best dry dogfood for sensitive stomach

My vet ac tually carries the Royal Canin.  When Buck's kidneys were cleared up on the Science Diet k/d, i still had some left.  Buck didn't like it and lost 3 pounds on the 3 months he was on it.  My vet said he didn't blame Buck because it "does taste nasty" and so it wouldn't go to waste, he gave me, as like for free, some cans of of the Royal Canin to mix with the k/d til it was gone.   Buck didn't like the canned k/d either, but he did really like the RC duck and potato Rickey gave me and finished his k/d bag with no problem.  Rickey did say they use a lot of the RC there for dogs in the hospital and even for boarding dogs if owners don't  care what their dogs eat--i always take food from here so they won't be switched around.

Information on Science Diet k/d from Wendy Volhard, author of Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog
 

The low-protein myth is like an old-wive's tale, something based on ignorance that just won't die. Yes, inferior-quality protein can harm a dog's kidneys, but the solution isn't to continue with inferior-quality  ingredients and feed less of them. The solution is to improve the quality of  ingredients and in that way provide what the dog needs for good health."
 
 Studies disproving the prevalent low-protein prescription have been widely ublished in veterinary journals and textbooks. But it is moving into the mainstream very slowly.
 
"Most vets who did not graduate from college in the last few years (and some  of those as well) are still unaware of or dismiss the newer studies that  show low-protein diets neither slow the progression of kidney disease nor  rolong life," says Mary Straus, a lifetime dog lover from the San Francisco  Bay area who researches health and nutrition issues.
 
 "Too many dogs are forced to eat Prescription Diet k/d® or similar low-protein prescription foods," says Straus. "These can actually cause harm. When protein levels are very low, the body will cannibalize itself to  get the protein it needs. This creates more waste products than if you feed the proper amount of high-quality protein in the first place. Also, k/d is  not very palatable, and many dogs with kidney disease will eat only enough of it to survive, or stop eating entirely if that is all they are offered."

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Just goes to show that those so called well researched "Vet" foods really aren't that well researched at all. Sometimes I think Pharmaceuticals and some Vets want to keep people and pets just sick enough to make money off selling more prescription diets and medicine. Perhaps I'm just cynical...[/size][] 
 

ORIGINAL: Cally01

Information on Science Diet k/d from Wendy Volhard, author of Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog
 

The low-protein myth is like an old-wive's tale, something based on ignorance that just won't die. Yes, inferior-quality protein can harm a dog's kidneys, but the solution isn't to continue with inferior-quality  ingredients and feed less of them. The solution is to improve the quality of  ingredients and in that way provide what the dog needs for good health."

Studies disproving the prevalent low-protein prescription have been widely ublished in veterinary journals and textbooks. But it is moving into the mainstream very slowly.

"Most vets who did not graduate from college in the last few years (and some  of those as well) are still unaware of or dismiss the newer studies that  show low-protein diets neither slow the progression of kidney disease nor  rolong life," says Mary Straus, a lifetime dog lover from the San Francisco  Bay area who researches health and nutrition issues.

"Too many dogs are forced to eat Prescription Diet k/d® or similar low-protein prescription foods," says Straus. "These can actually cause harm. When protein levels are very low, the body will cannibalize itself to  get the protein it needs. This creates more waste products than if you feed the proper amount of high-quality protein in the first place. Also, k/d is  not very palatable, and many dogs with kidney disease will eat only enough of it to survive, or stop eating entirely if that is all they are offered."

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Just goes to show that those so called well researched "Vet" foods really aren't that well researched at all. Sometimes I think Pharmaceuticals and some Vets want to keep people and pets just sick enough to make money off selling more prescription diets and medicine. Perhaps I'm just cynical...[/size][] 

Then I'm cynical too.  I have a great vet right now, but the vet I had before her was a money hungry man.  I had a cat with chronic UTI's, probably feline lower urinary tract disorder, but he never told me that or really anything, he just kept charging me $50 for a bottle of antibiotics and $15 for a 3lb bag of Eukanuba prescription hard cat food.  The funny part was my cat also only had 4 teeth.  How was she supposed to eat hard food.  Not knowing any better I tried wetting it down, but then it smelled bland and kitty wouldn't eat it.  After a bunch of run around with this vet, I started doing my own research and found out I should have been feeding her wet food anyways.  I also discovered that there are different kind of urinary tract crystals that need to be treated completely differently.  When I used to work at the pet store people would come in all the time with questions about UTI's in cats.  I'd ask them what type of crystal their cat has and they would have no idea.  That's like treating cancer without know what kind of cancer you have[>:].

