[emmygirl01]

Hi, last post for this topic was 2016, so I was wondering if anyone has had a dog diagnosed with this recently.
My pup, Murphy recently got this diagnosis after 5 months of diarrhea. I have posted prior to this concerning his diarrhea, and thanks to all of you who gave your input.
I am working with my vet and following her advice.
He is currently on budesonide, B-12 shots weekly. I feel like this has been successful, but now with new blood work, the vet wants me to put him back on prednisone and add plavix, as she reports that dogs with this diagnosis can get blood clots—
She wants me to do balanceit–which is a wonderful company, wonderful product, but you have to cook massive amounts of protein and add it to their vitamins. It’s a big commitment, and not that I am not up to the challenge, but realistically, I would like a back up plan for a food that he could tolerate and would be low in fat, fiber, etc. If you have had success with such a brand, please share. He can not eat beef, salmon, rice, peas, lentils, garbanzos–he hates pork. I think my vet is working on a recipe with balanceit which would be turkey and a carb of some kind and then the balanceit vitamins. Due to his food problems, there are limited canned or dry foods that he can tolerate–so maybe balanceit is the best choice?? And I will just have to figure out a way to cook copious amounts of meat!
Thanks in advance.

[Susan]

Hi Jenny,

look at “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison formula, Sweet Potato & Venison formula..
https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets

You’re better off doing a food Elimination Diet this way you will know 100% what ingredients your dog is sensitive too, these salvia, blood & fur tests give false positives..
You have a small dog so home cooked or raw meals would probably work out cheap, just make sure diet is balanced after 1-2 months & diet is high in Omega 3 ingredients & oil for skin.

Look for a kibble or wet can food that has 1 novel protein & 1 carb & start from there…
also bath in a medicated shampoo, weekly or twice a week baths are best to wash off any allergens on their paws, skin etc
If you want to stay with vet diets look at the “Royal Canine” Select Protein, PR-Potato & Rabbit wet can & dry vet formula, the Natural Balance limited ingredient formula’s are similair & cheaper, there’s also “Rayne Canada” vet formula’s have Rabbit, Crocodile, Kanagroo.
http://www.raynecanada.ca/canine-diets/

[Susan]

Hi Baileysmom,

Yes Patch was the same, his skin & paws got worse while on a Vet diet that had Corn Starch, he started to get smelly yeasty skin & paws..
Look for a new kibble that has 1 novel protein & 1-2 carbs, has limited ingredients & see how he does….. Patches yeasty smelly skin went away when he started a raw diet, 3 days after eating just raw Kangaroo & green blended vegetables, Patches yeasty itchy skin went away, I bathed him in “Malaseb Medicated Shampoo & his smelly yeasty skin didn’t return..
There’s no point doing a elimination food trial with the vet diet he’s eating made his itch increase since being on this vet diet food….
If itchy skin paws, or ears become worse, you need to stop the vet diet & try another formula, when you start a elimination diet using a vet diet you only continue feeding the diet if skin is stable & skin paws have improved then after 6weeks just eating teh vet elimination diet, then you start your elimination diet by adding 1 new ingredient every 6 weeks & see if skin starts to itch & get worse again, then if skin paws ears itch go red etc you stop that new ingredient, continue just feeding the vet diet wait for paws, skin are stable again, then when skin isnt itchy or smells yeasty before adding another new ingredient…..Best to start a elimination food diet in the cooler, colder months when environment allergens aren’t high…
Are you bathing twice a week or weekly…….Baths wash off any allergens on skin & paws, using a medicated shampoo is best, it puts moisture back into skin, reduces itch & redness & kills any bacteria & yeast that might be on skin & paws..

Have you tried “Royal Canine” Select protein PR – Potato & Rabbit formula? there’s the wet can & dry kibble formula’s, Vet diets for skin problems are higher in omega 3, what is needed when dogs has skin problems..

