I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now with trying to make positive changes in diet for my girls! I had read the posts in August on the forum about the euthanasia drug being found in dog foods, and after learning more about the "best" dog foods out there, had decided to get my dogs off of Nutro Lamb & Rice, and at the very least a better kibble.
Just a few weeks later (while still researching about BARF diet vs. home-cooked vs. kibble, and trying to compare all of the kibble options, plus all of the supplement options) our Jack Russell Terrier, Lucy went completely blind with SARDS (but because she had no other symptoms commonly associated with SARDS, the ophthalmologist wrote it up as just *Acute Retinal Degeneration* - Cause Unknown.) The *cause unknown* has been the main reason for my feeling overwhelmed... because I still want answers to why this happened to our Lucy at just a little over 2 1/2 years old!
The only "theories" out there on a cause for this is a combination of diet, over vaccinating, lawn/bug sprays etc. After talking to our regular vet, she told me that Lucy's diet most likely didn't play a part in her blindness (but who knows anymore!) ... and have changed the dogs kibble from Nutro to Canidae, and with so many to pick from... I only chose this one to start with, because I read it works well with dogs that have skin problems/allergies. So far they both love the food and are doing well with it. Lucy has always been very healthy, but has always had itchy skin, and not flea related. It was never bad enough to have hair loss, or serious skin problems (but the reason I had her on a Lamb & Rice food.) She did have a severe reaction to her rabies shot last summer, and lost all of the hair on her hip in a 3 inch circle for almost a year after the rabies shot.
After Lucy went blind I bought a holistic dog book called "The Complete Holistic Dog Book" by Jan Allegretti & Katy Sommers, D.V.M. to get some other ideas (beyond what I was hearing from the regular "traditional" vets we have seen) and in the section on vaccinations learned that JRT's are one of 9 breeds that commonly have problems with vaccinations, and one of the complications is the eyes/blindness. While the book went into the various diets: raw, home-cooked etc. the recommendation if using high-quality kibble was to change from 2-3 different brands... to give a variety... and to not depend on one food to fill all the needs?
So... my question is this... do any of you use several of the different kibble top brands/mixes? I've heard this suggestion in several places, not just this holistic book. What about supplements added to the kibble? I know Linda Arndt recommends a number of quality kibbles, but then recommends Nzymes and First Choice Naturals -4 in 1 - Probiotics as "Required" supplements to the diet? The holistic book that I have goes into all the feeding options, and also recommends adding "human vitamin supplements" to the diet. The reason I decided against the BARF, or home-cooked diet (though I made notes on all the "goodies" I could use to supplement, or or/add to kibble is that I work full-time, plus have had 2 home businesses the past 7 years. My ONLY free time is for my dogs, and while I cook as healthy as possible for myself & hubby, it is not a strong point for me, just not enough time in a day! We eat fairly healthy, but very simple... and take supplements to try to make up for my less than perfect cooking skills!
I don't feel I take the "best" care of us humans with diet... so just think for now, using a "quality" kibble for the girls... and adding to it to make it work will be the best for them (right now) so any suggestions would be welcome as far as what/if I need to add as other supplements!
It has been so easy for me to help Lucy adjust to her blindness (just because she has made it so easy... being her wonderful self!) I just want to help Lucy stay as healthy as possible in all other areas, for the rest of her life!
Just a few weeks later (while still researching about BARF diet vs. home-cooked vs. kibble, and trying to compare all of the kibble options, plus all of the supplement options) our Jack Russell Terrier, Lucy went completely blind with SARDS (but because she had no other symptoms commonly associated with SARDS, the ophthalmologist wrote it up as just *Acute Retinal Degeneration* - Cause Unknown.) The *cause unknown* has been the main reason for my feeling overwhelmed... because I still want answers to why this happened to our Lucy at just a little over 2 1/2 years old!
The only "theories" out there on a cause for this is a combination of diet, over vaccinating, lawn/bug sprays etc. After talking to our regular vet, she told me that Lucy's diet most likely didn't play a part in her blindness (but who knows anymore!) ... and have changed the dogs kibble from Nutro to Canidae, and with so many to pick from... I only chose this one to start with, because I read it works well with dogs that have skin problems/allergies. So far they both love the food and are doing well with it. Lucy has always been very healthy, but has always had itchy skin, and not flea related. It was never bad enough to have hair loss, or serious skin problems (but the reason I had her on a Lamb & Rice food.) She did have a severe reaction to her rabies shot last summer, and lost all of the hair on her hip in a 3 inch circle for almost a year after the rabies shot.
After Lucy went blind I bought a holistic dog book called "The Complete Holistic Dog Book" by Jan Allegretti & Katy Sommers, D.V.M. to get some other ideas (beyond what I was hearing from the regular "traditional" vets we have seen) and in the section on vaccinations learned that JRT's are one of 9 breeds that commonly have problems with vaccinations, and one of the complications is the eyes/blindness. While the book went into the various diets: raw, home-cooked etc. the recommendation if using high-quality kibble was to change from 2-3 different brands... to give a variety... and to not depend on one food to fill all the needs?
So... my question is this... do any of you use several of the different kibble top brands/mixes? I've heard this suggestion in several places, not just this holistic book. What about supplements added to the kibble? I know Linda Arndt recommends a number of quality kibbles, but then recommends Nzymes and First Choice Naturals -4 in 1 - Probiotics as "Required" supplements to the diet? The holistic book that I have goes into all the feeding options, and also recommends adding "human vitamin supplements" to the diet. The reason I decided against the BARF, or home-cooked diet (though I made notes on all the "goodies" I could use to supplement, or or/add to kibble is that I work full-time, plus have had 2 home businesses the past 7 years. My ONLY free time is for my dogs, and while I cook as healthy as possible for myself & hubby, it is not a strong point for me, just not enough time in a day! We eat fairly healthy, but very simple... and take supplements to try to make up for my less than perfect cooking skills!
I don't feel I take the "best" care of us humans with diet... so just think for now, using a "quality" kibble for the girls... and adding to it to make it work will be the best for them (right now) so any suggestions would be welcome as far as what/if I need to add as other supplements!
It has been so easy for me to help Lucy adjust to her blindness (just because she has made it so easy... being her wonderful self!) I just want to help Lucy stay as healthy as possible in all other areas, for the rest of her life!