# Meal Supplements



## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Alvin is a (roughly) 8-year-old, 70 pound black Lab and Shar Pei mix. He eats Nutro's Natural Choice adult formula kibble with a couple of spoonfuls of Merrick's brand canned food mixed in.

I would sort of have liked to go for a RAW diet, but I simply do not have the time or energy for the research, shopping, and prep right now.

Alvin seems to be very happy and healthy with his diet. My only complaint is that he sheds TREMENDOUS amounts of hair. Hair isn't coming out in chunks, nor does he have bald spots, but when I pet him I come away with a fistful of loose hair and I frequently see dog-hair tumbleweeds blowing through my home. I brush him at least once daily and vacuum him (yes, vacuum him) about once a week.

I know that a doggie daily vitamin can often stop shedding like this, but I am overwhelmed by my options. Dinovite, Nupro, Missing Link... Anyone have thoughts on high quality dog food supplements? 

We have an appointment with the vet for a booster shot in a couple of weeks, so we'll consult her, too


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

I have heard Missing Link was pretty good. You can also try rotating his foods every once in a while too. One food doesnt have it all, so your dog will benefit nutrient wise from different sources. Here's a short article on why: 
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/changing_foods.htm

From the same website on dog food analysis: 
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

Here's Nutro's review - it's in a two category.  You would probably do much better to find something in the 4,5 and 6 category. 

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=16&cat=all


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Two options you might try: the first is Canine Plus vitamins from Vetriscience. You can order them from www.kvvet.com. They also come in a senior formula and they are very reasonably priced.

The second is a supplement called Show Stopper. It's an all in one supplement. It's great for coat, body and joints. It's a powder you add to food. 

Actually, you could even try adding a sardine a day to the dogs food. They are a great source of the Omegas which help tremendously with obtaining a healthy coat. They should be the sardines packed in water. 

I know others will have their suggestions so you may come away even more overwhelmed than you were before.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

mine were terrible shedders until i put them on the Missing Link......they still shed but where i was getting 3-4 brushes full from each dog, now i only get 3-4 from all the dogs combined......you can get it w/ or w/out Gluco......for one at 8 yrs the Gluco would probably be best......


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

You will also benefit from regular brushings with an undercoat rake.

At first, you'll think the fur will never stop coming, but it will.

Our lab liked the undercoat rake so much, that I had to stop brushing him in public. People thought there was something kinky going on.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

_"Here's Nutro's review - it's in a two category. You would probably do much better to find something in the 4,5 and 6 category." _

Of course all the 4s, 5s, and 6s on the list are the dog foods that are really expensive at my feed store. Good thing I wasn't planning on having children  

The website is awesome, if the instrument of my eventual bankruptcy. I actually did some research before settling on Nutro (at least it's not a one, right?), but there are so many opinions on various foods and so many facts supporting all of them that it is extremely hard to separate the good, the bad, and the ugly. I like that the website you recommended didn't just rate the foods, but also did the "pros and cons" thing where it explained exactly _why _each food had been rated the way it had. 

Ron - I already call him my fuzzy boyfriend, surely it doesn't get any kinkier than that. Do you recommend any particular brand of undercoat rake or will the generic I can get at the pet store do okay? 

So far, so good. Thanks guys!


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## TearahBey77 (Jul 18, 2007)

I feed my pup missing link plus. He loves it and i feel that it is good for his joints since he is a large breed. Also there is no risk of oversupplementation bcits all from foor sources!


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

FilleBelle said:


> _"Here's Nutro's review - it's in a two category. You would probably do much better to find something in the 4,5 and 6 category." _
> 
> Of course all the 4s, 5s, and 6s on the list are the dog foods that are really expensive at my feed store. Good thing I wasn't planning on having children


Ick.  I should really preview my posts sometimes - I am sorry if I came off as such a dog food snob. And while I am confessing, I should really learn to stay "on-topic", too.  
Anywho...please forgive me. I only recommended rotating foods because your dog will gain from one what it doesn't get from another. While you don't have to ditch the Nutro, there are a few other affordable brands like Canidae and Natural Balance that you could throw in without adding an additional supplement. If not, Missing Link is the one that I have heard the most good feed back from. Like the above poster mentioned, there isn't a risk of over-supplementation.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Lol, I did not detect any dog snobbery. I was just lamenting the fact that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. I was very glad for the link to the site. I think their information is very user-friendly.

