[RedRosie]

Hi guys, new to DT so bear with me.

I got my Dobie Rosie a few days ago. She's around 2 (or so we where told). A little chubby but we're taking her out for lots of exercise. For a Doberman I'd say she's on the lower end of the energy scale. She's had pups before but we weren't given too much information on that, so she's going to the vet next Tuesday for a checkup. The people who had her lived in a rural area/farm. The had their garage attached to the back yard. From what we could see Rosie lived in the garage/yard and not at all in the house. This is reinforced by the fact that unless she's doing her business then she wants to be in the house.

Now when we got her, we where given a bag of Pedigree Vitality +, immune boost, beef flavor. YUCK! Crap food I know

She has very dry flaky skin along her back. No sores, just a plethora of dandruff. She is enjoying being gently brushed out though!

So my main concern is that the quality of the food is why her skin is dry and flaky. I want to switch her food to something a little more nutritious and was wondering what you guys like to feed your furbabies. The stores (Pet Valu, Global PetFoods, WalMart, Grocery stores) around here are charging RIDICULOUS prices for food so I also would like to know if you guys know of a Canadian site (from Ontario) that I could order from that won't cost an arm and a leg.


1. What is a recommended kibble by DT members?
2.What is a recommended site to order kibble from?
3. Is there anything I can ad to her food now to help with skin issues? (been told ground flax/oil or a raw egg a week)

 

[Beaumont67]

Hi RedRosie & Rosie...yeah, your up North, thats for sure....your not going to pay shipping & save money on dog food...IMO...not from a web site.
- I have heard Costco premium Kirkland brands, are good for the budget price / never used them personally

I am from SW Ontario, so I don't use Canada Post or UPS, for kibble delivery $$.
Our girl has a very soft shinny coat, and I sell kibble (only locally)...so I will list, the brands I have found that works...on manyl breeds.
Not a long list, if I get great results on Amy, I tend to stop searching on & on.

I personally only feed 4 or 5 star dry dog food. Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings
Always got to read the ingredient label, I don't care how fancy the art work photo's are, on the outside of the bag...or how good it sounds on the TV ads.
- I will not feed my dobe, anything less then a 4 star kibble brand
- first 10 ingredients can't have a problem either, and make logical sense Dog Nutrition - Do You Know What's In Your Dog's Food? - YouTube

This is what I have used, on our dobe...she is 11.5 y/o now:
- Holistic Blend dry dog food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of 4 stars....Toronto Company, my #1 pick
(large bag of Lamb & Rice, like $75 CDN with HST & worth every penny) Holistic Blend Dog Food Formulas, All Life Stages Lamb and Rice Formula - Holistic Blend
- Castor and Pollux Organix dry dog food gets the Advisor’s highest rating of 5 stars
- Canidae Dry Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest rating of 4 stars
- Go! Dog Food dry formula gets the Advisor’s above-average rating of 4 stars
Plus, I always put a puppy on All Life Stages (ALS) kibble, not the puppy version.

Canned sardines packed in water, is good...a can or two a week, would be nice.

 

[RedRosie]

Awesome thank you! I was thinking of the Canidae but was unsure. The vet had advised us to switch to Royal Canin but that's even worse for price!

I don't mind paying for quality food, I just don't want to pay for stupidity and greed. They where asking almost $50 for a small bag of food yesterday (don't remember the exact weight but it was under 10lbs) and the first ingredient wasn't even meat, and it wasnt a medi-brand either.

I know what you mean about reading labels..I do it for the family's food too. Lots of crap out there now.

We just want to get Rosie in good health as she didn't seem very happy where she was (and the flaky skin issue) We like to see her little nub wiggle haha

Thank you again esp for the sardines. Didnt know about that one. We're going for a car ride in a few so I'll get her some.

 

[Beaumont67]

RedRosie - forgot to add last time...WE WHAT BABBY PICS...he-he.

