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I notice that on the solid gold wolf king (bison and salmon) packaging they list garlic as an ingredient. I remember reading somewhere that garlic and onions are not good for dogs. Is this true?

Also, why is brown rice better than white rice?

Can I go ahead and start switching out Special's food now or should I wait until he is off his ear treatment?

Also, I've noticed that the rustiness has all but disapeared from his eyes and it has decreased quite a bit around his mouth also. Since kiwani, you mentioned it might have also had to do with hormones, I was wondering if it could have been stress induced from his being on the streets. From all of the previous posts, I realize that IAMS is not good for him. Given the decreases in the rustiness, I just wanted to make sure that you all thought that it is still a good idea to go ahead and switch him off of the IAMS? I also asked the vet if he thought IAMS was good and he said yes, but I take that with a grain of salt because clearly they work with so many pups I imagine that their advice is too general. I want to make sure I'm doing things right!

How long should I be giving him a mix of his old and new food before just going to 100% new food? If he is then on Solid Gold, would I just supplement with the fish oil capsules? How often would I do that?

Re Onions & Garlic: To put it simply, it breaks the red blood cells. In large quantities, it can kill. Garlic some say are less toxic due to the way it breaks hemogrobins(smaller or something), but use it sparingly is what I read on any homemade dogfood page.

Re Brown & White Rice: It's basically wholegrain vs white bread. Altho Brown Rice sold in US supermarkets are not the real mackoy which needs extra soaking and possibly a pressure cooker, AND strong jaws!!, but a bit more nutritious than white rice. Since White Rice is more processed, it has less nutirents & fiber. But Brown Rice is more difficult to digest, even for humans. By chewing & grinding, us humans start breaking up the starch with the enzymes in our saliva. We are omnivorous, and designed for it. But dogs are more carnivorous in design. They don't chew they swallow, they have shorter intestines. So, make sure the rice is not cooked Al-Dente, make it on softer mushier side to help aid digestion.

Re Change of Food: Do it over a couple of weeks if not more. Start by adding a little bit of the brand you want to end up with and gradually increase that portion.

Did I cover all your concerns? You can Google "onions, dogs" etc to get to good reads! Have fun surfing!

Love & Purple Kisses, LEO(Leonora) & mum

Re: "solid gold wolf king (bison and salmon)/garlic"

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Several dog food brands include garlic, and it's also added to many treats and supplements. Garlic stimulates the immune system, acts as an antibiotic and anti-fungal (yeast). It has blood thinning effects eaten in excess, while onions cause more of a hemolytic anemia effect.



Re: "why is brown rice better than white rice?"

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Whole grains contain nutrients like B-complex, vitamin E, omega-3, fiber, etc.



Re: "Can I go ahead and start switching out Special's food now or should I wait until he is off his ear treatment?"

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You can start now if you've decided to wean him off the Iams. If you're not sure about which brand to pick next, and are *happy enough* with the Iams results for now, then take your time deciding. If you see the yeast return, or if he gets the itchies, then you'll know Iams isn't the best choice for him.



Re: "I've noticed that the rustiness has all but disapeared from his eyes and it has decreased quite a bit around his mouth also. Since kiwani, you mentioned it might have also had to do with hormones, I was wondering if it could have been stress induced from his being on the streets."

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I'm glad you're seeing improvements already. I mentioned that the eye and mouth staining could possibly have been yeast from the treats like Pedigree, Milk Bone, (or dyes), and the overall coat color fading could be nutritional/hormonal. Stress certainly affects the hormones, and who knows what your Chow was living on while a stray.



Re: "How long should I be giving him a mix of his old and new food before just going to 100% new food? If he is then on Solid Gold, would I just supplement with the fish oil capsules? How often would I do that?"

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The transition time depends on the health of his digestive tract "flora". If he's got yeast overgrowths there too, it can affect the stool as they get cleaned out. Concerning using the omega-3 fish oils - the Solid Gold 'Wolf King' already has good levels of omega-3 from the salmon meal, bison, and other ingredients. You can always tweak things later, depending on how he's doing overall.

