Looking for food suggestions

This may be long so hope you are sitting down. This whole thought of food came up when I attended the GAPC show and Barry Clothier spoke about feeding raw. During that time, I had changed Baby Girl's food and she ended up with another UTI and skin infection (little pimple like bumps on her neck and under arms-mostly places where she sweats). So we are back on the California Natural Chicken. In two years, this is pretty much the only food that keeps her UTIs away. I also add Zuke's Hip Action, Fish Oil capsule 2xday, and vitamin E 2xday. I have researched a little on Honest Kitchen, but..........I just read Lisa (NotAfraid) tag line and I am feeding my child Total cereal every day!!! I am torn between keeping her on Cal Nat which is doing well for her or attempting to go RAW and change her food. I am also a vegetarian so some of the thoughts of fixing (I'm Southern) meat is just grossing me out. Or should I just keep her on the Cal Nat and add fruit and veggies that I hope would not effect her system to bring back the UTIs. I need some feed back.

Jana - I can't claim to know a whole lot about food. Hopefully Lisa will chime in since it's a subject she's passionate about.

I will say that if you aren't comfortable fixin (see I'm southern too! ha!) meat for a raw diet, then look at other options. IMO...as much as we love our babies, we have to care for them to the best of our abilities - including limitations.

With me...I gag at the smell of canned cat food. Just gag. I only give her a spoonful every few days instead of every day. Call me selfish....it's what I have to accept and come to terms with.

TxAllieGrl wrote:Jana - I can't claim to know a whole lot about food. Hopefully Lisa will chime in since it's a subject she's passionate about.

I will say that if you aren't comfortable fixin (see I'm southern too! ha!) meat for a raw diet, then look at other options. IMO...as much as we love our babies, we have to care for them to the best of our abilities - including limitations.

With me...I gag at the smell of canned cat food. Just gag. I only give her a spoonful every few days instead of every day. Call me selfish....it's what I have to accept and come to terms with.

Jana, I am with you. I won't cook or eat meat for myself and it's really hard for me to handle it. I like Honest Kitchen, one reason I like it is because you can add things in to mix it up (they have suggestions on their site). Plus, since Sophie has been prone to crystals lately it's easy to flood it with water which is good. They seem to love it as well.

There are also some prepared raw diets that are good too, that can save you the icky factor. I think a few people on here have had success with those.

Oh and I agree with Allie on the wet cat food too.
Good luck!

Oh, I totally forgot to add that Baby Girl has no teeth. Currently I soak her food in water over night so the kibble is soft, but still in pieces that she can pick up with her tongue.

papaspugs wrote:Or should I just keep her on the Cal Nat and add fruit and veggies that I hope would not effect her system to bring back the UTIs. I need some feed back.

Commercial kibble already has plenty of carbs, so I would add fruits & veggies sparingly. Maybe try adding some eggs, cottage cheese, or canned fish instead (jack mackeral or salmon is good but not tuna - too much mercury). Pugsy was on Nature's Variety premade frozen raw for the last 6-8 months of her life. I know that they've had some recalls on their chicken products due to salmonella recently but I still believe that overall it is a good quality food.

Jana:
The bumps that you have seen on the neck and armpits are likely staph infection pustules--I've become an expert on staph infections in dogs, sadly--as both Tank and Pippin have had them.

I do feed raw, but do realize it is not for everyone. I'd try getting rid of the grains, frankly--but if she's doing well on what you are feeding, then why mess with it?

As mentioned, there are some great pre-packaged raw that don't require you to handle meat to any degree. If you want to stick to a kibble then think about adding some meat canned. Wellness makes some great canned food that I use regularly. Some are 95% meat and some are a complete meal.

As far as UTIs--I'm a big advocate of water, water, water.

I think food is a very tricky subject. Of course we want them to have the best, but we also want them to be comfortable and not experience any adverse reactions. You could try the Honest Kitchen-this will allow you to add extra water, as well as some good veggie add-ins. I can tell you from experience that mine go nuts for it, and even though it's pretty much the same thing every day (just different "extras"), I don't ever imagine they will turn their noses up at it.
However, if she's had issues in the past, and the Cal Nat is working for her, maybe an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" attitude isn't such a bad thing. I don't think there's really a right or wrong way to go...

