Need advise / suggestions on limied ingredients / all natural dog food

[matese]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I thought the vet said to stop the Z/D.

Originally Posted by matese http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ima...s/viewpost.gif
I did ask, when I was told by the tech to stop the Z/D food, I asked what to feed him, she tells me "all natural, limited ingredients, either Bison or Venison and the food should say something like for allergies, cannot remember her exact words, I was driving my car when I received the call, could not write it down, but will recognize the wording. In the past when I was shopping for dog food I saw such food. I asked a question about what food had limited ingredients, was all natural, I got answers, am going to check out Natural Balance and Nature's Variety, they look like what I am looking for, so how is that "me making way to much out of this? Thank you for your response.

you responded to my QUOTE, it's in black and white, I was told to STOP THE Z/D, I'll try to make it clearer. I texted my vet, write I am down to 2 cans of Z/D dog food, is Cody still to stay on the Z/D. My vet tells the technician to call me and tell me NO, my vet tells the technician to tell me I should feed him limited ingredients, all natural, either Bison or Venison. To answer your question "I thought the vet said to stop the Z/D" Myanswer is YES MY VET SAID TO STOP THE Z/D. I do hope I have answered your question. I do appreciate your input, knowing you are very busy caring for sick babies and yet take time out to respond to my thread.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by matese

Originally Posted by matese http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ima...s/viewpost.gif
I did ask, when I was told by the tech to stop the Z/D food, I asked what to feed him, she tells me "all natural, limited ingredients, either Bison or Venison and the food should say something like for allergies, cannot remember her exact words, I was driving my car when I received the call, could not write it down, but will recognize the wording. In the past when I was shopping for dog food I saw such food. I asked a question about what food had limited ingredients, was all natural, I got answers, am going to check out Natural Balance and Nature's Variety, they look like what I am looking for, so how is that "me making way to much out of this? Thank you for your response.

you responded to my QUOTE, it's in black and white, I was told to STOP THE Z/D, I'll try to make it clearer. I texted my vet, write I am down to 2 cans of Z/D dog food, is Cody still to stay on the Z/D. My vet tells the technician to call me and tell me NO, my vet tells the technician to tell me I should feed him limited ingredients, all natural, either Bison or Venison. To answer your question "I thought the vet said to stop the Z/D" Myanswer is YES MY VET SAID TO STOP THE Z/D. I do hope I have answered your question. I do appreciate your input, knowing you are very busy caring for sick babies and yet take time out to respond to my thread.

What does this even say? I don't get the whole bison or venison thing. There are limited ingredients w/ turkey and duck too. Why does your vet want to stop the z/D???? Maybe because your vet doesn't think Cody has allergies to food just like 90% of dogs don't. Just get some claritin from the vet and try that. See if it helps poor Cody. And let him eat what he likes for cryin-out-loud. Who wants venison or bison!

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by matese

I did ask, when I was told by the tech to stop the Z/D food, I asked what to feed him, she tells me "all natural, limited ingredients, either Bison or Venison and the food should say something like for allergies, cannot remember her exact words, I was driving my car when I received the call, could not write it down, but will recognize the wording. In the past when I was shopping for dog food I saw such food. I asked a question about what food had limited ingredients, was all natural, I got answers, am going to check out Natural Balance and Nature's Variety, they look like what I am looking for, so how is that "me making way to much out of this? Thank you for your response.

What I meant by making too much out of it is that I can tell you are getting confused and frustrated trying to pick "the best" food for Brody but truthfully how will you know unless you just pick one? Btw I have no idea what "all natural" means.

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Here's Natural Balance LID page: LID Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Dog Formulas - Natural Balance Pet Foods

BTW, Nature's Variety is a very busy food, lots of different ingredients, def not a limited ingredient food.

Jenny I gave her that link in my very first post on page #1.