If it were any other food then Iams I would agree and say switch slowly but Iams, I would just toss the bag in the trash and switch now. Your Vet says its ok, My vet says its like you eating 5 chocolate bars all at once, Packed with corn fillers that turns to sugar in the body, That's why they say your dog acts younger, it should its over dosed on suger. I switch Pekoe to different foods at first she never had a problem. If your Chow is having any sort of skin problems stop the Iams.

When I switched Koda over from the Purina Lamb and Rice over to the Nutro Lamb and Rice, I did it over a period of 5 or 6 days. I started out with half and half (he ended up eating all of the Nutro and then would eat the Purina to finish filling himself up... he's no dummy. LOL) and just decreased the Purina and added more Nutro as each day went by to where he was eating nothing but the Nutro. Miss Molly will be alot younger, so I will have to switch her over alot more gradually from what she has been eating at the breeders over to the Nutro. Everywhere I have read, IAMS is terrible for chows... not just on this board, but also searching the web. They aren't any better than feeding them Purina products. Our vet said the same thing... generally Purina products are ok, but because chows develop allergies so easily, I'd probably end up having to switch him over, which I did. So I am not even gonna mess with it with Molly. Both kids can eat the Nutro and hopefully that will keep them allergy free. Koda has done real well on the Nutro... his itching and biting had all but stopped within 2 weeks of having him on all Nutro. So I am really pleased with it. Hopefully Molly will do just as well with it.

I never realized the importance of feeding the right food. My husband grew up with a chow chow and really wanted another one. He also told me that they had fed him whatever until he really started having problems. They put the dog on a prescription salmon food. Vets don't usually carry it but they can order it. It was very costly, like $10 a can. This terrified me, what if we got a chow chow and also had to buy this prescription dog food. We started with Iams believing it was a good food, maybe it is for some dogs but not mine. I wont let my friends feed their dog that crap. When I found out that they put PARTS in their food, I tossed it. It might be chicken but not digestable parts. There might only be five percent good chicken meat in their product. When I did further research on this I leaned that even though the cost was up there, the quality didn't match what you pay. Plus, I noticed since I switched to Nutro, there is less mess in my back yard and the dogs don't need to eat as much.

I have looked up recipes for dog food and made them their food for a few years. Now that I have three dogs and a child it is harder to constantly make their food.

Yes, the rice is good, brown rice doesn't have all of the fibrous husks removed and can help with breakdown of other food. I bought a rice cooker and have always given them white rice. The rice cooker makes it perfect. The white rice is also very good mixed with chicken as a bland diet incase your doggy gets a little tummy bug. Be careful if you give it to them seperate from the food that you don't buy the instant because there is often salt in it. If your dog is having a hard time adjusting to the new food you can sometimes find a can of Nutro that is to be mixed with the other food when you are switching the dogs food over. It is suppose to smooth the transition.

Usually around a week is the best time to gradually add in the new food. I know the salmon is excellent for them and their hips. good luck

Just think of it this way, If they sell it at the super market or Wal-mart its not fit for a dog to eat. Some of the food like Iams is also sold at the pet stores but if you notice the food is seperated by isles the cheap foods are in the first isles then moves up. You might want to check the bags like I Do to see if its has been resealed make sure it has a factory seal and is sealed tight. I don't really like the return food policy if i buy it and Pekoe won't eat it there are always homeless people on the streets with dogs or I think the shelters may take it.

Thank you so very, very much everyone! I can't even tell you all how greatful we are to have found this board! You've all helped us out so much.

So as I'm changing his food over, what should I be looking for? If his stool is affected, how long should it take for him to be back to normal stool? I guess what I'm really asking, is how will I know if the new food (which I think will be the Solid Gold Wolf King at this point) is working or if he is having problmes with it?

So the amount of garlic he would be getting from Solid Gold should be okay and even healthy for him?

Like eating 5 chocolate bars!!! That's just awful! You're right about the dog food aisles too Jeff, they really are structured that way!

