Excessive Stomach Acid question

[Seravieve]

When I buy kibble, it's usually Taste of the Wild, which is under $2/lb (30 lbs = $40). Pedigree is what, $1/lb? Even if it's less than $1/lb, it's 200-250 calories per cup. TotW is double that in calories, plus, it is grain-free... so your pup will be digesting much more of it. I would expect 1 cup of TotW or a similar food to equal 3 cups of Pedigree, so in the end, Pedigree is the rip-off. You're feeding double or triple the amount of food (with most of it coming out the other end) and not paying that much less. That's not even counting the elimination of Vet bills for gastro issues. I totally understand buying what you can afford... but, really, a price tag is only a very small peice of the puzzle.

This is really a good way to look at it. I've never actually broke it down that far. I've always known you'd feed less of a higher quality food.. but didn't do the math. Good post! =)

[Morag Bates]

Hello there,

I thought you might be interested to know that Snowdrop also has this problem every now and then.

However, I have only fed her on home cooked food, meats like well cooked chicken, beef and lamb, mixed with a little pasta, potato, or sometimes fresh bread. In addition to this she also gets a tablespoon of Pedigree Small Bite Mixer, which is dry. She also drinks plenty of water.

We went through a terrible period of three and a half years of far worse vomiting up blood prior to this, and were referred to The Small Animal Hospital in Edinburgh twice, but they were unable to diagnose the problem and prescribed Steroids, which she had to take on and off during this period, until it eventually disappeared, just as strangely as it started, with no change in diet at any time. Now we are just left with the occasional yellow bile sickness, always in the morning, when her stomach is empty.

It is therefore a bit of a mystery.

However, one thing that we were advised was that to feed three small meals a day rather than one or two larger meals, just to keep something in the tummy, and of course to drink as much fresh water as possible too.

I hope this helps.

With best wishes,

Morag

[king2005]

My Digi doesn't have the same issues, but she does have an Extremely Sensitive Digestive System. Her triggers are anything from Mammals & Shellfish..

I spend about $30/month to make her food. I use whole Hens (chicken), & whole Fish (100% uncleaned.. meaning it has all its guts, scales, head, fins, etc.)...

I pressure cook it into mush, blend it into paste, add blended cooked veggies, divide the meat & veggies accordingly & then use all the left over liquid to help form gelatin so it stays together so its easier for Digi to eat.

Before I left on a 3hr trip I added warm water to some food to make a soup so Digi would have a lot of water in her system as it was HOT outside last weekend. She pee'd a lot but felt fine as she wasn't dehydrated.

So if you dog is having food issues, try fish & chicken kibbles. But the good kibbles not that LOW quality Iams & Pedagree stuff... <-its not food in my opinion, its stuff.

[conchitaroja]

wow, it's been a while since I came here to visit...
I took Guerrero off the pedigree & beneful, & started to feed him Iams... the problem didn't quit all together, but still exists a little bit. So, You're saying that Iams isn't any good either? What else is out there?
I will say this about Iams, is that my boy's got som BAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDD breath & smelly farts now...
I've never brushed his teeth... mostly cuz I'm warey he'd try to chew the brush, LOL... could THIS be part of the problem? I give him milk bones for treats... any suggestions there?

BTW, thanks for all your good comments

[king2005]

wow, it's been a while since I came here to visit...
I took Guerrero off the pedigree & beneful, & started to feed him Iams... the problem didn't quit all together, but still exists a little bit. So, You're saying that Iams isn't any good either? What else is out there?
I will say this about Iams, is that my boy's got som BAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDD breath & smelly farts now...
I've never brushed his teeth... mostly cuz I'm warey he'd try to chew the brush, LOL... could THIS be part of the problem? I give him milk bones for treats... any suggestions there?

BTW, thanks for all your good comments

A good rule of thumb to follow. If you can buy cat/dog food in a human store, or a pet store, its LOW grade no matter the cost & "brand name". Look for a store called Global, or Ryan's, or Global Ryan's (the companies merged, but not all signs have been updated) or any of their sister companies or companies they recommend you to use in your area.

At Global Ryan's (the new name) you can buy the cheapest food they have & KNOW its safe for your dog. The worst thing the cheap stuff has is grain.

gotta run.. at work...

[Seravieve]

Personally, I wouldnt feed Iams to my dogs. I wouldnt feed any food carried by Walmart or Target.. they're all just too low grade for me. We feed Nature's Recipe from Petsmart. Petco has it too, but its generally cheaper at PM. I'd consider NR a middle grade food. No corn, fillers, byproducts...

We rarely brush our dogs' teeth, but if we notice some plaque-build up, J will scrape it off with a pick.

[Morag Bates]

They say that you are what you eat !

That might explain the bad breath and wind problem.