comes frozen in pouches. Our dogs LOVE it! altho a bit pricey

I'm glad your dog likes it too. Frozen in pouches sounds convenient (I have room in the freezer too).

Thanks!

looking for approval from your vet to feed a home made diet you will never get it. I don't know what kind of dog you have but at 12 years of age your dog may be near the ending of his life cycle. This is what I would feed: plain quiona, a liver and kidney supplement, a multi vitamin supplement, and 2 or 3 times a week include salmon or boiled chicken. Quiona is mostly carbs, with about 14% protein and lo-fat.

There are a lot of dry dog food companies substituting quiona for brewer's rice which is the basis for dry food for dogs with GI issues.

How the cost of this diet compares to the one's you mentioned, I don't know. It's more labor intensive than opening a can, however.

How much quiona depends on weight/breed of dog.

You can DM me if you want more info.

Our veterinarians have never come right out and said it, but the implicit message I have gotten since my dog's last tests, is that my current veterinarian does not believe my dog ever had kidney disease. The veterinarian who diagnosed him back in 2018 is long gone. She left for Colorado to be an equestrian vet. Every year since his diagnosis we would go into our local veterinarian practice, which is about three to five veterinarians (and the turnover is staggering because the hours are long and the pay is not great).

That is a hugely helpful tip about veterinarians not giving approval for these types of diets. I believe we would have had that conversation today and now maybe I will not bring the topic up at all.

This is pure gold:

I'm so glad someone is okay with me feeding salmon. I have to get the no-skin no-bone kind next time, because it never occurred to me how much fat is in certain types of salmon. If I feed him salmon a few days in a row I noticed he was acting like he didn't feel well (maybe pre-pancreatitis?) so he gets a little bit of salmon with the skin removed, every other day, and boiled chicken on the other days.

In addition to being elderly he is also a big dog--about 70 pounds (but a good weight). He is so sweet. I'd do almost anything for him.

The funny thing about his age and health is that veterinarians have been telling me for three years that he's on death's door--either from "advanced kidney disease" (which apparently wasn't the reality) or extremely high lever abnormalities that couldn't be explained.

When he had tests done in the summer of 2023 a veterinarian I'll call "Nell" phoned me in a panic with the results and basically told me he had months. And she was upset that I was feeding him anything other than his kidney disease prescription diet--like occasional salmon and chicken.

When we returned for more testing in 2024 I learned that this veterinarian had been fired, and our new veterinarian (who I really like) implied that she was not surprised Nell had been unable to interpret the results of his kidney labs. I guess she was incompetent.

My dog had an emergency in January 2024 and had to be hospitalized for high lever values. At that time the emergency clinic did all sorts of testing and they found nothing wrong with his kidneys.

Anyway, I'm so appreciative of your advice! We'll see how today goes.

I used Dr. Pitcairn’s book to make my own dog food and it was gross (I’m vegan, so shredding up a leg of lamb really bothered me), but really helpful as far as my dog’s health. There are even vegan recipes for dogs (cats have too short a digestive tract and MUST have meat).

It’s a good-sized book, and you can find it pretty cheaply on eBay:

So several years ago, our perfect little rescue dog Jack was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. He was JUST 3 years old. It was on his muzzle. MedVet in Columbus OH (…..a WONDERFUL place….) gave him 4-6 weeks!! The cancer was THAT aggressive!! We were heartbroken - - just devastated and inconsolable.

I got really involved in researching anti-cancer diets for dogs and learned so, so much! My husband and I started making our own dog food. Long story short, we were able to keep Jack with us for 6 months but the cancer eventually claimed his sweet soul. We managed to keep him pain free with Hemp based products for a long time, but the MINUTE we saw any indications of pain, we gave him Tramadol. Not long after, we made the awful decision and bid our tearful farewell.

Long story short, I continued making food for our other dog - Alli - and continued to learn and learn and learn. Our local vet has a “holistic” bent so she was very supportive and very helpful.

All that said, our doggies will FOREVER be on a diet most aligned with their ancestral diet. So no kibble. I LOVED making their food, but a year ago, we opted to try Farmer’s Dog and have been using it ever since. We have been thrilled.

Alli has been off kibble since Jack was diagnosed. She will be 13 this year. She weighs around 60 pounds and is a good old mixed breed rescue doggie. She ZOOMS, has limited “graying” on her nose, her eyes are clear, she has no joint issues, etc. Her fur is soft and shiny and our vet marvels that she is so healthy at her age.

Mack, our other rescue, is still exhibiting such PUPPY ANTICS at 7 years old now!! He has been on a more natural diet since we adopted him from our local shelter at 4 months old!

So GOOD ON YOU for looking out for your pup! My journey about dog nutrition issues continues, but I am a real believer in natural foods, herbs, etc. for all that ails them. Farmer’s Dog has really worked for us.

All that said, we are a PRO-SCIENCE household! We adore our vet, and she is near and dear to us. We also believe that integrating modern medicine with modern knowledge of nutrition is the absolute best route when it comes to our furry friends……or all of us TOO for that matter.

I’m an amateur, to be clear, when it comes to this topic. But I am passionate about it. I sure hope other DU’ers with more background will chime in, too.

Best, best, best to you and your baby and thank you for caring for him so much!!

I'm so very sorry you lost a rescue dog to osteosarcoma. That is what took the life of my third dog, Casey. Casey was around eight and he was misdiagnosed with low-back calcification until one day we returned from a walk that seemed normal. He walked into the kitchen and sat down and never walked again without assistance.

It's horrible and I am so sorry you experienced this.

You really expressed it: I am sick of dogs getting cancer. Your little pup was so young and it happened to him Obviously we are doing something wrong!

That was my original goal with Brendon, who someone abandoned (apparently. We can never know the whole story). His first two or three years were spent with a young girl who tried her best to take care of him but really couldn't. She couldn't afford his medical care, and she never walked him and left him tied up in the back yard or shut in her bedroom. Her heart was in the right place but she was very young and had no experience caring for a dog.

To her credit, she realized she was not giving him a very good life and allowed me to adopt him.

I really admire how you turned tragedy into action. Now I need to do the same. I really appreciate hearing your story and what you did about it.

Thank you so much.