I’d take back the vet diet that has made skin worse & ask can you try another vet diet, look at the “Royal Canine Select Protein” formula’s & see how he does..
or get a refund & try something else..
*https://www.royalcanin.com/products/vet/food-sensitivity

* Hills have their D/D range
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-dd-canine-potato-and-duck-formula-dry

* “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison or Potato & Duck or Sweet Potato & Fish NB formula’s. https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets

* “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato or Salmon & Potato formula’s https://www.wellnesspetfood.com/natural-dog-food/simple-dogs

[STEFANIE]

Hi Karen. I read your post and got really excited! My dog, Maui, is a Border Collie and now had 11 months. When he was 6minths old, he had a mesenteric issue and had to undergo 3 surgeries!! He now has only 30% of his small intestines (a portion of the duodenum, almost nothing of the jejuno, and no iliac valve). I am STRUGGLING with everything, from nutrition problems, stools and vitamins deficit. He takes weekly shots of Magnesium and B vitamins, and intakes a lot of meds (s.a. loperamid, pepto bismol, metranizadol, and others). I would LOVE to hear from you, what did you do to get to 2/3 poops? Dry food? Protein? High in calories? Everything. All I can learn is special! I live in brazil and here we have little (almost no) studies of this issue. One of the vets even suggest putting him to sleep… which for me is DEFINETELY NOT AN OPTION!!!! If you want to, lets exchange info. My email is “[email protected]”. I would love to hear from you. Thank u so much. Best Regards, stef and Maui.

[Susan]

Hi Karen,

That’s excellent Abby is doing heaps better now…. yes I loved to know what food Abby ended up doing the best on, is she eating a wet or dry vet diet now or is she eating a cooked low/high fiber meals or does she eat dry for 1 meal & cooked or wet can food for other meals?, what medications helped, if she is on meds….

I would start a whole NEW post called “Mesenteric Torsion In Dogs” & “Short Bowel Syndrome in Dogs” so if someone googles Mesenteric Torsion In Dogs or Short Bowel Syndrome in Dogs, your new post/story comes up on DFA…you can also put the link from this post at the end of your new post so people can read thru all the posts & the same put a post on this page with the link to your new post so people can go over to the new aswell..

I don’t know how your going to write 1 & 1/2 years from start to finish without it becoming to long. I tend to write long post but I feel I need to explain everything & it’s so hard explaining from start to finish cause so much happens along the way, I suppose people can post a post asking you questions about stuff you may have forgotten to write or didnt think was as important to write….
Another poster might have some better idea’s on how to set it all out…

Now Abby is a survivor & that’s what people need to hear & reliese they mighten need to put their sick dog to sleep, it will take time & heaps of love & their dog will be well again..

[Susan]

@ Jason P

High Toxins in Advance dog food Australia… no recall for 3 months, more dogs die or have Megaesophagus, if recall was done back in Decemeber 2017 some of these dogs would still be alive or wouldn’t have ME now…. very sad a few dogs were Police dogs…
Best to feed what we eat, NO dry processed kibbles… or rotate between a few different brands, dont feed the same dry kibble 24/7, also add human grade ingredients to dogs diet & feed less kibble…
I salute “Clean label Project”, finally consumers have a choice to choose Dog food brands that aren’t high in toxins, some pet food companies are doing the right thing & not buying contaminated cheap meats…. CLP has done about 5 studies now & the same BAD pet food brands & their same formula’s keep rating very high in toxins, now this can’t be a coincidence…. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/number-of-megaesophagus-cases-soar-advance-dermocare/9839982

[Ruby H]

I have a King Charles spaniel that is 7 yrs old that is not very active, and so I would like to know what would be the best dry dog food for him. I have been told that a high protein food would not be appropriate because of his age.

[Susan]

Hi Robert,
Hills Prescription Diet makes “Metabolic Canine Treats”.
Metabolic Canine Treats are a great complement for dogs being fed Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ Metabolic Canine pet food, Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ Metabolic Plus Mobility,
Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ r/d™ Canine or Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ w/d™ Canine.
https://www.hillspet.com.au/dog-food/pd-metabolic-canine-treats

Have you tried “Royal Canine”
Canine Gastrointestinal Fiber Response dry dog food?
https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-canine-gastrointestinal-fiber-response-dry-dog-food/3959
ask vet can you try Royal Canine fiber response dry kibble to see if Timber stops doing his early morning poo 2-3am, poor thing he must wake up & need to poo..
When Patch was eating Sunday Pets food he started doing 5-6 poos a day & was pooing at 11pm, as soon as I stopped feeding him Sunday Pets food his 11pm poo at night stopped & he stopped doing 5-6 poos a day…

