My Favorite Online Holistic Vet, DogtorJ

There is one online veterinarian whose opinion I completely trust. Having been through his own health issues, he is extremely sensitive to what constitutes a good pet food.

His website was the first I’d ever seen that linked Epilepsy in Dogs to ingredients in their pet foods. He also linked Gluten Intolerance and other grains to poor health in dogs and cats.

He does not sell any of the pet foods that he recommends, just so as to stay objective. I was pleased to see that he listed my favorite pet food in his top three.

His handout, The Truth About Ingredients In Pet Foods, is a shocker and should be read by every animal caretaker. He says, “It can make a difference between a pet living to 5 or 25 [years of age]“.

The following comes from his Pet Food Handout:

Dogtor J.s Recommended Pet Foods

Note: This is only a partial list of foods that I routinely recommend to my clients in the exam room based on availability, price, and ingredient content. Which foods I suggest depends somewhat on what condition(s) I am trying to improve. Again, please keep in mind that these recommendations are based on what the average veterinary client is willing to do, not on those who are to do whatever it takes to feed their pet the ideal diet. For the latter, there is no doubt that home-cooked and/or raw diets would be more ideal.

For allergies, I always eliminate the “big four”…gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy, and corn. The next is rice. If we have to remove rice, then that leaves only the “cure in a bag”…duck and potato…and The Eukanuba Response KO (Kangaroo and oats).

For epilepsy, I follow the same progression as above if the seizures are mild or far apart and if the owner is reluctant to go straight to the potato-based diet. For severe seizures, the first choice is the IVD Duck and Potato (or their venison, fish or rabbit formulas). However, at this time, I have a number of dogs on th Nutro Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice, a number of the Nutro Lamb and Rice, and the rest on the IVD Duck and Potato. I have them avoid ALL commercial treats and give fruits and veggies as snacks.

Here are the most readily available foods again:

* I.V.D. - Potato-based diets available through most veterinarians. The “Cadillac” as far as what is readily available as a dietary remedy to chronic medical problems in the dog. This is the food that I call “a cure in a bag” and I use it for my toughest epileptics and allergy cases with great results. Then, if people want to “downgrade” from there to a pure rice-based diet (e.g. Life’s Abundance), it is their choice. Time will tell if the pet can tolerate other foods. Food allergy testing (e.g. VARL in California) is a great tool here. The pea-based cat foods will be great for some cats. However, there can be a cross-reaction between peas and corn that can cause problems in some cats.

* Life’s Abundance Premium Health Food for dogs and cats- This is the newest pet food manufacturer that I have come across. The company is obviously dedicated to feeding the pet as correctly as possible. The diets were formulated by a veterinarian (Dr. Jane Bicks) who is clearly on the right path. This food is available in cat and dog food formulas. http://ushealthypet.net

* Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice Adult formula (available at pet shops)- One of the best available kibbled dog foods at the pet shop as of this writing. Comes in regular, growth, and reduced calorie. Not all lines of Nutro are “safe”, however. Read labels.

* Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Duck and Potato dog food- Like the I.V.D. above, this potato-based diet is ideal for allergic, epileptic, and chronically painful dogs because of it being hypoallergenic and low in the neuroactive amino acids glutamate and asparate. It is now available at select pet shops. Here is their site, where you can find the distributor nearest you- http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/.

*Lamaderm by NaturaLife- This is one of the original pure lamb and rice diets formulated back in the 1980’s. It is now available at WalMart. But, don’t let that fool you. I spoke at length to the CEO of this company and they know what’s what when it comes to making this formula. I have now had many clients feed this food with great success.

*Canidae and Felidae Pet Foods- Once again, these are only available at select pet shops as of this writing and that is too bad. They have none of the “big 4″ and have performed miracles in some of my patients, including my own cat. They do have a number of different proteins present to which cats and dogs could have become sensitized while on the diets with the big 4 in them. But, for those without significant allergies, this food is my new first choice for a commercially available cat food.

*Diamond Naturals- The Naturals line of Diamond food meets my criteria. I was pleasantly surprised to see that these were available at our local feed and seed store.

*Wellness- The new CORE grain-free cat food is now available at pet shops and meets these strict criteria. Their fish and fowl is for kittens and adult cats. They also have a new CORE dog formula.

* I.V.D. and Nutro RICE-based Treats- Available here and at pet shops.These are here if you must feel compelled to give your dog a cookie of some kind. I prefer that people think outside the box and give fruits and veggies are treats.