Why don't vets tell you this stuff?  Why don't they try to explain this to you?  Do they know themselves? It's like  they went to school to learn how to do treat, but not how to diagnose.

My current vet, is on the holistic side, patiently explained urinary tract diseases to me.  What tests she is going to do, all the possible diagnosis, all the possible treatments for all the possible diagnosis, which she recommends herbal suppliments first and if that doesn't work antibiotics.

I feel bad for all the pet owners out there with dying animals that could be saved if they had a good vet that was informative or even knew what they were doing.  

What I know for certain was when Buck had all that "trash" in his urine and the kidney infection, 3 months on the k/d and he was back to normal.  And as soon he was back to normal my vet took him off that k/d. And I also  know my vet keeps up to date and he does what he thinks is best and since he has a record of saving dogs deemed unsavable, I think he knows what he is doing.  He reads and updates during lunch, eating lunch there at the h ospital.  His techs talk about how he is always studing the newest techniques, the newest stuff published.
 
He keeps his prices about half of what the city vets charge.  He treats and lets you pay as you can.    He could charge a lot more and get it, but he is more concrened abou the health of the animals.  If he thinks it is something he can't handle, like a totally crushed leg the owner does not want amputated, or an total hip replacement, etc, he refers the owners to speciliast in Houston or Corpus if there is one there...that he trusts to do the job without ripping the owners off.
 
I just have a hard time figuring out why every John Doe that reads some books on nutrition can publish stuff and people take it for gosspel, and  if a vet says something  different, then the vet doesn't know what he is talking about.  But if he says the same thing as the published Johne Doe (be it a book or on the web site), then this vet is hep and knows what he is talking about.  I just don't understand it. 
 
I know there are vets out there that have no business  being vets.  I have read horror stories of misdiagnosis, mistreatment, etc.  But I most certainly do not think most of them are money hungry folks who keep your animal sick so they can continue taking money from you.  You want to make my vet talk nasty to you?  Refuse to give heart worm pills and then coming running  with a sick dog  (heart worms) and want him to fix it.  Oh, he will treat the dog, but you will be told in no uncertain terms that you do not deserve to have a dog.  Talk about putting your old dog down because you don't want to mess with thyroid meds each day.  Same thing.
 
And he tells people how to treat things at home that can be treated.  As he told me when i would take my goldens in with their Spring hot spots "Stop wasting your money bringing them in.  Shave around it and scrub with peroxide several times a day.  If they won't leave it alone, put the collar (cone to me) on them.  If it isn't clearning up in a couple of days, then bring them."  This is not a money hungry vet who tries to stick dogs on food he doesn't beleive in.  And considering he has a lot training than I have, i believe in him and what he says.  His only mistake was believing in proHeart6, but he came around and a lot of vets never have owned up to it.

Impossible. The world did not exist before I was born.[sm=lol.gif]

I just have a hard time figuring out why every John Doe that reads some books on nutrition can publish stuff and people take it for gosspel, and  if a vet says something  different, then the vet doesn't know what he is talking about. 

 
Sandra these studies I mention have been widely ublished in veterinary journals and textbooks...the new ones.  This is research which is not just some John Doe writing a book just because they think they "may" be right.  New studies state that the low protein diets prescribed by "old" style Vets or Vets brainwashed by Hills Science Diet are not helping the dogs at all and actually causing other problems.      
 
Most dogs I've seen put on the k/d diet are also put on antibiotics.  Most times it's the antibiotics that have cleared up the infection. 

I have a problems with studies when I don't know who conducted them.  And for every study that says one thing, there is another that says the opposite.  "Studies" showed vioxx was safe---until the victims  proved them wrong.  "Studies" showed  Phen Fen was safe---until the victims  proved them wrong.  "Studies" showed Proheart6 was safe--uintil dogs proved them wrong.  Studies have shown certain cars safe--until victims showed them wrong.  And i do remember a few years back studies showed eggs were very bad for people, but that has changed.  I also remember when yogurt was bad, but now it is a health food.    
 
I just have a big problem with studies since I was on Vioxx, my sister-in-law was on that Phen Fen and both were proven to be not safe, and of course I did lose Hunter to Proheart6.  For a while "studies" studies showed women should only gain about 10  to 12 pounds when pregnant, but that has changed back to the old 20-25 pounds--unless it has changed since my grandkids were born.
 