When Patch suffers with his Helicobacter he feels real hungry & wants food all day, as soon as he starts taking his triple therapy meds, Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Losec twice a day every 12 hours for 21 days, his wanting food all day & feeling really hungry all stops…
I’d start feeding 3 meals a day, 2 cups for breakfast, 1 cup for lunch-1pm & 2 cups for dinner, space out his feeding times to keep him feeling fuller longer.. 7am, 1pm & 6pm…

Hills, Royal Canine & Purina Pro Plan all have similair vet diets,
have a look at Purina Pro Plan EN Gastroenteric Fiber Balance™ Canine vet Formula
it’s similiar to Hills W/d vet diet but it has a bit less fiber 10%, maybe if the fiber % is lowered a little, it might reduce amount of poo’s & work a bit better then the Hills W/d formula?..
https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.ca/products-consumer/en-gastroenteric-fiber-balance-canine-formula/
Purina Pro Plan Vet diet has ” Lite Snackers”® Canine Treats, Hypoallergenic, high in fiber treats https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.ca/products-consumer/lite-snackers-canine-treats/
Here’s another Purina Pro Plan Vet diet that is high fiber 16%
https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.ca/products-consumer/om-overweight-management-canine-formulas/
You might need to try a few different brand vet diets till you find the right one that agree’s with Timber, all vet diets are money back guaranteed & if you have a vet who has patience & willing to order in new brand vet diets or give you a presciption so you can order online…
Also you can ring Hills, Royal Canine or Purina & ask can you speak with one of their Vet Nutritionist & they can advice which vet diet would be best to feed or do what I do, I go thru all the vet diets & read Fat % Fiber % ingredients etc & try & work out which vet diet might work best then ask my vet….

[Susan]

Hi Pennelope,
I use to have a Boxer her name was Angie, she was a white Boxer with a tan Patch over her left eye, she was the most beautiful dog I’ve ever owned, a real lady she was, so gentle, now I have a 9yr old English Staffy another rescue pound dog, he’s very friendly has to talk to everyone when we go out & has to tell people when he has his sore stomach, he starts whinging then he lifts his right paw up so they rub his stomach, where Angie, she kept to herself when we’d go out….
My boy has IBD-(Stomach, Acid Reflux, 20mins after eating meal food/water comes back up into mouth, his Sphincter flap in Esophagus doesn’t close), Food Sensitivies & Environment Allergies…
Last Summer I thought he had EOE (eosinophilic esophagitis) vet did Endoscope + Biopsies & said no to the EOE.

Salvia, Fur & Blood testing gives false positives, the only true way to know what foods your dog is sensitive too is to do a food elimination diet or feed a Hypoallergenic vet diet, after eating vet diet for 6-8weeks & your dog is doing well, not reacting, then you start adding 1 new food to his diet for 6 weeks to see does he react, if he reacts stop the new food, start keeping a diary & write down everything…

There’s a few Canine ME groups on facebook, you’ll met alot of pet parents who are going thru what you’re going thru everyday….