Matese-the second paragraph is what I mean by you are getting confused which isn't hard to do in this case. That's why I said JUST PICK ONE.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by matese

Originally Posted by matese http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ima...s/viewpost.gif
I did ask, when I was told by the tech to stop the Z/D food, I asked what to feed him, she tells me "all natural, limited ingredients, either Bison or Venison and the food should say something like for allergies, cannot remember her exact words, I was driving my car when I received the call, could not write it down, but will recognize the wording. In the past when I was shopping for dog food I saw such food. I asked a question about what food had limited ingredients, was all natural, I got answers, am going to check out Natural Balance and Nature's Variety, they look like what I am looking for, so how is that "me making way to much out of this? Thank you for your response.

you responded to my QUOTE, it's in black and white, I was told to STOP THE Z/D, I'll try to make it clearer. I texted my vet, write I am down to 2 cans of Z/D dog food, is Cody still to stay on the Z/D. My vet tells the technician to call me and tell me NO, my vet tells the technician to tell me I should feed him limited ingredients, all natural, either Bison or Venison. To answer your question "I thought the vet said to stop the Z/D" Myanswer is YES MY VET SAID TO STOP THE Z/D. I do hope I have answered your question. I do appreciate your input, knowing you are very busy caring for sick babies and yet take time out to respond to my thread.

Yes, well the line you bolded here is why I asked. It appeared to me that the tech was saying it....I had no idea the vet weighed in. But, again, I don't know why a vet would have you looking at food first since it is less common for allergies to be due to food.

[lynzy420]

OMG I think your dog is allergic to YOU...Many pups with itchy allergies like this all year round are allergic to humans. I spent lots of money to find this out and then I started the Claritin...because there was no way Mini was going to stop licking/kissing on my ex-husband!!!!


The others are right you might as well cut to the chase and get your pup on a good RX food and drop some stock in Clariten....trust me, $1000's was wasted on allergy testing etc....

[matese]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

What I meant by making too much out of it is that I can tell you are getting confused and frustrated trying to pick "the best" food for Brody but truthfully how will you know unless you just pick one? Btw I have no idea what "all natural" means.



Jenny I gave her that link in my very first post on page #1.

Matese-the second paragraph is what I mean by you are getting confused which isn't hard to do in this case. That's why I said JUST PICK ONE.

Ok, sorry, this is like email lol, you write one thing and is read in another way, I was frustrated until I saw the Natural Balance and is sold local. I think I am going with that, they have the Bison / Venison, limited ingredients. I don't feel so bad now not knowing what "all natural" is lol. Thanks for the clarification and your help.

[matese]

Originally Posted by lynzy420

OMG I think your dog is allergic to YOU...Many pups with itchy allergies like this all year round are allergic to humans. I spent lots of money to find this out and then I started the Claritin...because there was no way Mini was going to stop licking/kissing on my ex-husband!!!!


The others are right you might as well cut to the chase and get your pup on a good RX food and drop some stock in Clariten....trust me, $1000's was wasted on allergy testing etc....

I guess you didn't read the beginning of my thread or the responses or my replies, I adopted Cody, he came to me scratching, so I guess he is allergic to the human race, not just me lol. But I'm still going to kiss him all up and hug him to death. OMG, I just re-read your reply again, the ex-DH oh noooo, Thanks for your reply,

[matese]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Yes, well the line you bolded here is why I asked. It appeared to me that the tech was saying it....I had no idea the vet weighed in. But, again, I don't know why a vet would have you looking at food first since it is less common for allergies to be due to food.

I kinda figured that, but in many of my replies I stated MY VET, I would NEVER listen to a tech lol, when ever I need to ask my vet something I text her, she always has the tech call me back with the answer. I cannot answer your question as to why change the food. I follow what she tells me, in 25 yrs of using her she has not been wrong yet. Not saying she is perfect, just very good. Thank you for your concern.

[lynzy420]

I assumed you would realize the implied human allergy, its true and its more common than you think, I will bet that pup is allergic to you/humans!

[matese]

Originally Posted by lynzy420

I assumed you would realize the implied human allergy, its true and its more common than you think, I will bet that pup is allergic to you/humans!

More knowledge learned today, I never knew dogs could be allergic to ppl. Thanks for that info. and thanks again for your response.

[gracielove]

It is really hard to find a truly "all natural" limited ingredient commercial food. If your dog has environmental allergies then food should not be that much of an issue and a good skin supplement should help with the problem but if he is reacting to one of the ingredients in dog food then that is a problem since most commercial brands have so many "interesting" ingredients.

