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Folks in the IBD support group :)

12K views 85 replies 12 participants last post by  Thecowboysgirl 
#1 ·
So our update is: her biopsy showed no signs of cancer and since we were ruling out lymphoma that is good.

There was really nothing of note on the stomach lining biopsy.

Her duodenum is where he saw the most inflammation on ultrasound and the biopsy was consistent with moderate chronic inflammation. He feels this is where the nausea is comingbfrom, not her stomach.

So he wants to do a round of prednisone to reduce that inflammation while we keep trying to see if re is a diet that will help.

I realized long story that Turkey is still novel for her so I am trying her on THK Keen which he is supportive of.

If that doesn't work then we go to home cooking. So far I don't yet have a standalone freezer and basically just am not prepared to do bulk meat so trying THK first while I get ready and if it works maybe spare myself all the labor of the home cooking. It "looks" more digestible than kibble? And I don't know what kind of additives or chemicals might be in the kibble that could be irritating her but hopefully that stuff is not in THK.

She is still stable since her procedure but her symptoms tend to go in 2 week cycles.

I have ordered her another probiotics and digestive enzyme from Dogs Naturally to go with the rest esp since she just had a month of antibiotics.

She slurped up her honest kitchen with gusts, so we shall see.

That's our news....how are all you other upset tummies doing?
 
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#2 ·
Glad to hear this good news!! Let me know how THK works. Maybe this is a stupid question but is THK raw?? The things I've read gave me some confusion about that...

My pup is doing well but after our 4-hr car ride he threw up several times that night. I gave him Cerenia and he was better the next day and has been okay since then. Overall he seems to be getting better... I tried feeding him Sojos but he turned his nose up at it. I don't know if I should mix it with his canned food or just let him be. I would like if he would just eat because he wants to eat and likes the taste and not try to hide food in other food.

I gave him a teaspoon of semi-solid coconut oil with a can of food today and I was SHOCKED that he ate it. He played around with it for awhile but finally decided it was edible. He's such a picky eater.

I tried THK gastrointestinal supplement "perfect form" but it has a very strong fennel flavor and I have to hide it in a lot of canned food.

I've been giving him a handful of kibble at night just to leave a snack for him in his bowl but to my surprise he's been eating all of it and seems fine. Fromm adult gold. I thought his skin problems were due to grain but 3 days on 1 cup of kibble with rice/barley/oats and his skin is fine. He's such a mystery. Maybe he has/had a bacterial infection and not IBD? He's got 4 more days of antibiotics. He's also eating the Animal Essentials probiotic/enzyme.

I see a trend of him getting sick less often and when he does get sick, he recovers much more quickly and usually doesn't throw up (except the car ride episode). Prior to the car ride he had gone a full 14 days without puking which is more than he has since Thanksgiving.

My head is a mess, this is all I've thought about for months and I'm finally just not able to even think anymore. Keeping notes has really helped. I would like to feed homemade but I just already feel so overwhelmed as it is and I don't have a freezer big enough to store enough food.
 
#6 ·
Just a thought for those of you who have dogs that are vomiting, especially in the morning before food... ok, this sounds a little nutty, and I was not a believer in this before Bash, but here goes. Have you heard of cooling/warming foods in Traditional Chinese Medicine? Basically, the theory is that certain foods warm the body, while others cool it down. I have found that if I feed Bash a warming food at night, he WILL throw up the next morning. He does fine with cooling foods or neutral foods at night (rabbit is cooling). So he gets warning foods that he does well in in the morning (he does really well with venison) and at night he gets a cooling food (rabbit). After we found a food that didn't give him diarrhea, I was still dealing with the vomiting until we started doing only cooling foods at night. Maybe this will work for some of your dogs?
 
#11 ·
You can feed it dry just like kibble.

However, it is so nutritionally dense and it really is such a small amount you need to feed compared to other foods, I like to feed it "cereal style" with some sort of tastey broth or goats milk. Or I will mix in some canned, or fresh meat just to put more volume in the bowl so he isn't in raid the fridge mode a few hours later.
 