This year I started feeding my boy “Wellness Core” Large Breed, Patch seemed to be reacting to everything last Summer, Patch also takes a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) started taking 20mg Pantoprazole (PPI) in March this year after I nilly put him to sleep, 2 yrs ago he started taking Omeprazole (Losec) & he did really well, he stop burping & stopped food coming up & stopped his acid reflux, then around Xmas 2017 Patch went down hill after we moved, his vet said his allergies are really bad making his immune system go into over drive causing him to have a IBD flare, it was awful watching this once happy go lucky dog go down hill so quickly, he just gave up, his food just kept coming up he can not eat any wet wet foods, only dry kibble seems to stay down the best, I feed him 5 smaller meals a day, 7am & 9am-1/2 a cup kibble both times, 12pm – a wet vet diet Royal Canine, Gastrointestinal Low Fat, 1/3 of the can or Hills I/d Digestive Care, Chicken, Vegetables & Rice Stew a small can, I have to remove all the carrots & boiled rice, Patch can’t eat carrots he starts getting itchy ears & shakes his head & scratches his ears & the boiled rice goes thru Patch, boiled rice irritates his bowel, he gets rumbling, grumbling loud noises whe he eats boiled rice…5pm- 1/2 a cup kibble & 8pm-1/3 cup kibble..
I have found Sweet Potatoes & Boiled Potatoes are excellent with Patch also alot of dogs with ME & IBD do really well on boiled potatoes/sweet potatoes or a dry kibble that has potatoes/sweet potatoes…
I wouldn’t put all ur eggs in 1 backet with the allergy test your dog has had done, what ingredients was he he eating when he got this test??
My vet said normally the ingredients the dogs are eating at teh time of theses allergy test will come up high, when I asked for a blood test years ago, she wouldnt do it, she said, I’m not wastiing your money & said we’ll started Patch on the “Royal Canine” Tapioca & Duck vet diet its gluten free or she said, cook him lean turkey mince & boiled potatoes & start the elimination diet…
Have a look at “Natural Balance”LTD Sweet Potato & Bison or Sweet Potato & Fish” or
“Wellness Simple” Salmon & Potatoes but I think all Wellness grain free dog foods have peas??
This is where you’ll need to start a proper food elimination diet & test the ingredients that the allergy test said your dog is sensitive too.. most grainfree pet food have peas & the grain kibbles normally have rice, so the only option is to feed a vet diet, look at “Royal Canine Select Proteins” PR-Potato & Rabbit wet & dry formula’s or there’s PW, Potato & Salmon aswell, or Hills has their Z/d or Potato & Duck or Potato & Venison formula’s or look at the “Ranye Canada” vet diets http://www.raynecanada.ca/canine-diets/
Rayne has Kangaroo, Crocodile & Rabbit wet & dry formula’s but you’ll have to be careful with the fat, it needs to be low/med, carbs need to be low & protein high….
The Royal Canine Select Protein vet formula’s may be the best to start your dog on.. he doesn’t have to stay on them long term, just till you work out what foods he can & can’t eat, it can take 20mins, 1 day up to 6 weeks for a dog to show symptoms & react to a certain food ingredients.. Takes Patch 20mins after eating a food he’s sensitive too & react, his paws go red & hot,
For his environment allergies, it’s best to bath them twice a week or weekly, to wash off any allergens on skin & paws, I use “Sudocrem” cream, it’s a Anti-Fungal, Anti-Bacterial Healing thick white cream for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, Pressure Sores etc, it stops itchy skin, reddness, yeast, every night before bed I check Patches whole body & I apply the Sudocrem or Cortisone 1% cream when his paws are really red, this normally happens after we have had rain for a few days & he walks on wet grass or the wet morning dew on grass of a morning, Ialso use teh Huggie Baby Coconut baby wipes & wipe Patch down after we have gone for a walk or he’s been outside & I dont want to bath him after he has rolled & rub his whole body on the grass..
Once you get into a routine, routine makes life easier.. plus dogs love a routine they feel safe & stable…
If your on face book put “Megaesophagus Canine groups” in Search bar, I’ll probably see you over there..

[Susan]

Hi Nicole,
maybe start with Freeze Dried Raw & see how he goes, but make sure its a limited ingredient freeze dried or Air Dried diet there’s “Ziwi Peak” look at the Venison or Rabbit formula, https://www.ziwipets.com/ the Ziwi Peak wet raw can food is really good but it’s expensive but its balanced & all ready to go, email Ziwi Peak & ask for samples..
at first slowly introduce the freeze dried or Air Dried with his kibble he’s doing OK on, add new freeze dried slowley over 2 week period & see how he goes, or I went thru a Animal Nutritionist with my boy who has IBD, you can still feed the kibble he’s eating now, just feed the kibble for breakfast then feed the raw meal for Dinner or the other way around but when I first started Patch on a raw diet he was hungry cause he was use to eating a dry kibble that was high in carbs that kept him feeling full longer, I had to feed him a small snack at lunch time to get him thru to Dinner…

