# Thinking of feeding just canned food



## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

I can't believe I never thought of this before; I feel like slapping myself! I don't have time for raw, but if I just feed 95% meat cans, I can eliminate all carbs from my dogs diet, with the exception of some thickening agents. Most canned foods have liver, too. It'll cost more than kibble (and I'll lose the convenience), but it'll still cost 75% less than all the absurdly priced commercial raw foods. 

As for cons, I don't really buy the whole "dry food scrapes off plaque" thing (I think all dogs on commercial foods should get their teeth brushed regularly and be provided with appropriate chews, even with kibble), so that's out. But, I feel like I'm missing something...

I'm guessing around 2-3% (about two large cans daily) of my dogs weight (already at ideal adult weight), just like raw, because the moisture contents are similar? Do you think I have to do any lengthy transitions (obviously I'll transition from kibble & canned to all canned, but what about different brands of canned food)? Raw feeders just feed various protein sources weekly without transitioning...

Oh, and any 95% fish cans, besides Evo Salmon & Herring and Merrick Before Grain Salmon? I'd like to add some variety to my dogs diet, like some other fish species, but both are salmon based. 

I'm so excited!


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I'd actually be very interested to hear peoples opinions/feedback on this, so I look forward to the responses  I have a frenchie with systemic yeast infections, and finding an appropriate kibble is basically awful, and I just simply can't afford to do premade raw rigth now


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

meggels said:


> I'd actually be very interested to hear peoples opinions/feedback on this, so I look forward to the responses  I have a frenchie with systemic yeast infections, and finding an appropriate kibble is basically awful, and I just simply can't afford to do premade raw rigth now


That must be a pain. My neighbor's dog gets awful yeast infections, too, but she insists on listening to her vet and has her on a prescription diet .


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

I too would be interested in people's thoughts on this. We are transitioning Blaze from the totally home cooked due to the digestive issues he had experienced. We began by adding canned to the home cooked this weekend, and in his case the transition will be slow. The vet is recommending we get him totally onto canned before considering any kibble at all. I'm probably dense but I am wondering how their stools are on the canned. We are doing the 95% meats and the occasional Merrick without grain due to his grain sensitivity. Right now he is getting their Thanksgiving Dinner because the primary ingredients are the same as his home cooked diet, but this will be the first dog I ever have totally on canned. Then I wanted to go to the 95% meat and Merrick BG brands. Look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on canned only.


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

I to am interested in this. I add kibble for some variety in texture.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

stajbs said:


> I too would be interested in people's thoughts on this. We are transitioning Blaze from the totally home cooked due to the digestive issues he had experienced. We began by adding canned to the home cooked this weekend, and in his case the transition will be slow. The vet is recommending we get him totally onto canned before considering any kibble at all. I'm probably dense but I am wondering how their stools are on the canned. We are doing the 95% meats and the occasional Merrick without grain due to his grain sensitivity. Right now he is getting their Thanksgiving Dinner because the primary ingredients are the same as his home cooked diet, but this will be the first dog I ever have totally on canned. Then I wanted to go to the 95% meat and Merrick BG brands. Look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on canned only.


I suspect that the stools will be noticeable smaller, because so much more of the food is bioavailable to dogs. The extra water should be absorbed.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

The only thing you may want to keep in mind that a lot of 95% formulations are just meat and a thickening agent (usually guar gum or carageenan) with no vitamins or minerals, so those should only be fed in moderation not as a staple. 

And definitely brush teeth regularly or give RMB's at least 3 times a week.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

I think it would be much better than kibble. I went by by-natures website. There's 20 kcal per oz. The can is 13.2 0z. That's 264 kcals per can. You probably could feed less kcals than your currently feeding, but you'll have to experiment. The by nature 95% meats are complete and have extra vitamins and minerals in it. There shouldn't be any deficiencies. In my case it would be too expensive. I would have to feed probably around 4 cans, but who know maybe 3cans. I guess if you guys try this, post your results on how much you have to feed to maintain, output;0) and how your dogs health is doing.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> The only thing you may want to keep in mind that a lot of 95% formulations are just meat and a thickening agent (usually guar gum or carageenan) with no vitamins or minerals, so those should only be fed in moderation not as a staple.
> 
> And definitely brush teeth regularly or give RMB's at least 3 times a week.


Thanks! So far I have Evo, By Nature, Instinct, Before Grain, and Weruva Kobe on my list for all meat with chelated vitamins/minerals. Do you know of any other good brands?