I truly wish i could believe in all these studies because it would make things so simple, but i can't because of bad experiences and the changing back and forth, like a pendelum.  I do not know if these studies are done by independent groups/labs etc, or are they done by someone/lab on a payroll. Without knowing i doubt them, pro or con  to what i believe.

I believe the studies that back up what i have already learned over time,and some of them just make sense,like dogs shouldnt eat diets made up of predominately grain,this is a no -brainer IMO.
The dogs natural/raw diet is around 30-40% protein so it makes sense that they wont thrive on high grain, low protein foods.

I've never believed yogurt and eggs were unhealthy,a good dose of common sense is a must when reading these studies []

As for pro-heart 6,i never felt comfortable in giving that,so i didnt.Our dogs get enough injections and chemicals pumped into them,i wasnt about to put another one in to their bodies.A chemical that could ward off heartworm for a full year,when the usual treatments only last 1 mth would have to be pretty damn strong which put me off straight away.Once again, common sense!

The pills only last from 24 to 48 hours and each month they kill off any new baby heartworms.  And that is a poison you are putting directly into them stomach.  That damn proheart6 was SUPPOSE to the about the same way, only it was in time release form, like time release cold capsuls, so you didn't have to give them a pill each month.
 
And I see you didn't believe that about eggs and yogurt despite all the studies and hype and warnings.  But many, many did...like you I didn't.  And you made my point. Don't believe all you hear and read. 

ORIGINAL: sandra_slayton

The pills only last from 24 to 48 hours and each month they kill off any new baby heartworms.  And that is a poison you are putting directly into them stomach.  That damn proheart6 was SUPPOSE to the about the same way, only it was in time release form, like time release cold capsuls, so you didn't have to give them a pill each month.

That doesn't make sense. If the regular hw pill stays in their system for 24-48 hours, that would be 12-24 days of the year. But if the Proheart 6 was supposed to last for 6 months then it would be in their system for 6 months and if given twice a year then it's in their system for 365 days of the year... it's not like on the first of the month it would start releasing, then stop until the next month and release again. Time release would be a slow continual release of the medicine right?

I don't know how that was suppose to work.  What I do know is that in Jan. 2004 some batches were reacalled that had gone on the market beginning in July 2003 because of a "problem' with the disolution (?) of the time realease spheres.  We were never able to find out if all were releasing at once, if they wre not releasing at all, or not realeasing when they were suppose to.  Several tried to get answers, but never could.  Also it is not known if the was the moxidectin itself, or the spheres, or the slurry that caused the reactions.  It could have been different ones with different dogs.   What we do know is with the monthly pills, that stuff is only in their body for 24 to 48 hours and the proHeart6 had time release spheres in their bodies for at least 6 months and Fort Dodge has even said they could be there 8 months...and it could not be taken out.  All this information came out after the fact.  They hung onto every bit of negative stuff u ntil the FDA made them change label warnings from it was safe for heart worm positive dogs to it was not save at all for them, to more adverse reactions, including AIHA, and finally, the day Hunter got his fatal injection, the dear doctor letter listing death as a reactions was sent out.
 
it was suppose to be so safe and save lives because people didn't have to remember to give the pills each month.  And it killed so many dogs and put so many on meds for the rest of their lives.

Edie, you said it wonderfully...it's just common sense.  I don't listen to most things conventional doctors say about diet, and it was conventional doctors who said eggs etc were unhealthy.  Holistic Doctors like Dr Andrew Weil have said all along that eggs are a perfect food.  I am fortunate that I have followed holistic doctors etc for about 20 years[]   

Sandra i dont use the pills.I use the spot on,only in mid spring and in to the summer months,and it grates me to do this at all,each time i squeeze that liquid on to the back of my dogs neck i envisage the poison entering their bodies.I've promised myself that next summer i will find a natural alternative.

Doesnt common sense tell you that eggs,yogurt are healthy,but feeding a carnivore a foods based on grains is not?

I dont know how true this is,as it is only my POV but if we feed foods that are totally foreign to our dogs bodies,eg wheat,corn,high amounts of grains,poorly digested proteins etc dont their bodies have to work harder to process these foods which leaves less "energy" for healing,de-toxing and self rejuvination etc. etc. which leaves them more susceptible to disease??