Premium Special-Order Foods:

These are “the Cadillacs” of the pet foods. For those that have the philosophy that price is no object or those that simply see the value in feeding the best, these are your guys. I would like to point out to the reader what I tell my clients. Think of what you spend in medication, supplements, and veterinary bills before you write these foods off as being “too expensive”. The difference in a twenty pound bag of one of these foods versus the grocey food may seem to be a significant amount at first glance. However, that difference rarely approaches the cost of multiple monthly prescriptions and too many vet visits. You do the math. Certainly, multi-pet households get expensive, but the same principle applies, doesn’t it. Think of these as “health insurance” in many cases. Here they are:

* Life’s Abundance Premium Health Food for Dogs and Cats- This is the newest pet food manufacturer that I have come across. They are clearly dedicated to feeding the pet as correctly as possible. It is available in cat and dog food formulas. http://ushealthypet.net

* The BARF diet- This is an up and coming food available through local distributors. It was developed by Dr. Billinghurst of Australia. This has the greatest potential of any of the foods, in my opinion. I’m sure it will be a forerunner in the “cure in a bag” category as it has none of the offending ingredients while being loaded with vegetables and natural nutrients. Read more about it on my Raw Diet section (under construction).Here is the link to his site (Distributors are also listed): www.barfworld.com .

* Oma’s Pride- http://www.omaspride.com/

* Canidae and Felidae - Check the internet for availability of these newer foods. Their formulations are very much in line with the recommendations on this site. Many contain rice, which is fine for most epileptics and allergy sufferers in my experience. Here is the link to their site: www.canidae.com

* Orijen Pet Foods- http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/

* Timberwolf Organics- http://timberwolforganics.com/

“Clean” Pet Foods

* Here is a more complete list of “clean” foods (those without gluten, dairy, soy, and corn) that I have been working on. Keep in mind that for epileptic dogs, the potato-based diets are still the best as they are the lowest in glutamate. The grain alternatives (including rice) are much higher in this non-essential, neurostimulating amino acid that we are limiting to help seizures and pain in pets as well those plus insomnia, headaches, ADHD and more in people.

Here is the ever-expanding list:

1) Canidae and Felidae

2) Canine Caviar Lamb & Pearl Millet Adult Dog Food

3) Canine Caviar Chicken & Pearl Millet Adult Dog Food

4) Diamond Naturals Senior 8+ Dog Formula

5) Diamond Naturals Active Cat

6) Dick Van Patten Natural Balance Duck and Potato, Venison and Brown Rice, and Sweet Potato and Fish Formulas

7) Eagle Pack Holistic Select^®Duck Meal & Oatmeal Formula

Eagle Pack Holistic Select^® Lamb Meal & Rice Formula

9) Eukanuba Response KO and FP

10) Flint River Ranch- Lamb, Millet and Rice Formula For Food Sensitive Dogs.

11) Flint River Ranch- Trout And Sweet Potato

12) Hill’s Science Diet potato-based foods (New!)

13) IVD/Royal Canin- L.I.D.s (potato-based diets)

14) Lamaderm by NaturaLife (now available at Walmart)- Adult and Puppy formulas

15) Life’s Abundance Premium Health Food for Dogs and Cats- http://ushealthypet.net

16) Natura California Naturals- Dog and cat foods

17) Nature’s Variety Lamb Meal and Oatmeal Medley cat food.

18) Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice

19) Orijen Pet foods

20) PMI Nutrition Exclusive™ Lamb & Rice Adult Formula

21) Solid Gold Barking at the Moon

22) Timberwolf Organics- Dakota™ Bison Canid Formula

23) Wellness CORE- Dog and cat food

Note: If allergy symptoms persist after 3-6 weeks of starting these diets, then blood testing is available to identify other food allergies. These can be varied and numerous, especially in aged pets.If seizures persist for more than a few days, then further restriction of glutamate-containing foods should be accomplished immediately.

Above all, BE STRICT. Food allergies can be very sensitive conditions and the least amount of the offending substance can trigger reactions that can last for days. Remember: When the immune system decides that it doesn’t like something, it wants no more of it, not just less of it. Be creative in finding safe treats for your pets- those that MATCH the diet. This will be a lot harder on you than your pet.I now encourage people to think outside the box, incorporating fruits and vegetables as treats for their dogs. Mine love baby carrots, blueberries, apples, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes, especially with a little peanut butter on them.