I see you have a large breed; about how long does it take him to finish off a raw meaty bone? Do you just get them from a butcher? I usually give my dog elk antlers, but I really don't have much experience with anything raw. Are RMBs good for heavy chewers?


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Thanks Unosom and Serendipity. Stools have been smaller on home cooked and I figured they would be small on canned as well, just concerned about them being formed and firm. Sorry if that's TMI. Also, I wondered if one would consider the 95% meat canned foods a complete diet. I bought some, but we are still doing the Merrrick Thanksgiving Dinner due to the turkey and sweet potatoes being the same ingredients as our boys home cooked diet.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Good point about the teeth cleaning. If you guys want to stay away from RMB's, go with deer antlers. Get the ones flavored in broth or flavor them yourself, if your dog doesn't show interest.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

stajbs said:


> I wondered if one would consider the 95% meat canned foods a complete diet.


It should be if it states complete on the can and has vitamins and minerals added. You definitely want to feed complete, since alot of nutrients are destroyed in the cooking process. Not as bad as kibble though, so you'll need less vitamins and minerals. No need for grains or taters;0)


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

cast71 said:


> Good point about the teeth cleaning. If you guys want to stay away from RMB's, go with deer antlers. Get the ones flavored in broth or flavor them yourself, if your dog doesn't show interest.


I didn't even know they had flavored ones. I just buy plain ones in bulk, and my dog loves them. Being a retriever, he isn't very picky.


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

Most 95% meat canned foods state on the label, "intended for supplemental feeding", which means they aren't a complete and balanced diet. Right off the bat, without doing any research, the only grain-free 95% meat canned foods that are a complete and balanced diet are Nature's Variety Instinct, and Innova EVO. I think Natural Balance canned food might be intended for every day feeding and not just supplemental as well, but I'm not positive. I do know that Merrick B.G. and Evanger's are only intended for supplemental feeding. 

We fed our dog Louie the Insinct canned food for about 6 months, he had small, formed stool, it was squishy but not a big blob. He has much firmer stool on raw or kibble.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

_Trish said:


> Most 95% meat canned foods state on the label, "intended for supplemental feeding", which means they aren't a complete and balanced diet. Right off the bat, without doing any research, the only grain-free 95% meat canned foods that are a complete and balanced diet are Nature's Variety Instinct, and Innova EVO. I think Natural Balance canned food might be intended for every day feeding and not just supplemental as well, but I'm not positive. I do know that Merrick B.G. and Evanger's are only intended for supplemental feeding.
> 
> We fed our dog Louie the Insinct canned food for about 6 months, he had small, formed stool, it was squishy but not a big blob. He has much firmer stool on raw or kibble.


I know Merrick BG is now complete and balanced; it must have been a recent change. There's also Weruva Kobe, Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken, Weruva Amazonian Liver, and By Nature (all are supplemented with vitamins and minerals are and are listed as complete). Evangers actually has to canned foods -- chicken and beef -- that are all meat except for vitamins/minerals, but I still don't really trust them. I'm really hoping to find more complete 95% meat cans, though. The looser stools are surprising.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Your can find RMB's just about anywhere, you can probably get it from a butcher cheaper in bulk, make sure they are not weight bearing ones like knuckle or marrow. Uno really likes pork neck bones and those are cheap, but pretty much anything goes as long as it doesent come from the legs of large animals. They should also have some meat/fat on them for extra cushioning, hence the raw meaty part. 
I think the good folks in the raw section can give you more ideas on which ones are more appropriate for the size of your dog. Uno is 60 lbs.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I think a 100% canned diet is superior to a 100% kibble diet, and I would recommend going for it.
We have several dogs that board with us regularly that are on all canned food. I can think of three off the top of my head, one on Merrick, one on a variety of grain free cans, and one on Mighty Dog. gross. 

All three of them do have solid stools, though I'm sure you can guess whose the biggest and smelliest are. lol


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Serendipity said:


> I didn't even know they had flavored ones. I just buy plain ones in bulk, and my dog loves them. Being a retriever, he isn't very picky.