See, I knew everyone would come through for me! I have already talked to the holistic vet about adding yogurt b/c of her gassy belly. I can do eggs-free range organic ones and I will feel good about that and not too grossed out. Hell, my husband might actually fix the eggs for BG if he can just get some protein in the house! LOL! Eggs will stay with the chicken theme that seems to do best for her too. Of course, Lola will also be the beneficiary of the eggs too!

Blanche, yes you are correct. The bumps are staph, not allergies. We originally thought they were allergies, but he last time we had them tested it was staph. They only seem to come up with I've changed her food.

papaspugs wrote:See, I knew everyone would come through for me! I have already talked to the holistic vet about adding yogurt b/c of her gassy belly. I can do eggs-free range organic ones and I will feel good about that and not too grossed out. Hell, my husband might actually fix the eggs for BG if he can just get some protein in the house! LOL! Eggs will stay with the chicken theme that seems to do best for her too. Of course, Lola will also be the beneficiary of the eggs too!

Blanche, yes you are correct. The bumps are staph, not allergies. We originally thought they were allergies, but he last time we had them tested it was staph. They only seem to come up with I've changed her food.

Well, the staph is opportunistic and generally doesn't get a hold of skin that is healthy. I know that with Tank, his long years of yeast (likely systemic) make his skin vulnerable to staph. With pippin, it's the demodex that makes him vulnerable. So if she's getting staph infections after a food change, it likely is related to allergies.

Two warnings: careful with eggs. I have two dogs that can't tolerate them.
And if she has a tendency to yeast--avoid dairy. Came as a shock to me, but the homeopathic vet said that dairy is the worst thing for yeast dogs--yeast LOVES dairy. I give Tank non-dairy acidophilus and that helps with gassiness.

If eggs are a problem for your pug, usually if you boil them and just use the whites, throw the yolk, it works well. the yolk has the fat, and the white is pure protein, and very easily digested. I use them for Bella who is diabetic and has chronic active hepatitis (CAH)

I love that quote on my sig. I started following her on Facebook because she has so many good things to say and her thought process is so logical.

However, there is no ONE food that is perfect for all dogs. I feed prepared raw (Primal, Nature's Variety or Stella and Chewey's) and I rotate the protein sources. I started Thurston on raw because I know pugs can be nightmares with allergies and skin problems as well as ear infections. It has worked really well for him and has dome miracles for Kimchi. I believe that many problems come from the inside out and that what your dog eats manifests itself in outward symptoms - both good and bad. I've been really happy with raw and, if I wasn't feeding the frozen, I would probably go with Honest Kitchen.

Nutrition-wise, kibble is the LEAST nutritious type of food. It is more processed than canned, dehydrated or raw and therefore has less nutrients.

I have had experiences with clients that have switched to a more nutrient-rich food and have had (temporary) skin problems with their dog. I think that the problems are a result of a detoxification that is going on when better food is introduced. If a client stuck with the new food regimen, the problems cleared up in a few weeks.

Have you talked to your holistic vet about Baby Girl's food? She might have some suggestions that would address the infection issues while getting her more nutrient-rich foods. There are also a couple of topical things you could use to get through the period of adjustment. Colloidal silver, used topically, is a natural antibiotic that works great! Also, tea tree oil can aid the irritation of any outbreaks (it works great on human pimples too!). A third choice for topical treatment is Oil of Oregano (but more difficult to find).


Whole Dog Journal did an entire article on Staph Infections a while ago. I'm going to see if I can find it.

Not Afraid wrote:

I have had experiences with clients that have switched to a more nutrient-rich food and have had (temporary) skin problems with their dog. I think that the problems are a result of a detoxification that is going on when better food is introduced. If a client stuck with the new food regimen, the problems cleared up in a few weeks.

I just wanted to add to Lisa's great point. When I was trying to find a food that worked for Tyson, we went through a period where his yeasty ears and armpits seemed to be getting worse (very frustrating). But it was explained to me as Lisa said, their body is detoxing and pushing all the bad crap out of their system at this time. Something can be in their system for up to 3 months, so it isn't going to be an overnight change, and may get worse before it gets better.