Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Boredom Queen]

sounds like a vet visit is in order. could be allergies, skin infection, etc.
Also she's started to whine....thanks for the info!

we can’t give medical advice, as stated it could be allergies or a infection somewhere, please seek help from a veterinarian. It could even be something more serious than those things listed, if it’s causing her to whine, she’s probably sore/in discomfort. I suggest making a appointment ASAP, the sooner the better. Good luck! Hope it’s nothing too serious![/quote]
Yeah moms planing to get her a appointment tomorrow!

[.Middy.]

Happy Valentines from this dork! We were going to hike today but decided to go to the soccer field near K’s house and do some last minute Vday photos! I didnt get too many cute ones because I was having issues with my spine, but I got a few I like! I’ll post the rest maybe tomorrow!

After that we played some fetch, then went down to the creek to play fetch in the water. The dogs had a ton of fun, i hopefully got some fun pics of them playing that I’ll post if any turned out decent! Kes totally ruined her bath from Friday, but she had so much fun I can’t even be mad lol

One more full day until we leave to pick up the puppy! I’m dropping Chewie off to be boarded Friday morning then Kes, my mom and I are heading out on the 12+ hr trip to pick up Octavia! Should pick her up Saturday! I can’t wait!

[theupsidedown]

i have deeply fallen in love with this beautiful german shepherd mix named freddy. hes missing a front leg and he always has the biggest smile. it has just recently been amputated, but hes super close to being ready for adoption! sadly, i cant have him since i have 4 pups already, but guess what? my aunt fell in love with him too and shes trying to adopt him. she says i can be his second mom and im very excited does anyone have any experience with dogs with amputations?

[Skysong]

So my aunt got her genetic testing done on her dogs.

Her 4 of her females all came back clean bills of health. (They all came from the same breeder, so same bloodlines and such)

Her male?
His elbows are starting to give out and he's only 2.
It's a good thing has hasn't bred him. He's now getting neutered in a week.
He's already started limping though. She looked into giving him up to be someones service dog, but she can't do that because of the issues his elbows are having. He's going to have to be put down in a couple of years because of him being in pain all the time. This condition was described as, "It's similar to hip dysplasia, but with the front legs. Even with surgery to fix it, he's still going to be in pain. It wouldn't be fair to keep him with us as long as he's going to be in pain or on medication that's just going to make him sleep all the time." that last bit was referring to when he's actually in pain rather than the slightest bit of discomfort.

She's going to contact the breeder she got him from to inform him of what's happening with Wolfrik, and that he needs to get the parents tested for the same issues because at least one of the parents has this elbow issue, and to see what can be done about either getting her money back or getting a new puppy to replace him with.

[eff]

yeah, i agree with keriae. royal canin uses a lot of not so great ingredients. i'm just gonna use medium adult dry dog food as an example.. the first three ingredients consists of: Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, and wheat. brewers rice: a good source of fiber, but remember that rice is a grain, and grain is used as a filler in pet foods. it does not contain high nutritonal value but it not harmful unless it triggers a allergic reaction (which is not uncommon). chicken by-product meal: going by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)'s definition of chicken by-product, "Can include chicken intestines and/or chicken feces." chicken by-product meal can also contain feathers. i feel more comfortable feeding my dog when i know exactly what goes in his mouth. the term chicken by-product meal is often misleading and does not give clear information as to what is in the food. wheat: a filler. while it is not harmful, it's definitely not high-grade or even close. it can (but not always) be a source of fiber, but there are many better ingredients than fillers to get fiber from. royal canin is far too overpriced for it's ingredients. it isn't unheard of that vets are paid to recommend it (if you look at the reviews for their pet foods on the website many of them say that it was purchased from a vet clinic). the only other meat ingredients i can find in the list are fish oil(source of omega 3) and chicken fat. a rule of thumb i like to use is to have the first three ingredients be meat, as dogs are mainly carnivorous, and i prefer grain free(but it's not harmful and often a good source of fiber).

that aside, if it truly does work for your dog and it is healthy and has a good coat, then it's not bad to continue to do so. even though my dog was once on royal canin when he was a puppy (suggested by our vet, actually) , after doing more research over the years i definitely wouldn't recommend it to other pet owners.

