Lacey loves the Solid Gold SunDancer.She has eaten it several times on her own since we bought it.Her poops are exccellent on Solid Gold SunDancer.One of her newer favorites.
Tag Archives: Solid Gold
wellness simple solutions might work for Lacey,meanwhile sampling Barking At the Moon
It is still hard to say but IT might work for her.She does need to try it at least one more time to be sure…..IF it does we’re asking for samples of the other 2 Simple Solutions & samples of all three flavors of Wellness Core.Meanwhile,we’ll be getting a sample of Solid Gold Barking at the moon which is grain free.The only thing I don’t like about Solid Gold is that there’s no L.Acid but I do want her to get as many different flavors that she can tolerate from various brands.Since she is eating more on a daily basis(anywhere from 1/8 cup-1/2 cup)her food goes down a lot quicker than when she was eating about 4 times a week. June 13 2010-Update on Wellness Simple Solutions:Lacey has tried the Wellness Simple Solutions for the second time tonight since we got the sample from Hawaii Pet Expo 2010 in May 2010.Oddly she can’t handle the Super5Mix but seems to handle the Simple Solutions a lot better.Bowels were still slightly soft but not close to diarrhea like on the Super5Mix.We’ve not tried Core yet but it might be worth checking into with a sample.Wellness Simple Solutions might be an option we can look into after the sample is gone.
Another possible UTI??
WELL,IT SEEMS THAT LACEY CAN NOT HAVE ANY GRAIN HEAVY DRY DOG FOOD.IT IS CAUSING HER TO HAVE REPEATING UTI’S..LAST NOVEMBER I PLACED HER ON SOLID GOLD JUST A WEE BIT BEFORE I INTRODUCED HER TO HALO’S.WITHIN ABT A MONTH SHE HAD A UTI.SEE THE DECEMBER BLOGS FOR MORE INFO.JUST MONTHS ON HALO’S HER HEALTH IS FANTASTIC!IN FEBRUARY I RESTARTED HER SG JUST A WEE BIT TO SEE IF IT IS INDEED THE GRAINS..ABOUT A MONTH LATER(ALMOST LEADINGG TO THE SAME DATE IN DECEMBER,DECEMBER 28 2009,A POSSIBLE UTI COULD HAVE STARTED)IF IT IS ANYTHING IT’S IN THE VERY VERY EARLY STAGES…CONTINUOUS LICKING HER VULVA FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS…NOW I HAVE PLACED THE REMAINING OF THE SG JUST A WEE BIT IN THE MERRICKS DRY FOOD TO GIVE THE NEIGHBOR’S DOG.SEEMS SHE DOES BEST ON LOW GRAIN OR GRAIN FREE.PROTEIN LEVEL IS NOT A ISSUE FOR HER.GLAD WE FOUND OUT NOW THAN LATER!NOW SHE’S GETTING CAN FOOD FOR A WHILE.IF IT DOESN’T GET BETTER W/CAN FOOD BY TUESDAY WE’LL TAKE HER IN BUT WE ARE TRYING TO AVOID IT W/ THE EXPENSES OF HER XRAY IN JULY.
UPDATE:AFTER ABT GIVING HER CAN FOOD TWO TIMES SINCE YESTERDAY THE REDNESS DISAPPEARED.I DO BELIEVE THAT 90% OF HER MEDICAL ISSUES WAS LINKED TO SG JUST A WEE BIT.THE MONTHS ON HALO’S HER HEALTH & STILL IS FANTASTIC!BUT AFTER I BROUGHT BACK SG JUST A WEE BIT HEALTH INTO HER ROTATION ISSUES CAME UP AGAIN.EVEN EATING TABLE FOOD AND DECREASING HER CAN FOOD NEVER BROUGHT ON ANY ISSUES.WE CAUGHT IT VERY EARLY ON & TREATED IT AS IF IT WAS A UTI..THERE WAS NO VET ASSISTANCE OR MEDS NEEDED THIS TIME AROUND BUT I WILL TELL DR KAYA IN JULY THAT I’VE SWITCHED HER OFF SG JUST A WEE BIT & PLACED HER ON HALO’S AS THE MAIN DIET ALTHOUGH THERE ARE OTHERS IN HER ROTATION..AT THE MOMENT IT’S HALO’S WHOLESOME CHICKEN/WILD SALMON & EARTHBORN HOLISTIC PRIMITIVE NATURAL..HOPING TO ADD ONE MORE LOW GRAIN OR GRAIN FREE TO THE VARIETY.
Taste of the wild samples
I am asking for samples of these two products for Lacey.It’s made by Diamond but so far none of the people who feed TOTW on dogster seems to have any issues with it so I am willing to give it a shot.Most stores that we look at do not sell it but I did find one place that does but before we do that,I’d like samples first just to see how she likes it..Knowing that she’s so picky.I am pretty sure that SG Just a Wee Bit is causing her soft stools & I’d like to get her off of it if we can find something that will work for her & she will eat it before we do that..switch…The ones I asked for were High Prairie Canine Formula &
Wetlands Canine Formula.
