[Jaimie K]

Our vet did prescribe Hill’s i/d, but with the Hill’s recalls currently I did not purchase any. She is currently doing well on boiled chicken and rice, but I can’t keep her on that for long. When this happened 2 months ago we did the same thing (also did hamburger and rice when we didn’t have chicken) and she recovered well. She’s also on antibiotics (Metronidazole) although she was negative for bacteria and Giardia, so I’m not sure if it’s the diet or the meds that are helping.

I’m looking into Canidae, as that seems like the best option that is easily accessible in our area. I’m also considering going back to Royal Canin large breed adult… if I’m remembering correctly she did well on that and the only reason we switched is it wasn’t easy for us to get when we lived in a rural area. That’s when we switched to Pro Plan.

I switched to Blue Buffalo to increase the fiber, but I’m wondering if I should have decreased it? Thoughts, anyone?

[Jaimie K]

My dog has commonly had loose stool for a large portion of her life. She is a 3yo female (spayed) yellow Labrador Retriever. To make a long story short – we finally switched to Blue Buffalo (Life Protection Formula, Adult Large Breed, Chicken) because it had more fiber and I thought that might help. She has had solid stools on this food, but has had 2 incidences (two months apart) of severe, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. We went to the vet and all tests came back negative/normal both times (parasites, bacteria, full blood panel, x-rays for foreign body). The 2nd time the vet recommended switching dog food (he does not know what we feed).

Does anyone have suggesstions for a dog food I can look into? I don’t even know where to start.
In the past she has been on Royal Canin (prescription GI puppy formula, regular puppy large breed formula, and regular adult large breed formula), Purina ProPlan (can’t remember the formula) and Nature’s Recipe grain free variety (salmon and sweet potato). The vomiting and diarrhea are her only health concerns.

[Karen D]

Hello,
We have an 11 week old Yorkie puppy “Murphy” (He weighs 1 lb. 8 oz.) and he was fine on puppy mixture of milk and Blue Buffalo puppy soft food. We wanted to begin him on dry food to keep him healthy. We started using Blue Buffalo puppy small breed kibble but he can’t keep it down. First he doesn’t seem to chew it. What he swallowed he immediately through up. We then tried mixing with different things to make soft. We tried water and milk and again this mixture he cannot keep down even if soft. Also tried processing it into smaller pieces and he still cannot keep this food down. Again, no problem with the puppy gruel which has the milk and protein mix. Since we got him at 8 weeks he gained 4 oz in weight. Everything else seems normal and he is very active. He just doesn’t seem to be able to eat dry food. Do we need to change brands? We would welcome any advise for our little “Murphy Blu”. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Karen D.

[anonymous]

I would stay with Royal Canine as a base. It is a good food and the dog likes it.

Purina Pro Plan Focus for Sensitive Skin And Stomach is good

Blue Buffalo is another good food

You want to stay with large companies that have been around for a long time as they are more likely to employ a veterinary nutritionist and do feeding trials.

Stay away from small companies, new companies and boutique foods.

Don’t put a lot of weight on “dog food reviews” this website is run by a dentist (for humans) there are no veterinary healthcare professionals affiliated with the site, same with a lot of other dog forums.

Have you seen a vet yet? It is best to find a vet that you like and trust, go for routine checkups and discuss diet concerns with him.

[Sabrina H]

It’s hard to find dog food that fits my dog’s needs and my budget. Zignature was working for us but until more information comes out about DCM I’m just not comfortable feeding it anymore.

My dog can’t tolerate grains (trust me, I wish I could feed grain inclusive food because it’s way cheaper), can’t tolerate pork, needs to have fiber around 5% or he has anal gland problems, and I can’t afford more than $1/day. It’s a pain. I’m ok supplementing a little extra fiber (I use Firm Up) if the food is great otherwise.

Does anyone feel like looking at dog food ingredients and giving me their thoughts? These are some of the main ones I’m considering in the new rotation. His current food is included for reference. I’m trying to keep potatoes/legumes out of the first 3 ingredients until we learn more about DCM. I know I probably shouldn’t worry, but stressing about everything is kind of my specialty.

Current food: Zignature Turkey
Cost: $0.77/day Fiber: 6%
Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chickpeas, Peas, Pea Protein, Sunflower Oil (preserved with Citric Acid), Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Selenium Yeast), Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12), Lactic Acid, Blueberries, Carrots, Cranberries, Calcium Iodate, Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols.

Petcurean GO! Fit & Free
Cost: $0.97/day Fiber: 3%- a lot of Firm Up required
Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Salmon Meal, De-Boned Chicken, De-Boned Turkey, De-Boned Trout, Potatoes, Peas, Tapioca, Lentil Beans, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavour, Whole Dried Egg, Apples, Duck Meal, Herring Meal, Salmon Oil, Alfalfa, De-Boned Duck, De-Boned Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Coconut Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Pumpkin, Carrots, Bananas, Blueberries, Cranberries, Broccoli, Spinach, Alfalfa Sprouts, Blackberries, Squash, Papayas, Pomegranate, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Niacin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (a Source of Vitamin C), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Beta-Carotene, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulphate, Ferrous Sulphate, Calcium Iodate, Manganous Oxide, Selenium Yeast), Sodium Chloride, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Rosemary, Green Tea Extract, Peppermint, Parsley, Rosehips, Zedoary, Dandelion, Chamomile, Ginger, Fennel, Tumeric, Juniper Berries, Licorice, Marigold Extract, Cardamom, Cloves.

Health Extension Buffalo & Whitefish
Cost: $1/day Fiber: 5%
Buffalo, Deboned Whitefish, Buffalo Meal, Whitefish Meal (Source Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Chickpeas, Lentils, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Tapioca Starch, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Peas, Coconut Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Dried Seaweed Meal, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Whole Blueberries, Whole Cranberries, Raspberries, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Turmeric, Tomato, Beets, Parsley, Chicory Root Extract, Sage, Bovine Colostrum, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Organic Dehydrated Kelp, Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pectin, Dried Lactobacilus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Baciollus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product.

