Here are the most readily available Pet foods.
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.
I.V.D. - Potato-based diets available through most veterinarians. The Cadillac as far as what is readily available. This is the food that I call "a cure in a bag". I use it for my toughest epileptics and allergy cases with great results. Then, if people want to upgrade OR downgrade from there, it is their choice. Time will tell if people want to take that chance. 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.
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/ .
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.
California Naturals Chicken and Rice dog and cat foods. These are the newest foods on my handout. They are only avaiable at select pet shops at this time, unfortunately. There are very few pure rice-based cat foods out there but this is one of them. I have been seeing more and more corn-related issues in the cat and can no longer recommend that corn be fed to cats unless there is simply no alternative...which there always is.
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.
Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care cat food.(has some corn gluten meal)-Once again, this is one of the best of the more readily available cat foods at the pet shop. Most others are loaded with wheat or soy or are becoming that way. Read labels each time you buy!!
Iams cat foods - Most are now wheat and milk free. (Read labels though!!) Once again, corn can be a major issue in cats and should be avoided. It is present in most foods at the grocery store or the pet shop. Certainly, this grain should be eliminated for optimal health, but I also realize that there are limits to what people will do or can afford... multi-pet households, especially. Whether it is mandatory to get rid of corn is determined by the condition to be eliminated.
DogTorJ
dogtorj@bellsouth.net