Which food and supplements are best, what quantity, and cost: My take after scouring these forums

[FrankTheTank]

Hi all. New member here. I've spent the last few days diving into these forums in search of the best food for our lifestyle, what kind of supplements to use, when to use them, and how much. I ended up with so much information that I made a chart (see attached).

Here is what I've come up with. Please give me feedback on any of this that you think there may be a better approach.

I landed on Orijen based on content, 5 star rating on dogfoodadvisor.com, and recommendations from you all. Keep in mind this is just a starting point and its very possible Frank just wont like it. We're going to start on Orijen puppy and transition to adult at 6 months. His breeder is starting him on Kirkland Nature's Domain so we will transition him to Orijen around 12 weeks (he comes home with us at 10 weeks). The amounts that I came up with are a general compilation based on everything that I've read on these forums (plus the package directions on Orijen). Also stole some notes from [MENTION=2]2bullymama[/MENTION]

I decided not to start coconut oil and salmon oil for a few weeks as he will be adjusting to the new food.

My last question that I didn't seem to find in the forums: do you guys use vitamins/supplements? With my background in medicine/pharmacy, I can tell you that a multivitamin in the setting of humans really isn't necessary unless you're an olympian. Same hold for dogs? Our breeder starts the puppies/mom on Dog Bloom which seems to be a vitamin/mineral complex. Thoughts? Thoughts on anything else? Places you can find these items cheaper? I primarily based prices off of Amazon and calculated per cup cost with an approximation of 4 cups per pound of food.

Thanks! G, S & F

 

[Cbrugs]

Welcome to the forum!

It's fantastic that you are doing your research and getting prepared for you new baby.

I do give Jax coconut oil 2 to 3 times a week in his food but he has allergies and skin issues. Does it help? I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that it definitely helps when he is is itchy and his arm pits are red and scratched up and I rub it directly on his skin. The only other "supplement" I give is a probiotic to help with Jax's digestion. It definitely has helped with the gas.

A lot of things will just be trial and error.

 

[FrankTheTank]

Welcome to the forum!

It's fantastic that you are doing your research and getting prepared for you new baby.

I do give Jax coconut oil 2 to 3 times a week in his food but he has allergies and skin issues. Does it help? I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that it definitely helps when he is is itchy and his arm pits are red and scratched up and I rub it directly on his skin. The only other "supplement" I give is a probiotic to help with Jax's digestion. It definitely has helped with the gas.

A lot of things will just be trial and error.

Thanks for your input [MENTION=188]Cbrugs[/MENTION] ! I forgot to mention that the coconut oil is good for rubbing on the skin too! I'm thinking the yogurt in the AM will serve as an appropriate probiotic.

Here is what my breeder has about coconut oil:
"- Coconut oil has useful nutritional and antimicrobial benefits
- Increased muscle glycogen storage: Saturated fats such as those found in coconut oil are more effective at enhancing muscle glycogen storage than the unsaturated fats found in other vegetable oils (eg. canola, corn and soya oil).
- Anti-viral and anti-bacterial protection - for gut health and well being from Lauric and caprylic acid
- Ready energy - coconut oil contains MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) which are easier to digest, absorb and convert to muscle energy than the long-chain fatty acids found in other vegetable oils. MCT's are absorbed directly into the portal blood and transported to the liver, whereas polyunsaturated oils are transported via the lymphatics.
- Long shelf life – unlike other vegetable oils, coconut oil is highly saturated and therefore more resistant to rancidity."

 

[2bullymama]

:welcome3: to FBN!!

I do not give any vitamins, but I do give some 'supplements' to my guys at this time.. they get raw local honey with each meal to help with environmental allergies.. I will not know if this is working till summer hits (fingers crossed). I started in January, hoping the 3-4 months before the spring/summer would give some immune to the grass/pollen. I also give them coconut oil three times a week and our Bulldog gets pure canned pumpkin with each meal to keep his anal glands in line :fart:

The only other thing that Cheli is getting is a joint supplement to help with the arthritis in his spine.

 

[FrankTheTank]

:welcome3: to FBN!!

I do not give any vitamins, but I do give some 'supplements' to my guys at this time.. they get raw local honey with each meal to help with environmental allergies.. I will not know if this is working till summer hits (fingers crossed). I started in January, hoping the 3-4 months before the spring/summer would give some immune to the grass/pollen. I also give them coconut oil three times a week and our Bulldog gets pure canned pumpkin with each meal to keep his anal glands in line :fart:

The only other thing that Cheli is getting is a joint supplement to help with the arthritis in his spine.

Thanks for the tip! I didn't consider pumpkin as a daily supplement maybe I'll work that in!

Does anyone have any thoughts on the amounts that I landed on in the chart?

 

[2bullymama]

Thanks for the tip! I didn't consider pumpkin as a daily supplement maybe I'll work that in!

Does anyone have any thoughts on the amounts that I landed on in the chart?

Chart looks great... [emoji106][emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cbrugs]

Chart looks good. Only comment would be a good way to judge amount of food being given is to go by the poop. Too soft, might need a little less food and too hard might need a little more food, as well as looking at the waistline. You don't want to see the ribcage but you want to be able to feel it. And there is always the possibility of the pup not liking the brand or protein you are feeding.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Wow! You really put some time into that chart. Good for you! I would go slow with adding too many different things to his food or you could be faced with a pup that has diahrrea. If you are feeding a complete and balanced food I don't think you need supplements. Congratualtions on your upcoming addition!