Health Extension Chicken & Turkey
Cost: $1/day Fiber: 5%
Organic Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Coconut Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Dried Seaweed Meal, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Whole Blueberries, Whole Cranberries, Raspberries, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Turmeric, Tomato, Beets, Parsley, Chicory Root Extract, Sage, Bovine Colostrum, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Organic Dehydrated Kelp, Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pectin, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Baciollus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product.

Wellness CORE Original
Cost: $0.99/day Fiber: 4%- a little Firm Up required
Organic Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Coconut Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Dried Seaweed Meal, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Whole Blueberries, Whole Cranberries, Raspberries, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Turmeric, Tomato, Beets, Parsley, Chicory Root Extract, Sage, Bovine Colostrum, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Organic Dehydrated Kelp, Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Cobalt Polysaccharide Complex, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Pectin, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Baciollus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product.

American Journey Chicken & Sweet Potato
Cost: $0.74/day Fiber: 5%
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Menhaden Fish Meal, Salmon Oil, Blueberries, Carrots, Salt, Dried Kelp, Fructooligosaccharides, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.

Canidae Pure Sky Duck
Cost: $0.90/day Fiber: 4%- A little Firm Up required.
Duck, Duck Meal, Turkey Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Fat, Potatoes, Sun-cured Alfalfa, Natural Flavor, Minerals (Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (A Natural Source of Vitamin E).

[Sanne]

Just my personal opinions of these brands.. I would not bother with Blue Buffalo. So many people seem to have digestive issues on that brand. I also do not like the company as a whole, seems shady. Orijen and Acana are imo very overpriced for what they are. So much beans/lentils/peas which in my experience are not very easy to digest. My dogs get gas and huge loose stools on foods that use beans/lentils as the starch source. I have had much better digestion results with foods that use rice/barely/potato/sweet potato, that is just my personal experience though. With all the odd cases of DCM/low taurine with dogs on Acana, I would hold off on that food anyway until more is found on that.

I am not too familiar with Innova or Solid Gold. Wellness seems pretty decent. My go to puppy formulas are Farmina Puppy and Annamaet Original Puppy or Ultra. It really is trial and error though, what works for mine may not work for yours. You will only know what works for him by experience.

As for mixing add ins, my dogs starting since they were pups get raw meat, boiled eggs, and tinned sardines added to their dry food. They are very used to this though as like I said this started very early on. I would not add in a bunch of stuff too quickly with your pup though. You could start with just some egg or chicken added in a few times a week and go from there.

[Dereck B]

Hello all! well Tofuu is officially 3 months now and is growing so fast. but I DO NOT like the food that my bf family has been feeding him. (done some research). cause i’ve noticed that he has been scratching alot and biting at his fur. so i am switching his food as soon as i can and as soon i get some opinions as well! (for reassurance. ).

Well these are the brands that i am looking to buy, Orijen Puppy, Solid Gold, Wellness for Puppies, Blue Buffalo Puppy, Innova Puppy, or Acana. and another question i really want to ask you fellow shiba parents. Do you feed you puppy straight up dry food (high quality kibbles) or do you mix the kibbles with some wet food? and if so what combinations did you feed your shiba pup this early in puppyhood?

sorry to sounds so antsy!, but i just HATE the food he’s been eating this past week . Tofuu’s health and growth is what’s important. THANKSSSS for all your help and advice in advance.

[Christie B]

Hi Susan,

Thanks for the recipes. I’d prefer to make my own toppers and put my crockpot to use. If I don’t put anything on their kibble and leave it out, they’ll eventually get hungry enough to eat it. Today, I really confused them. I was running late to work so I put a whole large carrot in each bowl as both a “topper” and a daytime “treat” and I just peeked in on them 2 hours later on my petcam and neither bowl has been touched yet.

I bet by the time I get home later tonight, there will be carrot bits all over my carpet.

I used to boil (which I’ve been told time and time again kills the nutrients) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, but my big guy has food intolerance. I find a food that’s 5 star rated, and they hate it and refuse to eat it. I go back to my least favorite Blue Buffalo kibble and they gobble it right up. So I decide not to fight it, because there are worse foods out there. And both dogs devoured it up , no toppers needed. I was amazed. I went through a bag of Chicken. But I wanted something senior or large breed for my 10 year old, and they have a Senior Large Breed but it’s chicken and if I stay too long with one protein, issues arise. So I tried their Large Breed Adult Lamb and their regular Adult lamb. Dogs loved it for a few days, but then didn’t show much interest. Had to add a topper. Now not even through 1/4 of the bag, the itching starts. It’s a big bag. Is it the lamb? Ugh. It’s a never ending cycle of trial and error. I’m watching him for the next few days to see if it’s a fluke.

If it’s not and I have to switch him to another food, maybe fish this time, how terrible would it be to feed my smaller dog the large breed bag of lamb so I don’t waste it all? She’s about 45-50 lbs. (though she should probably be 35-40 at ideal weight).

Any brand have a senior large breed fish kibble? The BB senior and large breed guaranteed analysis % were similar, I just went with the large breed for the extra chondroitin and glucosamine

[August Y]

I have a 5 year old Siberian Husky (turning 6 in couple of days). I’ve been meaning to switch her dog food. She’s been eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness and she doesn’t seem to like the brand anymore. She’s healthy I feel as she got bored of it. Any suggestions as to which dog food I should switch her to?

[Christie B]

I’ve been on a crazy food journey with my dog. When I first adopted him 9 years ago, the kill shelter that I got him from tole me that he was full grown (40 pounds). That was far from the truth as he’s currently 120 pounds. My vet suggested Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy for two years, followed by Pro Plan Large Breed Adult. My dog always had issues though with loose stools and itchy skin/biting paws/ear infections. I transitioned him to Blue Buffalo Large Breed Fish kibble and he did really well. Then I read about grain free and how it was so much better, so I came to this site to find the best foods. I read all these comments regarding Blue Buffalo and quickly started to look at their ” 5 star rated grain free” foods.

I’ve tried them all.

