# Which is better? Blue buffalo, Merrick, Innova ...



## Jenny&Coco (Apr 2, 2013)

I have maltese.
He has allergy & tear. (almost 2years old)


I want to give more than the holistic.
Which is better? Blue buffalo, Merrick, Innova ... ? 
or recommended also good.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

What type of allergies?

Go for a grain free formula. I personally like Orijen and Acana (Grain Free) for dry foods. For a maltese, though, you could do even better and feed air dried or raw if a budget isn't an issue for you. Have a look at ZiwiPeak. It's a great food


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

My dogs are on Nutrisource grain free. I love it, and it's not stupid expensive like those other brands


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## Jenny&Coco (Apr 2, 2013)

taquitos said:


> What type of allergies?
> 
> Go for a grain free formula. I personally like Orijen and Acana (Grain Free) for dry foods. For a maltese, though, you could do even better and feed air dried or raw if a budget isn't an issue for you. Have a look at ZiwiPeak. It's a great food



He has " Yeast Infections " 
sometimes he bite & lick his foots.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Jenny&Coco said:


> He has " Yeast Infections "
> sometimes he bite & lick his foots.


A yeast infection is not the same as an allergy. They often go hand in hand, but a yeast infection occurs when there is a yeast overgrowth within the dog's body. If he has a yeast infection you want no grains and as little carbs as possible (including potato, etc.). You will probably want to go with a food like ZiwiPeak in this case (no veggies in ZiwiPeak, just meat, green lipped mussel powder, and organs). In addition to that you will want to start giving your dog probiotics to help balance the natural flora in your dog's digestive tract. Depending on how long your dog has been on grain inclusive foods, it may take months for your dog to recover from a yeast infection, and you might notice it getting worse before it gets better since the dog will be detoxing.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

If he has yeast, I recommend a grain and potato free food. I know someone who put her yeasty dog on Annamaet Aqualuk.


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## Babysway (Apr 25, 2013)

What's an air dried brand?


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Babysway said:


> What's an air dried brand?


Unlike kibble, ZiwiPeak, only air dries the meat, so that it isn't as processed. It's easier on their systems (takes 4-6 hours to digest like raw meat, kibble takes 14-16 hours), they seem to enjoy eating it more, and it's more convenient than raw.

Kibble usually involves a high heat cooking process, which kills many of the naturally occurring enzymes that dogs can benefit from from eating raw meat.


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## TTs Towel (May 22, 2012)

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## TTs Towel (May 22, 2012)

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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

That is hard to believe you haven't ever read this before. This factoid has been circulating on the internet for as long as it has been in existence. Hard to believe dogs will get sick from eating raw and cooked together when we humans do it on a daily basis and do just fine.

It is possible it was formulated here, this site has been out there since at least 2004.
http://www.mountaindogfood.com/HealthCare/digestion/Digestion/slides.htm


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## TTs Towel (May 22, 2012)

I disagree with this completely.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

So true and the citations on the last slide are not exactly compelling ones. Not going to look up those references but am sure they consist of more than a page or two.

I completely agree with you, just showing you a place that is promoting this myth. And really, you never read this one before? It comes up each and every time the idea of mixing raw and kibble is mentioned.


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## TTs Towel (May 22, 2012)

I disagree with this completely.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

TTs Towel said:


> I really have not. I suppose I've just glossed over it. It just seems pretty overwhelming to me to think that the difference between the two would be that much. Especially if you consider that gastric emptying time is usually around 4 hours (for any food). I find it hard to believe that if kibble were emptied from the stomach in 4 hours it would take an additional 10-12 hours for digestion in the small bowel. The motility of the gut (in healthy dogs) just isn't that slow for any item (raw, kibble, foreign bodies). If kibble were to sit in the gut for 12-16 hours than dogs all over the world would have serious food bloat every day since most dogs are fed every 12 hours. It would just accumulate too much.
> 
> Now, I don't doubt that a food that's higher in complex carbohydrates promotes *slightly* slower digestion. This is the whole rationale behind feeding these foods to diabetic dogs -- that is, these foods will result in fewer glucose spikes and allow the blood sugar to increase slower so that diabetic dogs can be better controlled on their insulin therapy. But an additional 10-12 hours? ehhh


Honestly, I've only been told this, I have no actual sources (as for the digestion rates). Like Kathyyy, I don't have the actual sources (you can actually see that a thread had been started to find the original source for this by another member).

But carbs and the frequency/severity of yeast infections HAVE been linked, even in human medicine. Here's an example of a study:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/69/6/1170.long

That's why such a thing as the Candida diet exists (for people) 


And TTs Towel, I am still waiting on why you are so against Dr Karen Becker, besides the fact that she is associated with Mercola  Your response to my other thread was pretty vague with no stated reason. Would be nice to return the favor (I recommend her videos all the time so I want to know if there are actual problems with what she says).


ETA:

Also, I will add this:
My fosters are fed mostly kibble (since I foster larger dogs and I can't afford to feed them raw). I do find that they poop many hours later (I usually feed them once in the morning, and they end up pooping in the afternoon/night).

My own dog is on raw, and he poops once around noon/early afternoon (he eats around 7:30 AM).

I know that isn't a scientific study, but just what I have noticed with their pooping habits lol!


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

My chihuahua chews his feet too and gets yeast infections - since cutting out most grains, and potato, even sweet potato from his diet he is doing much better  We feed Honest Kitchen Thrive and Zeal (topped with fresh meat) as well as Canine Caviar Open Sky. My mom's shepherd had constant yeast infections in his ear, he eats Honest Kitchen Thrive for dinner and Canine Caviar Lamb and Millet for breakfast and his ears have been good so far. Some of the grain free, potato free diets are really heavy on the peas which ours dogs didn't tolerate either - they both itched a lot on Nutrisource grain free lamb


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## TTs Towel (May 22, 2012)

I disagree with this completely.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

TTs Towel said:


> The study listed shows a link with Candida albicans. The yeast found in dogs is almost always Mallassezia pachydermatitis as it's part of the natural flora of canine skin. It is not associated with the natural flora of the intestines. Mallassezia dermatitis (what you know as a yeast infection of the skin) occurs as a secondary problem to (in the vast majority of cases) an underlying problem such as atopic dermatitis (>75% of cases) or food allergy dermatitis (10-15% of cases). This info can be located in any veterinary dermatology textbook.


That I knew (minus the medical terms for the type of yeast found in dogs). But yeast feeds on sugars, in general. I don't have access to veterinary journals (def. not a vet lol), but I find it hard to believe that there is absolutely no link between sugars present in processed foods (grain and potato inclusive) when so many people, including myself, have had luck with dogs doing better on grain and potato free kibble. Of course, that isn't the ONLY thing you should be doing if there are underlying issues (such as food allergies, sensitivities, etc.).


Aaaaaand I am still waiting on the Dr Karen Becker... I am worried now because I do suggest her videos often, and she seems very reliable imo. I would hate to be giving wrong info. out


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