My sisters lab will not put them down ahahahahahah He walks around with them for hours. My dog wont touch them, unless he sees my sisters lab chewing one. Competition ahahahah I tried scraping the ends, giving him a chewed one from the lab, no dice. I just give RMB's now.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Chelsy eats all 95% canned with some homecooked meat tossed on top sometimes. She is a 14 year old Lhasa Apso and refuses to eat raw food. She has severe allergies and will get horrible colitis on any dry except EVO. So far she can eat any of the 95% canned foods that I've gotten (By Nature, Evo - all meat sources, Back to Basics, etc). She does great as long as I stick to 95% meat and stay away from any that has fruit added. All the ones that I buy are complete and balanced. 

I cook her chicken, liver, beef, pork, etc when I find it in the clearance bin at the grocery store and add it to the canned food. Sometimes I get the meat REALLY cheap once it's been marked down. Right now she has tiny stools that crumble away. In fact, they were a little too hard this week (she's eating canned venison) and came out crumbly so I added some extra pure meat and liver to her bowl.

She also gets one senior plus vitamin daily to help with her back problems. It has extra B vitamins for nerve damage. 

My 2 big guys eat ground raw, but if I forget to thaw any or run out, they eat 95% canned instead or get it combined with the raw until I can get to the store. They have never had any digestive issues. I switch up meat proteins about every other day with the canned and no one has gotten an upset tummy. I wait for a really good sale and coupon, then order it by the case and get all different varieties and makes. Right now I have cases of Evo Venison, Beef, and Chicken, By Nature Turkey and Bacon, Back to Basics pork, etc. I also throw some sardines and eggs into their bowls once a week and they go crazy for it. 

I feed them all pretty darn cheap and easy this way (I am in school full time so getting out in the morning has to be easy). I don't have a very big freezer and have 4 humans living here too, so I can't always keep tons of real meat available. This lets me have a supply of dog food on hand always. All three are happy, healthy, and running around like crazy (well, Chelsy sort of toddles around!)


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks for sharing your experiences! Chowder, the Back to Basics website is under construction. Do you have any ingredient lists?

Also, do you transition from can to can (different variety, brand, etc.)?


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

chowder said:


> She also gets one senior plus vitamin daily to help with her back problems. It has extra B vitamins for nerve damage.


Your dogs eat real good! They must love you:biggrin: You can try adding 2 tablespoons of raw organic apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil for her bad back. I've witnessed miracles with it!:amen:


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

What are the ingredients in the Merrick Before Grain canned food? When I was feeding it, I was using it as a topper, as it was a 100% meat canned food, and the only ingredients were the protein source (beef, turkey, salmon, chicken, etc.), and water sufficient for processing. Maybe they have made a new canned food that I am unaware of, but I have recently bought their canned food and it was the same as it has always been.

ETA - I just looked at Merrick's web-site and see that their food is now 96% and is a complete and balanced diet. Good to know! I still have some cans in the cupboard that are the 100% formula.


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## zoeyluv (Aug 14, 2010)

delurking.

What a timely thread. I'm thinking about doing this with my Husky. TOTW canned food is also balanced.
I am going to start of with Before Grain because they seem to have the most variety and rotate within that brand. When it comes to including other fish sources into rotation, I was going to use canned mackerel that I have available in my area.

I also feed my girl turkey necks and chicken back 3x a week since she is not a fan of teeth brushing.


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

My dogs like the TOTW canned food, but it gives them explosive diarrhea.. it was NOT pretty! I was so disappointed too because I had such good luck with the TOTW dry food.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I've used the Back to Basics Pork canned because it is one of the only canned food with pork that I can find and I like to change up the dogs protein source. The ingredient list I have on the pork is 

PORK, PORK BROTH, PORK LIVER, ORGANIC BUTTERNUT SQUASH, GREEN BEANS, CRANBERRIES

My dogs love it, although sometimes you will find a piece of green bean in the can and Chelsy will pick those out! The cranberries don't seem to bother her system in this food. I NEVER get their dry food though, it's made with corn. The canned is expensive so I wait for a big sale and a coupon at Petfooddirect and get a bunch at a time. 

I don't worry about transitioning from can to can. I just open a different can and brand whenever the old one is empty. My dogs have eaten 95% canned for several years and it doesn't seem to bother them at all when I switch. After all, dogs eat whatever they can find in the wild and don't worry about 'transitioning' between eating a rabbit and eating a squirrel. :smile:

To be honest, I don't really check the big dogs poop anymore. We have a wooded yard and they both go off into the woods to do their business so I don't see what is coming out of them. I only observe Chelsy because she is so old and happens to 'go' within a few feet of the house so I have to pick it up. 

