Just wanted to bump this thread up to see what everyone's feeding. I recently bought a bag of Victor's GF Salmon and Sweet Potato blend. He's been on it since February and his stools have been looking healthy. Skin and hair is thicker and shinier than ever. Also Spuds hot spot is almost completely back.
I get a 30 lb bag for about $42 at the local tractor store but they have to special order but at no extra cost. I want to try another blend but Spud has trouble with red meat proteins.
On an added note Spud still gets 3-4 lbs of raw chicken and turkey weekly. Primarily M-W-F and a weekend day. He gets a small kibble breakfast in those mornings followed by a chicken or turkey dinner.
has anyone had experiences with getting different flavors of the same brand without having to slowly switch over a period of time? I switched my puppy to TOTW salmon flavored and running low, just wondering if it's okay to get TOTW bison flavor and not worrying about gradually switching over. Thanks for any input!
I did that. I don't think it shouldn't be a problem as long as the next blend is grain free. I started with Blue Buffalo Puppy Wilderness then TOTW Bison All-stages then to Nature's Domain GF Salmon and Sweet Potato. When Spud went on the salmon blend his coat got amazingly better so I stuck with salmon for his next bag which was the Victor's above.
Oh okay thanks, I just noticed for her morning and lunch meals, she doesnt really gobble down her food like she used to, or like she does in the evening when I mix canned food. So I was just wondering if maybe the flavor she is getting bored of. I will look to get her a different flavor of TOTW.
She's probably bored of it. I always try to switch things up for my dogs when I can, when they were on kibble I would add goats milk one day, chicken stock the next, even beef broth.
Same for Spud. Tough buying the 30lb bags ( best price point) for dogs especially pups since it can last long but I keep mine in air tight containers. Normally at the end of the bag the transition to the next blend will give them a new taste but I also add some Natures Domain GF wet dog food they sell at Costco. You get I believe 16 cans for $11-12 and I only use this for end of bag rotation. Mix in about 1/3 or half a can and Spud will instantly love the food again. I still have about 8 cans left. Stays fresh.
yea I was thinking she was tired and wants something different, and I agree hard to buy a big bag and have for a long time. Thanks for tip on Costco cans, will get me a case.
Has anyone tried Merrick? The pet/feed store were going on and on and on about the duck and sweet potato, grain free, how the ducks are fed fish and have lots of Omega 3. I picked up a bag, a 25 lb bag, and have been slowly switching more, up to half Merrick duck and sweet potato and half TOTW salmon. He has had rather loose poop consistently, and it is not any better now.
I wanted to try Victor's, but they didn't have it at that branch of their store. I know each dog is different, but has any food seemed to help firm up poop? Sorry for too much information.
I ordered the grizzly oil and NuVet Plus from Bullies of NC website, so those are arriving this week. Will the oil make the situation worse? It's kinda messy picking up after him on our walks.
Forgot to mention, he's also getting 1/3 can of TOTW canned for his morning feeding, usually lamb. He's on his last can of TOTW this morning, and I have several cans of Merrick's to use for the morning feeding.
I'll be honest the Victors made his stool more firm and to a healthy color. I hear too many times of dogs with digestive issues and the stool will always indicate how the body is digesting.
Right now I still have a few more weeks of nupro that I mix with organic chicken stock I make. One scoop in his kibble in the mornings will get him real gassy. So he gets one cup Nupro, one tablespoon coconut oil, 4 squirts salmon oil and with his Vicotrs so far he gets really gassy but all stools have been firm.
I will be switching over to Nuvet once the Nupro is done and will see how it goes from there.
@exiled maybe try ordering online? Beats having to go store and lug a 30 lb in the truck when u can wait for have it delivered to your door and most places shipping isn't an issue? Just a suggestion. Also, my feed store for farm animals carries most dog foods but not Victors. I mentioned it to the owner and he asked where I had heard about it since he says it's very good food and only select people order it. When he said "order it" he meant he can get them at his store at no extra cost. He called me the next morning and I picked it up and it was he same price as the closest store 2 hours from me would be.