I’ve given each of them at least 6 months with proper transitioning. I always had issues. I’d go to the vet, he’d tell me to go off of the grain free and go back to Purina. But I can read the bag myself and it doesn’t look healthy at all. Blood results were normal. I’ve tried different proteins (chicken seemed to cause more issues). TOTW, Nutro, Instinct, Merrick, Solid Gold, Fromms, the list goes long.

I can’t even say that it has anything to do with grain free. Only, he’s been off it for a few months now and he’s eating right, has firm stools, and no skin issues. I’m at a loss. I explicitly chose foods from the 5 star list and now his food is rated 3.5 stars and he’s doing well, but I feel guilty giving him something perceived as ‘not good’.

@Patti_S – I do like the 96% single protein canned foods. I rotate using them as a topper with some canned salmon.

[Harold K]

My dogs love the stuff! We said blue Buffalo and taste of the wild for years until this came on the market a. As we switch them over they picked the new food and left the old. It was amazing and quite funny actually. You won’t be disappointed. The product is manufactured by diamond

[Celia C]

My husband’s bully loves it her coat beautiful and shiny nice n thick and we went from blue Buffalo to this 🐕 Love’s it

[Christie B]

@Susan Thanks for the advise. So far so good with his mobility. He still runs around and is pretty agile for a 10 year old large breed. I worry mostly about his front right leg, which is bowlegged. It doesn’t cause him any pain to stand or walk on it and he runs fine. I give him a senior Mobility Bites and Turmeric Curcumin supplements by zesty paws as a preventative.
The Mobility bites have 450mg of glucosamine HCL, 100mg of chondroitin sulfate and 5mg of hyaluronic acid per chew and he takes 3 per day.

My dog get sick whenever lentils or chickpeas are in the first few ingredients, so it’s hard finding a food that works (that he’ll actually eat). It was the biggest reasons I switched to Blue Buffalo. Most of the grain free recipes have chickpeas or lentil as a main ingredient.

I guess I could always try to feed the two dogs in two different rooms, but every single time they leave like 1/4 of their food and then sniff around and eat each other’s.

I’m trying to rotate proteins because we start to have issues once we stay on one too long. We’re just about done with chicken and I see the Pure Meadow lists chicken as the first ingredient.

I literally walked through Petsmart on Friday and read every label. So many grain free formulas listed lentils or chickpeas within the top four ingredients and when I found one that listed something like sweet potatoes, the main protein was chicken.

I was hoping to find something like lamb or duck. I know Merrick makes High Protein formulas, but I’ve heard some not so nice things about the brand. It rates good on this site. And I thought Merrick was going to run it’s operation independently from Nestle Purina. But I could be wrong. The internet is filled with conflicting stories. But at this point, if the food is decent and it’s working for the dogs, I should give it a try, right?

I hear horror stories about Blue Buffalo and Merrick on this site. I’d love to find a food that can be found in a local store like Petco or Petsmart (I live near both).

[Robert M]

I have had my cat on Redford grain-free chicken since he was a baby (he’s 8 months so still a baby). He seems to love it and he never has any stomach issues with it. When I was trying different foods when I first got him I saw Redford, and then compared the ingredients with a similar Blue Buffalo chicken bag, and they were almost the same % of protein and everything.

[Patricia A]

Congrats on your adoption!! Don’t know about feeding Blue. I’ve read a few negative things about the company. https://www.chagrinfallspetclinic.com/2017/09/14/pet-food-lead-alert-blue-buffalo-blue-wilderness-dog-food-class-action-law-suit/
Maybe someone can chime in about a good base kibble and start the raw with toppers. I use Primal freeze dried , Stella Chewy’s freeze dried and Bixbi freeze dried as treats because Bixbi is so expensive. All expensive in the freeze dried but I have small dogs. I think the frozen would be the way to go with the Primal/stellas’. My dogs are doing great on these. Reviews from advisor are all great also. I used Stella’s baked raw coated as base. However I stopped all kibble until this DCM mess is worked out. No legumes or starches in any of these foods.
Go to advisors reviews on Primal/Stellas for ingredients and to their f/b page to see what others say.
Like I said MY dogs do great with this. No stomach troubles. Just please start VERY slowly.

[lyly H]

I recently adopted a dog (not my profile pic!) and he’s 4 yrs old and 50 ibs. He’s been fed grocery store kibble in the shelter and I switched him to a high quality dog food, in my opinion, blue buffalo. I think feeding him raw food would be best, not for health reasons, but maybe just because. 🙂 How do I switch him from kibble to raw?? I’d really like to know!!

[Christie B]

@InkedMarie, I’m not exactly a fan of BB myself, but it seems to be the one brand that causes the least issues with my dog.

Over the past 10 years I’ve tried many of the brands recommended from this site: Wellness, Merrick, TOTW, Canidae, Acana, Instinct, Whole Earth Farms, Nulo…

Blue Buffalo is the only one they seem to want to eat. It drives me a bit crazy. But considering my vet keeps pushing Purina Pro Plan, BB seems like a step up from that.

My big guy isn’t overweight but losing a few pounds couldn’t hurt. The rep was saying that Adult formula has more protein than Senior food and as dogs age they require less protein. And since he’s over 100 pounds, he should be on a large breed formula.

[Christie B]

I have two dogs, a 10 year old American Bulldog Pit mix (115 lbs.) and a 4 year old Catahoula mix (40 lbs).

Both dogs are currently eating Blue Buffalo Adult dry, mixed with approx 2 tablespoons of BB wet, twice a day.

No matter what brand I buy or which protein formula I choose, if I run out of a large bag and buy another of the same formula, one of the dogs (usually the big one) starts to either have digestive issues or skin issues.

It was suggested to try to rotate the protein formula, which is what I intend to do once the current bag is almost done.

My question though is more about Mature vs Adult. I ran into a Blue Buffalo rep at the store last week and he asked the ages and sizes of my dogs. He recommended the regular Adult formula for my Catahoula, but said my American Bulldog mix should be on Mature Large Breed formula.

My dogs have a habit of eating from each others’ bowls when I feed them. If it was that important, I could watch them and discourage them from doing it.

But was the rep giving me sound advice or trying to get me to buy twice as much food?