All ingrediants differ on the bag you choose from. eg;
Composition
Rice, maize, dehydrated poultry protein, vegetable protein isolate*, animal fats, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, vegetable fibres, minerals, fish oil, soya oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, borage oil, marigold extract (source of lutein), green tea and grape extracts (source of polyphenols), hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin). *L.I.P.: protein selected for its very high assimilation. Crude ash: 5%. Crude fibre: 2.1%. Crude oil fats: 16%. Moisture: 0%. Protein: 28%.

Additives
Vitamin A: 30200 IU, Vitamin D3: 800 IU, E1 (Iron): 49 mg, E2 (Iodine): 4.9 mg, E4 (Copper): 9 mg, E5 (Manganese): 64 mg, E6 (Zinc): 192 mg, E8 (Selenium): 0.11 mg - Technological additives: Pentasodium triphosphate: 3.5 g - Preservatives - Antioxidants.

[Keriae]

yeah, i agree with keriae. royal canin uses a lot of not so great ingredients. i'm just gonna use medium adult dry dog food as an example.. the first three ingredients consists of: Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, and wheat. brewers rice: a good source of fiber, but remember that rice is a grain, and grain is used as a filler in pet foods. it does not contain high nutritonal value but it not harmful unless it triggers a allergic reaction (which is not uncommon). chicken by-product meal: going by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)'s definition of chicken by-product, "Can include chicken intestines and/or chicken feces." chicken by-product meal can also contain feathers. i feel more comfortable feeding my dog when i know exactly what goes in his mouth. the term chicken by-product meal is often misleading and does not give clear information as to what is in the food. wheat: a filler. while it is not harmful, it's definitely not high-grade or even close. it can (but not always) be a source of fiber, but there are many better ingredients than fillers to get fiber from. royal canin is far too overpriced for it's ingredients. it isn't unheard of that vets are paid to recommend it (if you look at the reviews for their pet foods on the website many of them say that it was purchased from a vet clinic). the only other meat ingredients i can find in the list are fish oil(source of omega 3) and chicken fat. a rule of thumb i like to use is to have the first three ingredients be meat, as dogs are mainly carnivorous, and i prefer grain free(but it's not harmful and often a good source of fiber).

that aside, if it truly does work for your dog and it is healthy and has a good coat, then it's not bad to continue to do so. even though my dog was once on royal canin when he was a puppy (suggested by our vet, actually) , after doing more research over the years i definitely wouldn't recommend it to other pet owners.

All ingrediants differ on the bag you choose from. eg;
Composition
Rice, maize, dehydrated poultry protein, vegetable protein isolate*, animal fats, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, vegetable fibres, minerals, fish oil, soya oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, borage oil, marigold extract (source of lutein), green tea and grape extracts (source of polyphenols), hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin). *L.I.P.: protein selected for its very high assimilation. Crude ash: 5%. Crude fibre: 2.1%. Crude oil fats: 16%. Moisture: 0%. Protein: 28%.

Additives
Vitamin A: 30200 IU, Vitamin D3: 800 IU, E1 (Iron): 49 mg, E2 (Iodine): 4.9 mg, E4 (Copper): 9 mg, E5 (Manganese): 64 mg, E6 (Zinc): 192 mg, E8 (Selenium): 0.11 mg - Technological additives: Pentasodium triphosphate: 3.5 g - Preservatives - Antioxidants.

Dogs don't need rice or maize - they can't digest grains, and grains are also a pretty common allergen.
Compare it to Acana, for example:

Deboned lamb*, deboned duck*, whole eggs*, lamb meal, goat meal, catfish meal, whole green peas, red lentils, pinto beans, lamb fat, chickpeas, green lentils, whole yellow peas, rainbow trout*, duck meal, herring oil, lentil fiber, quail (ground with bone), natural lamb flavor, lamb tripe*, lamb liver*, duck giblets (liver, heart, kidney)*, duck cartilage*, dried kelp, whole pumpkin*, whole butternut squash*, kale*, spinach*, mustard greens*, collard greens*, turnip greens*, carrots*, Red Delicious apples*, Bartlett pears*, freeze-dried lamb liver, freeze-dried duck liver, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols (preservative), chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product.

No grain - the fillers are peas and lentils, which aren't common allergens, as well. Everything is delivered fresh and is local produce, as well.



