Heading back to the Hills-I think

[Tamrahan]

One of my dogs have been leaving me puddles around the house-on my bed at least 3 times last week I had to change my sheets because of a wet spot on my sheets. I thought one of them was throwing up because when I would clean it up whatever it was was completely colorless so I didn't think it was urine. Last Saturday night my min pin was caught in the act squating on my blanket. So I collected a sample and yep completely colorless so I just got back from the Vet. They said she had a mild bladder infection but she had tons of Struvite crystals. The first thing Dr M asked is "What are you feeding?"

I told him Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul and Solid Gold Bison. Well he said the Chicken has got to go-something to do with magnesium.

The bison he said was probably ok but I said no because full strenght SGB makes thier stools really soft and mushy but mixed in with the Chicken soup it's fine so I was going to get rid of the SGB.

Then he asked didn't I used to feed Hills? I said yeah for 20 years M/L. and asked why I switched. And I told him because I had been guilted into switching because Hills has animal byproduct and corn and had a rating of an F, etc.

We had a long conversation because he had to have one of the technicians run out and get some Hills S/D as they only had 2 cans and he wanted me to go home with 6 cans. So in the meantime we talked dog food. He said yes hills had by product but it does not have beaks, esophagus,(sp) feet and junk like that. It is has to be human grade byproduct because there is a % of dog food that gets back into the human food chain. He said that when he got out of Vet school years ago thier was only 1 premium dog food-Science Diet-and now there are so many of them he can't keep track of them all. He had never heard of Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul. He said he is a big believer in "If it ain't broke,don't fix it" and maybe if I had been satisfied with Hill for 20 years with no problems maybe I should reconsider.

A few months ago I pondered whether I should just switch back to Hills because the SGB was not working out-all of thier poo's were too soft and mushy-yuck it was disgusting to pick up the yard-poops should not be like that. But then I started mixing in the Chicken Soup and SGB 1/2 & 1/2 and that did help. But now if Chicken Soup is out now I'm back to square 1.

Long story short I think I'm switching back to Hills Science Diet unless some of the dog experts here can help me figure out an alternative that I can live with. I want to feed kibble. I do not want to feed a raw food diet and since I hate cooking for us humans i don't really want to cook for my dogs either.

And on a side note my mom said something a few months ago when I was lecturing her on cleaning up her diet since she had a mild heart attack 2 years ago plus her terrible diarrhea problem. I notice the junk in her fridge and cupboards and she said when she cleans up her diet the diarrhea is worse. If she eats crap at McDonalds or other fast foods it's not near as bad. Anyway, my aunt and I have been after her to switch dr's so she happend to go to an internist a few weeks ago. And this dr adjusted some of her meds and told her not to take the Niacin (for her heart) because the Niacin has been causing her gout problems. So she quit and the Diarrhea has cleared up! anyway I'm am being rushed right now so not even sure if i am making sense.
I guess I bring this up because maybe Hills is not perfect but maybe it is good for my dogs us. I notice when I eat healthy I gain weight and am alway hungry but if i slip and eat a big mac I'm not hungry for hours.

 

[hiitdogs]

I wonder who "guilted" you into switching food. It's your decision what you feel is best what to do. Just what your vet said about Hills Science Diet referred to what they did 20 years ago and it was a good company - until they were bought severall years ago. And he definitely is not right about beaks, esophagus, etc. not being allowed in dog / pet food, he needs to read the regulations about that. There is NOTHING that requires human grade products, in fact the majority of pet foods are made with by products which is why most pet foods are labled "not fit for human consumption".

After reading about your dogs and your Mom, I remembered how I and many others I know felt after we quit smoking. Lots of coughing, it was even harder for me to breathe and I felt generally yucky for a while.

That's what's called a "healing crisis", things get worse before they get better. The body is starting to detoxify and detoxifying sometimes means feeling worse for a while. But we live in a microwave society these days and expect everything right away, we start a new diet and expect to drop 14 lbs in 10 days, we pop pills to get over all kinds of ailments instead of just letting our body take care of it. We abuse our body for years but then we start a "healthy" diet and expect everything to go away the next day.

I think Natalia Rose's book Detox for Women is a great read because it addresses these issues.

I rarely feed kibble but if I have to it's Nature's Variety.

 

[caseysmomgo]

Sorry your doggie is having issues. If you want to give your dog dry food that's human grade without a lot of crap, you might want to try Eagle Pack Holistic Select dry dog foods. www.eaglepack.com (sorry for not providing a link...)

Ever since my dog was a puppy, he used to vomit frequently and had some other issues, and I finally went searching online several years ago for a natural food for him. (I had been feeding him Iams Eukanuba Lamb and Rice, which the vet recommended and what I thought was supposed to be good) Ever since I switched his food to the Eagle Pack Holistic, he (knock on wood) has not had any digestive issues. They have different kinds for different dog issues (I give my dog the fish formula food - it's got anchovies,sardines, salmon, etc in it) They have no fillers that cause allergies, like wheat, etc. They even have someone who you can discuss your dog's situation with and they can tell you what kind of food would be best. It's hard to find in the pet stores, but Pet Supplies Plus has it, if there's one in your area, and I think you can buy it online.

At least check it out online and see what they've got to offer. (No, I don't work for them or have any affiliation! I just love what their food has done for my dog. )

Also sorry about your mom's issues, but now you've got me wanting a Big Mac!!

Good luck to you,

 

[lrayburn]

Tamrahan,
I had struvite issues several years ago (I was feeding Nutro) and my vet tried to get me to switch to Science Diet. I switched to Purina One and haven't had a problem since. I use Purina One or Purina Pro Plan (beef or lamb formula as my male dog doesn't tolerate chicken) and haven't had a problem since. I know people who feed raw and the holistic kibbles won't think much of Purina One or Pro Plan but mine do well on it.

I think Science Diet is the bottom of the barrell in terms of cost/quality concerns. I would consider it in the case of a dog who required a prescription diet but I don't think struvite crystals require that in most cases. Good luck finding a food that works for your dog but do not let the vet guilt you into feeling that Science Diet is the only brand that will fill that need for you.
Lisa