#12 · (Edited)
@Thecowboysgirl YAY!! for a clear biopsy! Glad your girl remained stable after her big procedure, I can only imagine the worry you were going through!! Also would love to know how THK works out for you. @Liffey glad your boy has been feeling better minus the carsick episode! Hope it stays that way!

So after getting the bloodwork results back this week we have decided to tackle the elimination diet hurdle. The last food she was on claimed to be a "one-protein" LID but come to find out it did have chicken fat... which obviously is in a fat form but still chicken nonetheless. We recently switched to Nature's Variety Instinct Limited(lamb & peas formula) so will be giving that a go for awhile and see if there's any changes. If we can't eventually find a kibble or canned that works for her then I'm willing to go the raw route, but as others mentioned it will be a space/time/cost factor to consider. I am not at all educated on raw feeding so at this point it's overwhelming to think about getting into it when I'm so overwhelmed by everything else already going on.

She is on probiotics(Fortiflora) but TBH, I don't even know if it's making a difference. She has been on it a month. I think it helps to slightly form her poop, but not enough of any change for me to think it's been a gamechanger. There are several products out there I have been researching and am very interested in trying out, including:
Perfect Form from THK, Sunday Sundae from Carm's feed-sentials, slippery elm, Adored Beast Leaky Gut treatment or the Gut Soothe digestive enzyme/pre & pro-biotic, Pancreatin from Enzyme Diane
The problem is I don't know how much is too much or too many supplements to give - I know some give their dogs a probiotic and enzyme every day, some give THK perfect form and enzymes, etc etc... I obviously wouldn't just give her 6 things at once because there would be no way to figure out what was actually helping. I just don't want to overwhelm her system either, so I'm stuck trying to figure out 1. do we stop Fortiflora and just try one new thing 2. keep her on Fortiflora and add one new thing 3. give the new food a couple weeks before doing either 1. or 2. at all .... :help:

This is how the past week has gone poop wise - Thursday/AM & PM normal *** Friday/AM normal, PM diarrhea x1 *** Saturday/AM & PM normal *** Sunday/AM normal, PM diarrhea x4 *** Monday/AM normal, PM diarrhea x2 *** Tuesday/AM & PM normal *** and today so far has been normal. So as you can see, this is just maddening. I should mention that "normal" poop for her is by no means normal poop for most other dogs... it has slight form but is extremely soft and just falls apart/smooshes when picked up.

I hope I didn't stick my nose in uninvited on this thread but it's nice to know others are in a similar boat. I do want to thank those who have offered sincere comforting words of support and advice, in PM's and other posts here. This has taken over my brain, as @Liffey said my head is too a mess. I have cried more than a handful of times, snapped at my husband, and I'm sure annoyed many on this forum with my newbie "help my dog has diarrhea all the time" questions. On the upside, I have become much closer with my vet LOL. He considers Ghost his current "challenge" and has been super open with all my questions and rants. I get so defeated and discouraged every couple days when the diarrhea comes back, especially when she has gone 2-3 days with normal stools. Every time I think maybe something is finally taking hold and changing for the better I get my a** kicked right back to square one again. Sometimes I feel like I'm being too OCD and overthinking things or wasting my dang time taking notes and looking at poop. But I equate this almost to one of my kids being sick, and even though it has me emotionally and mentally ragged - I just want to fix it. I just want to get it right. And it's hard to feel positive sometimes when you feel like nothing you are doing is helping.

So thank you for posting this thread. I teared up while typing all of this out, but at the same time it feels good to get it out and to hear others' stories who understand and are experiencing similar issues. Even though I hate thinking I'm "that annoying new chick who is always posting about her white dog's poop" - I am glad for the kind support I have received here. So thanks, y'all. From the bottom of my heart.
<3 Lala
 
#13 ·
@lalabug you are definitely not hijacking the thread, I was definitely thinking of you when I titled it to all of us struggling with our dog's digestion.

Speaking of which...I have to ask myself....did this sort of problem exist 20-30 years ago or is that a stupid question hecause a) there were fewer pets 2-30 years ago and/or b) people just didn't take care of pets to the level they do now?