Go on facebook & search for “The Australian Raw Feding Community” facebook group, or buy “Lew Olson” book her f/b group is called “K-9 Nutrition” or Dr Karen Becker has a book, both books are very easy to follow, I just went to the library & borrowed the books to make sure they were OK before I bought them…Dr Karen Becker is bringing out her latest new book it should be out by now, go on her f/b page “Karen Becker” & ask her is her lastest raw feeding book out yet?
or you can start feeding the Pre-Made raw but I was advise NOT to feed Patch any Pre-made raw dog diets you buy from pet shops, home made raw is more fresh & you know what your adding into your boy raw diet..
I had to start Patch on 1 meat protein-Kangaroo mince feed at breakfast with blended veggie/fruit mix & Chicken Breast cut up for dinner with blended green veggetables, broccolli, celery, parsley & 1 fruit-apple peeled. remove all seeds, cut up then put in a blender add 1-2 spoons of the veggies /fruit mix to 1 cup of meat, then I froze the remaining fruit & veggie mix in ice cube trays covered in cling wrap then you take out 1 cube = 1 spoon when you need it & I also added the Digestavite Plus powder to balance the diet cause Patches diet had no bone or organ meats yet cause of Patches IBD, we started him on an elimination raw diet in the beginning, this is why it might be best to see a Holistic vet or Animal Nutritionist to formulate a raw diet for a growing puppy who has IBS…
Here’s the Nutritionist I went thru she does Skpe, emails or rings you, here’s her “Maintenance raw diet” she gave me for Patch & I had to pick 2 meats, 2-3 vegatbles & 1-2 fruits to begin with, but we would email back & forth… http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/education.php

[Susan]

Hi Charles,

The only way you will know 100% what foods your dog is sensitive too is to do a food elimination diet, you start by feeding 1 novel protein, a protein source he hasn’t eaten before & add 1 carb….this takes a while to do but you get results, I picked ingredients for the elimination diet that were in kibbles he had eaten & ingredients in kibbles I wanted to feed him.
Raw was the easiest way to do the elimination food diet as you dont have to cook & Patch reacted within 20mins of eating raw chicken breast, his back paw went red, swollen & hot, he was licking & licking his back paw, I had to put an ice pack on his back paw, so I knew straight away “NO more chicken”, then I started cooking his elimination diet as I didnt want to give him raw grated potato, raw carrots etc cause he has IBD & I found cooked carrots made his ears itch & he’d shake his head & scratch his ears, if you dont want to cook or feed a raw diet for the elimination diet then ask your vet about Hypoallergenic vet diets, would be your next step, once your dog has been eating the vet diet for 6 weeks & dog is not scratching, no red paws etc then you start adding 1 new ingredient for 6 week peroid or as soon as you see the dog reacting you stop adding the new ingredient, it can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks to see a reaction to an ingredient..

Alot of people will blame an ingredient in a kibble, there’s so many ingredients so they blame the potatoes, peas, chicken etc like I did, then when yrs later I did elimination food diet & I tested cooked potato then 1 month later I added cooked sweet potatoes, my dog he didnt react at all, no itching, no red paws, no gas, no sloppy poos, so for 2 years I had avoid buying any dog foods that had potato in them, also kibbles have too many ingredients in them so its very hard to know 100% what ingredient is causing the skin, ear or paw problems…. also normal pet shop & supermarket dry kibble become cross contaminated while being made or while being cut into the kibble shape from the cutting machine, so you’ll never really work out what ingredient your dog is reacting too in a dry kibble… Vet diets are suppose to not be cross contaminated…..

If you don’t like Hills, Royal Canine or Purina vet diets then there’s “Rayne Canada” vet diets they have Novel proteins Crocodile, Kangaroo & Rabbit formula’s..
It’s sooooo hard to really know 100% what your dois reacting too cause you also have the envrionment allergies aswell that he might be reacting too that day 🙁
But with my Patch he reacts to foods within 20mins of eating them he starts scratching & gets reditchy paws & start to lick them, & his gastro problems can take anywhere from 6-8hours to 1-2 days depends, Lentils he reacted within 6 hours of eating a kibble that had lentils in it…
I found it best to do your elimination food diet in the cooler months when environment allergens aren’t as active…..also as the dog ages their allergies become worse, Patch had the worst Summer last December & this January it was awful his immune system went into over drive & made his IBD flare up, I nilly put him to sleep, I couldn’t handle watching him suffer, he couldn’t swollow his food, everything he ate was coming back up into his mouth, his vet begged me to hang in there & wait 1-2 months for Summer to be over before you put him to sleep, I’m very lucky, well Patch is very lucky to have a really good vet, he wouldnt be here now…. Make sure your dogs diet is high in Omega 3 & give Probiotics daily, one thing about the Vet diets for skin problems they are very high in omega 3, so make sure if you’re not feeding a vet diet & doing an elimination diet or feeding normal dry kibble, start adding fish/salmon or Krill Oil capsules, Krill Oil capsules are suppose to not cause stomach problems & are better for dogs who suffer with Stomach problems…
Good-Luck
Here’s the Rayne Canada site.. http://www.raynecanada.ca/canine-diets/

