# New to forum with some questions...



## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

I would not consider myself as knowlegeable as some of the people on the forum concerning diet and nutrition but, I am positive that your puppers skin flaking can be caused by lack of the proper diet. My 6 mo old pup is doing nicely on Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed puppy. No skin problems, managable poops, and a really nice coat. Besides he likes the stuff. I supplement the diet with Nupro Joint Supplement per my breeders suggestion. You will get a ton of food info here:smooch:
Wagondog

BTW........That is one georgous pup you have. Enjoy him, surprized you didn't name him "Treat"


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Hi and welcome to the forum. That certainly was a creative way to give your kids a new puppy!! I bet it was the best Halloween ever... and hopefully they were so busy playing with the puppy you were able to steal some of their candy!!:curtain: As to your questions, I don't have any great insight... I'm not familiar with the medication prescribed by your vet. Many of the users here give salmon oil/fish oil as a supplement to their dogs to help with skin and coat issues. It is also possible that the food you are currently giving him is contributing to the problem. As for food suggestions, that can get to be a bit of a hot debate around here, as there are a variety of great premium foods out there. Personally, I've had great success with Eagle Pack Holistic Select, but it's nowhere near the only choice. If you do a search through the forum, I'm sure you'll find MANY threads relating directly to this issue. Plus I'm sure more members will be stopping through to let you know what has worked for them. Good luck with your new pup... and when you get a chance be sure to share some more pictures!! Your pup is gorgeous, and we can never get enough puppy pictures!

Julie and Jersey


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

wagondog said:


> I would not consider myself as knowlegeable as some of the people on the forum concerning diet and nutrition but, I am positive that your puppers skin flaking can be caused by lack of the proper diet. My 6 mo old pup is doing nicely on Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed puppy. No skin problems, managable poops, and a really nice coat. Besides he likes the stuff. I supplement the diet with Nupro Joint Supplement per my breeders suggestion. You will get a ton of food info here:smooch:
> Wagondog
> 
> BTW........That is one georgous pup you have. Enjoy him, surprized you didn't name him "Treat"


Hello wagondog,

Thanks for the recommendations! Is the Nutro brand readily available at any pet store or do I have to order that online or through my vet? I've read others recommend this brand on the forums, too. May be something Hunter will like.

As for the name, we did think about "Treat," but "Hunter" has always been our favorite. Lately, though, the kids have been calling him "Stinky" Hunter because of the odor problem.

Thanks again!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Jersey's Mom said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum. That certainly was a creative way to give your kids a new puppy!! I bet it was the best Halloween ever... and hopefully they were so busy playing with the puppy you were able to steal some of their candy!!:curtain: As to your questions, I don't have any great insight... I'm not familiar with the medication prescribed by your vet. Many of the users here give salmon oil/fish oil as a supplement to their dogs to help with skin and coat issues. It is also possible that the food you are currently giving him is contributing to the problem. As for food suggestions, that can get to be a bit of a hot debate around here, as there are a variety of great premium foods out there. Personally, I've had great success with Eagle Pack Holistic Select, but it's nowhere near the only choice. If you do a search through the forum, I'm sure you'll find MANY threads relating directly to this issue. Plus I'm sure more members will be stopping through to let you know what has worked for them. Good luck with your new pup... and when you get a chance be sure to share some more pictures!! Your pup is gorgeous, and we can never get enough puppy pictures!
> 
> Julie and Jersey


Hi Julie:wave:,

Thank you for the recommendation! I'll have to check that brand as well. I'm open to all suggestions that will make my puppy's life better. Hunter's such a good dog and I don't want him suffering from all these bad things. I want to get a good start on his nutrition because that is one of the main necessities for a happy, healthy dog.

Thank you for the compliments! Your Jersey is one great looking dog, too. How old is he?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Hi and welcome! What an adorable puppy!

His flaky skin and his anal glands definately can be tied to his diet. There are several premium foods that should help with both issues.