High Prairie Canine Formula
Protein: 32% Fat: 18%
Calories: 3,719 kcal/kg (370 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy
Available in 5lb, 15lb and 30lb bags.
Ingredients
Bison, venison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
Wetlands Canine Formula
Protein: 32% Fat: 18%
Calories: 3,750 kcal/kg (375 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy
Available in 5lb, 15lb and 30lb bags.
Ingredients
Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, roasted quail, roasted duck, smoked turkey, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
Let’s see how it would rank us(with Lacey’s needs in mind)
High Canine Formula:1)Bison/Vension/Lamb/Chicken are all familiar proteins to her (meat named followed by meals that’s a plus),egg,sweet potatoes,peas,potatoes,canola oil,roasted bison,roasted vension(will be knew to her but it might be ok)2)tomato pomace(a filler but so far so good) 3)ocean fish meal(not a lot of fish is good),dried chicory root is good(she’s familiar with that),tomatoes,blueberries,raspberries(will be new to her but we might be ok)..all the rest is good.It’s got L.Acid in it(a definite plus)
Wetlands Canine Formula:1)Duck,Duck Meal(definite plus…Just found out Lacey LOVES Duck!..meat,followed by meal,a plus),Chicken meal(she’s familiar with chicken),egg,sweet potatoes,peas,chicken fat(named type of poultry fat is a plus),potatoes,roasted quail(is new to her might be ok),smoked turkey(she’s good with that)2)tomato pomace(a filler but so far so good)3)ocean fish meal(not a lot of fish is good) and the rest is similar to the previous one.
Both are grain free(something I am looking for since as she gets older I was going to eventually switch her to grain free anyways since most times raw is not an option unless more brands come around by that time we can look around again)
As some of you may know we have tried the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul dry food before and Lacey was not that impressed with it.It was one of the very first brands we tried after Solid Gold & before finding Halo’s.Regardless,we are sticking with Halo’s & Earthborn but hoping to drop the Solid Gold Line permanently if we can find something to replace it with.I like to have at least 2-4 different brands to switch up proteins every day.As for can food I believe that has a play in her soft bowels too since most of the time she’s getting dry her tummy is not used to getting can food & it could also upset her tummy.The only time she will get it is if she’s ill/recovering from surgery or there is a family gathering/holiday.Other than that we’ll be sticking with dry food.
“When do you think the Wild Salmon will come for Lacey?”
My response was to my parents”Well,it took them a while {before they got the sample out last year back when they did samples}but it wouldn’t surprise me if it takes a few weeks.It’s coming from Florida but my guesses for the delays are they only do so many shipments per week even for samples{when they used to} & possibly they have less worker than WellPet(Wellness).But it will come eventually.They always do send it out eventually.Maybe not in a timely manner but they get it done either way so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t come this week.”
However,that is one reason we bought Lacey another 4 pound package of Wholesome chicken.Meanwhile I am also giving her SG Just a Wee Bit mixed with Earthborn which she’s doing okay eating it but as for poop unlike last year when I switched her to SG Just a wee bit she did good eating it & her poop was good,firm but since I have placed her on Halo’s & supplementing proteins(Bison)her bowels are soft.We don’t really have other options at the moment.I am looking into other kibble but again what’s on the mainland isn’t always down in HI.We may end up doing more raw but we may look at other kibbles too.
Trying Lacey back on SG Just a Wee Bit but…
she now turns her nose up at SG Just a Wee Bit & goes straight for the Halo’s!she might eat a few pieces of SG Just a Wee Bit but defiantly not to the same extent as last November-early December when I introduced her to Halo’s she’s since then not only been faithful to Halo’s but does so by turning her nose up at other dry foods besides Halo’s.Since yesterday(Friday February 26 2010)I have reintroduced her to SG Just a Wee Bit to see how she will do on it healthwise but she has eaten a few pieces–not enough to even equal 1/8 cup–sniff it,walk away then she’ll find her Halo’s and happily eat it by herself!I really don’t know what Halo’s puts in the food to make it so appealing to her but whatever it is it must be good.Otherwise she’d be turning her nose up at it by now & refusing it..Now only if Halo’s can make a few more meats such as Lamb,Beef,Turkey or Vension Dry Food using the same ingredients our house would have every dry food Halo’s has to offer providing it has the same appealing taste in every flavor.Providing the Wild Salmon has the same appealing taste as the Wholesome Chicken Lacey will eat it just as happily as she is with the Wholesome Chicken!I am trying to get her to eat a variety of proteins.Right now she has Halo’s Wholesome Chicken,SG Just a Wee Bit(Bison-providing she will eat it….)& stella & chewy’s Freeze Dried Lamb Dinner which I am happy to report is eating it two days in a row(even just a few bites makes a difference).Not sure if feeding raw is making a difference but at night she used to go to the kitchen to tell me she’s hungry but since she’s been placed on raw she’s been eating very little of the can food(during the early morning hours)and is eating more Halo’s & Stella & Chewy’s.It also seems that her fur may be slightly more fluffy.Hard to say just yet though since it’s been only about a month since she started some raw.