10 years ago, I sold RC (for a brief period) and stopped after I found Canidae & switched all my customers over, with excellent results.
- Royal Canin bought out Medical brand several years ago, so the Vet. business could push their formula and marketing crap
When I switched Amy from RC to Canidae, within 10 days, her slight dandruff was all gone / fur hair went soft like silk...and no skin odour, no longer smelt like a dog
The true sign of canine health and potential long life, I was looking for, using my Amy as the kibble tester...in my small business startup, before other local stores caught on.

I fed our AMY Canidae ALS & H-B lamb & rice for several years / in a 50:50 ratio, just for variety.
- one of my friends buys one bag of each, for his lab...use up one bag & then use up the other / again, keeps the dog from getting bored with the same taste, its entire life
Now AMY girl usually gets Holistic-Blend L&R kibble + 2 home made meals daily (cooked meat with veeggies or rice)....yogurt too.
Only Castor and Pollux Organix Peanut butter treats (100% organic) / no milk bones (dead stock meat source), no rawhide bones or pigs ears....just real marrow bones.

 

[Beaumont67]

Awesome thank you! I was thinking of the Canidae but was unsure. The vet had advised us to switch to Royal Canin but that's even worse for price!
I don't mind paying for quality food, I just don't want to pay for stupidity and greed. They where asking almost $50 for a small bag of food yesterday (don't remember the exact weight but it was under 10lbs) and the first ingredient wasn't even meat, and it wasnt a medi-brand either.

I know what you mean about reading labels..I do it for the family's food too. Lots of crap out there now.

We just want to get Rosie in good health as she didn't seem very happy where she was (and the flaky skin issue) We like to see her little nub wiggle haha

Thank you again esp for the sardines. Didnt know about that one. We're going for a car ride in a few so I'll get her some.

Canidae is like $65 tax in for a large 35 lb. bag...here in Ontario.
- more meat dense too, 100# dog takes 4 cups/day vs. 5.5 cups/day with corn based and more expensive Royal Canin BS / Canidae is far better and saves $$
Competitor Analysis: Pet Perfect Express -- "Delivering human grade kibble for human pets"

 

[dobebug]

Hi guys, new to DT so bear with me.

I got my Dobie Rosie a few days ago. She's around 2 (or so we where told). A little chubby but we're taking her out for lots of exercise. For a Doberman I'd say she's on the lower end of the energy scale. She's had pups before but we weren't given too much information on that, so she's going to the vet next Tuesday for a checkup. The people who had her lived in a rural area/farm. The had their garage attached to the back yard. From what we could see Rosie lived in the garage/yard and not at all in the house. This is reinforced by the fact that unless she's doing her business then she wants to be in the house.

Now when we got her, we where given a bag of Pedigree Vitality +, immune boost, beef flavor. YUCK! Crap food I know

She has very dry flaky skin along her back. No sores, just a plethora of dandruff. She is enjoying being gently brushed out though!

So my main concern is that the quality of the food is why her skin is dry and flaky. I want to switch her food to something a little more nutritious and was wondering what you guys like to feed your furbabies. The stores (Pet Valu, Global PetFoods, WalMart, Grocery stores) around here are charging RIDICULOUS prices for food so I also would like to know if you guys know of a Canadian site (from Ontario) that I could order from that won't cost an arm and a leg.


1. What is a recommended kibble by DT members?
2.What is a recommended site to order kibble from?
3. Is there anything I can ad to her food now to help with skin issues? (been told ground flax/oil or a raw egg a week)

Food recommendations are kind of like opinions--you will find allmost as many as you will find people who make the recommendations or have the opinions.

I'm not in Canada so can't even be very helpful in suggesting a food that is both available and relatively inexpensive for you. Personally I use ProPlan (Purina) as my fall-back food--and have for a good many years. I've had very good luck with it. In general I prefer either poultry based or fish based kibble. I have had very poor luck with lamb based kibble and there are studies out that say lamb as a long term feed is probably not the best. Specifically I had problem keeping weight on my dogs and their coats after a few weeks on a lamb based kibble (tried several over the years, by the way, with similar results) looked dull and dry. Never have used beef based kibble--no particular reason--just haven't.