California Natural
Canidae All Life Stages
Evo
Solid Gold

Those are just a few that I would recommend.


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

Hi there, welcome to the forum. For the flake issue, I reccomend a tbsp of Olive Oil in the food 5 times a week or so. For food there are certainly better choices then Iams. I would reccomend Canidae - easy to find and works well for many many dogs. You may have to do some testing on foods. Diffrent food work for diffrent dogs. Good luck and welcome.


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## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

JennB said:


> Hello wagondog,
> 
> Thanks for the recommendations! Is the Nutro brand readily available at any pet store or do I have to order that online or through my vet? I've read others recommend this brand on the forums, too. May be something Hunter will like.
> 
> ...


Hi Jenn (my daughter spells it like that)
Nutro is available in any pet food store (PetSmart, PetsPlus) as well as most small pet food stores. I's readily available. Just as a thought for you.
My breeder informed me and I have confirmed this...Large Breed Puppy food does not make the puppy grow faster as the name implies. It slows the growth to help prevent a whole bunch of muscular and skeletal problems.
You may want to check into it for your pup.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Hello and Welcome,
I love the picture of little Hunter and what a great way for your kids to get a treat on halloween. I know the skin and fishy odor will improve with his diet being changed. There are alot of great foods out there. My puppy eats the Natural Balance dog food. It is not puppy but he is now 5 1/2 mo old so I wanted him to not grow so fast, I switched him over to it and my breeder (Hooch) said it was ok. 
The Nutro large breed puppy is a good food and you can get it at Petsmart or Petco.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

JennB said:


> Hi Julie:wave:,
> 
> Thank you for the recommendation! I'll have to check that brand as well. I'm open to all suggestions that will make my puppy's life better. Hunter's such a good dog and I don't want him suffering from all these bad things. I want to get a good start on his nutrition because that is one of the main necessities for a happy, healthy dog.
> 
> Thank you for the compliments! Your Jersey is one great looking dog, too. How old is he?


Jersey is 2 years old... but he still thinks he's a puppy!! Good luck with your food search... you've gotten some great suggestions so far, and I"m sure you'll be able to find something that's easy for you to get and works well for Hunter. It sounds like he's lucky to have you!

Julie and Jersey


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

fostermom said:


> Hi and welcome! What an adorable puppy!
> 
> His flaky skin and his anal glands definately can be tied to his diet. There are several premium foods that should help with both issues.
> 
> ...


Thank you, fostermom! Wow, so many to choose from. I sure wish they had one of those taste-testing booths at the pet store like they do in regular stores. I'm sure I'll find one that'll help Hunter.

Thanks again!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Ash said:


> Hi there, welcome to the forum. For the flake issue, I reccomend a tbsp of Olive Oil in the food 5 times a week or so. For food there are certainly better choices then Iams. I would reccomend Canidae - easy to find and works well for many many dogs. You may have to do some testing on foods. Diffrent food work for diffrent dogs. Good luck and welcome.


Thank you, Ash! I guess I'll just have to try them all to see which one will agree with Hunter. BTW, is the Olive oil better than the Salmon oil? 

Thanks for the warm welcome!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

wagondog said:


> Hi Jenn (my daughter spells it like that)
> Nutro is available in any pet food store (PetSmart, PetsPlus) as well as most small pet food stores. I's readily available. Just as a thought for you.
> My breeder informed me and I have confirmed this...Large Breed Puppy food does not make the puppy grow faster as the name implies. It slows the growth to help prevent a whole bunch of muscular and skeletal problems.
> You may want to check into it for your pup.


I think I will have Hunter try out the Nutro to see how it affects his ailments. Thanks again for the recommendation!

