so... what's everyone feeding these days?

Natural Balance LID Bison and Sweet potato, has been great for Kord. We did TOTW though and he did good, not great, but good.

erica1989

ooh - I didn't even think about trying the cats on it - thanks! They will be out soon... I think I'll grab a bag for them too!

I tried the petsmart Authority with them, they're doing well, but price vs. quality - I think TOTW is going to be much better!

We just switched our barn cats over to TOTW about 3 months ago. They are really doing much better on it! I wish I had done it sooner.

spiritdogs

I no longer feed any of the Natura products since P&G bought them:-(

One of my guys is on Blue (Chicken and Rice), one is on Natural Balance Lamb and Rice (due to skin allergies) and one is on a special renal diet and rotates between Royal Canin and Science Diet kidney diets.

 Holly is on TOTW. Her coat was a dull gray when I got her and now it's a shiny silvery gray. She is 60lbs and 3 cups keeps her in good condition. $45 for a 30lb bag here and I can't complain.

erica1989

No, we're not certain what exactly the allergies are. When he was on the chicken based food, his coat quality really declined and his itching got out of control - he lost a ton of hair.

Living in FL - it's nearly impossible to NOT have an allergy dog...allergens are out of control down here!

Has your vet ever recommended an elimination diet?

I believe you have to use something like Hill's z/d which breaks the protein down into molecules so small the body doesn't recpgnize them...for about 12 weeks...and if in that time the allergy symptoms go away, then you have a food allergy. Then you can start adding in ingredients one at a time and testing the dog's response. (That's not a scientific explanation, just what I remember from when we were dealing with it).

I'll be honest, we did a half hearted effort...feeding a dog nothing but one food...for me was hard. Especially with training...I ended up cutting tiny squares of Hill's z/d wet and freezing them for "treats". It was also hard for me because I was seeing a seasonal pattern...and I was pretty convinced it wasn't food related.

 We opted to have the allergy test done. If ever you decide and are considering injections - spring for the skin test; my understanding is it is the gold standard for testing and that's what you want if it is going to be used to formulate an allergy serum.

erica1989

No, we're not certain what exactly the allergies are. When he was on the chicken based food, his coat quality really declined and his itching got out of control - he lost a ton of hair.

Living in FL - it's nearly impossible to NOT have an allergy dog...allergens are out of control down here!

I wouldn't feed TOTW then- it has too many protein sources.  You want something with one protein and one carb, like Natural Balance's LIDs. 

Well, I went out and got some TOTW Lamb favor and the Whitefish.  So far, so good.  Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm updating my post to say that Jetta now eats NB sweet potato and bison because the TOTW is getting to be too much for her as she ages. She was gaining weight, so we switched to a lower fat food.  She is doing well on the NB and seems to like it!

I will be switching Piper to Fromm once her current bag of By Nature runs out.

Our Honey is one TOTW and prefers the Wild Prairie mixture.  However, she also geta added food.  I make her a "chicken stew" in crock pot.  I use 5 pounds of chicken thighs, about 3 pounds of chicken necks, 1 1/2 pounds or so of chopped up veef liver or chicken gizzrds, 2-3 sweet potATOES (CHOPPED) 1-2 APPLES (CHOPPED), SOMETIMES SOME YELLOW OR GREEN SQUASH) AND A POUND BAG OF EITHER GREEN BEANS OR SPINACH.  COVER IT WEITH WATER AND COOK 24 HOURS.

 Evben tho the center of the thigh bones is pretty soft, unless they totally crumble, i tossed them but do mash up the ends.  The chicken neck bones fall apart.  I freeze it in containers of 2 1/2 cups (and you get about 6 of them) plus leave about a 5 day supply in ref.

In the mornings she gets 3/4 cup of dry kibble.  At night she gets another 3?$ cup plus 1/2 cup of the chicken stew for 5 nights.  Then i open a can of mackeral or salmon and she gets it for 3-4 nights, and then it is back to the chicken stew topper.  At night I also throw in her joing sups and her benadryl.  She had mast cell tumor removed from rear leg almost 2 years ago and has been on benadryl ever since.  she is 9 years old and is more active and playful than most puppies.  hs boundless energy and a beautiful coat.

 I feed a combo of raw and Evangers kibble and canned.  Usually kibble for breakfast, raw for dinner and kibble to give the supplements.  Evangers White Fish or Pheasant formulas and any of the canned beef formulas (I stay away from chicken for Nik.)

 Lots of TOTW, I see, sounds like lots of good results, too.

 Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream here with a variety of toppers in the evening.  Toppers include part of a can of food (TOTW, Merrick, Blue Wilderness, Instinct, and others) or some cooked meat (hamburger, salmon, chicken, or ground turkey usually).