I also haven't a clue about ordering food--but from what Beaumont67 says about shipping prices it doesn't sound like it's a reasonable option to keep prices down.

As far as the dandruff goes--sometimes bathing itself causes dandruff--use cool water, a very mild shampoo don't scrub at her skin will your fingernails or any of the many scrubbing tools that are sold (like rubber curry's etc) they can cause skin irritation on short coated, single coated dogs like Dobes. Folliculitis can develope, infections and at the very least dandruff. Rinse thoroughly and I've found that brushing, even with very soft brushes sometimes increases the problem--you can removed dandruff flakes (and dust and dirt) with a dampened terry cloth towel.

There are supplements that will help with the coat. I'd use fish oil (fish body oil not things like cod liver oil) rather than flax seed oil. Flax seed is a fairly common allergen for dogs and the Omega 3 contained needs to be processed another step to be usable by the dog--fish oil is a more direct source of Omega 3 amino acids. I don't feed raw anything but I do feed eggs which are a very good source of complete protein for dogs--I feed approximately an egg a day--I hard boil them a dozen at a time and the dogs get one with most of their dinners. I also give a spoonful of yogurt or cottage cheese with breakfast--good for skin and coat.

Another thing you might check with the vet is thyroid levels--hypothyroidism is very common in Dobermans--one of the symptoms is weight gain with no increase in food and no reduction in exercise. It is also the case that weight can be very hard to get off of dogs who are hypothyroid even when you reduce the amount of food they get and up the amount of exercise they get.

Good luck with your new girl.

 

[Hank]

I personally would swtich to Orijen or Acana (made in Canada)
add sardines to diet
maybe look into also adding fish oil, or coconut oil and Vitamin E

 

[Beaumont67]

Agree what dobebug said, bathing can dry out the dober skin.

Our girl has only had one bath in her entire life...but she did go into the tub once, after seeing Mr. Shunk, late one night...LOL
- our breeder told us to use a water spray bottle with some Avon Skin-So-Soft and rub in with a clean towel
We don't even do that any more, and Amy even sleeps in our bed...always smells very clean, on a healthy diet / "we are what we eat, after all"
- no chicken heads, by-product innards or feathers, in her food

 

[LindaH]

Since you are a label reader, me too, you should read the educational article below in my signature. It is the second site and will teach you how to read dog food labels and understand what they are *really* saying. The next two sites review and rate foods. I order food over the internet. Most places will ship free if you set up an auto ship for delivery every month. The order must be $49 in the U.S. You can change delivery dates or cancel anytime. It actually saves me money as there is no tax or gas to go get it. The food appears on my doorstep two days after shipment. I recommend Orijen, Natures Variety Instinct(you might prefer the Prairie line) or Acana. All are grainfree except a few Acana and all Prairie formulas of Natures Variety. When you give water packed sardines, crack can and drain, rinse, drain, rinse and drain again to remove salt. Sardines are loaded with Omega 3s, are very good for the heart and will build up the skin from inside out. Half the can is a serving.

 

[Dobermom07]

I would say to put some Salmon oil in her food. Omega 3 is really good for skin and coat care. You can either just give her the vitamin tablets of fish oil that you buy at Wal-Mart or you can purchase some Salmon Oil and squirt it in her food every feeding. I always get complimented on my dog's coats. When it's cold(which is usually almost every day here lol), my girl's skin gets really dry and flaky and the Salmon Oil helps reduce it.

 

[Dobermom07]

Yummy Chummies® Wild Alaska Salmon Oil
Here's the link from where I buy mine. I just read that other people posted about fish oil as well! lol! That's what I get for posting before reading ALL the thread!