Rocky is so hairy (Chow/husky) that I would notice if he ever got the runs and would have to clean up his behind. As long as I take them out into the woods once or twice a day and see that they are doing something, I'm okay with that. If I happen to walk in the woods, I find white crumbly residue laying around so I figure it came out of somebody!!


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

Feeding all canned can get expensive. Try homecooked, buy ground meat in bulk and it's less expensive than canned with none of the preservatives. Cheap ground meat, chop up some liver and kidney, throw in a few whole eggs, fish oil, and a little veggies if you like, mix well, stuff it in a crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours. 

Dump it out, cut into daily portions, bag and freeze. Piece of cake. =D


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

This thread has been extremely helpful. Thank-you to all for the input. Since my boy may be heading toward being a full time canned fed senior sibe and our girl is a senior currently on half kibble/half canned I will be looking into this much further. I appreciate the listed foods so far. Those who do a good bit of canned may I ask, do you order primarily from the internet or hit up the better quality stores that carry good quality canned. The place I currently buy Merrick cuts me a one can break on a case, but with two dogs possibly going canned I am trying to figure out the financial end. Any good sources folks could recommend??


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

SamWu1 this is what I was wondering as well. Hubby and I were just discussing how much it has cost us to cook and knowing the cost of canned we are wondering about sticking with the cooked or mixing canned and cooked. So many choices, so many decisions.....Primarily I want to make sure the diet is complete for both our seniors.


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## DarDog (Sep 6, 2010)

If you were to do this:



> Feeding all canned can get expensive. Try homecooked, buy ground meat in bulk and it's less expensive than canned with none of the preservatives. Cheap ground meat, chop up some liver and kidney, throw in a few whole eggs, fish oil, and a little veggies if you like, mix well, stuff it in a crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
> 
> Dump it out, cut into daily portions, bag and freeze. Piece of cake. =D


just make sure you have a source of calcium added! With this recipe, the phosphorus would be much higher than the calcium, which is not what you want


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

This is very true about the calcium. After about 2 weeks of getting our boy stable on home cooked we started drying eggshells, and then pulverizing them. I am not sure about the formula but I think its one teaspoon of eggshell per pound of meat, but perhaps someone can speak to this. This is what we have been adding to the home cooked diet so far and he's been doing well.


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## DarDog (Sep 6, 2010)

WDJ recommends 800 to 1000mg of calcium per pound of meat - it also says that 1 tsp of eggshell contains 2000mg of calcium, so it then recommends 1/2 tsp per pound of meat.

This is the only source I have at hand for the amount of calcium to add (I did have some books out from the library though that were pretty helpful - they had a lot of books on feeding your dog!)


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

This is an awesome thread. op2: Glad to read about this topic, the thought of doing all canned food never crossed my mind. It's even more cool there are people with first hand experience on it posting about it, thanks guys!


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> Feeding all canned can get expensive. Try homecooked, buy ground meat in bulk and it's less expensive than canned with none of the preservatives. Cheap ground meat, chop up some liver and kidney, throw in a few whole eggs, fish oil, and a little veggies if you like, mix well, stuff it in a crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
> 
> Dump it out, cut into daily portions, bag and freeze. Piece of cake. =D


Wouldn't I have to supplement to make up for lost nutrients?


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

chowder said:


> I've used the Back to Basics Pork canned because it is one of the only canned food with pork that I can find and I like to change up the dogs protein source. The ingredient list I have on the pork is
> 
> PORK, PORK BROTH, PORK LIVER, ORGANIC BUTTERNUT SQUASH, GREEN BEANS, CRANBERRIES
> 
> ...


Thanks! Are the cans already supplemented with vitamins/minerals?


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Dardog, thanks for the calcium info. I just asked hubby what he adds when he cooks up the 3lbs. of ground turkey at a time and he said just slightly under 1 and 1/2 tsp. I know I had it written down, but I was obviously wrong in my other post. Glad you posted the correct info. My worry with just home cooked is insuring all the necessary vitamins and minerals are present. Variety would help with that to some degree but that is why I am wondering about mixing cooked and canned, however that may complicate it more. Decisions...decisions.


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## DarDog (Sep 6, 2010)

stajbs, no problem!