[Ann H]

I am amazed by the knowledge possessed by and shared on this forum! With all of that amassed info, however, I am still stymied. My 4.5 yr old chessie/lab mix just pronounced with food allergies over the last few months. He was eating Blue Buffalo until they changed the formula. His vet tests revealed he can tolerate wheat, chicken, beef, potatoes, and corn with no problem, but cannot tollerate rice, salmon, duck, turkey, lamb, or oats. That limits his protein sources and is a very hard combo to find- nearly all have some oats, fish or turkey. After recent info about grains being important to a dogs diet, I was searching for any brand that combined chix with wheat, but without any of the other offensive ingredients. I haven’t found one yet! I appreciated the food wizard provided by a poster, and it helped me narrow the list down to 3 possibilities. But all 3 have something in it that he can’t have, so I will have to see what he is least reactive to thru trial and error. Absent cooking his meals, can you offer any advice? If I do end up cooking for him, will I need to add supplements to insure he gets all the vitamins, minerals, oils, etc. he needs?

• This topic was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Ann H. Reason: Spelling corrected

[Susan]

Hi Christine,
What symptoms does your dog suffer with?? IBS stomach/bowel symptoms or just has skin allergies??
He might have Seasonal Environment Allergies, now he’s doing better cause it’s Winter & plant/trees in your yard or neighbouring yards aren’t flowering etc
You will know when Spring & Summer come back around keep a diary..
Or he was sensitive to ingredient in the grain free food, my boy can NOT eat a G/F kibble that has Tapioca, he starts to smell yeasty, scratches, itchy, scratches bum on carpet, Lentils cause bad gas, wind pain then has diarrhea, when he eats Barley he gets yeasty smelly skin, yeasty paws & sloppy yellow poos, rubs bum on ground, Corn Gluten causes yeasty smelly skin, paws, sloppy poos then diarrhea & rubs bum on ground, Oats = yeasty skin, paws & sloppy yellow poos, rubs bum on ground, Carrot cause itchy ears, shaking his head/ears..He doesn’t do well on any grain formula’s..

When he eats a grain free dry kibble that has Potato, Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas further down the ingredient list his IBD & skin goes really well thru the Winter months then when Summer comes around something in the environment causes bad skin allergies, I know grass & wet grass is 1 allergens he suffer from, he goes down hill with itchy skin, red paws, whinging & he’s eating 1 of the same G/F foods he did well on thru Winter months, I rotate his G/F foods, Wellness Core, Wellness Simple Turkey & Potato & Canidae Pure Meadow Senior & Canidae Pure Wild Boar all Grain Free formula’s.

If a dogs diet has too much Omega-6 & is way too low in omega-3, the omegas need to be balanced properly then the dog will suffer with skin problems…
eg-Omega-6 Fatty Acids-2.80% Omega-3 fatty Acids-1.00%,
Omegs-3 should be nilly 1/2 of what the Omega-6% is…

Pet foods that are AAFCO aproved means nothing as some are NOT balanced properly… this is 1 thing Susan Thrixon pointed out in her recent link
“DCM Study Misses the Big Picture”
By Susan Thixton – December 14, 2018

DCM Study Misses the Big Picture

If he’s doing well on Blue Buffalo feed it but I would also rotate & feed another brand that has similair ingredients as the Blue Buffalo he does well on has. This way if there is something wrong with a certain batch, or its not balance properly etc he isnt eating the same dry dog food 24/7 also if ever something happens you know of another brand you can fall back onto..

[Christie B]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I had previously known what anon101 pointed out, but that didn’t factor in my decision to switch from grain free. And as dr. tim pointed out, allergies are to a specific protein in the food.

All I know is that he was fine when eating Blue Buffalo, but the reviews on this site (and others) steered me away. And I tried a variety of foods, and different proteins, to see what would work. And for 3 years none of them did. And I always stuck to 5 star rated foods from this site.

I just wasn’t sure if there was something in grain free foods that was used as a grain substitute that he could have been sensitive to.

He’s been back to Blue Buffalo for almost six months now with no issues. I was just curious why the ‘better’ foods didn’t work well for him.

[anonymous]

Fromm Adult Classic is grain inclusive and does not have a lot of ingredients.

Blue Buffalo has grain inclusive formulas.

Pro Plan Focus for Sensitive Skin and Stomach is grain inclusive.

[Christie B]

When I first adopted my dog almost 9 years ago, I started him on Purina ProPlan on the recommendation of my vet. He did fine on it, but that was before I knew anything about Purina and the quality of their food. And I didn’t know what a by-product was.

Then Blue Buffalo became popular and I switched to that. Everything was fine for years. Except he gained a bit more weight than was expected (I probably did feed him too many treats at the time as well). The vet told me that Blue Buffalo was too “rich” and recommended Purina again. Or Science Diet (because that was the line that they stocked in their clinic). So I started to research ‘quality’ foods and came to sites like this and read through the forums and figured I should switch him to grain free.

He’s been on grain free for about 3 years now.

But over the course of that time, he started to show signs of allergies and intolerance (constant licking, red paws, hot spots, head shaking, grass eating, excessive drooling, gas, etc.) Never all at once, but worrisome.

I switched him back to Blue Buffalo (and restricted the amount…far less than the ridiculous 5 cups a day it says I should feed him) and ever since, he’s been fine.

No more issues.

Could it have been something with the grain free food? Every single one that I tried (and I always properly transitioned between them) eventually lead to symptoms.

I’ve seen a lot of negative comments on the Blue Buffalo review page. I mean compared to ProPlan, it’s definitely better. But are there any other foods (preferably ones that can be found in Petco or Petsmart) that are good that aren’t grain free?

[anonymous]

Fromm Classic Adult (1949 recipe), Pro Plan Focus sensitive skin and stomach, Blue Buffalo (grain inclusive).

PS: My friend decided on Nutrisource (grain inclusive) as per the pet shop’s recommendation.
We’ll see…..

I have to add that the dog has been doing great on Zignature for a few years, as have my dogs.

The vet said don’t throw out the Zignature, just mix it in with the new food.