And tell your daughter that she has a lovely name!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

BeauShel said:


> Hello and Welcome,
> I love the picture of little Hunter and what a great way for your kids to get a treat on halloween. I know the skin and fishy odor will improve with his diet being changed. There are alot of great foods out there. My puppy eats the Natural Balance dog food. It is not puppy but he is now 5 1/2 mo old so I wanted him to not grow so fast, I switched him over to it and my breeder (Hooch) said it was ok.
> The Nutro large breed puppy is a good food and you can get it at Petsmart or Petco.


Hello Carol:wavey:,

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I really appreciate everyone that has done that so far. You all are a fabulous bunch!

As I've said to wagondog, I'll have Hunter try out the Nutro to see if it helps him. Then I'll go from there. If I have to test all the food recommended here, I'll do so until we find the right one for him.

Thanks again! BTW, Bama is a handsome dog!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Jersey's Mom said:


> Jersey is 2 years old... but he still thinks he's a puppy!! Good luck with your food search... you've gotten some great suggestions so far, and I"m sure you'll be able to find something that's easy for you to get and works well for Hunter. It sounds like he's lucky to have you!
> 
> Julie and Jersey


Thank you, Julie! With all of your recommendations, I think we have a great starting point.


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

There are many premium foods that will help with his anal glands and flaky skin. Just remember that just because its super premium, that doesn't mean it will work for your dog. You might have to play around with different foods to see what works. And try to keep them on the food for at least a month to give it a chance to work. I am a big fan of Natura products, they make Innova, California Natural, and Evo. Canidae is also good, as well as Eagle Pack (the holistics, not the regular), Wellness, Solid Gold, Nature's Variety...there are a lot more but I can't remember right now. I've found these websites to be really helpful:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
And
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

I prefer to use the olive oil it is less expensive and works just as well I find. I can also obtain it easier then the fish oils.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

JennB said:


> Thank you, Ash! I guess I'll just have to try them all to see which one will agree with Hunter. BTW, is the Olive oil better than the Salmon oil?
> 
> Thanks for the warm welcome!


Fish body oil or salmon oil have important omega 3's........ EPA & DHA that help not only with coat, but brain development, heart health, and joints.

I don't use this brand, but here is some further info:http://www.seapet.com/Omega3.htm


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

BTW, Jenn I love your quote under you sig.


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

Welcome to the forum!!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Taz Monkey said:


> There are many premium foods that will help with his anal glands and flaky skin. Just remember that just because its super premium, that doesn't mean it will work for your dog. You might have to play around with different foods to see what works. And try to keep them on the food for at least a month to give it a chance to work. I am a big fan of Natura products, they make Innova, California Natural, and Evo. Canidae is also good, as well as Eagle Pack (the holistics, not the regular), Wellness, Solid Gold, Nature's Variety...there are a lot more but I can't remember right now. I've found these websites to be really helpful:
> http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
> And
> http://www.dogfoodproject.com/


Thanks, Taz Monkey! I like that dog food analysis site. I'll have to look over that one more thoroughly.


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Fish body oil or salmon oil have important omega 3's........ EPA & DHA that help not only with coat, but brain development, heart health, and joints.
> 
> I don't use this brand, but here is some further info:http://www.seapet.com/Omega3.htm


Thank you for that link! I have more good reading to do.


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Ash said:


> BTW, Jenn I love your quote under you sig.


Thanks, Ash! That's my favorite quote of all time. BTW, I love the GRs on your site. My favorite is Dancer...she is beautiful!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

TheHooch said:


> Welcome to the forum!!


Thanks, Hooch! This is such a friendly place...I love it!!!


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

JennB said:


> Thanks, Ash! That's my favorite quote of all time. BTW, I love the GRs on your site. My favorite is Dancer...she is beautiful!


Aww Thank you, its so funny how everyone has their prefrences. Thanks again. You will be addicted to the forum in no time at all.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

Hello and welcome---from the Texas coast!  We are about 20 miles out of Corpus Chrisit. Getting to be a lot of us Texans on here!

