[Pitlove]

Hi Kim- Seems like a lot is happening at a fast pace with your foster. Went from being fine on Diamond to itching and loose stool in 2 weeks. The loose stool could certainly be food. My dog (and my cat actually) let me know very quickly via their “output” whether or not something is agreeing with them. My cat will throw up instantly if she eats beef and my dog will have diaherra (sometimes explosive) if a food doesn’t agree with him and he gets very bad gas on beef.

For his upset stomach; if he has been eating Diamond his whole life, he probably doesn’t have a diverse enough amount of microflora in his gut to handle the diet change. If you didn’t tranistion him to Earthborn, that is most likely the cause of the diaherra. If you did, you might have needed to give him more time switching. If you gave him even more than 7 days to switch, maybe there is some stress playing a role from the rehome?

For the itching; there could be an ingredient that he is intolerant to in the Earthborn that’s not in whichever Diamond Naturals you were feeding. Compare the 2 ingredient panels and see if something jumps out at you as being different. Look at everything including stuff lower on the list. You can certainly try to go back to Diamond and see if that helps. Or a food that mimics the ingredients if you want to stay away from Diamond.

Not sure where you live or if he came to you from a different state, but down in LA where I live, environmental allergies in dogs is like an epidemic because of the climate. So it could be a change in climate depending on where you live or where he’s from.

If you want you can almost treat him like hes an 8 week old puppy and just keep his food the same til he adjusts. Sometimes going to a new home especially for a dog thats in foster care can be hard on them. Keeping him on Diamond will also give you an idea if it’s the food or the environment. If he goes back to no itching and diaherra, it’s probably the food. If the diaherra clears up, but the itching continues it could be the environment.

On one last note, make sure you check him for fleas as well. Akitas have some pretty intense coats that fleas can hide in, so really look hard for them. Just in case.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Pitlove.