Again, thank you all so very much!! This is just the best resource out there for all chow lovers!

If SD has a reaction, he'll get loose stools and gas. Pretty much what humans get when they eat something that doesn't agree.

Re: "I guess what I'm really asking, is how will I know if the new food (which I think will be the Solid Gold Wolf King at this point) is working or if he is having problems with it?"
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You have to take into consideration that the lower grade foods contain beet pulp filler which acts to slow transit time. When you switch to higher quality feeds without the pulp filler and by-product starches, you could see faster transit time during the transition, especially if the dog has yeast overgrowths. The intestinal flora undergoes a change.


Re: "So the amount of garlic he would be getting from Solid Gold should be okay and even healthy for him?"
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If you exclude foods containing garlic, you'll be excluding a lot of the premium grade holistic foods. I was going to suggest that you look at Innova too.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for that!

I've been noticing that within the last week and a half or so, he has been tyring to eat a lot of grass. I noticed on one of the earlier food related posts that he could be trying to compensate on his own. He pretty much has been attempting it at a greater frequency for about the last couple of days, does this mean that I need to speed up my decision on which food I will be feeding him?

Pekoe's been the town lawn mower ever sense I have had her she is always eating grass, Its mainly the wild grass that grows in parks. I ask the vet about it he said it was ok so I never stop her I just let her eat away. Just becarefull were the grass is, parks and hiking trails are ok but peoples front lawns may have been sprayed with chemicals so I don't let here eat that.

Even though the vet says its ok it seems to me they are getting something out of it, Pekoe like grass and toilet paper both are fiber so it makes me think they need more fiber in there diet but eating the grass is ok. Some say its to settle un upset stomach or to make themselves vomit but Pekoe is never sick or vomiting after she eats it, she just likes to eat it.

Thanks for the grass info Jeff!

I've been trying to track down the Solid Gold but can't find it any of the stores in our area. I do see it online at Petco as Karen mentioned in a previous post, so I might just go ahead and order it there. But I prefer to be able to go get it. It's interesting, a lot of places claim to sell a variety of holistic foods, and no one has heard of it. I have seen the Nutro everywhere though. The one a majority of you are feeding is call Nutro Max Lamb and Rice? I always see it reffered to as just Nutro Lamb and Rice so I wasn't sure if that was different from the Nutro Max.

There is Nutro Max, Nutro Natural Choice, and Nutro Ultra (which is Nutro's holistic blend of dog food).
http://www.nutroproducts.com/dog.asp
I am not sure what the differences are between the Nutro Max and the Natural Choice, I know the Max is a little cheaper in price than the Natural Choice. I buy Koda the Natural Choice. I go back and forth between the Natural Choice Lamb and Rice for Large Breed Puppies and the Natural Choice Controled Growth Formula for Puppies. I also use the dry and not the canned. I am totally sold on Nutro products. Koda has done very well on them and that is what Molly will be on when she gets here in less than a week. It can be bought at Petsmart, Petco and I can get mine at the Big R store that is 8 miles from me and not quite as expensive as Petsmart and Petco's prices. I have thought about switching to the Solid Gold just because I think Kiwani said that is a better food. The Solid Gold wasn't available in any of the stores here either. I did go to the web site and used the store locater and there are places here that sell Solid Gold, but they are kind of like individual feed places instead of chain stores like Petsmart, so you might want to try that. Like I said, Koda is doing real well with the Nutro and in all reality, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But I also keep thinking I want to do what's best for my furkids. So I am still in the deciding process on whether or not to do a change over to the Solid Gold. There isn't any real reason to switch over to Solid Gold for Koda, like I said, he is doing real well with the Nutro. I just sometimes feel guilty because if there is better, I could be giving him the Solid Gold instead. But the majority of the chows on the site eat Nutro, and do well with it. So that says alot in itself. I also checked into the Innova, and itis not available any where close to here. Now if I lived closer than 4 hours to the Chicago area, yes, but not down state. I am not willing to pay shipping charges on dog food, especially in the quantites that we go through here. So which ever food we use, has to be able to picked up here.

