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We are guardians to 4 dogs, one of whom is healing from a bleeding ulcer. Vet recommended we feed her Royal Canin GastroIntestinal canned food. Want to eventually switch her over to a more sustainable diet. Can we supplement the Royal Canin GI with Herbsmith's MicroFlora Plus daily supplements (pre and probiotics with enzymes and herbs) or will that be too harsh on her stomach? Can you recommend a nutritious food for her?
We are most willing to make appropriate nutritional recommendations or formulate a HM diet for your dog or dog(s). I would need more information about this particular dog, dietary history and current medical data to make specific dietary suggestions. In general I would not suggest feeding microorganisms to a dog with a compromised GI lining such as with ulcers. Probiotic microorganisms fed orally have been shown to cause a blood infection when the GI does not have normal protection.

My ten year old cat, Cecil, has been diagnosed with kidney disease and the vet has prescribed a low protein cat food for him. I have been reading about homemade diets as well, because it seems like a cat would still need protein. I've seen a lot of compelling discussion of feeding human food grade lean protein like chicken or fish, which I am considering as a supplement to the prescription food. Do I cook the food for him, or serve it raw and warmed? Is it worthwhile to try this method, or is it really better to feed him very little protein? The vet said we caught it early enough to manage it well for a long time, hopefully!
Yes cats need more protein than dog but the amount of protein must be lowered to about 30% DM. The prescription feline diet contain more than an adequate amount of protein to meet requirements but not over taxed compromised kidneys. Feeding excess protein which most owner do, will accelerate the progression of the renal disease.

Here's a question: If you could only use one product for a dog with mild arthritis which would be your choice: Cosequin DS or Hill's JD dry dog food? Thanks you.
No doubt the j/d as there is more to combating arthritis than just what is in Cosequin.

Hello. My (almost 6 year old) Collie has a wee bit of arthritis in his left elbow. His vet recommended Cosequin DS, which he will be getting. I was wondering if he would also benefit from Science Diet Healthy Mobility dry dog food. This can be bought right in the pet store. I know Hills also makes the prescription JD, which I read on this site is very effective, but do you think the over the counter Science Diet Healthy Mobility dry dog food would be good for him too? Right now he is eating the Science Diet Oral Care dry dog food and yesterday his vet said he had beautiful teeth! Thank you.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Hill's j/d food is very effective counter-acting arthritis. Yes the OTC Healthy Mobility contains the same effective ingredients however, at a lower dose. So I would suggest trying the Mobility for 1-2 months, you should see improvement by then if it is possible.

Hi. I have a 10 year old yorkie-poo who was diagnosed with bladder stones a year ago. He had to have 2 sugeries within 3 months. I have been feeding him Hill's U/D since his first surgery. Is this the best thing I can do for him? I will do anything to prevent more stones. Is a home cooked diet healthier and more effective? I sprinkle a very small amount of boiled chicken and/or white rice on his Hill's - for flavor. Other than that, he gets nothing else. I even give him distilled water to drink.

I have 2 issues with the Hill's. 1) Unless I give him small amounts of rice, he becomes constipated. The rice seems to take care of the problem. 2) He gets frequent yeast related ear infections. I believe it is due to all the grains he is eating in the Hill's. Any suggestions? I am searching for a bladder stone prevention/grain free diet. Please help!!
Sorry there is no one diet that works 100% of the time for calcium oxalate stones. If the stones were urate, yes there are effective diet options for urate. Calcium oxalate stones have a high reoccurrence rate but it usually takes 18-24 months. A homemade diet can be tailored for his constipation and ear infections if related to food allergy. But between canned vs. homemade diet - neither are better than the other for preventing oxalate stones. It does NOT matter what type of water you feed the dog, so you can save yourself some bother on that point.
The u/d diet is made with egg and pork. Those are the only ingredients that could be causing a food reaction. The dog cannot be having a food allergy to the corn starch or rice in the product because the immune system does not reaction to the carbs. It reacts only to proteins. So yes we could formulate a homemade diet not using egg or pork to help prevent oxalate or urate stones.

doberman puppy 9 weeks that is bowing rt front leg was told to much protein is this common what should i do for this
Protein intake has been clearly shown NOT to be the problem in studies done 20 yrs ago.... I would strongly suggest getting a clear diagnosis from your vet, and consider feeding only a Hill's or Purina Large breed puppy food at such a rate that cause a slow growth rate. Other large breed foods may NOT be appropriate in calcium and energy. By the time she is 1 year of age, the problem may have fully corrected with proper but conservative feeding now. If you need more help please consider a consult with us after visiting your Vet.

We use Iams Special Edition for our 3 year old Irish Setter. Does it contain preservatives or other chemicals that are detrimental to his health?
What is the best commercially available dog food or combination of foods that we should use?
If this is a dry food, then yes it has to contain a preservative system b/c it is constantly exposed to air. Canned foods do not need a preservative system b/c they are canned. All preservatives used in the pet food industry have been approved as safe by AAFCO and FDA. There is no ONE best dog food. There are thousands to choose from and not each would be right for you dog. At the same time, it is possible that more than one would work well for your dog. This has to be done by trial and error using your dog - no one else's dog.

I am trying to find a "complete" list of foods and why, not to feed your dog. I have seen quite a few out there. They are not complete. Also, is there a database to download for the desktop?
The number of dog foods that is "complete and balanced" is in the thousands ... and probably changes every 6 months or so. So I would not consider such a list to be of little or no value. There are many web sites put up by self-proclaimed dog food experts that offer their opinion on how to evaluate dog foods, however, I have found none but one to of value to clients. I would suggest you visit www.GoodGuide.com and check out their dog food section.

My golden retriever is in late stage renal disease. My vet suggested a low protein/ low phosphorus diet. What are some homemade foods he can eat to add to the canned or dry renal diet food he has?
Actually none should be added if you are feeding / paying for a veterinary therpeutic diet (k/d, NF or LP, etc). We are most willing to formulate a HM diet for your dog with renal disease.

Is it better to purchase the "hyperalgernetic diet" from our veternarian than over the counter. The pet stores don't seem to have the recommended diet..(fish&potato)?
If the vet is offering a Hill's, Royal Canin, Iams, or Purina novel protein diet ... yes these are clean of contamination by other proteins. No such guarantee should be trusted for over the counter products without further investigation. For example: "no soy" labelled products have been found to contain soybean.