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

[MVons]

In doing a search on dehydrated sweet potatoes Honest Kitchen's dehydrated raw diet came up... http://www.sitstay.com/store/edibles/foodHK.shtml

Has anyone fed their dog this food?


This food is minimally processed to preserve the natural nutrients present; the food undergoes no high heat processing or extrusion whatsoever, and is therefore a highly concentrate source of natural nutrition. This product is made with 100% human food grade ingredients. It contains no animal feed grade ingredients and is made in a USDA-inspected facility, but is intended for your dog to eat, not you!

Preparation Instructions
One cup dehydrated food = 1 lb of fresh food
Each cup of dehydrated food should be re-hydrated with 1 to 1.25 cups of pure, warm, filtered, or tap water, or boiled water that has been allowed to cool. Add the water to the food and stir well. The product will initially resemble soup. Let stand for 10 minutes minimum, for the ingredients to re-hydrate sufficiently. Add your own ingredients if you wish (see "Serving Recommendations" below). Stir again, and serve. Any leftovers should be refrigerated or discarded. When hydrated, the weight of food will increase by about four times, meaning the 10 lb. bag contains approximately 40-42 pounds of fresh food. All ingredients included are raw, including the protein sources.

[mtoy]

I have some small packs of this, the dogs love it. It's very easy to add fresh meats to it. The downsides are - the time it needs to re-hydrate (Link smells it and gets crazy) and cha-ching the stuff is pricey. We have the Thrive and Embark. It would be an easy kibble alternative for traveling.

[manymuddypaws]

this sounds similar to N-R-G. It is a dehydrated food aswell. Wicca was on it when she was little- but it is very pricey...

http://www.nrgpetproducts.com/

[Kassie]

We're trying to figure out what is best, especially with Aine coming. Maeve has been on Science diet so far. That's what our 16 year olds ate and did well on. We bought some Blue today because the ingredients looked good (we only feed kibble) she seems to like it. Anyone have any experience with that? Kassie

[jakobandbrandonsmom]

She is on Iams puppy food now, but we're going to start weaning her to Wellness puppy food in a few days.

Brees eats Nutro Ultra Holistic, but with the recent recall, I'm afraid to feed it now.

[taflar]

We're trying to figure out what is best, especially with Aine coming. Maeve has been on Science diet so far. That's what our 16 year olds ate and did well on. We bought some Blue today because the ingredients looked good (we only feed kibble) she seems to like it. Anyone have any experience with that? Kassie

If what you're feeding works and you're happy with it there is no reason to change.

I don't know what "Blue" is. Who makes it?

Peggy

[CorgiMum]

Montrose and Dylan both eat Medi-Cal Fiber Diet, and have for almost 10 years.

Danny is eating Science Diet Puppy Food, Small Bites at the breeders, and I'll continue that for the time being at least.

[Kassie]

If what you're feeding works and you're happy with it there is no reason to change.

I don't know what "Blue" is. Who makes it?

Peggy

It is made by Blue Buffalo company...

[Fluffypants]

Jackie eats Nature's Variety - Prairie Formula. She loves it, and it's got great ingredients. It was recommended to me by a breeder / trainer friend.

[taflar]

It is made by Blue Buffalo company...

Oh, ok, I've heard it called Blue Buffalo not just Blue. From what I've seen it's a very good food. It's a preimum food, not sold in grocery stores.

Peggy

[mtoy]

Ugh, has anyone heard about the Canidae/acetaminophen thing? It's on Itchmo (http://www.itchmo.com/canidae-responds-to-acetaminophen-test-results-2654).

It's not for sure and not a recall - nothing official. But, our dogs have been eating the same food from the same manufacture date, mostly just for breakfast, although they ate it for both meals when we were traveling. This makes me very nervous, as Millie has just not been well, off and on. I took the rest of that bag and put it away, I have some Eagle Pack fish something they can have for now.

[Milosmom]

I did not hear about Canidae. Scary. I have fed my cats food from that brand.
Now both Milo and kitty Mieko have been on Eagle Pack. Very happy with it, and they love it too. No tummy upsets, no poop issues, no recalls....happy happy happy. On my last trip to pick up more food I noticed Eagle has dog treats now, so I picked up a bag for Milo.

[PollyGirl]

I feel Polly Nutro Max, the one for chubby dogs. She seems to love it, but then again, being a corgi, she loves EVERYTHING!!! :SMILE:

[The Chipmunk's Mom]

From what I read about the Canadae that was just one person who made that claim many months ago. It scared me because my dogs have been on canadae for quite some time now and are doing well on it. Taffy is eating a mixture of the Purina Pro Plan for puppies and canadae plus Eagle Pack Holistic canned for puppies. She is doing well on it. I just bought a small bag of the Chicken Soup for the Puppy lovers canned and dry to try out.

[mtoy]

Yes, thankfully there have been no more bad rumors about Canidae. We bought another bag to rotate into following the Eagle Pack. But this time both dogs got itchy dry skin. I've been mixing in some Wellness Core and that seems to have fixed that problem.