# Molly and her food!



## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Molly had a stone in December and she has been on Royal canin Urinary S/O since December 28th. It's a horrible food full of fillers the first ingredient is water, chicken liver, corn grits and pork by-product...so not good. She has been on this for a bit over 3 months. I have to watch to make sure she doesn't gain weight so am fed up with it!

I was googling today and this vet wrote an article about dogs with struvite crystals and bladder stones. He said that feeding this indefinitely is not good for a dog. I have been thinking that all along. We went to a few vets and they all recommend this. She is on the canned one so more liquid. I put extra water in her food and give her some broth with water and yogurt with added water. Her pee is very pale now so am thinking she is drinking enough.

I want to take her off this food and the article this vet wrote said that if your dog is stone/crystal free that they don't have to eat this. I have been looking at homemade food options...I guess a raw diet isn't good for her. Found this food it's made about 20 minutes from where I live and it seems ok. Here is a link http://www.caninecuisine.ca/ I bought some and gave her some mixed with the Royal Canin today and she loves it. Guess it's "human grade" so I could eat it .....does smell good. I don't know what to do sometimes it's so frustrating. I want her to be healthy but I don't want stones either! I know that Stella has this same problem is there any others out there? If so would love to hear from you! This food is baked and frozen but seems to be a better option for her I think? I got her the chicken one. 

Then I read that if you feed kibble it's not good to go with big animals like bison etc...we had her on the Acana Ranchlands and bison and beef are the main ingredients so I feel so "bad mommy" but I had no clue. They have different flavors like duck, salmon etc..I had read that salmon isn't a good choice cause of mercury in it.

K sorry so long!


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Hi Renee, that vet food sounds gross!! Yuck!
The cooked food sounds good though. I think any good quality food that hasn't been dehydrated and processed to within an inch of its life would be good for Molly. If raw is easy for you to get a hold of, I would have thought that would be good for her too. If its the protein levels worrying you then protein will be in the cooked food too, probably at higher levels than the vet food. I wouldn't be scared off by the protein, dogs are good at processing it.
Glad to hear she is doing well.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Renee have you been on the BARF website? Vets are not nutritionists and they often get a cut of the food they promote. I would investigate on BARF to see if their are others on the site with the same issues as Molly and see what they have done. Has raw been successful with them? Will look on your behalf later on too. See what I can find.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Thanks Karen and Marilyn. For some reason 2 vets said that raw feeding would be bad for her. The third one said to keep her on the Royal Canin. I'm not sure if it's the protein or not it has something to do with the PH of the urine. Liked this article it says that dogs that are prone to this don't need a low protein diet which vets insist she does. _"Low-protein diets do not prevent stone formation. A low-protein diet can speed the dissolution of struvite stones -- when accompanied by appropriate antibiotic treatment -- but it is not necessary for the prevention of struvite formation in dogs who are prone to this problem. For almost all dogs, controlling infections will prevent more stones from forming."_

I am going to print this and bring it to him. Sometimes I think vets are clueless when it comes to food. The vet at the Emergency hospital said that raw feeding is the worse thing for a dog she said that since that started that she has seen more dogs with health problems than ever before especially kidney problems cause of the high protein and she said that E coli is more present than ever.

Here is the article I just found! *http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjstruvites.html*


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

It really does amaze me that professionals often insist that a diet that is EXACTLY what a meat eating animal is built to eat can be bad for them!?! I am absolutely sure that the problem lies in the over processing of pet food, not in the higher protein levels of a natural diet.
You are right to question The vet Renee, in general they are great but considering the huge spectrum of species and problems they deal with you can forgive them if they do not have much experience in a particular field. They are only human after all. One of the most important things in keeping animals healthy is nutrition and unfortunately it seems to be a subject that is only fleetingly taught at vet school.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Well that article seems very informed and in depth. Very interesting, especially all the herbal stuff. Cranberry capsules etc. sneers there is lots of help available. Good news.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

we have a local pet store in Whitby, where the owner has a cockapoo, the cockapoo had HEAPS of health issues until he switched to raw feeding. he carries the food there, Lady has tried it and LOVED it. 
The only reason we are on a different food is because it is easier for us to get ahold of. and it is still a really high quality food...but we have considered switching her to raw aswell.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

wellerfeller said:


> It really does amaze me that professionals often insist that a diet that is EXACTLY what a meat eating animal is built to eat can be bad for them!?! I am absolutely sure that the problem lies in the over processing of pet food, not in the higher protein levels of a natural diet.
> You are right to question The vet Renee, in general they are great but considering the huge spectrum of species and problems they deal with you can forgive them if they do not have much experience in a particular field. They are only human after all. One of the most important things in keeping animals healthy is nutrition and unfortunately it seems to be a subject that is only fleetingly taught at vet school.


I completely agree here with Karen. The reason why I posted all the advice regarding diet when Molly first got her stone. I don't believe vets really understand nutrition and don't expect them too but they do give the wrong advice sometimes. I believe the issues lie in how food is processed and I do believe that the less processing involved and the more natural the food the less chance of issues.

I think your idea of home cooking is great Renee!


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

I've had her on part homemade food and the Royal Canin now for a few days. She loves this new stuff. I am slowly weaning her on it and then no more Royal Canin unless she gets crystals It's frozen in small loafs so there are 8 in a pack and it costs 16 dollars for a pack so 8.71 British pounds. For her size it says to feed 1 loaf a day so will see maybe she will need a bit more not sure.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I'm sure you are much happier. I know you hated that renal diet.