 

[FrankTheTank]

Wow! You really put some time into that chart. Good for you! I would go slow with adding too many different things to his food or you could be faced with a pup that has diahrrea. If you are feeding a complete and balanced food I don't think you need supplements. Congratualtions on your upcoming addition!

Thanks for the feedback [MENTION=600]Jakeyjake[/MENTION] and everyone else!

I've changed up the chart a bit to space out the introduction of certain additives. Bearing in mind of course puppy individuality, different preferences in food, and different metabolic rates. I think this is a good baseline though - hopefully some other first-time-Frenchie-parents out there will find it useful!

 

[Honeys Owners]

Great work ! If you give your dogs sardines once a week I don't think it's necessary to give the salmon oil. If you do give salmon oil most experts will tell you to give your dog vitamin E, roughly 400IU once a week since the salmon oil can deplete your dog's vitamin E stores. I like the previous postings that mentioned coconut oil 3 times a week, not daily, since it's so dense in calories and may fatten your dog up if given every day. I would make sure the yoghurt is a low fat probiotic one such as Kirkland plain greek yoghurt, or alternatively you can give your dog sauerkraut, kefir . You may want to give a doggy probiotic such as Proviable DC or Probiotic Miracle, or Herbsmith Probiotic Plus which includes digestive enzymes, especially in times of antibiotic use to prevent diarrhea. Orijen is a really good dog food but if your dog starts showing signs of food allergies like hot spots and yeasty ears and licking paws you may want to switch to raw dog food, or dehydrated or freeze dried dog food such as Honest Kitchen, Sojos or Grandma Lucy's. Canned pumpkin is great if your dog is having diarrhea or constipation since it regulates both ways. It's especially good if your dog tends to have anal gland problems since a high fibre diet is a good treatment for that. Or you can give your dog Metamucil instead if your dog develops anal gland problems.

Make sure to clean your dog's wrinkles at least weekly or whenever he rubs his face against the ground which shows he's itchy.

 

[FrankTheTank]

Great work ! If you give your dogs sardines once a week I don't think it's necessary to give the salmon oil. If you do give salmon oil most experts will tell you to give your dog vitamin E, roughly 400IU once a week since the salmon oil can deplete your dog's vitamin E stores. I like the previous postings that mentioned coconut oil 3 times a week, not daily, since it's so dense in calories and may fatten your dog up if given every day. I would make sure the yoghurt is a low fat probiotic one such as Kirkland plain greek yoghurt, or alternatively you can give your dog sauerkraut, kefir . You may want to give a doggy probiotic such as Proviable DC or Probiotic Miracle, or Herbsmith Probiotic Plus which includes digestive enzymes, especially in times of antibiotic use to prevent diarrhea. Orijen is a really good dog food but if your dog starts showing signs of food allergies like hot spots and yeasty ears and licking paws you may want to switch to raw dog food, or dehydrated or freeze dried dog food such as Honest Kitchen, Sojos or Grandma Lucy's. Canned pumpkin is great if your dog is having diarrhea or constipation since it regulates both ways. It's especially good if your dog tends to have anal gland problems since a high fibre diet is a good treatment for that. Or you can give your dog Metamucil instead if your dog develops anal gland problems.

Make sure to clean your dog's wrinkles at least weekly or whenever he rubs his face against the ground which shows he's itchy.

Wow thanks for all of your advice! I looked more into the salmon oil issue and found the following: Bonnie & Clyde Fish Oil on Amazon which contains 470 mg of omega 3 + 40 IU of vitamin E in 1 pump (2 mL). Seems pretty reasonable to me! Maybe we'll go with that instead. (Also comes to about $4 per month rather than $17!).

For coconut oil we're planning on twice weekly per the chart. Thanks for the tip on low fat yoghurt.

Any tips on cleaning wrinkes? Wet towel? Q-tip?

 

[Honeys Owners]

I like to clean the wrinkles with a Duoxo or malacetic wipe for one of my dogs who doesn't have much of a wrinkle problem, since I don't have to dry it after. I would say you could use a regular hypoallergenic wipe if you follow up after by drying the wrinkle with a cosmetic pad. My other dog that has serious wrinkle problems gets a every 2-3 day cleaning with a wet cosmetic pad with Curaseb medicated shampoo on it, then wiped out with another wet cosmetic pad then dried out with a dry cosmetic pad.

I would keep the fish oil bottle in the fridge if you decide to buy it. Right now I'm feeding my dog a dog food with salmon in it plus sardines every so often, so I don't bother with a fish oil. I used to open up a fish oil capsule with a needle and squirt it into the dog food, plus squirt a vitamin e 400IU capsule once a week into the dog food.

I don't think it's a good idea to put coconut oil ( or other additives like sardines ) in with the dog food since your dog might start refusing the dog food without any additives. I didn't find squirting in fish oil mattered to the dog whether she had it or not.

Another additive I use is kelp powder ( Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp powder from Amazon ) that I add about 1/8 tsp once a day to the dog food. It's supposed to help with plaque formation on teeth, but I'm not sure if it's working.