And, I think mixing canned and cooked sounds like a good idea - especially when you were mentioning the variety issue! Plus, it reprieves you of doing homecooked all the time :smile:


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## Jackielyn (May 27, 2009)

I fed ground meat and sojos at one time and it did horrible things for my seniors teeth...i would worry about gum disease on an all canned diet. what i did to remedy that was a beef rib (given your dog is big enough). also adds some calcium...and i can get beef bones for $.25/ lb from my butcher. as long as they have a way to clean their teeth it should be interesting to see how it plays out


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Without feeding raw or RMB's I've been brushing teeth for years. Although oddly enough since my boy went on home cooked through his digestive upsets his teeth look better than they did when he was on kibble and canned topper. His teeth are also better looking than my girls.


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

My dogs all have great looking teeth but they have plenty of chews.. marrow bones, beef ribs, pork ribs, antlers, bully sticks. I don't ever brush their teeth, and the vet always comments on their excellent dental health! They eat a combination of kibble, canned, raw, and occasionally home cooked. We like variety in this house!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I think a lot of teeth problems are more related to the breed, then to what they eat. In many decade of owning dogs (we won't say how many :heh: ) I've never had a Chow Chow or a Samoyed with any sort of teeth problems. BUT, my Lhasa's and my MIL's poodles have always had horrible teeth. And, they all ate the exact same thing. Even long ago when we just fed them Pedigree, the big dogs had great teeth and the little dogs had terrible teeth. 

I am just starting to brush Chelsy's teeth now because the vet quoted me $600 to clean them and I won't put her under at her age (or pay that much for a dental!) . She also has an extremely malformed jaw and can't really chew bones so we'll try the special toothpaste.


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## DarDog (Sep 6, 2010)

chowder said:


> I think a lot of teeth problems are more related to the breed, then to what they eat. In many decade of owning dogs (we won't say how many :heh: ) I've never had a Chow Chow or a Samoyed with any sort of teeth problems. BUT, my Lhasa's and my MIL's poodles have always had horrible teeth. And, they all ate the exact same thing.


I've heard the same thing recently! Heard via a vet - smaller breed dogs tend to have more tartar build up (and more tooth issues in general) than larger dogs.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

DarDog said:


> If you were to do this:
> 
> 
> 
> just make sure you have a source of calcium added! With this recipe, the phosphorus would be much higher than the calcium, which is not what you want


Well, when I mention whole eggs, I do mean the entire egg with shell and all. I don't pulverize it, I just hand crush it and mix it all up.


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## DarDog (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks, I obviously didn't think of that when you posted 

I have read that (I think both WDJ and the Ultimate Pet Food Guide), if you do use egg shells as a source of calcium they should be finely ground in order to actually make use of it. Not sure how solid this is though.


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Oddly enough my red and white siberians are the ones who have gotten the funky teeth over the years, not the black and white, white or my one silver and white girl. I doubt there's any rational explanation for this but it's been my observation. That's why I noticed Blaze's teeth being cleaner since he began home cooked. His teeth were not bad but I was wondering about a dental even though I brush his teeth, but the homecooked and brushing seems to have made some difference because they look better.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

I just recently switched my 9 year old standard poodle from kibble to canned. He has had chronic, excessive gas for over a year (maybe getting close to two) and I have tried a lot of different kibbles (slow transition and plenty of time to see if the new food would work) to no avail. My vet wanted me to try Hill's z/d but I hated the ingredient list and felt unsure about hydrolyzed food. Finally in desperation I switched cold turkey (pun intended) to Wellness 95% Turkey. Ahhh, relief! I have since tried several canned food recipes and brands and he seems to do best on turkey and fish options and worst on chicken. I can't tell you the difference in his digestive system since switching to an all canned food diet. The problem now is cost. He eats 4 cans a day so I am finding myself becoming desperate again after looking at my dog food bill the last couple months. Ouch! I'm feeding mostly the Wellness Core fish formula and Merrick's Thanksgiving Dinner with some Wellness 95% Turkey or Salmon thrown in (since it is not complete). These average around $2.50 -$2.80 a can at my local Petco. With tax that is about $3 a can... at four cans a day... I have to stop there and not think of the monthly total! I don't know if I should try again to find a kibble that would work or if I should try home cooking with supplemental canned feeding. He LOVES eating canned food which I wasn't expecting since he was always a picky eater on kibble.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

That is really expensive for canned food. I order all my 95% meat canned foods online and buy it by the case. I ALWAYS combine a sale with a coupon code so it more then pays for the shipping. Sometimes you can find free shipping online. 