[pitlove]

Hi Chris-

A raw diet is actually one of the most innappropriate diets for a growing large breed puppy. Calcium and phosphorus ratios are difficult to balance in a homemade raw diet which can most certainly lead to developmental orthopedic disorders. If you intend on feeding a raw diet to a large breed puppy it would be best to wait until he/she is fully grown or if you have a breeder that feeds raw and can prove that they have successfully transitioned their pups onto a raw food diet and had them grow optimally with no developmental issues, get that exact recipe from them and follow it to a T. Otherwise, it’s best to use a commercial dry food from a larger company that staffs nutritionists who formulate foods specifically for large breed puppies.

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer,
I know this is long but something in this post may help your little girl…..

I would go back to see a vet & get another course of the Metronidazole for 21-28 days.
I know the antibiotics don’t seem like they’re working but they are fixing whatever is wrong with your girl intestinal tract. When my boy takes Metronidazole 200mg twice a day every 12 hours with a meal, his poos become very sloppy, he takes the Metronidazole for his stomach to kill that bad bacteria when bacteria starts to take over his stomach again & causes bad acid reflux (Helicobacter-Pylori)….

The Metronidazole should fix her Intestinal tract & I know some of the vet diets don’t have the best ingredients but the vet diets are specially formulated for certain bowel /stomach problems, 1 Gastrointestinal formula has more soluble fiber, (Hills I/d Digestive Care Restore), then other Gastro vet diet (Hills Z/d Ultra) has more insoluble fiber & less soluble fiber, Royal Canine has their Hypoallergenic formula its very low in fiber 1%, this way you work out is it her small bowel or her large bowel that has the problem, her vet should be trying to work this out….You could go back to the same vet practice but see a different vet if there’s a few vets working there, that’s what I did with my boy..

Have you tried adding 1 tablespoon of boiled pumkin with her meals, boiled pumkin freezes really good, cut pumkin up into 1-2 spoon size pieces boil, then freeze them, you can get the ice cube trays & after you have boile the pumkin, mash it all up, then spoon into the ice cube tray, cover with cling warp then freeze & take out the frozen cubed pumkin when you need it….. 1 ice cube thing is = to about 1 spoon, then start adding the pumkin with her meals or just add to 1 of her meals & see are her poos better or worse?? if poos are better & less poo’s then she needs more Soluble fiber in her diet,
Soluble fiber is found in grains like barley, oatmeal, rice, and corn meal and seeds like chia, flax, potatoes, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, squash, pumpkins, avocados, bananas, applesauce and mangos.
if her poos become more sloppy after trying the pumkin then she might need a diet with less soluble fiber & more Insoluble fiber, Lentils, Beans, Peas, Legumes, Pinto Beans, Turnips, brown rice, etc but it can become confusing cause these vegetables have both soluble & insoluble fibers in them they’ll just have more of one of the fibers..

Vet diets for intestinal health also have prebiotics to heal the stomach & bowel, have you started giving her a dog probiotic like “Purina Forti Floria” Probiotic yet? give inbetween meals on empty stomach it’s best to take a probiotic, first thing of a morning, inbetween meals or before bed at night when stomach acids are low, I was adding probiotic powder with 10-15mls of water in a bowl, you swirl water around to mix the probiotic powder then let her drink it..

You could ask the vet can you try the “Royal Canine” Select Protein PR-Potato & Rabbit formula or the Royal Canine PV – Potato & Venison formula & get the same matching wet cans as well as the dry formula, or just try the R/C PR or PV wet can food & see how she does on wet can food?? Maybe she can’t handle the dry kibble??
To be so young & to have Intestinal problems it mighten be food related she might have something wrong with her small or her large bowel??
if her poos are sloppy & yellow then it’s her small bowel & if her poos are dark brown look like a cow pattie poo then its her large bowel, a good vet will know where the problem lays, at first Patch had small bowel problems S.I.B.O then after he took the Metronidazole & ate a vet diet for 9 months his small bowel healed & became better then a few years later he had problems with his large bowel…
You could feed the dry kibble R/C PR for breakfast & dinner & the wet can food for lunch cause she is a pup you’d feed 3-4 meals day, with vet diets they are guaranteed money back or exchange for another vet diet & you keep trying the vet diet till you find 1 that agrees with your girl, then you leave her on the same vet diet that seems to be agreeing with her for a good 6 months…Patch was doing really well on the “Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue” dry kibble, its very low in fiber & worked, we finally found a vet diet that helped him & he was only doing 2 poos, somedays 3 small poos a day, his vet wanted him on the Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue for 1yr so his intestinal tract could heal properly, then after 9 months he was scratching & his skin smelt real yeasty he was sensitive to the chicken, his poos were good but his skin wasn’t, then I started trying limited ingredient dry pet shop kibbles & if 1 grain free kibble didnt work, I always went back to his Eukanuba Intestinal Vet Diet, I think it’s called IAMS in America, I know ingredients aren’t the best but its a start to make her bowel healthy, I think the Iams have the Kangaroo & Oats, or look at “Rayne Canada” they have Kangaroo, Rabbit & Crocodile wet & dry formula’s
http://www.raynecanada.ca/canine-diets/

