Food ratings?

[niemand88f]

On this site www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ I would say 4+ stars are best for most pets, but if you're coming off raw I would definitely stay grain-free. Some grain-free brands people here recommend are Taste of the Wild, Wellness CORE, Orijen, Canidae, and Evo.

[patches31709]

If you're switching to kibble, you really aren't going to match the quality of raw.

[M]

ditto patches. Kibble will never be equal to raw.

[runs4qs]

If you switch to kibble you'll see a marked increase in her water consumption. What are the circumstances o the accidents? Pick up water at say 8 and make sure to take her out immediacy before bed and first thing in the am. Is it full on pee on the floor or some occasional dribbles? How early was she spayed?

[patches31709]

I really don't think a diet change is the answer here. Are you cleaning where she is going with a good enzymatic cleaner? It may just be becoming routine at this point. Also, dogs don't usually drink unless they're thirsty (or so I've been told), so if that's true she wouldn't be drinking out of boredom.

Could you maybe baby gate her in the kitchen or another tiled area at night? If you closed her in your room with you, would she not pee if she slept in bed all night or wake you up if she had to go out?

[M]

I would take her water away at 8pm, let her out right before bed, and let her out at the same time every morning. Don't let her out in the middle of the night because then she'll start needing to go more often. This way you are training her to know when it's time to go out.

I can't believe vets are spaying so early now. I'd also have issues going to a vet that tells me that kibble is better than raw. If you can afford to feed raw then stick with it.

[patches31709]

Apr 16, 2013 12:26:10 GMT -5 ste said:

We've had two nights baby gating her in the bedroom with us, and no accidents!! We haven't pulled the water yet, either.

I agree. We were surprised that she was already spayed, but there wasn't much that could be done at that point, YKWIM? And we're not thrilled about the vet in that aspect, either, but otherwise we really like the group, and we don't have a ton of options where we live.

Thanks again all!!

Glad to hear things are working out!

[arnin2001]

We grain free Canidae for our Great Dane. He loves it, but the price is a bit too much when he is eating about 6 cups a day... lol.

But I haven't tried any other brands, but there are really good ones out there.