Dog Food Help

[dableron]

Hello!
I am new here and have two beagle dogs and I have tried so many foods and looked into many foods and can't find the "right" one! I was hoping that with a large number of people that I might find some good advice.

Daisy is a ten year old beagle with a history of bladder prodblems, consisting of crystals. She is also allergic to chicken, turkey, and lamb. Fresh cooked eggs also bother her. I have emailed every company that I could think of to check the urine ph level of their foods and I'm finding that most are too high for her. She was eating Solid Gold Hoistique Blendz for almost 3 years and then got real sick on her last bag. They said it was something with the oxygen in the food. I haven't put her back on it yet because I wasn't sure how she would react to it. Her ph increased on Natural Balance and it caused her put on weight. I don't know if there is a food that I'm missing or not?

As for my boy, he's nine years old and has had a weight problem for most of his life. I have tried just about every low fat, and low calorie food that there is. I did not see results. The only one that made a difference was Wellness weight management, but after a month he started throwing up. I took him off of it and he stopped. I don't know what else to feed him. Give up with the "diet" foods and just feed something healthy?

Sorry for such the long post. I welcome any thoughts! Thanks in advance.

dableron!

[Prin]

Have you looked at these:

Solid Gold Barking at the Moon (there's also Just a wee bit that might be ok, but it's much grainier)
California natural herring and sweet potato


Go! Natural made by Petcurean also has a new Salmon and oats formula...
Also if you have Timberwolf Organics where you are, they might have a formula that suits your doggies (like the Ocean Blue or Dakota Bison).

Not sure what the urinary pH on these foods would be, but they are all poultry and lamb- less..


Just in case you can't find the Go! Natural one (it's still not on their site), here it is, courtesy of Phoenix :

Originally Posted by Go! Natural Salmon & Oatmeal Formula

Ingredients:

Salmon Meal, Salmon, Oatmeal, Whole Oats, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols [Vitamin E], Citric Acid [Vitamin C] and Rosemary extract), Oat Fiber, Inulin (FOS), Mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Yeast Culture, Vitamin A Acetate, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), dl Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Ferrous Sulfate, **Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, **Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, **Manganese Proteinate, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Menadione Sodium Bisulphate Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12.
** These items are chelated minerals.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein - (min) - 22.00%
Crude Fat - (min) - 12.00%
Crude Fiber - (max) - 3.80%
Moisture - (min) - 10.00%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids - 2.75%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids - 0.30%
Vitamin E - (min) - 200 IU/kg

[dableron]

Hello! Thanks for the reply.

While Solid Gold has an acceptable PH, the fat is so much higher in this food than she has had. Wouldn't it cause her gain weight?

Is a high fat food really bad or is it a better thing?

Sadly, California Natural has too high of a PH level for my girl. My boy is eating the reduced calorie lamb right now and he isn't too thrilled with it.

I put in an email to Timberwolf and I'm waiting to hear back about the PH level.

I'll take a look at the Go! Natural food. Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Prin

Have you looked at these:

Solid Gold Barking at the Moon (there's also Just a wee bit that might be ok, but it's much grainier)
California natural herring and sweet potato


Go! Natural made by Petcurean also has a new Salmon and oats formula...
Also if you have Timberwolf Organics where you are, they might have a formula that suits your doggies (like the Ocean Blue or Dakota Bison).

Not sure what the urinary pH on these foods would be, but they are all poultry and lamb- less..


Just in case you can't find the Go! Natural one (it's still not on their site), here it is, courtesy of Phoenix :

[Prin]

High fat and protein are probably better. IMO, it's all the starches and complex carbs that they put in diet foods that cause the weight gain... You could always feed less if she was starting to gain weight. If you cut back gradually, they won't notice nearly as much.

[technodoll]

i agree with prin. think "atkins diet for dogs"

[dableron]

Thank you! When I email food companies, I'm constantly asking them which is better, but they don't seem to tell me. My boy was eating Natural Balance diet food and gained so much weight I couldn't believe it! I will try to set aside what's been said to be worse and concentrate on finding the right food regardless of fat content.

Thanks!

[gypsy_girl]

Depending on the type of crystals, acidic urine may or may not help. I think if you check the previous threads regarding "crystals" struvite or calcium, it may help.

[Tazette]

My friends dog is allergic to EVERYTHING, she tried all kinds of food, he can't even have dog treats...finally they found Hill's Z/D worked for their dog, but I think it may have chicken or chicken liver in it, so it may not be for your dogs. She tells everyone he dog is basically a vegetarian because of his allergies..poor thing.