It's amazing that you both mentioned the over supplementation, because that was going to be my next question. I was thinking that if I am feeding a 6 kibble with a couple spoonfuls of a 6 wet food, then maybe extra stuff is going to be too much of a good thing. Sounds like maybe not, though.

Y'all are so very useful, not to mention so very friendly. I'm glad I finally joined up on this site, rather than just skulking quietly around the visitors' area!


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

FilleBelle said:


> Lol, I did not detect any dog snobbery. I was just lamenting the fact that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. I was very glad for the link to the site. I think their information is very user-friendly.


Well good. Nutrition and dog food is one of my areas of GREAT interest. Before I switched to RAW I was spending a small fortune on Timberwolf - but it was worth it, it's darn good stuff. 
I love that food analysis site - it's very user friendly. 

Glad you joined the site - it's fun and can be very interesting - especially when those crazy Plott Hound owners get to talking *points finger at RonE*


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## TomN (Jul 1, 2007)

Try the "Furminator" for grooming: 
http://www.furminator.com/testbed/indexnew.html

Anything rich in Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids added to their food should improve coat conditions.





FilleBelle said:


> [I
> The website is awesome, if the instrument of my eventual bankruptcy. I actually did some research before settling on Nutro (at least it's not a one, right?), but there are so many opinions on various foods and so many facts supporting all of them that it is extremely hard to separate the good, the bad, and the ugly. I like that the website you recommended didn't just rate the foods, but also did the "pros and cons" thing where it explained exactly _why _each food had been rated the way it had.


Don't believe everything you read on the internet. I am skeptical of that site, which seems to leave out who is actually rating these foods along with their expertise in doing so. They rate all holistic brands high and leave many brands that people have fed successfully for years at the lower end of the scale. If your dog is doing well on a 2 star or 3 star or what ever star food, who cares what somebody else rated it at.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

I like the other site - I like their criteria for rating foods, regardless of who the author is. 
There is also dogfoodproject.com. 
Either way, it's all up to you and what you feel comfortable with.


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## nico8 (Jul 16, 2009)

My dog sheds a ton also and the only thing I've found that really slows it down(along with daily brushing) is adding salmon oil to her meals. She still sheds but only about half as much as before.

I've been looking into various supplements(Missing Link, Nupro, Show Stopper) to try to improve her coat but I just don't have the extra cash right now to order one online if I don't know for sure that it's going to help. If you do decide to go the route of one of these supplements please keep us updated as to how well your pup does on it... I'd really like some first hand feed back.


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## wolfsnaps (Apr 27, 2007)

RonE said:


> You will also benefit from regular brushings with an undercoat rake.
> 
> At first, you'll think the fur will never stop coming, but it will.
> 
> Our lab liked the undercoat rake so much, that I had to stop brushing him in public. People thought there was something kinky going on.




HAHAHAHAHAAA.....thats cute.

I am going to agree. I say get the furminator and feed a high quality food, with fish oil suuplement (in capsules) and you could do other supplements like glucosamine/choindroitin/msm/hyraluic acid

But a combo of good grooming and the right nutrients should help. And...its a lab  so shedding will never stop completely.


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## EXBCMC (Jul 7, 2007)

our dogs love missing link


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Labs are crazy shedders---"chew 'til they're 2 and shed 'til they're dead"  . A good undercoat rake will help, but of course he's still a Lab.

When I used to feed Nutro, the dogs always shedded more and had poor coats. I don't know if a food change would help but it might be worth a try.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

While I appreciate the new thoughts, my question was from almost three years ago. I'm happy with my rotation of dog food (which does NOT include Nutro) and with Alvin's health (including his much-reduced shedding).


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Haha, look at that! I need to pay more attention to post dates. Why do these things keep getting dragged up from the way far pages?!?


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Lol, no problem, Willowy. The post was back from when Alvin first came to live with me. He had been bounced from home to home and was just generally in bad physical shape. The shedding cleared up to a more normal Lab level with a change in food, a good exercise routine, and just some basic dog-love.


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## nico8 (Jul 16, 2009)

Wow yeah it was from 2 years ago... I don't know how I managed to dig that one up.


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