Thanks so much Nancy! It's so overwhelming, I'm just so glad to be able to come here for guidance.

I'll look around some more the way you suggested, and I'll also look into Nutro. Thanks again!

I don't think you will go wrong with the Nutro, especially if you add a couple of fish oil capsules which are high in the Omega 3's to counter act the high Omega 6's that Nutro seems to have. The Omega 6's are inflammitory and with Koda's eye problem, we are trying to cut down on the Omega 6's. But.... we see a difference in his eye when we have him on the Controled Growth formula which has chicken instead of lamb in it... so go figure. LOL But since I have to be careful in what I give Koda, to get a little bit of variety, I do switch back and forth. Miss Molly will be on the regular Natural Choice Puppy Formula. I am sure she won't be the size of Koda and doesn't need the Controled Growth formula. Like I said, the majority of the chows on this site eat Nutro (it was highly recommended to me by Jeff and Mandy for sure) and they both have beautiful chows babies.

I have Shiloh & Mr. N on Nutro lamb and rice for the dry and use the duck/pasta or the lamb canned food. I have purchased a bag of Solid Gold Wolfking dry food and slowly mixing it in with their Nutro. So far, so good - I was worried about bad reactions but haven't seen it yet.
They are doing fine with Nutro and it might not be necessary to switch completely. Just trying to give them the best to hopefully ward off any health issues related to food.

Karen

Thanks!

Nancy, I tried your suggestion of going to the solid gold site and finding a store that way and it worked! Hurray! We went this afternoon and picked up a bag. But not before you- know-who once again escaped!! Anyhow, so we're going to see how it goes, I'll start mixing it in tonight. Hopefully he'll like it. Thanks for posting that mixing is going well Karen, I;m glad it's working out. I'm excited to see the changes in his coat and to see if his rustiness will completely disappear.

Just wanted to say that Special Dark loves the Solid Gold!! We mixed in a little bit and he immediately ate all the solid gold wolf king before all the IAMS! It makes me wish I could just toss the IAMS now like Jeff suggested!

Re: "It makes me wish I could just toss the IAMS now like Jeff suggested!"
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You can substitute well cooked brown rice for the IAMS portion.

Oh awesome! Thanks kiwani!!!!!

I saw at the pet store yesterday that they also have dried liver treats made by solid gold, but they contained brown sugar. Those are a no-no, right? Now that I'm getting him on a healthy food, I'd like to get him healthier treats too. This seems very, very hard! I saw that some people feed baby carrots and frozen apples, eggs, etc. Special just plays with the carrots and the apples. How often could he get eggs? Any other suggestions on some yummy healthy treats?

I think I'm going to start carrying hot dogs around for emergencies!

Re: "I saw at the pet store yesterday that they also have dried liver treats made by solid gold, but they contained brown sugar. Those are a no-no, right?"
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I've never bought jerky treats and I'm not familiar with any liver treats by Solid Gold, but I wouldn't buy any with sugars even if they are unrefined. I'd rather give fresh foods as treats, meats, salmon, sardines, omega-3 eggs, etc. Boiled tripe is like chewing-gum for dogs, and there are freeze dried and canned versions too. : )

Thanks kiwani! I'm certain he'll have no problem accepting those things as treats!!!

We have to be very careful with Koda and his treats. Everything makes him itch. Plus with us trying to fight off this entropion (which actually is looking better these days), it is just better that he doesn't get alot of treats. The ones that are better for him, he doesn't like. The ones he shouldn't have, he absolutely adores. <sigh> I can't say he doesn't get any treats at all, but they are sure kept to a bare minimum.

Thanks for the heads-up Nancy. I'll keep all that in mind. That's a good point though about Koda's itchies. I wouldn't want to counterbalance Special's now good diet with the "junk" food type treats I've been buying him. I'll stick with the fish and meats and keep tyring carrots!