So much good advice here. It is true higher "QUALITY" AND MORE EXPENSIVE DOES NOT MEAN BETTER FOR YOUR DOG." Some dogs can't seem to handle the "richer" or "denser" food, other don't well at all on the lower quality, cheaper food. You just have to experiment around..and it is important to give a food a chance. you won't see a difference in a week.There some exceptions to this in my op[inion. If you start a new food and the dog throws up every meal for 2-3 days, i would not give any more of it--had to happened when i tried to change one of my goldens several years ago. Or severe runny poop, etc.

My golden girl, KayCee, age wa raised on Purina Puppy Chow, then purina Dog Chow and then purian one. She did great on all of them. But i just swiched her to Taste of the Wild because it is grain free and high protien. She had her knees operated n at 16 months and 30 months and at her age there has to be some arthritis--expected it a few years ago--and grain is not good for arthritis. Also it seems it is now discoverd older dogs need more protien.

We adopted Honey, a goldn mix, at age about one and she wa on the purina Dog Chow and then we put her on the purina One weight managment and she does just great on it. She does great on it. We made her adopted day her first birthday, so she turned 6 last month. Porably in another year i will swith her to the same food as kayCee.

each girl gets 2 fish oil capsuls a day, for skin, coat and joints, one biotin tab for skin, a milk thtistle for liver, a cranberry for kidneys, an EsterC for immune system. A viatmin E because they need the vitamin E when taking fish oil. They each get the 1000 mg or fish oil twice a day, but only one 400 u of the Vitamin E ech day. Some of thsese are also suppose to help with heart and circulation. KayCee has an enlarged heart chamber and she is on a very low dosae blood prssure tab every day and a baby asprin every other day. Since she begin these little simple meds i have seen her energy level really pick up--don't think her heart has to work quite as hard.

Your puppy is adorable. The golden in my Avatar was also named Hunter. So very sadly we lost him a lilttle over 4 years ago, just after his 4th birthday, to a reaction to the 6 month heart worm preventatvie injection, proheart6. I m iss my gentle, loving boy so much.


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

Hello and welcome. Flaky skin is most often allergies. Although, allergies are not common in a puppy. Ask your vet what he thinks.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

I'd get some wild salmon oil - liquid - pharmaceutical grade (human grade, which means all the toxins have been removed) and give it to him as directed, daily. That may help a great deal with the dandruff.

Then I'd start on a high quality food. We use Canidae All Life Stages (original) and it's worked wonders for us, but it doesn't for all dogs.

If you start switching foods, give it a chance to work before switching again.

Oh....and if you decide to use Canidae, do not slowly mix in and transition. Switch cold turkey. If you mix it with your old food and try to transition gradually, you WILL have digestive issues.

Best of luck!! Welcome!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

3 goldens said:


> Hello and welcome---from the Texas coast! We are about 20 miles out of Corpus Chrisit. Getting to be a lot of us Texans on here!


Hello and thank you for the warm welcome! It's nice to meet another person from TX. We are currently residing in Central TX and loving it!



> So much good advice here. It is true higher "QUALITY" AND MORE EXPENSIVE DOES NOT MEAN BETTER FOR YOUR DOG." Some dogs can't seem to handle the "richer" or "denser" food, other don't well at all on the lower quality, cheaper food. You just have to experiment around..and it is important to give a food a chance. you won't see a difference in a week.There some exceptions to this in my op[inion. If you start a new food and the dog throws up every meal for 2-3 days, i would not give any more of it--had to happened when i tried to change one of my goldens several years ago. Or severe runny poop, etc.


I'm definitely up to experimenting as long as it makes Hunter happy and healthy.



> My golden girl, KayCee, age wa raised on Purina Puppy Chow, then purina Dog Chow and then purian one. She did great on all of them. But i just swiched her to Taste of the Wild because it is grain free and high protien. She had her knees operated n at 16 months and 30 months and at her age there has to be some arthritis--expected it a few years ago--and grain is not good for arthritis. Also it seems it is now discoverd older dogs need more protien.