An example right now is EVO 95% meat on sale for $19.99 a case plus I have another 17% off coupon code so it will be $16.60 for a case of 12 cans or $1.38 a can. I also get real meat on clearance at the grocery store really cheap, and add it to the canned food, either raw or cooked (depending on the dog) plus eggs, liver, etc. This week they have whole chickens on sale for $.59 a pound so I got 4 chickens for the dogs, complete with the livers, kidneys,and necks. When they had chicken quarters on sale for $.39 a pound I stocked up on 80 pounds worth. I feed 2 80 pound dogs and a 17 pound dog this way. 

I order from PETFOODDIRECT.com but you can also get good deals at Heartypet.com. Check out the sticky under coupons for the latest coupon codes for different online pet stores.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Wow. That's a great tip! I'm going to start looking online! Not sure why I hadn't looked in to that before, I guess I always just assumed the shipping would be cost prohibitive. That cuts my costs in half... although it is still almost $6 a day which is $180 a month for one dog. I'll pay that if I have to because I adore this dog, but I sure miss the days of buying a 40lb bag of kibble and having it last for a couple months! I'll have to start looking at cooking his food and using the cans as supplements and see what the cost is then. He can't eat chicken though. Turkey and fish seem to be the best for his gaseous output and those will be more costly. You've got me thinking... Thanks!


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

It was great to hear how you manage the cost of cans chowder. We spent a great deal of time looking for a specific kibble or two that would work with our boy who had a lengthy seige with rapid transit and digestive irritation that started in November. After much experimentation with cooked foods we finally found that turkey and sweet potatoes and split peas worked for him. So he did the meds and this food up until two weeks ago. All meds were stopped 2 weeks ago and we have begun adding canned. Blaze is in seventh heaven. lol We went with Merricks Thanksgiving Dinner because it was the most similar to his cooked diet. That went well, and he has also done well now with Granny's Pot Pie from Merrick. Looking to also add the 95% complete canned meals next. We are contemplating bagging the whole kibble idea and sticking with home cooked and canned. Both our sibes are seniors and the variety seems to be working for them. Our guys always did well with salmon before too so I hope tobe adding fish as well if all works out. This has been an interesting thread with a lot of helpful input. Thanks to all.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

stajbs said:


> It was great to hear how you manage the cost of cans chowder. We spent a great deal of time looking for a specific kibble or two that would work with our boy who had a lengthy seige with rapid transit and digestive irritation that started in November. After much experimentation with cooked foods we finally found that turkey and sweet potatoes and split peas worked for him. So he did the meds and this food up until two weeks ago. All meds were stopped 2 weeks ago and we have begun adding canned. Blaze is in seventh heaven. lol We went with Merricks Thanksgiving Dinner because it was the most similar to his cooked diet. That went well, and he has also done well now with Granny's Pot Pie from Merrick. Looking to also add the 95% complete canned meals next. We are contemplating bagging the whole kibble idea and sticking with home cooked and canned. Both our sibes are seniors and the variety seems to be working for them. Our guys always did well with salmon before too so I hope tobe adding fish as well if all works out. This has been an interesting thread with a lot of helpful input. Thanks to all.


Chelsy can get severe allergies and colitis (complete with bloody diarrhea, vomitting, and bright red itchy skin) which has stopped almost completely since I've put her on the 95% canned mixed with 'real' food. We actually almost lost her a few times due to the severity of the colitis. I always thought it was chicken that she was allergic to but have since found out that she can eat cooked real chicken , raw ground chicken, and the 95% canned versions. After comparing all the processed foods she has reacted to, we know she is allergic to salmon, most fish, and berries (probably blueberries) which we avoid at all costs (it was Orijen that almost killed her and Stella & Chewy's premade raw patties were almost as bad to her). There are so many ingredients in a lot of premade foods (canned, dry, and frozen raw) that it's really hard to determine what the dog is reacting to in them. I stick to as few ingredients as possible in any canned food along with real meat, and she is doing so much better now. The big guys can be a little more adverturesome but they eat mostly home ground raw. All three of them do really well on real turkey so I totally pick the bird apart after we eat what we want and get a ton of meat off of it to feed them. Basically it is free because we used to just throw out the carcass. It just takes me awhile to totally pick apart a turkey but you should see how little is left when I'm done! My husband is always amazed. 