Is it Revolution you use for heartworms.  If so, that is the #2 reaction/killer behind Proheart6.  My vet quite carrying it because of number of his clients dogs came down with heartworms while on it and I have read the same thing many times on many forums....even here on this forum by some.  I believe CallieCritturs is one.This can be checked out on the FDA report on [linkhttp://www.dogsadversereactions.com]www.dogsadversereactions.com[/link]
 
And of my dogs in the past 20 odd years, Red, an Irish Setter showed up as a stray, age unknown, I had him 8 years and had to let him go when he got a spinal infection that would not respond to any of the antibiotics my then vet tried.  Outside of that he was never sick--oh, he had go in a couple of times  to emegency for tummy ache after eating  popcorn,  and once when he got the lid off a can and drank some cooking oil I had thrown out.  Outside of that, no illnesses.
 
I had my next irish Setter 12 1/2 years.  He did develope an allergy to something down here after we moved down here when he was 3.  And I did have to get him allergy shots at certain times of the year.  But he was never sick either, never even an ear infection with those floppy eart--an ear hematoma once, but never an infection. 
 
Buck will be 12 in Feb.  Outside of the kidney infection 4 months ago, he has never had any illness (unless you call thyroid trouble which is so common in Goldens an illness).  Outside of his yearly checks, vax, his only visits has been for rattle snake bite to the face and a reaction to ground wasp sting on the lip.  Oh, he did develop a hot spot a year or so ago, his first.  That is also a very common thing in goldens and many of the top fed ones have them several times a year, sometimes more than one at a time.
 
KayCee  turned 7 in Aug.  She has had one ear infection, a  bad inner ear infection.  She is allergic to bermuda grass, live oak pollen, and fleas.  When she was younger she got hot spots every spring and every fall, but in recent year it has not been such a problem.  She did have a severe reaction to her 2ed set of annual vax.  She has had to have both knees operated on for luxating patellas.  But none of these things are due to her food, what she ate or didn't eat.
 
Honey was about a year old when we adopted her, no telling what she was fed before we got her.  She had heart worms and we had to put her thru the treatment a month after we got her.  Now almost 4 years later she is in perfect health despite having had heart worms & the treatment.  One time time her ears got pink, but no infection.  Her only trips to the vet outside of normal wellness and vax was when she ate d-con we accidently knocked out of the attic.
 
And Hunter was 2 months past his 4th birthday when he died of AIHA and liver damage caused by the ProHeart6.  up until that point he had never been sick at all and his only trips to the vet were some early hot spots, which he didn't even get his last two years, and a pulled muscle in his shoulder.
 
Oh, I did forget that kayCee had a 24 hour visus once where she was throwing up huge amounts of bile, foam, water and was put in ICU for the day to rehydrate her.  Buck and Honey also came down with it but to a much lesser degree.  And i found several on several forums whose dogs also had it.
'
So i have to conclude that my dogs  bodies are not so busy trying to digest their food that they are open to every disease than comes down the freeway.  I have to conclude that since they all look and act great, get great wellness checks, do nice poops that do not stink, rarely have gas (KayCee does when she eats chicken gizzards, but only the gizzards) do not have upset tummies, etc that what they eat agrees with them totally. 
 
I read reports that say dogs shouldn't have grain, I read reports that say dogs need grain.  Which are right?   Depends on who you talk to.  So I use my common sense and stick with what I know is working for my dogs.  
 
 
 

Your dogs have arthritis,right? It has been well documented that these dogs should have no/low grain in their diets,this is a fact.What do you think about that?All those supplements you give could most probably be avoided if you cut out the junk,all those grains in Purina are doing your dogs no favours [&:]

I'm not sure about reading into "breed specific" diseases,i sometimes think this is a scapegoat excuse. There is so much info on this site,and so many links have been posted time and time again,have none of these changed your opinion even a little?
Why do you belong to so many dog sites,is it for education or socialisation?You dont seem to believe anyone or take any advice on board,and the only posts you post are about what your dogs get for dinner over and over again,as iff you need recognition and the "wow sandra,can i come to your house for dinner" and back patting responses,i cant think of any other reason why you would post about it so much? My theory is,and please correct me if i'm wrong,is that you know what people think about purina and you post your "supper" posts  to ease your concience,and let people know you're really not a bad owner because you feed purina. I'm sorry to be so blunt Sandra,but it seems you would argue the sky is brown if someone said it was blue....

ETA:I use advocate on my dogs.