Maya got real picky and turned her nose up at the TOTW. Even when mixed with the Darwin's. Switched her over to Orijen Red and she likes it. Also, she's getting the Wellness Stews and CORE wet food which she really likes. Especially the beef, venison and lamb formula. Going to get some Victor as well and give it a try.
Thanks, everybody. The grizzly salmon oil and NuVet Plus are being delivered this week, I think, or the very first part of next week. I'm just not hearing much about Merrick's, but I came home and saw it had 5 stars on that site, the grain free, so I decided to give it a try. They were adamant that it would be fine, no reports of loose stools, and people were at the registers buying it before he said a word to me.
So the grizzly oil is okay if they are having loose stool issues?
After I typed the above, I called the main location twice, and instead of saying anything, they hung up the phone without saying a word. I hadn't called them before, so that was weird. I called the location that I had been dealing with and they said the phone rings constantly there, so they do that sometimes. OMG! There's a place not too far from me that I called and they have the Victor's. I've got about half of a bag of TOTW salmon, and almost a full 25 lb bag of the Merrick's, but I'm going to try the Victor's that Steve took a picture of. Rodney will have everything in the picture in a few days, lol.
What is Nuvet Plus and what does it help? Same with putting a few squirts of fish oil? If my BT is eating Salmon Flavored TOTW is it still recommended to add in fish oil liquid? Thanks!
I may cut out salmon oil and stick to coconut oil but one thing I noticed when I first used salmon oil was after 2-3 weeks his coat was shinier and shinier. My understanding is that the omega fats in salmon oil are different than that of the oils in the blend. Obviously one has to be from the process of the blend meaning it probably won't give the same affects as if it were extracted and pressed into the oil.
Anyways, @exiled the far/tractor store only carries most grain free products and Merrick is one of them. As long as it's GF I believe you should be all right. Maybe buy the $10 5 lb bag first? The farm store will replace any food my dog will not eat same applies at Petco.
@exiled...Maya has never had any issues with her poop on the Grizzly Oil and she gets two squirts each day. Our issue with that has only presented itself when we have switched her regular food. And the Nu-Vet is great. Not as much green cloud issues as with the Nu-Pro powder.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I GREATLY appreciate every bit of help. The NuVet Plus tablets came today--quick shipping. Rodney devoured his wafer. I checked Victor's online locator and went to the one in my part of town. They were extremely nice. They sold Merrick's, Victor, Holistic, and Instinct. I picked up the Victor that Steve posted. Now, when the grizzly oil arrives, we'll be set.
While I was there, they suggested these bones. I'm posting a picture of the frozen stuff that I bought in case anyone has had any success or failures with these. I haven't given him any of the bones yet, and was thinking about giving him one to chew on over the weekend when we're both here with him.
Oh my Rodney's in for a treat. Glad to see how fast Rodney's getting spoiled Exiled. I'm happy for both of you but now more pictures please of happy Rodney.
I'll take some more pictures this weekend, I promise. He's so fast, we need one person with a camera and one person trying to slow him down, lol. He is such a sweetheart. He's been really getting into being brushed. I brush him a couple of times a day because he's been shedding. I think the humidity is such a change from NC. He gets so fired up when I'm finished brushing him. He starts that bullet train, lol. Rodney is spoiling us, too, with those adoring eyes he gives us and a wagging tail. It's like he's been here forever.
The lady said give him one, and give it to him frozen. The marrow bones were almost as much as the dozen of spare ribs.
Yesterday, we were talking to a neighbor and he was trimming her hedges with his teeth. Then, he pulled out a flag that she paid a surveyor to place at the property line. He had it in his mouth looking at her like, "I don't know who left this flag here, but I took care of it for ya." She laughed it was so cute. Luckily, it was a nice neighbor.
Hey there, I have a tiny bit of experience with Merrick...though only in canned food. I bought a couple of cans for Quinn after a small op. She liked them just fine, but she had squishy poops while on the cans. It could have been a multitude of factors...from the anesthesia to a new brand/food to extreme stress from the vet. I didn't continue the canned food and put her back on her regular diet...poop firmed up. So, not a real good indicator of success or failure...but thought I'd chime in! lol
Rodney is getting so spoiled. He'll love those marrow bones. We've had great success with those, and they last a long time for Quinn. She's not a hardcore chewer, but they hold up well enough. Just keep an eye out for little chips.