If you are uncomfortable with raw feeding then home cooking is the next best alternative if you are really interested in all natural and limited ingredients. In this country it is not required for pet food companies to list all of the ingredients in the food or where the ingredients are sourced from. When you do your own cooking you know exactly what your dog is eating and where it came from.

Most dog food is cooked at very high temperatures at least three times in order to obtain the consistency and texture they need to produce kibble. Home cooking at least leaves some of the natural enzymes in the foods and they are much fresher and more digestible.

Contrary to what many will say, you do not need a degree in dog nutrition (no such degree exists anyway) to make nutritious dog food at home. None of use had to qualify in order to cook for ourselves so I'm pretty sure most of us are smart enough to learn how to cook for a dog. There are a lot of good sources out there to help you along.

[matese]

Originally Posted by gracielove

It is really hard to find a truly "all natural" limited ingredient commercial food. If your dog has environmental allergies then food should not be that much of an issue and a good skin supplement should help with the problem but if he is reacting to one of the ingredients in dog food then that is a problem since most commercial brands have so many "interesting" ingredients.

If you are uncomfortable with raw feeding then home cooking is the next best alternative if you are really interested in all natural and limited ingredients. In this country it is not required for pet food companies to list all of the ingredients in the food or where the ingredients are sourced from. When you do your own cooking you know exactly what your dog is eating and where it came from.

Most dog food is cooked at very high temperatures at least three times in order to obtain the consistency and texture they need to produce kibble. Home cooking at least leaves some of the natural enzymes in the foods and they are much fresher and more digestible.

Contrary to what many will say, you do not need a degree in dog nutrition (no such degree exists anyway) to make nutritious dog food at home. None of use had to qualify in order to cook for ourselves so I'm pretty sure most of us are smart enough to learn how to cook for a dog. There are a lot of good sources out there to help you along.

It is something to think about. Thank you for your reply

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by gracielove

It is really hard to find a truly "all natural" limited ingredient commercial food. If your dog has environmental allergies then food should not be that much of an issue and a good skin supplement should help with the problem but if he is reacting to one of the ingredients in dog food then that is a problem since most commercial brands have so many "interesting" ingredients.

If you are uncomfortable with raw feeding then home cooking is the next best alternative if you are really interested in all natural and limited ingredients. In this country it is not required for pet food companies to list all of the ingredients in the food or where the ingredients are sourced from. When you do your own cooking you know exactly what your dog is eating and where it came from.

Most dog food is cooked at very high temperatures at least three times in order to obtain the consistency and texture they need to produce kibble. Home cooking at least leaves some of the natural enzymes in the foods and they are much fresher and more digestible.

Contrary to what many will say, you do not need a degree in dog nutrition (no such degree exists anyway) to make nutritious dog food at home. None of use had to qualify in order to cook for ourselves so I'm pretty sure most of us are smart enough to learn how to cook for a dog. There are a lot of good sources out there to help you along.

There is not a degree for cardiothoracic surgery either, but I would not let my general internist perform heart surgery on me. Animal nutrition is a specialty that veterinarians can receive advanced training and certification in, like human doctor specialists.

A dog's nutritional needs are much more precise than a human's. That is why dog food companies perform feeding trials and employ experts to formulate the foods. Blue Buffalo had a product a couple years ago that had an imbalance of two nutrients -- the imbalance made many dogs very sick and the food was pulled.

I can eat just about any unbalanced diet and live for years without serious ramifications. But if I fed my dogs an imbalanced diet for 3 weeks, they would likely become seriously ill. I trust my vet when he tells me this.

[107barney]

Just to correct some misinformation, there definitely is a science and art to feeding dogs. Some want to throw bones and stuff in a bowl and call it the ideal meal, but it's not that simple. There is indeed a specialty to nutrition for pets, and the ACVN tells you more about these very qualified people that some around here like to bash. Frequently Asked Questions American College of Veterinary Nutrition

[107barney]

Also last time I checked, most people couldn't figure out how to eat a healthy meal. Just look around and you'll see supersize and sick at every turn.