Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog food forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old August 5th, 2004, 11:28 AM
MBRA518 MBRA518 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Blackstock, Ontario
Posts: 316
Dog food options

Ok.. I've been feeding a food from Costco called Nutra Nuggets Lamb and rice. The ingredients look good (lamb meal is actually the first inged - rice the second) Now Rose (8 yr old 75 lbs Rotti) has been doing great on this food - good weight, not acting hungry, coat 'looks' healthy and shiny, but she's sheads a horrible amount - I swear she should be bald

Rose has joint problems and is on a Glucosamine/ chondroitin/ MSM pill, which I will keep her on.

So my question is, should i change her food to help the sheading,and if so, what do you suggest and why, or should I add something to her current diet - I heard that oil and/or eggs will help, but I'm just looking for an opinion here, as I know many here are much more knowledgable on this than I.

Oh - right now she is fed twice a day, a little over 1 cup at each meal.

Thanks
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old August 8th, 2004, 08:19 PM
MBRA518 MBRA518 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Blackstock, Ontario
Posts: 316
Hey guys any help here? I've been reading up on the different natural brands (nutro, eagle pack and such) but I'm wondering if it's just better to add oil or something to her current feed as she seems to be doing so well on it except for the sheading.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old August 8th, 2004, 09:54 PM
Cactus Flower's Avatar
Cactus Flower Cactus Flower is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 1,769
LavendarRott made a suggestion to me that worked wonders. Salmon oil. You can buy it at Walmart in the over-the-counter herbal remedy section (it's for people, but it works for dogs as well). I give my Dane 2000 units per day (gelcaps), and her shedding is now less than half what it was.
I don't know what kind of dog you have, what size, etc. So I don't know what dosage would be proper. Maybe LavendarRott can tell you. All I can tell is that it works!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old August 8th, 2004, 09:59 PM
Luba's Avatar
Luba Luba is offline
Sadie's Chefomatic
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 7,303
Fish oil, omega fatty acids and vitamin e will work wonders on a dogs coat and skin. You can see an improvement within a week for sure.
__________________
Cats only have nine lives because they stole them from dogs!Teehee
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old August 9th, 2004, 12:32 AM
heavenlyminded heavenlyminded is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Georgia
Posts: 54
I have a 122 lb female Rottie. Understand they have a very very thick coat of hair. We usually go through 2 sheddings a year so I feel your pain. My dog stays indoors so everything is coated in black. It calls for alot of vaccum time. This is a natural part of life, it is normal. Yes a better quality food can make them shiney and pretty but the hair is still going to shed. I ask my groomer if there was anything I can do to help stop or speed up the process, she said use a shedder blad on her. This is the same thing I use on my horses to help rid of the winter hair.
We also use Eagle Pack food, and the hair still comes out. Each time we go through this it takes around a month. ( But I can still get hair out of her, and its always on my floor) Gotta Love her !!!!!!!!!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old August 9th, 2004, 12:35 AM
heavenlyminded heavenlyminded is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Georgia
Posts: 54
Almost forgot, I to give her a egg a day during shedding time. Dont know if it is helping but I feel like Im trying. haha And more important she loves it.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old August 9th, 2004, 10:14 AM
MBRA518 MBRA518 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Blackstock, Ontario
Posts: 316
Quote:
Originally Posted by heavenlyminded
I have a 122 lb female Rottie. Understand they have a very very thick coat of hair. We usually go through 2 sheddings a year so I feel your pain. My dog stays indoors so everything is coated in black. It calls for alot of vaccum time. This is a natural part of life, it is normal. Yes a better quality food can make them shiney and pretty but the hair is still going to shed. I ask my groomer if there was anything I can do to help stop or speed up the process, she said use a shedder blad on her. This is the same thing I use on my horses to help rid of the winter hair.
We also use Eagle Pack food, and the hair still comes out. Each time we go through this it takes around a month. ( But I can still get hair out of her, and its always on my floor) Gotta Love her !!!!!!!!!

LOL... oh don't worry I haven't disillusioned myself to think a different food will stop her shedding - but Rosie's is a little out of control... shedding season??? You mean it's supposed to ever stop LOL

I do curry her with a rubber horse curry - it helps (and she LUVs it), but I still have a solid layer of hair on everything Approx 2 double handfuls per day - or atleast every second day - It's crazy - I don't know why she isn't bald The strange thing is that she looks great... Super shiny coat, very healthy looking, no dry skin or dandruff... just mass amounts of hair off her.

She's always been a heavy shedder, but it seems to have gotten worse as she gets older. I'll try the fish oils and vitiamin E that Luba and cactus flower suggested - I still haven't decided on whether to add it to her current food or try something new... I think I may look for a food with all that in it and try it for a month or 2 and decide where to go from there.

Thanks everyone
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old August 21st, 2004, 06:35 PM
Lady_D Lady_D is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 30
( I’m so happy someone made this post because I have the same question! )

I was feeding my Rott pup Natural Choice after hearing several recommendations. Then I asked my vet and he told me he’d give me a sample of “Hill’s Prescription Diet – Canine p/d Large Breed” to try out and that he recommends that over anything…. Now the thing is, the Vet sells this food in his office – AND the first ingredient is corn meal, then chicken by product meal….

Should I stick with it or go back to Natural Choice? Or even go on to Canidae?

Oh and I dissolve 1 capsule of Vit E and Vit D in Zeus’s water bowl once a week for his skin and coat.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old August 21st, 2004, 09:52 PM
heeler's rock!'s Avatar
heeler's rock! heeler's rock! is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 896
Vets sell science diet because they make money. Every vet I've talked to "swears by" the food they sell in their offices since they make money off of it from the producers. Stick with a holistic brand that ALWAYS puts meat as the first ingredient. Holistic is better than most other foods and is usually cheaper. Hill's makes Science Diet and the prescription diet stuff. It's all crap.

I swear by raw food and I've never been happier with the results. If you don't want raw, stick with holistic like Solid Gold, Innova, or Royal Canin. I've never heard of natural choice so I can't give much input on it. Hope that helps!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old August 22nd, 2004, 11:01 AM
Lady_D Lady_D is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 30
No more vet food.... Thanks for the advice!!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:53 PM.