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Find out which type of stones you are dealing with as the diets for the two are quite different. With Struvite stones the urine Ph needs to be kept acidic to help prevent them . With Calcium Oxalate stones you want to keep the Urine PH alkaline. If it is Calcium Oxalate stones you are dealing with google the Fuzzer diet it is made with low oxalate foods . It is food you would make with human grade food and looks like a great diet for good health.
I am in the process of looking into it for Dash as in the past he has had calcium Oxolate stones and was on UD ( which I have never liked), Now he refuses to eat UD. He also has nasal cancer and needs to be on a high protein diet. If all that is not complicated enough He has only wanted baby food the meats or green peas and boiled chicken I did get him to eat some EVO this weekend . This started when he had a bad nasal infection a few weeks ago so my vet said just feed him what ever he wants and when I dropped a urine off a week ago the PH was alkaline where we want it to prevent the calcium oxolate stones but he had crystals that look like those that struvite stones are formed from . They could be crystals from the Baytril he was on so we will just keep feeding him what ever he will eat for now and check the urine again in a month.Chicken and most meats are part of the fuzzer diet so I am not too concerned about the calcium oxolate stones right now but am unsure if I should give him the calcium citrate that is part of the Fuzzer diet as if we really are seeing crystals for sturvite stones now having an alkaline PH might encourage the growth of them. Things just are never easy or clear cut!
My dog has had a kidney disease (Fanconi's) for six years. We feed him Innova Senior mixed with a little chicken or lean beef-- whatever we have. We break up the meat and moisten it with a little water to make a chunky gravy paste then mix it with the dry food. For a treat, he gets a spoonful of plain yogurt every day. Occasionally, we'll give him a spoonful of scrambled eggs. He does very well on this diet and he's never had a UTI, which is very unusual for a dog with kidney disease. Mixing in a little of our own food fills him up and stretches the dog food further, too. That's the great thing about dogs-- they never complain about leftovers and they're not that picky!
GypsySoul22,
When I adopted Dash his name was SAM. I had a co worker I was not too fond of named Sam so there was no way I was calling this dog Sam. I also believe a new life deserves a new name. Well " Sam" would Dash out of any open door or gate so it was obvious his name was Dash!
Dog food is getting very expensive this is due to the rising cost of grain/cereal which leads to rise in meat cost. It isn't just dog food but also groceries are getting more expensive. I've noticed food go up $5-20 per bag depending on the food.
If you are paying $75 for a bag you could probably pay less and get a better quality food. SD is very expensive, it always has seemed to be even though its not that great of food. If you have a petco in your area you can check out Solid Gold or Wellness. Or check out a feed store or farm and ranch store. You could also look into a raw or home cooked diet where you control the ingredients, I prefer raw for my own. It can be more costly when compared to some foods depending on what you feed (I think it cost more then the Canidae, Solid Gold and certain ones, compared to some others it is cheaper) at $75 a bag I'd think you'd probably save. You can look for sales, find discount meat sources, ect.
Comment about K9 Magazine comparing expesive vs. cheap pet foods
An interesting article outlining the issues and concerns we face with dog food in general (not only bought over the counter) can be found at the link below
poochandme.com - K9 Magazine - Expensive Pet Food Brands No Better Than Cheap Pet Food? (http://www.poochandme.com/blog/K9-Magazine-Expensive-Pet-Food-Brands-No-Better-Than-Cheap-Pet-Food-.html - broken link)
In particular it comments on the article in K9 magazine which shows that cheap pet food is not better than more expensive brands.
I always keep a bowl of Flint River available to my dog, and feed him mostly my home made dog food. I found that making his food from human grade ingredients is now cheaper that buying a quality canned dog food. There are lots of recipes for home made dog food on the web. It just take a little time and effort, but saves money, my dog loves it and I know it is better for him.
Don
I recall 15 years ago when my Ridgeback was just a pup dog food normally were found in 5, 20 and 40# bags. Now they have reduced the size to a lot of the popular brands and charge more.
my last dog I had for 16 years and she wouldn't touch dog food-ever! Man she was one healthy pooch. After she passed away I got a malti-poo and she's been on dog food since she was old enough. She's 3 years old now and has been The sickest,most allergy prone dog I've ever seen.
I'm taking her off dog food for good. People food only from here on out. I'll be careful what kind-but no more dog food!
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Comment about K9 Magazine comparing expesive vs. cheap pet foods