Anyway I have to ask myself...why are all these dogs sick like this!?
@lalabug I think you are right to be wary of mixing too many supplements. There are also some herbal supplements that can interact with certain perscription drugs too, so it is worthwhile to be cautious. I don't have any research to back this up but my inclination would be to stick with supplements that are made by the same manufacturer and designed to be fed together.

My dogs went crazy for Sunday Sundae in the beginning. By our second tub of it they were less interested. Maybe they didn't need it as much by then? But we called it the magical pixie dust because it sort of smells like pixie dust dry, and they would line up to lick it out of a spoon. I *think* all of Carmen's supplements are designed to be used together, maybe not all in one day, but I am sure she could tell you.

For no particular reason I decided to try the Adored Beast Healthy Gut and Gut Soothe this time, I just bought them. But now that she is going on prednisone I will have to look into it further before I give her the soothe one.
 
#14 ·
@lalabug

Just a thought here, but the Nature's Variety Lamb & Pea might be contributing to the problem. Peas being legumes, are high in lectins which may cause leaky gut and otherwise irritate the digestive track. They are a lot lower in lectins than grains and other legumes, but there is A LOT of peas in that brand.

I've been working on a home prepared GARD diet to attempt to control my dog's epilepsy, one of the things I was reading by Dr. Symes (DVM) mentioned peas:

Sadly, the pet food industry has recently taken another “left hand turn” by putting legumes (green peas, lentils, garbanzo beans/chick peas) into their formulas. This move is not nearly as bad as the addition of wheat in the 1980’s but…they will come to regret the use of legumes, not only because of what they can do to epileptics but because they cause can intestinal distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea) and allergy symptoms. I frequently hear from clients whose dogs have become unusually flatulent on pea-containing foods. This should come as no surprise unless one does not know that peas are legumes/beans. On a more serious note, I have found that nearly 40% of the pets I food allergy test are allergic to peas, suggesting that soy is not the only legume to do significant harm to the the intestinal tract. Short version? Eliminate peas and other legumes from the pet’s diet whenever possible…which is difficult in today’s grain-free world.
Elimination diets for IBD can be infuriatingly strict. You'll want to eliminate all grains, legumes, nightshades, dairy and histamine rich foods. Some really common dog food ingredients fall into those categories. Tomato, spinach, peas, lentils, etc
https://www.ibdrelief.com/diet/role-of-diet-in-inflammatory-bowel-disease/inflammatory-foods-and-ibd

The only two dog foods I know of off the top of my head that are free from grains/legumes/nightshade/histamine rich foods are ziwipeak and the Dr. E's/Great Life GF/Pioneer Naturals (all same company).

Just something to consider if the Nature's Variety isn't working for you.
 
#17 ·
Thank you for asking and keeping us in your thoughts

good news and bad news about Mako.

He is still having seizures. The meds are just not working. Refractory epilepsy. He was having well over a dozen seizures a week, but then I started ocular compression. With using ocular compression regularly he has only had 4 seizures in the last 17 days. But there have been dozens of incidents of preictal behavior where a seizure would have come on if I didn't intervene.

The only two treatments that really seem to help are the OC and Valium. Both of which work by increasing GABA in the brain. So, my hunch is that there is an issue with the glutamate/gaba balance in his brain. My local neurologist thinks i'm off my rocker and doesn't want change the meds to one of the newer glutamate blocking anticonvulsants because they haven't really been used in dogs. So I am doing a consult with an out of state vet who has been really successful in controlling canine epilepsy through use of a glutamate restriction diet.

So he'll be starting on a strict GARD soon. Basically all he will be able to eat is sweet potato, spinach, kale, some blue berries and a limited amount of lamb and eggs for a while. Oh and heavily seasoned with Turmeric (Curcumin being a natural glutamate blocker). All organic and grass fed. It's going to have to be a cooked diet since there is so much egg (biotin destroying enzyme in raw whites) and I will have to use supplements to balance it all out. He will just baaarely be getting enough protein. I ordered dehydrated organic sweet potato powder, I intend to lightly simmer the lamb in some water and use that to reconstitute the potato to make it more palatable for him. I will also be feeding 5 or 6 small meals a day instead of 2 large ones, to try and spread out the glutamate instead of flooding him with it all at once.