All my guys will get gassy on sardine or herring day, but I figure they need the nutrition and it's the only fish that Chelsy can eat so we just put up with it one day a week! After all, I eat a lot of things even though I know I'm going to pay for it the next day! They all go crazy for sardines!


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

chowder, we tried the Stella and Chewy's and Sojo's premixed stuff and our girl was miserable for two days. I barely added a tablespoon to two meals and she was gassy and uncomfortable one entire night and the next day. Perhaps it would have gotten better eventually, but we are also looking for somethings that maybe the both can eat. I was doubtful Blaze could eat these foods after she was so uncomfortable and we were sleep deprived. This weekend I hope to switch to the 95% complete meal canned meats as long as he keeps doing well. Silva is finishing the kibble and enjoying the canned too. I just never knew a dog could eat just canned and still have solid formed stools. Probably stupid but that was what I thought. This thread has reassured me that is not the case, except for certain foods fed to certain dogs. Tomorrow I will pick up some more of the Merrick stuff that's working and be getting online to do some ordering of cases of food. Plus time to order a large stock pot for the cooked portion of this diet. We are getting tired of cooking twice a week since November so hopefully this change continues to work.

We do not know what set off the situation with Blaze but for the present I am avoiding Duck(they were on a 2 month thing with duck based kibble when Blaze became ill), also avoiding brown and white rice because those did not work at all for him when we stated cooking for him. 

Scarey that you almost lost Chelsy to colitis, but I do believe there is a vast diffeerence between kibble and cooked or raw. I have read where some dogs can be allergic to kibble based meat of one type or another but do fine with the cooked or raw or canned version of the same protein source.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Just another question on feeding canned exclusively... Should I be following the recommended serving guide on the can? I've read elsewhere on this forum that the recommendations on kibble are usually too high when feeding a quality dry food. Is that also true for a quality canned food? Or does the higher moisture content necessitate eating more on a canned diet? Any thoughts? 

Also, if I decide to combine a "complete" canned food with home cooked meat, how do you know how much canned food to feed in order to get the benefits of a "complete" diet?


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

There is a general recommendation that you can feed 1/2 raw and 1/2 kibble and not half to worry about the balances. I imagine it is the same for canned. My Lhasa gets probably more like 75% canned and 25% homecooked. My big guys get the exact opposite .....more like 75% raw and 25% canned. BUT....I give them complete whole ground meat with the bones and organs, and also vary their proteins a lot (beef, pork, chicken, eggs, sardines, etc). 

I'm not sure you have to worry about the balances that much. It kind of evens out along the way, as long as you provide a variety of meats with your homecooked. If you start giving more homecooked then canned, then you have to start adding some calcium source and roughage unless you are feeding bones, too. They would end up with the runs if you feed them to much pure muscle meat and not enough canned 95% meat. There is a LOT of good information on homecooked foods on the internet and in books and many many people feed a combination of raw, homecooked, and canned or kibble. 

As far as amounts, you kind of play it by ear. I've been feeding both my big dogs the same amount but one has gotten pudgy and the other hasn't so I have to adjust what that one is getting. They get the equivalent of about 1 1/2 cans of food per day, but it is ground homemade mixed with a little canned. They are both 80 pounds. If it were all raw, they would suppose to be getting 1.5-2% of their body weight per day which would be about 1 1/2 pounds of food so that is what I am going by. I actually just look at their bowl and heft it a little to guess the weight (I know, not real scientific!) It's really not that much food but one is obviously getting pudgy on it. And they will swear they are always hungry, but that is because they love the food so much!:biggrin: 

Figure it is kind of like feeding yourself, you don't actually measure all your food or figure out every item that you are eating so you don't need to worry that much about the dogs. As long as there is a variety in their diet, it will even out over the month. Start them on 2% of their body weight in food and if they get a little pudgy, then cut them back a little.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Wow, you are feeding your 80 lb dogs the equivalent of 1.5 cans a day? And that's the homemade AND canned combined? Then I am way over feeding my 55 lb dog with 4 cans a day! I was just going off the can's recommended serving amount and the fact that he ALWAYS seems hungry (ie: wants to eat... which is unusual for him... he never ate much on kibble). I'm probably interpreting his sudden interest in food as hunger when maybe it's not! Although I don't think he's gained any weight. I'll have to take him in to the vet's and weigh him! Thanks!


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

You could feed by calories. If your dog eats 2 cups of a food that has 450 calories per cup then feed 900 calories of canned food. Because these meat balanced with minerals and vitamins have very little fiber you might want to feed even less at first.