[anonymous]

Here you go. Check with your vet but this food should meet your criteria.
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-focus-puppy-lamb-rice/dp/52422

Also, check to see what Blue Buffalo has to offer.

I think all Fromm foods meet AAFCO requirements.
Call the company to be sure.

[anonymous]

@ aimee
I agree. However, it is impossible to access the link you have provided.

It is not the posting of multiple links (although sometimes it is) that gets a post removed.
If people go back and forth to edit too many times within a short period of time, the post will disappear. If you wait 10 minutes and go back in, reword the first sentence of your post often it will go through.

Also, if some folks don’t like your post they will press the “report abuse” button a few times and depending on who the moderator is, the post may be removed.

So, if you provide the direct link, it should not be a problem.

PS: My friend asked her vet what food he recommends (regarding the grain free scare)
The clinic she goes to recommends Fromm and Blue Buffalo, both have grain inclusive foods.

[Christie B]

My American Bulldog mix has allergies to chicken, which I’ve heard is common with bully breeds. I rotated many different foods for the past 9 years that I’ve had him, in the hopes that I’d one day find the formula that wouldn’t trigger an attack.

So many non chicken protein formula’s have chicken or chicken meal as the 3rd or 4th ingredient. I guess it’s an inexpensive protein to add to formulas.

I’ve tried lamb, beef, pork, turkey… after a few weeks more often than not allergy symptoms appear. It’s harder to try a new food in the spring and winter because he also has environmental allergies, so it’s hard to figure out what triggers him.

So far, fish seems to be the safest protein. He used to eat Blue Buffalo with no issue when he was younger but the vet recommended stopping it because he was gaining too much weight on it (even after I cut back on the feeding amounts).

I went to Petsmart two weeks ago in search of a limited ingredient food. The previous bag that we tried was Zignature, but reviews here along with neither of my two dogs wanting to eat it (I literally had to put a small bit of shredded cheese on the food to make it appealing) turned me off that brand. I was looking at Nulo’s formulas when an associate wearing a Nulo shirt approached me (of course). She said they have a Salmon based limited ingredient formula. I read the label: Deboned salmon, salmon meal, yellow peas, chickpeas, canola oil, died sweet potatoes… didn’t see any chicken, beef, pork, turkey and gave it a shot.

The bag is almost gone. Both dogs are actually eating it. Stool is ok. I haven’t noticed any excessive drooling that indicated a possible upset stomach. No uptick in eating grass (sometimes they just like to graze). It seems like so far, so good.

However, there were some concerns in reviews that I read. I heard that peas and pea protein are also common allergens. Nulo has two product lines: Freestyle and Medal. Petsmart exclusively sells the Medal series and Freestyle is found online. I asked the rep in the store what the difference was and she said it was name only. The formulas were the same. However, when I went to order from Chewy yesterday (usually cheaper than Petsmart), their Freestyle was almost $20 more than the Medal at Petsmart. It made no sense. I contacted Nulo on their FB page and this was their response:

Thanks for reaching out to us here at Nulo. We appreciate the opportunity to help!
Our FreeStyle Limited+ and MedalSeries L.I.D. recipes are formulated using only one animal protein source and do not include the fruits and vegetables found in our other recipes. The difference between our FreeStyle Limited+ and MedalSeries L.I.D. recipes is simply the inclusion or exclusion of peas – our FreeStyle Limited+ recipes do not include peas or pea fiber.

Is the exclusion of Peas worth the $20 difference? Are fruits and vegetables usually the cause of allergies that they would be omitted in the Limited formulas?

[Patricia A]

Honestly don’t know if if there is any validity to this . Can companies which were losing money when the grain free craze started be this sinister ? Ummm…of course.

👉👉🔴Consider who funded the scientific research and Advertising Press Release. 👇🤭http://vetmed.tufts.edu/tufts-at-tech/donors/ (Hint: The list is similar to the same companies who fund the research at UC DAVIS Veterinary Medicine)👇
The following companies gave to the UC School of Veterinary Medicine of more than One Million Dollars Each?

Mars Incorporated

Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Morris Animal Foundation

American Kennel Club

American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation

Bayer Corporation
What do these companies have to do with dog food?
Mars Incorporated = PEDIGREE®, and ROYAL CANIN®. Mars Petcare is also home to the brands NUTRO®, GREENIES®, SHEBA®, CESAR®, IAMS® AND EUKANUBA®. Mars Petcare is the world’s biggest veterinary health group with hospitals such as BANFIELD®, BLUE PEARL®, PET PARTNERS®, and VCA® – making Mars the largest veterinary operation in the North America. (They need sick dogs to survive)

Hills Pet Nutrition – Science Diet, Prescription Diet, Ideal Balance, Healthy Advantage

Morris Animal Foundation – supported by The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), PetCo and Blue Buffalo Foundation.

American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation – in partnership with Eukanuba, a grain based dog food owned by Mars Corporation

Bayer Corporation- owns Monsanto the largest GMO seed supplier in the world. Forty percent of the world’s genetically modified (GM) crops are grown in the U.S., where Monsanto controls 80 percent of the GM corn market, and 93 percent of the GM soy market and is heavily invested in grains. Responsible for all the major companies that sell farmers the stuff they need to grow crops: seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers. Also makers of flea & tick chemicals known to have life threatening side effects.

Here’s the complete list of doners to UCDavis Vet Med

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/giving/recognition-and-resources/honor-roll

Here is the link to the report funded by some the above donors: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/.

Taurine Plain Talk.

Scientific research shows lack of taurine can cause DCM in some dogs.
No, grain free diets are not the cause.
Lack of Taurine is the cause.
Taurine comes from muscle meat protein… not grains.

[Rebecca S]

I also have a frenchie, 6 months old. I got him a month ago and I’ve never seen him have a solid poop:(. I’ve tried Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo and homemade chicken and rice. He’s been on some antibiotics for clostridium (gut imbalance) and also had tested positive for giardia when we first brought him home (3 rounds of Panacur, one round of Flagyl). He’s still got loose poops but in every other way seems fine. I’m confused about which food to give him- everyone says something different (vet, breeder, websites, friends). Any help out there for my cute lil pup? All advice welcome!!