If that doesn't work. I don't know where to go from there. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.
 
#16 ·
@Thecowboysgirl thank you for thinking of me. ❤
I would venture to think these problems may have existed but the medicine world and the holistic world have probably come far and hopefully pet owners are more aware these days or at least try to take an active role in their pets' care(though I shudder knowing there are also the opposite owner types out there).

I feel like there's a lot of just plain CRAP in commercial dog food... so is that causing it? Probably in some cases. Is it pre-disposed genetically to our breed? You can read article after article that tell you "it's more common in this breed and that breed", but unless you spent $$$ doing some kind of genetic analysis on your dog how would you even know if that was his/her particular case. Everybody knows certain parasites have turned up becoming resistant to medications so there's that factor too... nonetheless it's a mystery to be solved in each dog's case!

PLEASE let me know how you and your girl end up doing with the Adored Beast. I'd love to hear your results. And I hope the prednisone helps the duodenum inflammation. :hug:
@voodoolamb thanks for the input about the peas. I think we are going to stick with this food at least a few weeks so we can see if there's any change - though there are other "flavors" so maybe after this small bag that we have almost finished I'll look into the other formulas and their ingredients. I hate to just give her one food for a week or two and give up and switch. From everything I read you have to give it time so that is the hardest part/most frustrating at times. But we are only purchasing the smaller lb size bags for now, so they only last a week or two. Just no sense in buying a 25-30lb bag if its not helping to improve things at all or she just won't eat it. I have seen several people suggest ziwipeak and I of course have it on my list to consider. That would take some serious coaxing with my husband due to cost LOL! But honestly, if we get to that point of trying that and it works, there would be nobody that could tell me no. [emoji6]
 
#20 ·
I have been following all of you with your pups with GI issues. Been there...done that...got the tee shirt. I wish I could tell y'all that after 4 years that we have it beat... we haven't. We have however found a decent happy place.

It so very hard and the struggle is very real. I have gotten lots of good advise on the forum but the sad truth is much of it we just could use because of food sensitivities.

I know opinions are split on the value and reliability of food allergy/sensitivity testing. I'm just going say that the NutriScan test was very helpful for us. It gave us a good place to start. It was a lot easier to figure out which protein to use for the elimination diet when the test said no chicken, venison, turkey, pork or rabbit, all fish including salmon and duck was borderline. All of which we were or had tried to feed (kibble and raw).

A little story to give ya a chuckle. Our vet had prescribed Zyrtec for allergy symptoms. Itching, runny eyes, red eyes etc. while we worked on the cause of said symptoms along with all the GI issues. I was giving the meds in a blob of peanut butter. We filled the kong with peanut butter for fun time treat. Guess what her strongest food sensitivity is. Yup... you guessed it ...Peanuts. Talk about self defeating.

Two years since the NutriScan test I can say with confidence that all the foods labelled as high sensitivity have proven to be foods not tolerated in any amount. Same as those listed as intermediate. Foods listed as borderline are tolerated in limited amounts for short duration with one exception. Duck protein was borderline. Duck is no longer tolerated. Discovered to be the source of random but frequent bouts of vomiting and loose stools. That was sad to realize as she loved her duck necks and duck feet.

So if you haven't considered testing for food sensitivity give it some thought. You are already spending a ton of money on vet bills, this food and that food, different supplements. You might be surprised with the results and how they can help in narrowing down where to start.

End of the day do we still have GI issues. Yup. Stress colitis and that random eating of goodies found on the middle school grounds where we walk off leash often. One day she snagged up a discarded peanut butter sandwich and had half of it down before I saw it in her mouth a made her "drop it". Yup...next few days she had loose poops, gurgling tummy, gooey eyes and itching. All from half a sandwich.