There is something about the Stella & Chewy’s Dandy Lamb that she likes.The Dandy Lamb she will actually eat it by herself at times but the Super Beef that we tried first was the hardest to get her to eat.But the Dandy Lamb she’ll open her mouth and gulp it or will eat it by herself providing it’s broken into smaller pieces for her.
Lacey tries Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit…one last & final attempt….
We still had the bag of Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit & decided to give it one more try to see if medical issues still comes up.If it does,we’ll take her off of it completely and toss the rest out in the garbage.Dr Kaya said it could’ve been hormones that was causing the medical issues.Sometimes in some dogs spaying could help.She did get spayed so I am willing to give it one more attempt.One good thing I remember last year when we first started organic dog food,Solid Gold was one of the first ones we tried that she ate..During that one month we tried it,the protein was Bison & her itching was less than on Science Diet & IAMS.Not sure but she may be allergic to chicken.We’ll be trying SG Just a Wee Bit for a few months in addition to her Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wholesome Chicken & Halo’s Spot’s Stew Wild Salmon to see if any medical issues come up while on SG just a wee bit.See next post for more info.
Lacey’s recovery is going very well…..
Lacey’s recovery from her spaying is going very well so far…She has started to eat some raw & has eaten her Halo’s.She’s been “begging” for walks,going out/on a car ride to go get pizza hut for dinner which she did amazingly on(very calm,relaxed,laying down,enjoying herself w/a smile on her face,looking around and not breathing heavily).In the morning she was prancing around somewhat but still “very still” or what I call her “frozen stand”and not move a muscle except she’d move her face & stay in one spot for minutes at a time.We decided to give Lacey some pain medicine after I asked her “are you in pain?” she responded with looking away from me and drooped her head to the side as if she was somewhat embarrassed to tell me “yes,I am sore.”.I took the response as yes,I am in pain & we gave her some pain medicine that Dr Kaya had given her to take on the day she was discharged from her spaying.In the evening,she made a miraculous turn around in her behavior…Before we knew she was being quite a rascal,prancing around,”digging for gold” inside the house,lapping up water more,ate some Halo’s after I gave her 4-6 pieces of solid gold just a wee bit I switched it to the Halo’s which she gulped it up & took from the carpet,running around the house with endless amount of energy,wanting to go walking,ate some meat off the floor while we ate dinner,playing with her toys & looking for Halo’s food & raw food in her bottles..Her incision is healing very quickly..97% of the incision is healed and moreorless closed up.I would have thought it would take about a week to close up but it has been less than 4 days since her spaying and already 97% of the incision is healed!If Halo’s ever comes out with another flavor besides Salmon we’ll be more than happy to try it out on Lacey!As far as we are concerned Halo’s makes the best products when it comes to dry food for dogs.When it comes to Halo’s canned food that’s a different story but the dry food is the best which I believe has helped heal Lacey quicker than Science Diet,quicker than IAMS, & quicker than Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit.She’s also doing more tricks.
Decisions on Lacey’s dog food
We have an appt with Dr kaya to follow up her UTI.Originally when she had her UTI I gave her wet food(tilll she was full) even though this did not come from the vet but through my own research and conversing with other dog owners.When I was sure that her pain and UTI was 95% gone I gave her mostly dry food(Halo’s Spot’s Stew).After I made the appt to see Dr Kaya I am giving her mostly canned food once again just as a quick prevention although her dry food Halo’s(2?pieces) mixed with Earthborn Grain Free(23 pieces) & Bits of Solid Gold(17 pieces) until we can find another dog food.I am thinking of trying her on the Wellness Super5Mix again to see if her tummy can handle it.Like with IAMS when we first brought her home she couldn’t handle it but after a few months she was able to eat it with no problems.Likewise,with Wellness about a month and a half ago was the same thing:Soft bowels.Now,I am wondering if she’ll do better.If she can do better it would be great to have Wellness in our rotation as well.Also probably looking for a grain free dry food too.Already decided long before hand to stick with Halo’s.Now we need another good brand,a grain free and still looking into raw brands as well.Of course,we have canned too.
Berry Balance update
I got a response from a owner whose dog had UTI about Berry Balance who suggested that while their dog didn’t have any of these problems(soft bowels) that it could be she’s adjusting to the supplement and to try it out for another week.We’ve already decided to stop the Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit and I have no plans to put her back on it for any reason.It was a good food and she did love it but not as much after Halo’s Spot’s Stew came along…We’ll try it for another week and see how she does.Otherwise if there is still soft bowel movements we’ll stop Berry Balance altogether and for a while keep her on Halo’s while we figure things out.Also when we see Dr Kaya in February we’ll ask him if there is any preventive medicine to help prevent UTI’s from reoccurring..and see what he has to say.I am also not going to mention the change of her food till I figure out what other type of “diet” we’ll try for her.