ACANA Grasslands features an unmatched variety of local ingredients that are raised or fished by people we know and trust, deemed “fit for human consumption”, and then delivered to our Kentucky DogStar® kitchens fresh each day!



Or to Evolution Naturally.

Duck Meal (21.8%), Poultry Meal (21.6%), Chilled Chicken (21.6%), Sweet Potato Flour (17%), Venison (5%), Chicken Gravy, Pea Fibre (2%), Pea Starch (1%), Carrot Powder (1%), Apple Powder (1%), Egg Powder, Seaweed Meal (1%), Poultry Fat (0.85%), Minerals (includes Yucca Extract 200mg/kg, Marigold Meal 50mg/kg, Rosemary Extract 5mg/kg), Botanical Herbs (0.4%) (includes Rosehip, Liquorice Root, Peppermint, Devils Claw, Milk Thistle).

Or Wellness Core

Salmon 30% (Fresh Salmon 16%, Salmon Meal 14%), Peas, Tuna Meal 14%, Dried Potatoes, Potato Protein, Beet Pulp 5%, Rapeseed Oil, Full-Fat Linseed 4%, Dried Fish Protein 2%, Salmon Oil 2%, Dried Chicory Root 0.5%, Carrots, Apples, Broccoli, Spinach, Blueberries, Cranberries, Tomatoes, Yucca Schidigera, Yeast Extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), Glucosamine Hydrochloride 100 mg/kg, Chondroitin Sulfate 100 mg/kg.

All these are much more species appropriate, with very little fillers.

[Taiger Lilly]

lol what @ "dogs can't digest grains"
I mean thats misrepresentation of facts at best.
Cooked starch is 90+ percent digestible by dogs

I know many people on this thread like to demonize grains, and hey, don't feed your dog them if you don't want to. But seriously, these foods (royal canin, hills) are tested more rigourisly than many smaller brands and have research behind them. They aren't putting in something that has zero purpose.

Also I'd call attention to the ingredient splitting on the Acana recipe, thats a lots of different types of peas. Nothing wrong with peas but curious to me as using multiple ingredients that are similar but listed differently is a marketing method that companies use to make their ingredient list more appealing to the consumers emotions. (eg. pushes "fillers" further down the ingredient list)
Which is a one of the reasons the ingredients list isn't always the best way to judge a food.

Not saying Acana is a bad food by any means. Just that I think they put a lot of effort into making sure their food and ingredients list is emotionally appealing to buyers.

[eff]

Just adding on ^^

In fact, research has shown that grains like corn actually help the digestion of other nutrients in your dog's food.

[taurus ;]

Acana is still a much better food than Royal Canin so 😂😂😂 And I bet if they didn’t have all that research and studies and vets ‘recommending’ and pumping out their products, a lot less people would be feeding that crap to their pets.

Regardless of what anybody says on the subject of grains, why do you want to feed a bunch of fillers to your dog? And the only thing that could be brought up about Acana is the peas vs literal essays that can be written on why royal canin, hills is bad...lol nice.

[eff]

Lot's of dog food brands are imperfect. Whatever brand you use probably has a bad source, faulty branding or a history of injuries or even casualties as a result of the food being consumed. Royal Canin, just like other brands, does a range of food and some, I admit, are better than others. Additionally, grains are not the only thing that dogs can be allergic too. Dogs can actually develop an allergy to food that they have been eating for years and some of the most common cases are: beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish. They end up doing a variety of things (which is so common because almost every dog has an allergy to at least one of these things) such as chronic ear inflammation, gastrointestinal problems, and chronic diarrhea to chronic gas, licking their feet, or an itchy rear end.
Edit-
And Royal Canin isn't that bad. It is reviewed as average due to the average amount of proteins and such that are within them. They don't use a meat-based protein which is why many people are upset about Royal Canin and have a disliking towards it. Dogs are not 'obligate carnivores' like cats are and can digest and efficiently use other sources of protein and nutrition. Chicken byproduct (which someone above disliked the idea of.) is a fairly good source of protein. This isn't feathers! This is all the parts of the chicken which people don't like to eat - hence the 'byproduct of what people like to eat off a chicken'. Kind of like the byproduct of an unwanted carcass. The unwanted meat is ground up into a dry substance before being used as an ingrediant.