[kullboys b]

I have a 6 lb long-haired chihuahua and she is currently on Blue Buffalo. I want to switch her to a higher quality food and have narrowed it down between the 4 below. I wanted to see if anyone could help me choose 1 or narrow it down (based on your experience or research). My dog doesn’t have any allergies and generally likes any food that’s put in front of her 🙂

– Nature’s Logic
– NutriSource
– Zignature
– Orijen
– Instinct

Thanks .

• This topic was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by kullboys b.

[Carly F]

I sure do hope everything was resolved with all the animals in this forum who had issues. I have worked for a Vet for 4 years and there are definitely some foods that are better than others. Just like in people, all pets are different and tolerate things differently. A diet change is usually the first thing a Vet recommends when a pet starts having urination issues. Yes a higher quality food can help, but yes, sometimes a prescription food is the only thing that helps. If there is a homeopathic remedy that helps, then you should definitely try it- I just wouldn’t do anything “willy-nilly” that google could come up with. Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo, Purina, and Hills Science Diet all have really good prescription a non- prescription foods. Male cats have a high tendency to get blocked (can be fatal) so they definitely need to be seen as soon as they are having urine issues. There are so many things that can cause stones so it definitely is best to have them sent off for analysis. We have a patient who had stones previously due to diet, had the surgery at a different office, then came to us for stones again. When the patient was opened up, there was a polyp in the bladder from the previous surgery- and that was causing the current stones.
We also have a different patient who is on the Hills Science SD specifically to help her break up some of her stones so she can pass them. After two weeks she has successfully broken up and passed several of the stones.
Diet can make a HUGE difference, in people and animals, so it’s definitely something to think about. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion on something though, we would if it was ourselves so we should do the same for our pets.

[Jennifer P]

I too wish they had better dog food for allergies. You need to find out by process of elimination what your dog is allergic too. Mine it’s chicken and apples. So far Blue Buffalo prescription HF is working, no apples or chicken. Pin pointing what they allergic too is the first step.

[Cassady B]

We adopted our dog about 3 months ago. She’s a 4 year mix, we don’t know what exactly but are pretty sure given her characteristics she’s a Chihuahua mixed with a Jack Russel Terrier. Everything’s been perfect so far she adjusted SUPER quick to her new home and life’s been fine. But for the past 2 weeks we’ve been staying at my moms and she just had a seizure like occurrence. My mom said she acted disoriented and when she got out of her bed she had fell over on her side. After a few minutes she was fine and ever since she has acted normal(it’s been 9 hours) My mom has the same food (Blue Buffalo Chicken and wild rice Recipie) but she stopped using it months ago when she switched her dogs to a medication diet. My mom had a terrier that was prone to seizures but her GSD and her long hair chihuahua never have had any.
Is it the dog food? Is it the breed? Could it be induced by stress ? Please any help would be appreciated !!

[Michele K]

I am also very concerned about this situation, as I have a older boxer (9.5 y/o) and a 4 mo old boxer puppy. I have fed Blue Buffalo almost my older boxers whole life, and she is very healthy (no health problems ever), so I have started my pup on the same brand (Wilderness for Large breed puppies). The amount of peas and potatoes in the Grain Free is concerning, especially with this new research. What is a person to do? I wanted to make my own food, but was advised by my vet not to until pup turned at least 1 year old. She was concerned with him not getting the proper nutritional values. However, I feel at a loss because if I made my own food, I would at least know what the heck was put in it!!!!! SOOOO confused and feeling extremely worried about the health of my pup.

[joanne l]

Hi Jessica, the foods you mentioned that you tried are maybe too rich for him. First Blue Buffalo has a lot of issues. Pure Vita has too much fiber I think, and Merrick is a little rich for some dogs. I know you might not want to feed this, but I think you should try Purina pro plan. Just give it a shot. A lot of dogs do well on it. Just my opinion.

[Greg A]

Hi susan,

Thanks for the input and info. I have a paper trail of foods and side effects that I noticed since he was a puppy. Initially I thought he was severely allergic to chicken from blue buffalo chicken and rice… Once i got into the dog food research I went with a duck and sweet potato from natural balance. It didnt seem to matter he was either itchy / biting at his paws or constant ear smells and dark wax discharges. I eventually set on zignature kangaroo hoping it was a meat protein issue exclusively which although somewhat helped did not completely rid of his issues (tons of peas/legumes). I found a few pea free foods and notices his reaction to the introduction of peas.

Looking back at each and every brand I have tried theres always a combination of peas, legumes, rice, or potatoes. I have went from foods similar ingredients eliminating a few to jumping the gun and doing some exotic recipes even home cooking for a month.

Even if the blood test is not accurate it did surprise me that pork was on the list because when experiment with zignature I made notes with each flavor that pork absolutely drove him crazy. From zignature I switched to natures logic which is a millet based carb with a single protein in most and is pea free. I would say he has improved with that brand however he has had some stool issues which was improved with freeze dried pumpkin treats. Currently he uses the Alaskan cod and pumpkin from earthborn hollistic venture but it is such a low calorie food and feeding two dogs with it is a bit rough! I am willing to do what i need though as the bloods were a little under $800.

[Geri A]

I introduced Nature’s Menu wet food to my 12 year old Aussie. She had been having normal aging issues and wasn’t eating her dry food much anymore, had increased pantiing and several panic attacks when left alone. Originally I had made a chicken “stew” to add to her dry food. I had a very busy week at work so tried this food as an addition. She loved it at first. Several weeks later she seemed to be getting more stressed, heavily panting anytime she wasn’t sleeping, sleeping 45 minutes at a time all night with prolonged panting episodes in between, lethargic, excessive water intake but not urinating more frequently and hard stool. Pain medication did not help. Anxiety meds did not help. Reviewed with the vet what else could be causing these changes…..only change at home was the food. Found this thread and did some other research on mossy oak company. They also partnered with blue buffalo, which had a lead issue rexently. Stopped using nature’s menu and 3 days later, no panting, back to being energetic, normal stool, normal water intake and urination. And she slept through the night for the first time in weeks!
Whatever is in this food was killing my dog. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Government needs to test this stuff. While it isn’t hurting every dog, it obviously has something that is causing others extreme illness.

