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Acana does not offer puppy food and I know my two dogs really like Acana so we will eventually switch to it when Dexter is fully grown but I need a puppy food for him he is only 7 months old. We recently rescued him and he was emaciated when he was rescued by the orginzation and he was still quite underweight when we adopted him just a few weeks ago. He is doing much better now and is only still slightly underweight but he is growing well (rib cage is actually looking more normal instead of very thin and small). Dexter appears to be a Scottish Terrier+Poodle mix. I haven’t weighed him recently but I know he’s at least 8 pounds.
I am only buying high quality food such as Acana, Orijen, Wellness Core, etc. I am going by the rating system here on DFA and am choosing 4+ star dog foods only. It seems odd though that all of the 5 star foods that DFA has reviewed do not offer puppy foods. Is this common?
I’d prefer to have a dog food that is completely gluten-free as I myself have Celiac Disease and am very sensitive to gluten so handling the food and receiving doggy kisses puts me at risk of having a bad reaction if they are eating foods with gluten in them.
So I’d prefer a grain-free OR one with Rice/potato/sweet potato, etc but no other gluten-containing grains.
Dexter and Bentley (who is 6 years old, Yorkie) both itch a lot and have atopic dermatitis. Dexter’s is on his face and I have not seen any spots anywhere else, and Bentley’s is mainly on his back but he did have it practically everywhere on his body (just not a full blanket rash). We switched to Greenies Pill Pockets Allergen Formula and it does seem even better now with much less itching for Bentley. So he also may have an allergy to wheat (gluten) as one of the main ingredients in all of the pill pockets minus the allergen formula is wheat.
So I think I need:
1) gluten-free
2) 4 or 5-star rating from DFA or one that hasn’t yet been reviewed but is on the same level quality-wise as 4 or 5 star foods DFA has already reviewed
3) Prefer smaller kibble as my dogs are small/toy size.Kind of off my own topic but Bentley (6 year old yorkie) vomited whenever he ate Orijen 6Fish so I think Orijen itself is too strong somehow for Bentley so I tried Acana and they both ate it without any issue. Maybe the Orijen is too protein-rich for Bentley?
I am hopeful you (all) will be able to help me narrow down a puppy food to give to Dexter. I prefer kibble over canned only because it is more cost effective and less work to prepare and we won’t have to worry about how long that can was in the fridge.
I look forward to your responses. 🙂
So I have a Staffy who is almost 18 months. She has already been allergy tested, and on a scale of 0-4 scored a 2 on numerous things, different types of grasses/weeds, dust and so on, with yeast also registering. We have also done a food trial prior to intradermal testing with Royal Canin HP and her itching really never got better on it. The main issue is she scratches herself bloody. Her neck, under her arms, her face. It’s a sin. We use Temaril-P when needed and it does help, have tried Atopica which didn’t work at all, have tried a new medication called Apoquel that didn’t work at all. Usually when she’s extremely bad(she was at the vet Tuesday, she sees a dermatologist at UPenn), she comes back positive for a yeast infection on her skin. She also started immunotherapy 5 months ago.
The worst of foods(on a relative scale) she has eaten would be Taste of the Wild as a puppy, and when the itching started around 4 months, we have tried, all for nearly 2 month periods, Earthborn, Acana, Nature’s Variety LID and now back to Earthborn since it doesn’t seem to matter.
Where am I going with all of this? Before I fully delve into trying a raw or cooked diet and seeing if it helps, should I just try the lowest carbohydrate food I can find to try and cut down on the yeast issues? If this doesn’t work, I am going either raw, freeze dried or cooked at the end of May. I was going to try Brothers Complete Allergy Formula but I’ve read it’s fairly high in carbs. Would I be better going with something that is 25% or so carbohydrates based on this site’s calorie weighted analysis, perhaps Orijen or Nature’s Variety Raw Boost, or something else?
We’ve tried so much…supplements, oils, she gets Phytovet CK baths 2-3x a week, and it doesn’t improve unless she’s on Temaril and we obviously don’t want that, but when she’s bleeding and will scratch herself for minutes straight unless you stop her, you have no choice.
Any ideas welcome, especially food related. Thanks all, love the site, been lurkin forever.
Topic: yeast & atopic dermatitis
I’m at my wits end trying to combat dermatitis in a foster English setter. She is greatly improved since Oct. when she came to me, but still itchy. Medicated shampoos, antibiotics, antifungals, and 2 steroid shots helped but still has skin issues. She is on Natural Balance LID fish and potato (grain free). Should I be avoiding potato? Would peas be better? I’ve read that sugars AND starches can feed yeast. Also, someone suggested adding apple cider vinegar and coconut oil to her food. Has anyone had success using natural remedies? And what bagged foods would you suggest? I’ve always fed grain free, chicken free. I’d hoped that Van Pattens would do the trick, but it hasn’t so far.
Topic: Help with storage mites
My 7 year old lab/pointer has had atopic dermatitis for most of her life. I did several food trials with no change. The last food I used was Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Grain-free. The vet sent blood to Idexx lab for testing and she tested super high for storage mites. She did well on the Earthborn and I can’t image it contained mites, but how else would she ingest them? Vet recommended I either make homemade food, use canned wet food or purchase fresh kibble and keep it in the freezer.
I would prefer to keep her on kibble, but how can I be sure there are no mites in the food when I buy it? There is an expiration date, but nothing tells when the food was made.
Any help is greatly appreciated!Topic: Atopy
My Lassie cross breed of Jackrussel and Beagle is suffering from atopic dermatitis. We have tried steroids and other medicines which gives only temporary relief. We have approached a New Vet who recommended DERMOCOOL HC SPRAY and diet comprising of RABBIT MEAT, TAPIOCA with SAFFLOWER OIL. I wonder whether this diet will provide her all the vitamins necessary for her body. Until now, we used to give her lamp meat, rice and SCIENCE PLAN food.