 

[stryker2]

You can add Fish oil pills. Just make sure there is no Soy added. We do 2,200 mg a day. Start out with a 1,000 a day and see how she does with her stools. Then if they are ok go up to the 2,000 mg. Also 400iu of Vit E, Organic Coconut oil. One raw organic egg every day. You can also add some Probiotics. Get some natural or organic pet shampoo or conditioner with Oatmeal, Chamomile. That will help with the skin and coat. Do not give a lot of baths.
Acana is a great food. Try and get a food with fish in it. Also No Corn, Wheat, or Soy in it. You need to treat skin and coat from the inside out.
Might look into getting her Thyroid full panel checked.

 

[BenVera]

I feed Orijen Regional Red and Nature's Variety canned food in beef, lamb, rabbit or chicken.

I also recommend you research krill oil as opposed to fish oil. I add a MegaRed capsule to dinner everyday.

I also bathe with Earthbath. It's mild and doesn't compromise topical flea medication.

 

[RedRosie]

RedRosie - forgot to add last time...WE WHAT BABBY PICS...he-he.

Pics below are from yesterday. I think what I'll do is go with the Canidae for a kibble (for now), and make her an evening meal (Recipes please?) With an egg a day and sardines every few days.
I found out she LOVES berries but hates her organic dog cookies that are good for her skin lol

P.S. Sorry for the long wait for a reply, we where out for a walk for a good portion of the day. Now I have one hell of a sunburn so we're going to head to the pharmacy for some aloe vera.

Thank you all again very much

 

[LindaH]

Well, Canidae is a step above the Pedigree. Diamond, a company that makes a lot of foods, including Canidae, has just had a MASSIVE RECALL. Diamond has an abominable track record of recalls. Read the thread here by me about the FDA inspection of their South Carolina plant. At present, I wouldnt feed a Diamond made food if it was free, and those are not idle words. Canidae is VERY grain heavy. Dog food ingredients are listed by weight before processing and the weights are listed in either descending or equal order. In Canidae, there are 10 ingredients before the fat, which is very high. Only 3 are meat proteins, while the remaining are grains, including peas. Peas are used to boost protein and plant protein is hard for a dog to digest, therefore hard on kidneys. All the main ingredients are listed BEFORE the oil/fat, so those are very important. Canidae has used a label trick known as splitting...You know, all of this is in the article I suggested you read. You will do well by your new doberman to study it.

 

[Tanner's]

She is gorgeous! our girl has had skin problems in the past, so I now feed a raw diet but I noticed a huge difference when we added yogurt and sardines to her kibble when she was on it Good luck with your girl!

 

[stryker2]

She is a pretty girl.

 

[AugustusMcCrae]

I feed gus Avoderm, he had awful dry skin with TOTW, Orijen, innova and a couple others. Avoderm has avocado in it i guess, but his skin and coat are super shiny and gorgeous I hear fish oil is good.

 

[Cindylouwho]

She is a pretty girl! I don't bathe Leia all that often. I did give her a bath a few days ago, after I allowed her to have a Bass I had caught. :lol2: She thought that was the best reward ever, and carried it, ate on it and rolled on it for about an hour. Before 'that' bath, it had been since the end of December. She never 'stinks'.

My daughter's dobe, Luke, had the dry skin issue too. She just backed off of the baths and it cleared up. She did also add some Olive Oil to his food.

 

[RedRosie]

Rosie only has only a very faint doggie odour. She isnt bad at all. I was expecting it to be worse with how flaky she was.

Over the past couple days with the egg and sardines she's improved quite a bit. Now flakes are only comming up around the rump area (as opposed to all over).

Maybe it'd be in my best interest to go grain free then.

Thank you too Tanner's, stryker2, and Cindylouwho.

I'm off to go do some reading I can't go outside anymore for the moment, my sunburn isnt happy haha (allergic to sunscreen to boot), and it's too hot . Rosie is pooped and falling asleep, and I have lots of learning to do