Are GRs more prone to arthritis the older they get?



> We adopted Honey, a goldn mix, at age about one and she wa on the purina Dog Chow and then we put her on the purina One weight managment and she does just great on it. She does great on it. We made her adopted day her first birthday, so she turned 6 last month. Porably in another year i will swith her to the same food as kayCee.
> 
> each girl gets 2 fish oil capsuls a day, for skin, coat and joints, one biotin tab for skin, a milk thtistle for liver, a cranberry for kidneys, an EsterC for immune system. A viatmin E because they need the vitamin E when taking fish oil. They each get the 1000 mg or fish oil twice a day, but only one 400 u of the Vitamin E ech day. Some of thsese are also suppose to help with heart and circulation. KayCee has an enlarged heart chamber and she is on a very low dosae blood prssure tab every day and a baby asprin every other day. Since she begin these little simple meds i have seen her energy level really pick up--don't think her heart has to work quite as hard.


Your babies sure do get loving care from you! They're so lucky to have you. I hope I can take care of my Hunter as well as you have of yours.



> Your puppy is adorable. The golden in my Avatar was also named Hunter. So very sadly we lost him a lilttle over 4 years ago, just after his 4th birthday, to a reaction to the 6 month heart worm preventatvie injection, proheart6. I m iss my gentle, loving boy so much.


Thank you for the compliment. And I'm so :sorry: to hear about your Hunter. I'm sure he's up there watching over you, your family, Honey, and KayCee. Did you ever find out why he had such a reaction to the injection?


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

vrocco1 said:


> Hello and welcome. Flaky skin is most often allergies. Although, allergies are not common in a puppy. Ask your vet what he thinks.


Thank you, Vern! My vet told me that Hunter has seborrhea and should go away with the treatment he gave, which was the fish oil and medicated shampoo I've mentioned before. It has been a couple of months and I don't think it's working, so I'm looking into changing Hunter's diet and see how it goes from there.


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## Gold Elyse (Jan 6, 2008)

:welcome: On this forum you will find tons of info on goldens!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Ardeagold said:


> I'd get some wild salmon oil - liquid - pharmaceutical grade (human grade, which means all the toxins have been removed) and give it to him as directed, daily. That may help a great deal with the dandruff.


Where did you purchase the wild salmon oil? I've read some posts that mention salmon oil being good for GRs, so I may have to give Hunter some to see if it's better for him.



> Then I'd start on a high quality food. We use Canidae All Life Stages (original) and it's worked wonders for us, but it doesn't for all dogs.
> 
> If you start switching foods, give it a chance to work before switching again.
> 
> ...


Does switching cold turkey apply to all foods or just Canidae? I'm also having a difficult time finding this brand, but the Nutro brand and some others mentioned here are readily available. Is it something only the vet will have?

Thank you for the welcome and advice!


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Golden Lover said:


> :welcome: On this forum you will find tons of info on goldens!


Thank you, Golden Lover!!! I do find this place to be a wealth of knowledge on GRs. It says on your sig that you are soon-to-be owner of a Golden. When's your lucky day?:yipee:


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I get our Salmon Oil here. I know there's other places too ...

http://alpha-nutrition.stores.yahoo.net/grsaoi32.html


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## JennB (Jan 19, 2008)

Jo Ellen said:


> I get our Salmon Oil here. I know there's other places too ...
> 
> http://alpha-nutrition.stores.yahoo.net/grsaoi32.html


Thank you, Jo Ellen! I have bookmarked the page.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

You will mostly find the premium foods at specialty pet stores (Pet Supplies Plus, Discount Pet, etc.) or at feed stores. The large chains don't usually carry them.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I know at my Pet Supply Plus store where I get my food for Beau (wellness Core weightloss) they have sample bags of dog food so you can see if they like it. I shop at them all. Petco for Bama's dry food (naturalBalance) Pet supply plus for Beau and petsmart for the cats. Wish they were all as close as the petsmart.


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