Thank you, Quinnofhearts, for the nice words about Rodney and for your experience with Merrick's. When I bought the Victor yesterday, the lady that works there said just the night before she gave her dog some of the Merrick's "Kiss Me I'm Irish Stew" (or named something like that), and the dog had bad diarrhea. Two meals now with TOTW Salmon as he transitions and Victor. It's not firm yet, but two poops have been firmer than the one before it. I'm going to keep up the Victor's, even though I've got a 25 lb bag of Merrick's that's 99 percent full. If the Victor agrees with him, I'll donate the Merrick's to a rescue and ask them to give it to a dog that needs to bulk up with good nutrition because the Merrick's seems like really great food...just didn't agree with Rodney.
We've got several cans of Merrick's wet, a big variety. We'll see how that goes when we start with Merrick's wet and Victor dry.
Thanks also for letting me know about Quinn's enjoyment of the marrow bones. My mind goes into overload with all of the stuff they pull out to sell, and I've gotten pretty good at saying "no thanks" politely, lol, but I do listen to what they say and those sounded like a great thing for a BT for "busy work" while we can chill next to them.
Wow! That's a bargain compared to the cost at the doggy day care place that I got those. The 2 frozen marrow bones were $9, about 4-6 inches each. The dozen of spare ribs were $12. I'm going to try asking a butcher around here. So I just ask for marrow bones, or is it a particular kind, and when I get home, put the bag in the freezer?
Normally they sell them off for people who want to make beef stock. Ask or sometimes look around the produce to see if they sell them. My supermarket sells them at $0.99 a pound and there's anywhere from 6-8 bones per 2-3 pound bag.
Great suggestions. And I have been granted a one week reprieve! Flying home from Rio Sunday and be there until the 25th. So, I'll be on the hunt for a friendly butcher while there. Maya really likes the deer and elk antlers as well. And they last forever. I always cut the pointy ends off the deer antlers to make them a bit safer for her. But yeah, raw beef marrow? I think she'll go for that big time!
I wish I could get a bag of (8) bones for $2.50. I think there's too many people in this area asking butchers for bones for their hunting dogs because I never hear of any opportunities to buy them. Antlers are awesome for dogs. Very expensive in comparison to other bones but worth it. My Bullies favorite treat is Bully Sticks which they love more than words can describe. :x
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
This might be obvious to everyone, but do I give him the antler to play with like I have a Nylabone? I bought him one right before we picked him up, but he's been busy with other toys. The antler was pricey. I'm assuming they're supervised while playing with antler bones or are they so tough they can have in bed with them? Anyone's BT get broken teeth?
I saw the bully sticks, and those are expensive, too. Do those make a mess? It sounded like they were a safe alternative to raw hide, which I'm not going to give a dog. Any suggestions for those? Once a week? Safe in bed or only supervised? Better for the deck while we're outside playing or cool for inside, too?
The Bully sticks are safe. They do not require supervision unless you'd like to watch them for a very long time. To will manage to knaw away on them in due time but it takes a good while and they thoroughly love them. Great for their teeth too as well as many other forms of bones. I seen Bully sticks being sold up at the dog show in Marlyand a couple months ago that were huge! I'm talking 4 feet tall. Obviously they were made with the intent of people cutting them in pieces but when Nitro seen (and smelt) them he wanted the whole stick for himself. I should have taken a picture of those monster Bully Sticks.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
The antlers should be supervised. I went and got a medium sized one for about $15 and although Spud loved the antler it broke apart within the first day and was already at the point of swallow.
I've bought a few since and it's usually the same. Spud is such a powerful chewer when it comes to the Nylabone and marrows so I think it carries over to the antlers.
Maya works the antlers over pretty good...only in our presence. But the antlers lasting power is tremendous. We have also tried the "antler filets". They are antlers that are split so the marrow is exposed. Now those? They are done in about an hour or so. We stick with the whole antlers with Maya.