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## Stela12 (Mar 1, 2012)

So you decided no more Royal Canine? I am so afraid to stop it completely...I was on the verge of stopping it for Stela but then Molly went through her ordeal with the bladder stones and I decided to continue. Now I am conflicted again. Stela has never had the stones she only had urinary crystals which could potentially form the stones. What should I do??????
Stela has been itching like mad and I am thinking it's this food. She is also 50% on home cooked food, but I think it's the 50% Urinary SO, that makes her itch. I also noticed her coat is not as shiny as it used to be. 
I don't understand why would the raw food be bad for Molly or why would it be worse than cooked food?? 
I've been reading Lexi and Beemer's posts on raw food as they are the only , I think, US dogs that are on it, and I am inclined to give it a try for Stela. 
Here is she after her last groom


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Stela12 said:


> So you decided no more Royal Canine? I am so afraid to stop it completely...I was on the verge of stopping it for Stela but then Molly went through her ordeal with the bladder stones and I decided to continue. Now I am conflicted again. Stela has never had the stones she only had urinary crystals which could potentially form the stones. What should I do??????
> Stela has been itching like mad and I am thinking it's this food. She is also 50% on home cooked food, but I think it's the 50% Urinary SO, that makes her itch. I also noticed her coat is not as shiny as it used to be.
> I don't understand why would the raw food be bad for Molly or why would it be worse than cooked food??
> I've been reading Lexi and Beemer's posts on raw food as they are the only , I think, US dogs that are on it, and I am inclined to give it a try for Stela.
> Here is she after her last groom


The vets say it's not good for her for some reason too much protein they said. I am now not going to listen to them. I have her on the home made food. After lots of googling it seems that if they are stone free they don't need to be on the royal canin urinary s/o. This food I guess is ok for the short term but not to be on for a long time. All very confusing. Maybe i'm doing the wrong thing not sure I just want her to be healthy


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Stella is adorable


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

That's got to be such a tough call, but if you are noticing changes in her coat and now starting to itch, I would think it would be better to save it for if Stella (or Molly) may need it in the future to (crossing fingers they won't). One of the reasons why I changed their food from Orijen/Acana - which I think are good quality kibble - to Stella & Chewy's was because though better than most, they still contained chicken/beef/etc. meal. I looked up what "meal" meant. I decided I'd rather feed them the actual protein then this rendered stuff. The clue that has told me it was the right thing to do? Every other time I switched foods, I've had to gradually shift food 1/5 cup at a time and they still would have soft poop. I switched them literally overnight and their poop is small and solid. I know it's more expensive. And once I have more time I will look into doing it on my own, but I and Lexi & Beemer are very happy with this change. My only regret, I didn't do it sooner.


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## Stela12 (Mar 1, 2012)

Lexi&Beemer said:


> That's got to be such a tough call, but if you are noticing changes in her coat and now starting to itch, I would think it would be better to save it for if Stella (or Molly) may need it in the future to (crossing fingers they won't). One of the reasons why I changed their food from Orijen/Acana - which I think are good quality kibble - to Stella & Chewy's was because though better than most, they still contained chicken/beef/etc. meal. I looked up what "meal" meant. I decided I'd rather feed them the actual protein then this rendered stuff. The clue that has told me it was the right thing to do? Every other time I switched foods, I've had to gradually shift food 1/5 cup at a time and they still would have soft poop. I switched them literally overnight and their poop is small and solid. I know it's more expensive. And once I have more time I will look into doing it on my own, but I and Lexi & Beemer are very happy with this change. My only regret, I didn't do it sooner.


So, are Lexi and Beemer only on raw food now? No more kibble? I am trying to figure out the cost of raw feeding. How much do you think it is per week per dog? Have you researched any other raw food options on the US market?
Thank you


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Stela12 said:


> So, are Lexi and Beemer only on raw food now? No more kibble? I am trying to figure out the cost of raw feeding. How much do you think it is per week per dog? Have you researched any other raw food options on the US market?
> Thank you


This place does sell pre packaged raw food for dogs you can find it in these stores http://www.instinctpetfood.com/locator

If you go on their site there is a calculator that says how much your dog should eat you enter her weight and activity level and it gives you approximately how much to feed. Here is the link to the site http://www.instinctpetfood.com/instinct-raw-food-dogs-and-cats


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## Stela12 (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks Renee....it sounds pretty expensive


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Stela12 said:


> Thanks Renee....it sounds pretty expensive


How much does Stella weigh. I don't think they would be eating much I did Molly's weight in the calculator and she would eat 4.8 oz and there are 48 1 oz medallions in a bag. I couldn't see the prices though!


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

So I did switch 100% over. They are on the duck variety of Stella & chewy's. It is a bit more expensive than the chicken but the lady started giving them the freeze-dried duck at the pet food place and they loved it. So I figured it would be an easy transition. I get the larger patties so 1 patty for each one split for breakfast and dinner. Definitely not cheap. But I'm happy with it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Stela12 (Mar 1, 2012)

dio.ren said:


> How much does Stella weigh. I don't think they would be eating much I did Molly's weight in the calculator and she would eat 4.8 oz and there are 48 1 oz medallions in a bag. I couldn't see the prices though!


Stela is 17lb. How about Molly?


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Stela12 said:


> Stela is 17lb. How about Molly?


Molly vaires between 13-16lbs she is 15 right now So they are close to the same size.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

This is the food she is on now. It says to feed half a loaf a day so put 1 whole one in her bowl to show the size. Not sure if this is enough?? Would appreciate advice! It doesn't seem like much?


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

I would go by the packet and adjust if needed. Over the next few weeks keep an eye on her, if she looks like she is getting skinny up the amount or cut it down if she gets porky.


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