I used to feed my doggy poison. :D

[Saracirce]

My great uncle owns a pug mix who has itchy/raw skin to the point of bare patches and scabs. It's starting to clear up (and yes, they've been to the vet) but I'd like to help them out and my uncle's open to suggestion. I would imagine we're on a tight budget as well and he can't get out to the store every day or even every week as he depends on others to drive him.

Currently, the dog is on Gravy Train (Yuck). He will only eat wet food and is picky about which he eats. I know they've tried Pedigree before and the dog likes it.

EDIT: Oh and he's three years old and overweight, if that matters.

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There are lists and links on the very first post on the front page that would be a good place to start.

Yeah, I know those. I'm looking for specific help aimed at this particular dog.

[UnfathomableDreams]

My great uncle owns a pug mix who has itchy/raw skin to the point of bare patches and scabs. It's starting to clear up (and yes, they've been to the vet) but I'd like to help them out and my uncle's open to suggestion. I would imagine we're on a tight budget as well and he can't get out to the store every day or even every week as he depends on others to drive him.

Currently, the dog is on Gravy Train (Yuck). He will only eat wet food and is picky about which he eats. I know they've tried Pedigree before and the dog likes it.

EDIT: Oh and he's three years old and overweight, if that matters.

Do you happen to live in the US? If you have a Tractor Supply Company near you, I would suggest 4Health, which is TSC's in-house brand, when it comes to wet food ^^ That is if your uncle doesn't want to feed premade raw or raw. Some people are adverse to it, so.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/4 ... ood-132-oz This is a pretty okay food. Dogfoodavisor actually gives it a 5 star rating! http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food- ... od-canned/

I'm not a dog food expert so if anyone wants to step in with better suggestions, feel free ^^'

[Petlover552]

So your saying Pedigree is a bad food? What are some good ones- that aren't $80 XD

[fairytale.]

Well, I wouldn't call Pedigree GOOD. Too many fillers, not enough nutritious content.
You would be surprised how affordable some good brands are. And even if you buy a spendy brand, you're saving on the inevitable vet bills that come with cheap brands. I can't be much help with puppy specific formulas, as I haven't had a puppy before lol. There's a list of brands on the first post, sorted by quality. dogfoodadvisor.com is a great website to look at, as well. Check out deals online, local sales, keep an eye out for coupons, and you can get great prices on great brands.
A higher quality diet will help with the skin and coat issues you mentioned on the dog thread, as well. Not to mention all of the other improvements you'll see on a better diet!

We got a bag of Sojos! My mom actually looked at real, not freeze dried raw, too. Our pet food cooking class is tomorrow, and she seems interested in learning about raw. We got in a fight about pet food yesterday, so I think she is trying to make things better. :)

[spring.]

So your saying Pedigree is a bad food? What are some good ones- that aren't $80 XD

Blue is pretty good
Whole Earth Farms is of the same caliber of Blue but it is grain free and 10 to 15 dollars cheaper.
This is in the US mind you.

[BlingBling]

So your saying Pedigree is a bad food? What are some good ones- that aren't $80 XD

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food- ... ry/5-star/
Some of these are actually pretty cheap! My Terrier mix is on Blue Buffalo Wilderness currently (testing to see what she's allergic to before we try anything else :c)
Speaking of that... Anyone know good dry foods with no poultry in them?

Also, if you have a feed store near you, try there as they tend to sell great holistic brands cheap. I live in a farmtown so I'm unsure if people have them in the bigger cities but I positively love them c:

[Dakonic]

So your saying Pedigree is a bad food? What are some good ones- that aren't $80 XD

Pedigree is a bad food sadly. For reasons stated above.



There are good/decent foods you can get at much less than $80. If you have a Costco near you, their Kirkland brand food isn't terrible. But Taste of the wild would also be worth looking into. Especially if you have farm/feed stores near you, it's usually around $45 for a 30lbs bag but I've gotten it for $38 for a 30lbs at the local livestock feed store.

"When he was on Pedigree his coat was very dirty greasy feeling, eye gunk, he had "dog stink", and dandruff, itching (hot spots). He was very overweight and didn't have much muscle to him at all."

He also had a weak immune system on Pedigree, he managed to contract parvo at almost a year old even after having his vaccinations.



Since I switched him off of Pedigree, I've brought him to work pretty regularly. I work at an animal shelter, so he's been exposed to many different possible diseases, yet he has never gotten sick since then.

Versus Taste of the Wild:



And raw:

[Petlover552]

Wow, thank you guys! I will try to convince my mom to get new food for her

[Imzadi83]

My great uncle owns a pug mix who has itchy/raw skin to the point of bare patches and scabs. It's starting to clear up (and yes, they've been to the vet) but I'd like to help them out and my uncle's open to suggestion. I would imagine we're on a tight budget as well and he can't get out to the store every day or even every week as he depends on others to drive him.

Currently, the dog is on Gravy Train (Yuck). He will only eat wet food and is picky about which he eats. I know they've tried Pedigree before and the dog likes it.

EDIT: Oh and he's three years old and overweight, if that matters.

.
There are lists and links on the very first post on the front page that would be a good place to start.

Yeah, I know those. I'm looking for specific help aimed at this particular dog.

A lot of things have to be taken into consideration for a particular dog. Does your uncle what to stick to kibble, or is he willing to go for canned, or raw (fresh, pre-made, or dehydrated?).

If the dog is on kibble I would recommend feeding the meals in puzzle toys or as training rewards as much as he can to provide the dog with more exercise and get that weight down. If the dog is on canned try sticking the food inside a kong or a dried beef trachea.

He could also add some salmon &/or coconut oil to the dogs diet to help with the coat.

Price is going to depend on where your uncle buys food and it can vary from place to place. Although feeding good quality food is going to be cheaper since he likely won't be running to the vet as often. Often the portions are smaller so you have to take into account how many meals you'll get out of a bag and how much each meal will cost brand to brand.

I would pick out a few foods from the lists that are good and see what is available in what area (or online) and at what price and suggest those.

[fairytale.]

We're going raw! Okay, the dogs for now, but the other cats will come eventually :D At the moment, their main diet will be Sojos, but we have some frozen raw things we'll be feeding as well. We'll be joining the co-op, so I'm sure what we feed will expand a bit with that. Since they've already started switching to Sojos, I will finish that, and then once they are on it, feed it for a week before I add the other raw products we have. It isn't really a "traditional" transition where you start with chicken and work your way up, but we will see how it goes. Beaker has had the occasional raw meal with no problem, and Bo has an iron stomach, so hopefully we won't have an issue with it. My cat got a tooooooon of food. Three pounds of his smallbatch chickenbatch sliders, three pounds of smallbatch duckbatch sliders, two pounds of a smallbatch chicken grind, two pounds of a primal turkey grind, a pound of ground chicken leg quarters, a pound of ground chicken backs, and a pound of chicken hearts. It should last him a good, long while. He hated the primal "pronto" bites I got him to last for a few days, so I'm hoping he will eat them mixed with other foods. Most of these are going to be new to him, though. He loves Stella and Chewy's Duck Duck Goose food, so I hope he feels the same way about the duck sliders. He loves turkey and chicken anything, so I have no worries there. I'm hoping to start giving him more chunks of meat instead of grinds, since he loves chomping, so I hope I can locate a cheap source of them. The restaurant supply store has gizzards in bulk, and they are his absolute favorites.
Anyway, yeah, big success for me tonight. I'm super excited to start this with my four legged buddies :)