Dog Food

When I don't get my homemade dog food, I enjoy Wellness, sweet potato and Fish (not cheap they tell me, 53 bucks for 30 pounds, but I do not lick myself bloody when I eat that). Petco, PetsMart, and Petscense all carry it.  Now we eat Merrick Backcountry Pacific Catch Recipe with salmon, trout, whitefish, and sweet potato.  Bud is doing so well and even barked for the first time in 7-8 months.  After 11 months with cancer he is still strong eating the right nutrients to not grow the cancer too much but still be himself.

My homemade food: cooked sweet potato, cooked hamburger, carrots, peas, blueberries, milled flax seed, olive oil, cottage cheese or plain yogurt, green leaf lettuce (must have oil on it).

My Allergies: wheat, corn, chicken, turkey, soy, latex (possibly oats and rice).

Iams, new fish meal-carrot dog food, made me lick paw and itch, too, but it has rice and sorghum in it (possible allergy).  I noticed in PetsMart that ProPlan has some fish dogfood, but read the labels.  The third ingredient is chicken meal and lower on the list it just says Animal Fat.  Talked to PetsMart worker who was shocked too and would ask too.  Only one of all the 10, that I checked, is accurate of it claims and that is still Wellness.  So back to Wellness I do, and no more itching or licking.  My paws are healing again.

Beware of Dog Treats claiming no wheat, read the ingredients. Spelt is the Grandfather of wheat.  I got a bad reaction to treats labeled as wheat free...

Home Prepared Balanced Diet for the Dogs
Unless your dog gets regular, intense exercise, use lean meats (no more than 10 percent fat), remove skin from poultry, and cut off separable fat. It’s better to feed dark meat poultry than breast, however, unless your dog requires a very low-fat diet.
Fish: Provides vitamin D, which otherwise should be supplemented. Canned fish with bones, such as sardines (packed in water, not oil), jack mackerel, and pink salmon, are good choices. Remove bones from fish you cook yourself, and never feed raw Pacific salmon, trout, or related species. You can feed small amounts of fish daily, or larger amounts once or twice a week. The total amount should be about one ounce of fish per pound of other meats.
Eggs: Highly nutritious addition to any diet. Dogs weighing about 20 pounds can have a whole egg every day.
Dairy: Plain yogurt and kefir are well tolerated by most dogs (try goat’s milk products if you see problems). Cottage and ricotta cheese are also good options. Limit other forms of cheese, as most are high in fat.
Fruits and Vegetables: While not a significant part of the evolutionary diet of the dog and wolf, fruits and vegetables provide fiber that supports digestive health, as well as antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients that contribute to health and longevity. Fresh deeply colored vegetables and fruits are the most nutritious.
Starchy Vegetables: Veggies such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes (including pumpkin), as well as legumes (beans), provide carbohydrate calories that can be helpful in reducing food costs and keeping weight on skinny and very active dogs. Quantities should be limited for overweight dogs. Starchy foods must be cooked in order to be digestible 
Leafy Green and Other Non-Starchy Vegetables: These are low in calories and can be fed in any quantity desired. Too much can cause gas, and raw, cruciferous veggies such as broccoli and cauliflower can suppress thyroid function (cook them if you feed large amounts). Raw vegetables must be pureed in a food processor, blender, or juicer in order to be digested properly by dogs, though whole raw veggies are not harmful and can be used as treats.
Fruits: Bananas, apples, berries, melon, and papaya are good choices. Avoid grapes and raisins, which can cause kidney failure in dogs