I've purchased a couple antlers, but none of my dogs care for those or nylabones, but bully sticks they would eat two a day if I aloud it! I treat them once a week with one, they smell, so it's not my favorite, plus they are pretty pricey for a couple hours of chew. I go Mi Pueblo which is a chain Mexican grocery store in the Bay Area and purchase beef knuckle, pig feet, sliced beef leg and freeze it and give it to them as is. Since the weathers nice, the frozen meaty bones are a great treat for them and last a few hours. Most ethnic grocery stores carry a good selection of meats, I purchased a couple pounds of each chicken feet, liver, hearts and organs all for under 11 bucks and all of those make great treats, especially if you are treat training, boiled livers are my dogs favorites.
Any know why my BT ignores her food and always goes for our other dogs food. We feed our BT TOTW salmon flavor, and mix in canned food sometimes, as well as veggies...but she goes for our other dogs food, and we feed him beneful incredi bites meat flavored. Not sure if it's the color that she likes or what.
Yea that's what I was thinking and my wife says so too since the little one on beneful incredi bites likes to see what BT is eating. Even when they are sperated she loses interest.
Almost seems like you should feed them the opposite food that they're supposed to eat. They'll eat their food if they think it's the other dog's food, lol. Just kidding, though...sort of.
@xtracho - I may have gotten him one of the split antlers. Probably why he went through it so fast.
@boyda - the asian markets in the area have the beef marrow for cheap. I also visit the Mexican markets for Spud's raw food getting chicken gizzards, quarters, drumsticks and at times chicken breast with bone all under $0.99 a lb. I'm trying to keep all meat sources to under $1.
Picked up a Bag of Victors top end GF food. $47. I just wanted to see if there was any difference over their other one or if the Bullies would enjoy the taste more. Always willing to try something new.
I haven't tried that one yet. I looked for it at my local feed store and they didn't offer it. I'll have to do a little research and see who sells it around here. I must say though, my Bullies seem to do real well on the Victor. Maybe I'm lucky because I don't have any that show much ill signs from particular foods. Kolohe which is an older female of mine gets occasional skin breakouts but she's the only one and I don't think it's food related. I wouldn't trying the Pure Vita and I've read good reviews on it. I like switching up their foods from time to time even though I'm always mixing in veggies, meats, fish, etc to their food on a daily basis just to appease their taste buds. Can you tell me the cost of Pure Vita as well as what pound bag it is. Thanks.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
We met a local EBT ( rare occurrence ) that was on 100% Pure Vita... Nothing else.... And WOW THE KID LOOKED GREAT ! White as snow, long coat, bright eyes, energy over the moon..... So we bought some and the kids are really better with it at only 25% of their diet.... Only problem right now is they eat so much they have 4! Yes 4! HUGE poops per day.... If I was so inclined, which I am not, I wouldn't pick up after them... As no one in the neighborhood would believe that such small dogs could leave such big heaps... They'll be looking out for the Great Dane that dropped 'em.
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
Comments
I get a 30 lb bag for about $42 at the local tractor store but they have to special order but at no extra cost. I want to try another blend but Spud has trouble with red meat proteins.
On an added note Spud still gets 3-4 lbs of raw chicken and turkey weekly. Primarily M-W-F and a weekend day. He gets a small kibble breakfast in those mornings followed by a chicken or turkey dinner.
I wanted to try Victor's, but they didn't have it at that branch of their store. I know each dog is different, but has any food seemed to help firm up poop? Sorry for too much information.
I ordered the grizzly oil and NuVet Plus from Bullies of NC website, so those are arriving this week. Will the oil make the situation worse? It's kinda messy picking up after him on our walks.
Right now I still have a few more weeks of nupro that I mix with organic chicken stock I make. One scoop in his kibble in the mornings will get him real gassy. So he gets one cup Nupro, one tablespoon coconut oil, 4 squirts salmon oil and with his Vicotrs so far he gets really gassy but all stools have been firm.
I will be switching over to Nuvet once the Nupro is done and will see how it goes from there.