If a dog is getting half kibble and half raw then the raw is a balanced meat/bone/organ raw. If you want to supplement processed food with fresh without worrying about calcium and zinc and niacin and all that stick to 25% fresh by calories.

A can is not a can is not a can. I could squeeze Sassy's 1000 calories a day into 16 ounces, just about a big dog food can. Find me a canned food like that! She would have needed to eat 4 cans of canned kidney diet or 3 cans of a good canned food.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

jewels said:


> Wow, you are feeding your 80 lb dogs the equivalent of 1.5 cans a day? And that's the homemade AND canned combined? Then I am way over feeding my 55 lb dog with 4 cans a day! I was just going off the can's recommended serving amount and the fact that he ALWAYS seems hungry (ie: wants to eat... which is unusual for him... he never ate much on kibble). I'm probably interpreting his sudden interest in food as hunger when maybe it's not! Although I don't think he's gained any weight. I'll have to take him in to the vet's and weigh him! Thanks!


A lot depends on the dog. My chow chow was not a big eater on kibble at all. If I put down 2 cups of Orijen, a lot of times it would just sit in the bowl and he would take two days to finish it. He's not the worlds most active dog, either. My rottie mix LOVES to eat and is much more active. He's the one that is getting pudgy because he'll eat as much as I'll give him so I have to be careful and measure his food better. But, I agree that on a high calorie food or on raw they will eat much less so you have to kind of go by the brand of food and the amount of meat. The ones I buy are pretty dense (no gravy's or anything like that) so once I open the can and sort of chop it up, it really can fill their bowl. If you figure a 1.5% body weight on my dogs, it amounts to 1.2 pounds of food a day and a single can is 13 ounces of 95% meat. That means 19.2 ounces of food would be just a little over 1 1/2 cans. They also get some treats during the day for doing their lessons so that amounts to extra calories. 

I would use it as a starting point and then go from there. Your dog might be more active and have a higher metabolism. Then he would need more food then that. And he WILL beg for more food just because it's real food and is yummy! He's not actually starving to death!


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## channeledbymodem (Dec 25, 2008)

chowder said:


> I order from PETFOODDIRECT.com but you can also get good deals at Heartypet.com. Check out the sticky under coupons for the latest coupon codes for different online pet stores.


I shopped at PFD for years until UPS rates went way up a couple of summers ago. Now unless you buy over $50 the coupons don't come close to covering the shipping.

petflow.com is offering flat rate shipping of $4.95 for any size order and their prices are pretty close to PFD's unless PFD is having a blow out sale. They don't charge tax outside of NJ.


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## channeledbymodem (Dec 25, 2008)

jewels said:


> Just another question on feeding canned exclusively... Should I be following the recommended serving guide on the can? I've read elsewhere on this forum that the recommendations on kibble are usually too high when feeding a quality dry food. Is that also true for a quality canned food? Or does the higher moisture content necessitate eating more on a canned diet? Any thoughts?


Here is a pretty good dog calorie calculator: Dog Food Calculator Calories are calories. Most manufacturer websites have the calorie content on their website if it is not on the can. Most cans of dog food (12.5 or 13 oz) have between 325 and 390 calories per can.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Wellness 95% is over 600 calories per can. Sassy would have only needed 1.75- 13.2 ounce cans a day of that stuff except it isn't a complete food as it hasn't the calcium and all that added.

EVO canned has 479 calories per large can and is a complete food. Be sure the label shows calcium content, plain meat is very low in calcium and dogs will have trouble sooner or later if they don't get enough.

If you are feeding great canned food with loads of protein the dog may gain weight, muscle weight. Max gained 30% of his weight when I overfed cooked food and only lost half that weight fed raw properly. The other half of his extra weight is now muscle. Put your hands on your dog, that is the only way to gauge body condition. You should be able to feel the ribs easily but not see but maybe the last one or two . The hips, backbone, shoulder and chest bones should be felt as well but not easily seen.


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## jewels (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks everyone for all the tips! I was out of town for the weekend and couldn't wait to get home and check my threads on DogFoodChat! I'm not admitting that to anyone but you guys though.  I weighed my dog on saturday and he is 62 lbs now. He usually ranges between 50-55 lbs and is really lean. He actually looks great with a few extra pounds. He still has a small waist and I can still feel his ribs. I think he's gained muscle. Interesting. I'm going to look at the calories.


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