So...you are not alone with your struggles. I've been where you are. It gets better. You will find what works and what doesn't.
 
#24 ·
I just ordered some samples of THK. Since my dog won't eat Sojos or Grandma Lucy's (granted, I haven't tried very hard, but if he turns his nose up at it, chances are it's a no-go). How hard is it to use the pre-mix and add your own meat? I haven't eaten meat for years and have no idea what I would get, where I would get it, or how to cook it (I think I would start with cooked, I'm still sketched out with raw with a dog with intestinal troubles already).

I fed him kibble for the last 3 nights in a row, just a cup around 11pm and I haven't seen a difference, so maybe kibble isn't the problem. I'm also thinking maybe IBD isn't the problem since he had little red dots on his belly and extra itching while he was sick(er)... So maybe a bacterial infection that the antibiotics are finally kicking? He has a few days left on it. He's had solid poops for awhile now. Sometimes I can't pick all of it up but it always either ends or starts with solid logs, if not the whole thing. And the color is turning more brown from pasty green. I'm so confused.

I'm currently feeding Blue Buffalo and Wild Calling canned food but it's RIDICULOUSLY expensive to feed him 4-5 cans a day at $2.80 per can. I'm desperate to find a food he can eat that's not going to cost that much, hence THK samples. I want to stay away from kibble as the main bulk of his meals but he does really like the Fromm and seems to be handling a small amount fine. It's also not grain-free (rice, oats, barley) so maybe grains also aren't the problem???

What the **** dog. I'm just thankful he seems to be overall feeling good and any of his bad days are triggered by 4 hour car rides. Now I need to get him on a food that he will do well with long-term and I can afford to feed him. I want to keep it under $5/day if possible... He's been pooping twice a day at pretty regular times and that makes me oh so happy! :grin2:

@voodoolamb I have followed your story, read all of your posts and threads about your dog and I am truly impressed by your persistence and thoroughness in dealing with your dog's problems. A lot of people would have given up and not even bothered to learn about GABA and glutamate or go out on limbs and try new things for their dog. So I really commend you for that!! And I hope that it pays off and you find a permanent solution that works well for you guys.
 
#26 ·
Using the base mix with your own meat is incredibly easy. The base mix box tells you exactly how much meat to use with how much base mix, which is a good starting point. I use more meat and less base mix for my dogs that are on it, but I use a raw blend that has an 80/10/5/5 mix or meat/bone/liver/other organs, so I'm not concerned they are not getting a balanced diet.

In my experience, raw meat is actually tolerated better than cooked meat, but everyone needs to do what they feel comfortable with. If you want to cook the meat, I would suggest boiling it and draining the excess fat off. You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef for this. That would probably be the cheapest.
 
#25 ·
I stated reading this thread. The cowboys girl so Glad the biopsy came back negative. You guys are all going through so much to help your dogs get better. I admire all your dedication. I have no info just wanted to say my thoughts and prayers are with you guys and your pups. I know some are older but all dogs are all pups at heart.
 
#29 ·
Just to throw in an update - we have stopped the fortiflora and will be trying some feed-sentials and sunday sundae moving forward, so FX (fingers crossed) that it will help us! I'm still looking into some of the raw options, I just like to have my head wrapped around things like this before jumping all in - and I need to educate myself before we start any of that out. @Liffey really hoping THK products work for y'all. I like the look of a lot of their items!

We went Wednesday and Thursday with 'normal' poops, then a crate/semi-diarrhea accident early this morning. Every time I look at my dog I almost tear up because I just want her to be well, and it's maddening that she literally IS well in every other aspect and is in fact still gaining weight. And every time we go out to potty it's like a mini-anxiety attack just waiting to see what comes out - and not to mention scouring my yard for stools and hosing it down on a daily basis because if not, her coprophagia is crazy. To the point I've actually seen her licking at the bottom of one of my boots by the back door after I had stepped in it. Which is also just one of the many symptoms/reasons we did the EPI/SIBO bloodwork. I hate feeling like this every day. What sane person has panic attacks while they are waiting for their dog to poop?? It's just unnerving.
@Springbrz and @Daisy&Lucky'sMom thank you all for the kind words. :wub:
 