[Jamy R]

I have a rescue Blk Mouth Cur/ Lab 5 or 6 year old mix. She came to me with severe runs. The humane society had said they were giving her Blue Buffalo lamb and rice so we bought that. She didn’t like that. She did have worms. We went to the vet and they gave her antibiotics and worming meds. Feeding was always a problem till we mixed well cooked and drained ground beef, peas and green beans with sweet potato and mostly dog food. Dish by Rachel Ray… She always had terrible itching so we went to a new vet. She gave us pills for itching and asked about other things. We live in the woods so she also was given a lyme vaccine. She wasn’t drinking enough water that day. Two days later she had a seizure. My first thought was an issue with the vaccination or the anti-itch. We went back and many dollars later for labs, and iv for fluids, test for epilepsy. The only thing we found was very high amylase and lipase. DX was pancreatitis We put her on Hills special diet and day two she loves the food but is also on an antiseizure for this 4th of July weekend. I am hoping we can get the pancreatitis under control. Has it ever caused seizures that you know?

[The guy who throws the ball]

Regarding food we have fed our dogs and are feeding them now, I don’t want promote any specific brand. I think that this may be specific to each dog and what affects my dog won’t necessarily have the same effect on other dogs. But we had tried a few different foods as mentioned. Of the foods we tried Purina Beneful was one, Kirkland brand foods, and a few others I believe. We finally settled on Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice. Our dogs are fat so we give them the healthy weight version in the yellow bag. Blue gets some negative publicity, but it has changed my dogs life without a doubt. there may be plenty of other brands that would do the same for Widgit, but we are unwilling to treat her like a guinea pig and possibly cause more seizures. Its pretty terrible watching your pet go through that and not know what to do, and then later put all the pieces together and find out they were trying to tell you in their own way (being a picky eater in our case). It is going on almost 2 years now with out a seizure after years of suffering to the point we were about to start her on medication. Bums me out just thinking about it.

[Jessica C]

Hi!

We got our french bulldog puppy at 5 months old about 3 months ago. I can’t seem to find the right food to get him to have good solid poops. He came to us eating a cheap kibble which I obviously want him to be on a higher quality food. Sometimes it’s formed into logs but soft and other times it’s complete soft serve – please help!! I know this is common with frenchies so I’m not super worried but would like to avoid a prescription diet as the vet suggested. Everything has been a slow transition (not switching all of the food at once to avoid diarrhea) but still no luck. so far we’ve tried the following:
blue buffalo chicken and rice puppy formula
pure vita salmon and peas
merrick lamb and sweet potato
currently eating taste of the wild puppy formula which is also a salmon

I’ve mixed in rice, done chicken and rice (Vet told me it’s possible there is a chicken or beef allergy though) and also tried mixing the pumpkin.
anyone have any suggestions for me? i am open to anything!! thank you!

[Denys A]

I just joined this site because of German Shepherd Man, who has his own, extensive, VLOG, and he recommended it. He also was highly favorable about Victor Super Premium Dog Food, grain free, for large dogs. No mention of Victor brand here! His other favorite was Blue Buffalo Freedom grain free. No mention of that. When I talk to people about homemade dog food, they recommend brown rice or they condemn it. They recommend raw or they condemn it. Everybody is an expert and yet, it seems, nobody is. Help!

[James P]

a c
For years we fed Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Chicken and Rice mixed with Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free Small Breed Chicken Recipe. We had a few upset stomachs here and there, but no pancreatitis, which too much fat in miniature schnauzers diet causes. Then we screwed up and started adding some off brand canned food I had found cheap, just because we wanted them to have a little something special. The canned food apparently had too much fat and gave one of my girls pancreatitis.

Once we got her cured I wanted to significantly drop the fat in their diet just so she would not have any repeats as I am afraid that once they have pancreatitis, they are prone to it. We now still feed the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Chicken and Rice, but now mix it with Wellness Core Grain Free Reduced Fat. The Wellness Core Reduced Fat is a well rated food and I would feel comfortable feeding it alone if I had to.

I have read that sometimes Grain Free foods can have too much protein and cause kidney problems. That is another reason why I feed a combination of a grain free food with a light grain/vegetable food. Our oldest schnauzers will turn 13 this year and we did their blood work last fall. Their levels were all great with no problems at all.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by James P.

[pitlove]

Hi Brianne-

While we have textbooks that list out symptoms a dog should have given a particular disease, our dogs don’t follow the textbook and can present in ways other than what they “should” present as. For instance, if a dog had cancer you would think their bloodwork would be completely off the wall crazy, but I’ve seen perfect bloodwork with dogs that are known cancer patients.

When you run bloodwork and the value exceeds what the computer can read it does not matter what the number is, it still means it is too high. His diagnosis would not change if it was 2,000 or 4,000. There is a normal range for amylase and lipase levels and his were well out of the normal range. If he is doing well on the current diet, he needs to remain on that diet until those levels have come back to a normal range. Then you can explore another food.

Also, intermittent vomitting is not normal at all. I see clients daily that believe it is normal for their dog to vomit on occassion and as long as it is not frequent they are fine. This is not the case. Once you get the pancreatitis under control I would consider moving away from Blue Buffalo. It is not a very good company or product in general and it’s clear your dog actually was not doing well on it (picky behavior, vomitting).

[Brianne H]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum, but I wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar with their dog;

(I have read the other Pancreatitis posts, but my Dog’s symptoms are a bit different.)

So my Dog, Koumpi, is a 6 year old Maltipoo. We got him when he was a puppy, and he had been eating Blue Buffalo food pretty much since we got him, with no issues (at least as far as we were aware). He was always active, but never a big eater; we would give him his food in the morning, and he would sort of pick at it through out the day, but by end of day he would usually have finished it. He’s always had very good physicals, with no red flags for anything, and he weighs 15lbs, which the vet said was perfect.