@exiled maybe try ordering online? Beats having to go store and lug a 30 lb in the truck when u can wait for have it delivered to your door and most places shipping isn't an issue? Just a suggestion. Also, my feed store for farm animals carries most dog foods but not Victors. I mentioned it to the owner and he asked where I had heard about it since he says it's very good food and only select people order it. When he said "order it" he meant he can get them at his store at no extra cost. He called me the next morning and I picked it up and it was he same price as the closest store 2 hours from me would be.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
So the grizzly oil is okay if they are having loose stool issues?
After I typed the above, I called the main location twice, and instead of saying anything, they hung up the phone without saying a word. I hadn't called them before, so that was weird. I called the location that I had been dealing with and they said the phone rings constantly there, so they do that sometimes. OMG! There's a place not too far from me that I called and they have the Victor's. I've got about half of a bag of TOTW salmon, and almost a full 25 lb bag of the Merrick's, but I'm going to try the Victor's that Steve took a picture of. Rodney will have everything in the picture in a few days, lol.
Anyways, @exiled the far/tractor store only carries most grain free products and Merrick is one of them. As long as it's GF I believe you should be all right. Maybe buy the $10 5 lb bag first? The farm store will replace any food my dog will not eat same applies at Petco.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
While I was there, they suggested these bones. I'm posting a picture of the frozen stuff that I bought in case anyone has had any success or failures with these. I haven't given him any of the bones yet, and was thinking about giving him one to chew on over the weekend when we're both here with him.
The lady said give him one, and give it to him frozen. The marrow bones were almost as much as the dozen of spare ribs.
Yesterday, we were talking to a neighbor and he was trimming her hedges with his teeth. Then, he pulled out a flag that she paid a surveyor to place at the property line. He had it in his mouth looking at her like, "I don't know who left this flag here, but I took care of it for ya." She laughed it was so cute. Luckily, it was a nice neighbor.
Rodney is getting so spoiled.
You all are lucky to have each other.
We've got several cans of Merrick's wet, a big variety. We'll see how that goes when we start with Merrick's wet and Victor dry.
Thanks also for letting me know about Quinn's enjoyment of the marrow bones. My mind goes into overload with all of the stuff they pull out to sell, and I've gotten pretty good at saying "no thanks" politely, lol, but I do listen to what they say and those sounded like a great thing for a BT for "busy work" while we can chill next to them.
Love this forum and everyone on it.
Antlers are awesome for dogs. Very expensive in comparison to other bones but worth it. My Bullies favorite treat is Bully Sticks which they love more than words can describe. :x
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
I saw the bully sticks, and those are expensive, too. Do those make a mess? It sounded like they were a safe alternative to raw hide, which I'm not going to give a dog. Any suggestions for those? Once a week? Safe in bed or only supervised? Better for the deck while we're outside playing or cool for inside, too?
Sorry, lots of question marks in this comment.
I seen Bully sticks being sold up at the dog show in Marlyand a couple months ago that were huge! I'm talking 4 feet tall. Obviously they were made with the intent of people cutting them in pieces but when Nitro seen (and smelt) them he wanted the whole stick for himself.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
I've bought a few since and it's usually the same. Spud is such a powerful chewer when it comes to the Nylabone and marrows so I think it carries over to the antlers.
@boyda - the asian markets in the area have the beef marrow for cheap. I also visit the Mexican markets for Spud's raw food getting chicken gizzards, quarters, drumsticks and at times chicken breast with bone all under $0.99 a lb. I'm trying to keep all meat sources to under $1.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
I must say though, my Bullies seem to do real well on the Victor. Maybe I'm lucky because I don't have any that show much ill signs from particular foods. Kolohe which is an older female of mine gets occasional skin breakouts but she's the only one and I don't think it's food related.
I wouldn't trying the Pure Vita and I've read good reviews on it. I like switching up their foods from time to time even though I'm always mixing in veggies, meats, fish, etc to their food on a daily basis just to appease their taste buds.
Can you tell me the cost of Pure Vita as well as what pound bag it is. Thanks.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com