#42 ·
@Lala I feel you. Something to think about and I know it's going to be really hard. Try not to be anxious about the poops. These dogs are very sensitive to their handlers emotions. If you are so stressed and full of anxiety about the poops and your dogs health to the point you are having anxiety attacks or feeling like you might, your dog senses this. This in of itself may very well be part of the problem. If your dog is anxious because you are it could be contributing to the loose poops. Your pup doesn't know why you are so anxious when you are out to potty. Just that you are. This can transfer to the dog. This anxiety can cause loose/watery stools.
My girl definitely has stress colitis. When her schedule changes, food changes or we travel I can guarantee loose/watery poops and possibly vomiting. Seems like many of this breed have very sensitive tummy's. I've learned to take it for what it is and unless it lasts for days, it's bloody or mucousy and very fowl odored or there is lethargy, loss of appetite, etc. I just scoop it up if I can and move on. Harder than it sounds I know. But your stress can become your dogs stress. And if you think about what this is doing to you imagine what it is doing to your pup (not helping I'm sure).
Hang in there:hug:
 
#32 ·
Since Lif is seeming more stable lately I've tried to offer him some freeze-dried raw. I've tried Grandma Lucy's and Sojos. Only Sojos lamb (they don't have samples). And Grandma Lucy's like... I don't even know how many. Maybe 5 different ones. I think pork, chicken, lamb, fish, and rabbit. He refuses ALL of them. Not even remotely interested. I did get him to eat like a few tablespoons of the Sojos but only when lots of coconut oil is mixed in, and then he only did it once, he won't be fooled again.

He won't eat any of them even mixed with canned food. Or coconut oil. Or with cheese on top.

What the **** do I feed this dog?!?!! I have samples of THK coming - I think two are chicken and one is turkey. But from his record so far, he will probably not be impressed.

He likes canned food and he likes Fromm kibble, but I think the kibble makes his poops too soft and too large an amount. Also he's been itchier the last couple of days and he's had a handful of kibble in the evenings.

I can't afford to keep feeding him canned food and I think it's not that good for them. If he won't eat THK I guess I have to try home-made? It's daunting, he's 80lb, my freezer isn't that big. I guess I could try the frozen commercial raw but it's sooooo expensive and I really do not want to feed him a diet that has to be thawed out every time. What if I want to take him traveling? I can't take 10lb of frozen meat with me! Help!! :frown2:

Here are some pics of him choosing canned Blue Buffalo over the freeze-dried fancy stuff.. ugh.
 

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#34 ·
What the **** do I feed this dog?!?!!
I'll bet you he would eat Ziwi Beef!

The tripe in there will peak his appetite! Add a little warm water, let it set for a few minutes and then offer it to him. the soft little squares are great to use as treats!

I'm a total raw feeder and just used this on our 3 week vacation. It was fantastic.

It would be worth $18 it to purchase a 1 lb. bag and try it.

Also, we just change over my Grand Dog to this and his itching has improved immensely.....ONE protein only!

Here is the info:
ZIWI PEAK:
"Air Dried Food"

ZiwiPeak Cuisine
(condensed info)
ZiwiPeak pet food is a complete, natural balanced real-meat diet prepared with care in New Zealand. All of our natural ingredients are sourced from the green, free range farms and blue, pristine oceans of New Zealand. The twin stage process eliminates pathogenic bacteria, such as e.coli, salmonella and listeria, while protecting the natural nutrition of our ingredients. As a further safety step, our products are mandatory tested and only released for sale after approval by the New Zealand government's regulatory authorities.
Air-drying is a technique that has been used for centuries to naturally preserve meats. Our modern method stays true to this artisan approach, while eliminating the need for artificial preservatives, salts, sugars or glycerines. Our slow, gentle, twin-stage air-drying process crafts a food that is as nutrient-dense and digestible as a completely raw diet but safe, clean to handle and can store for up to 21 months.