This march 2018, he went in for his annual physical. The physical portion was good, she said his weight was good (still the same) and everything looked and felt good. We did the blood panel, as we do every year, just to make sure everything is as it should be, but his amylase and lipase enzymes were very high. The vet said he had Pancreatitis, and asked about whether we’d noticed any vomiting, diarrhea, or him refusing to eat. I did tell her that over the last year (or maybe less) he would have intermittent vomiting, like maybe 1ce every few weeks, a very small amount of bile (like a tbsp.), usually at night when he was in his crate. He was still eating as he normally did, still acting the same…the infrequency of the vomiting, and being such a small amount never raised a red flag for me that something was wrong.

She suggested we start by putting him on the Hills low fat prescription I/d diet and re-test his enzyme level in 6 weeks. We did this, and his enzyme level did come down, but was still high at 1800. What we don’t know, was how high exactly it was in the first place, since their cut off level is 2000…it may have been just over 2000, or 4000…we just don’t know. The vet suggested we keep him on this diet, since it *is* doing something, and also give him SAMe (Denosyl 225mg) to act as an anti-inflammatory which will hopefully alleviate any of that if that is what is happening internally, as well as to increase his appetite.

He has been on Denosyl for about 11 days, and I have noticed it has not improved his appetite whatsoever. He does seem to get a burst of energy mid-day/evening, and wants to play a lot with his toys, but other than that, I am not seeing any difference in him.

I guess my issue is, I am not 100% convinced he has Pancreatitis at all…he has no swelling/distention in his abdomen, he is not exhibiting any clinical signs of pain, he’s active, and eating…just eating small amounts throughout the day vs eating it all in 1 sitting. his stools are normal, no diarrhea. He’s also not thrown up AT ALL on the Hill’s diet…

Does anyone know, that has dealt with elevated enzyme levels in their dogs, how long does it typically take for those levels to go back into normal range?

We don’t want to put him through any sort of a scan, as those have their own risks, and where there is no physical indications (swelling or pain in the abdomen), and all other blood work was normal – and we don’t want to medicate him if he truly doesn’t need it, though I would be willing to try Pepcid AC 5mg/day to see if there is any improvement in his eating.

Does anyone have any similar experiences? What worked best for your Dog? Was it Pancreatitis, or just Acid Reflux (GERD)??

[jennifer m]

We have a bulldog puppy. We got her from my mom (who is the breeder) when she was 4 months old. The litter was large and my mom did not realize she was reacting to her food until we got her. Here is a little of what we have done. I know it’s a lot of food changes. Nothing has worked. We have had up to 10 poops a day, blood in stool, and diarrhea. I just don’t know what to do.
weened-4mo old: Blue Buffalo
Way too many poops and smelly gas. She also did not like the food
Large Puppy Orijens (went through one large bag before switching)
She loved the food. Better stools but still went 5 times a day. Mom was too concerned about this being too much protein for a bulldog.
Pure Vita Salmon and Pea (went through 2 bags)
She liked it fine. Stools were very soft and she went a lot
Health Extensions
Mom switched her to this while keeping her for a few weeks. Terrible gas and by the time we got her back she had diarrhea.

At this point, we just went to our vet. He said that we have done too many food changes. No parasites or worms. Put her on 5 days of purina probiotics and metronidazole. This did nothing. She went back to vet and he put her on a high energy GI Royal Canine. This is the first time we went to having 3-4 poops a day but they were still soft and she would have blood in them. He also gave her another 7 days of antibiotics.

I decided not to give the antibiotics and immediately took her off of the food. I went back to the natural health food store. She recommended the stella and chewy lamb patties and nutrisource lamb meal and rice. Also added goat’s milk. She does not love the food but loves the patties and goat’s milk. So far the stool is back to solid which I haven’t seen in over a month. However, this morning she has gone 3 times before she even ate breakfast. Could this be just a transition period?

I like the solid stools but I don’t want to be back to a point where she’s going 7-8 times a day.

Mom said the grain free foods were using a lot of peas and this could be an issue. That’s why we are trying the rice formula. The food store also recommended Honest Kitchen raw food.

What should I do? She’s only 8 months now and I am sure she wants to feel better and stay on a good food.

[Craig S]

Haley said low protein but is 26% low? Compared to
Others 26 is quite comparable, no?
I realize its not a blue buffalo but if you look at
Diamond naturals which is 4.5 star, the ingredients
List is nearly identical.

So in theory, how would one know if a dog is getting
What it needs? Can you tell by stool if a food goes in
And comes out fast? Or size of stools vs stool from
Other foods. I know ratings are there for a guide but what
Are other indications outside of coat, behavior, itching etc.
Im looking for tangible things one can look for

Thanks

[JoLynn O]

My 12-year-old rescue has been successfully eating dry Blue Buffalo her entire life now, but just recently she has constantly been plagued with diarrhea. Could it be too “hot” for her now? Other than that and a bit of arthritis, she seems in great health, but maybe she needs an early trip to the vet. What do you think

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

The wholehearted reads very similar to the blue buffalo prescription diets (who knew those existed?) again, it goes back to answering the posters question, not harassing them until they leave because they never got a straight answer. I’m glad to know wholehearted exists

[haleycookie]

So you’re fine with any toy breed food? I suggested looking through brands because there are better brands than others. And most people want to stick to certain brands. What exactly are you looking for in a small breed food? Some good ones I know of are, Merrick Lil plates, Canidae pure fields, solid gold mighty mini, and natures variety small breed.
The only “toy” breed I can think of off the top of my head is Royal Canin, blue buffalo, and nutro. There won’t be much difference other then maybe a little bit smaller than toy breed. But unless your dog is under 5 lbs and has little to no teeth a small breed food should work.

[Lisa H]

Hi!

I have a 6 lb long-haired chihuahua and she is currently on Blue Buffalo. I want to switch her to a higher quality food and have narrowed it down between the 4 below. I wanted to see if anyone could help me choose 1 or narrow it down (based on your experience or research). My dog doesn’t have any allergies and generally likes any food that’s put in front of her 🙂

– Nature’s Logic
– NutriSource
– Zignature
– Orijen
– Instinct

Thank you!!