Example:
Beef: A complete, balance diet of ranch raised beef meat and organs, this protein rich meal features delicious red meat and nutrient dense organs. It also includes New Zealand green-lipped mussels, a natural source of chondroitin for joint support, and herbs, vitamins and minerals, making it suitable for all breeds and life stages.

Beef ingredients - Beef Meat (min 58%), Liver, Lung, Tripe (min 32%); Green-lipped Mussel (min 3%); Lecithin; Chicory Inulin; Dried Kelp; Parsley. Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols; Vitamins: Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Hydrochloride; Chelated Minerals: Iron amino acid complex, Copper amino acid complex, Manganese amino acid complex, Zinc amino acid complex, Selenium Yeast, Potassium Bicarbonate, Calcium CarbonateCalories - 2227 Kcal/lb
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 38%
Crude Fat (min) 35%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.0%
Moisture (max) 13%
Ash (max) 7%
Calcium 1.83%
Phosphorus 1.29%

An 11 pound bag will last a 70 pound dog approximately 20 days.

Price is $142.00 but if you get it on the "auto shipped" program the price goes down to $128.00 for 11 pounds at Only Natural Pet: ZiwiPeak Daily Cuisine Grain-Free Air-Dried Dog Food
also at chewy.com


There is a feeding calculator at the bottom of this page; Our Ingredients | ZiwiPeak

Moms:)
 
#33 ·
Aww sweet Liffey! He's a connoisseur of picky eating LOL!
Really really hope he ends up liking THK!! Keep us updated when he tries it out! You're already further along in the food hunt than me so keep the faith - I know it's frustrating.

He's a cutie! I love that he has cream on his ears - Ghost does too. ❤
 
#35 ·
And I have to laugh because I swear if I hadn't come across a lot of other posts from people with black/tans and sables having these issues I'd really wonder if this is a white dog problem LOL!!! Can you tell my mind is clearly wired to rule out all possibilities or what... [emoji23]
 
#39 ·
Well for the record it's my black and tan dog who has the stomach problems, my white is pretty good.

We got deep snow and he has been running delightedly thru chest deep snow and suddenly is a rack of ribs.

I just ordered him some ziwipeak beef since it is so dense I am hoping he can get some easy calories that he likes.

I put him back up to 4 cups a day of the Victor plus THK or canned.

His only problem is eating enough to keep weight without getting soft stools from eating too much...

the struggle is real lol
 
#44 ·
Oh I have wanted to try ZiwiPeak. I didn't know they did free samples. I will have to get in touch with them. I didn't want to spend a bunch to try it and have Ziva hate it. She won't eat THK. She brings a new meaning to the term "fussy eater". She won't eat Stella & Chewy's rehydrated and only eats 1 patty as a treat now and again. Haven't tried their frozen as no one here has the frozen. We tried Primal Frozen Lamb even though it has Salmon oil in it (salmon is on the no list) and she still didn't care for it. She liked Nature's Variety Instinct LID until they switched to peas (can't have legumes).

I feed raw mostly but beef isn't cheap and to get bone I have to mail order lamb and goat tails online or add bone meal. Shipping is a killer to prices of raw foods I can't get locally. She likes Natural Balance Lamb and Brown rice LID but not every day which is ok because it's not that high quality and gives her bad gas and crappy, smelly, itchy skin and gooey eyes if she eats to much of it. Oddly it makes her poops great. Yeesh...
 
#45 ·
I feed raw mostly but beef isn't cheap and to get bone I have to mail order lamb and goat tails online or add bone meal. Shipping is a killer to prices of raw foods I can't get locally. She likes Natural Balance Lamb and Brown rice LID but not every day which is ok because it's not that high quality and gives her bad gas and crappy, smelly, itchy skin and gooey eyes if she eats to much of it. Oddly it makes her poops great. Yeesh...
Could it be the extra fiber in the brown rice that make her poops better?

Imo I think fiber is too often overlooked in raw diets. I mean if they were out in the wild they would be eating the hides including feathers and fur which act as fiber in their diet. Pretty obvious there is a lot of undigested 'stuff' if you look at coyote scat.
 
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