Have you tried the Loaf style meats “FreshPets” rolls. I read on DFA a few people have had success with the Fresh Pets rolls..
Just remember when you try something new just do 1 thing at 1 time over 1 week period other wise you will not know what is causing what if she has diarrhea & blood… Bloody poo’s is Colitis.. but she is so young to have these problems, you need a really good vet to work out whats wrong, I have found lady vets seem to be more sympathetic then the men vets…

[Nancy L]

I have an almost 5 month old mixed puppy — half bichon and half poodle (adorable and wonderful). So far, he has only eaten dry dog food (Diamond Naturals for small breed puppy). Should we add wet food to his diet too? Should we add “people” food — of course only lean meat, eggs, certain veggies, etc. We want to feed him whatever is best for him to have a long, healthy life. Please help!

[Susan]

Hi Jason,
best to email the pet food companies to get the Phosphorus max % & any other information you need….
Did you look at Hills I/d Low Fat, Rice, Veggetable & Chicken Stew
5.5 oz (156 g) can

Nutrient
Dry Matter
%
Protein
23.7
Fat
9.5
Crude Fiber
3.3
Carbohydrate / NFE
57.7
Calcium
0.89
Phosphorous
0.61
Sodium
0.42
Potassium
1.06
Magnesium
0.091
Total Omega-3 FA
1.32

Or there’s the Hills I/d Low Fat Loaf Style bigger
13 oz (370 g) can
Nutrient
Dry Matter
%
Protein
24.5
Fat
8.3
Crude Fiber
2.7
Carbohydrate / NFE
58.9
Calcium
0.76
Phosphorous
0.53
Sodium
0.44
Potassium
0.90
Magnesium
0.081
Vitamin C
133 ppm
Vitamin E
722 IU/kg
Total Omega-3 FA
0.66

There’s the Hills K/d Chicken & Vegetable stew but the fat is higher at 24%,
the Hills I/d Low Fat Stew fat is heaps lower at 9.5%max & with your dog having gastro problems she might need a lower fat diet?

Go onto the Hills Prescription Diet site & look thru all their wet can stews or Loaf style meals, my dog & cat love the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew small can the fat is higher at 14.9% Phosphorous -0.81%

Or contact a Dog Nutritionist & have a cooked diet made up, go on Facebook look for Monica Segals f/b group called “K-9 Kitchen” join then post a post asking for a low Phosphorous diet for early stages Kidney & Gastro problems, Monica might post one of her homemade diets… also there’s “Dr Judy Morgan DVM” f/b page she answers msg.

[pitlove]

Hi puppypiles-

Yes Corgis are technically suppose to be a fed a large breed puppy formula because they are often plagued with the same growth disorders large breeds get.

For puppies the best thing to do is use a commercially available dry food that is suited for the growth of large breed puppies and then once he/she is an adult switch to a raw diet. You also can talk to the breeder or multiple breeders and see what they recommend. Make sure you are talking to breeders that know what they are doing though.

[Anonymous]

I think your dog should use dog food for weight gain. As far as dog food my choice is Acana dry, introduced by my friends: https://pawpawlover.com/best-dog-food-for-weight-gain/

[Susan]

Hi Brianne,
My boy has IBD, he gets bad acid reflux & gets Pancreas/stomach pain lifts his right paw up whinges & wants me to rub around his stomach & Pancreas area, we have done the blood test & Ultra scan for Pancreatitis & everything comes back OK his Gastro vet says its his IBD, its his stomach….
If your dog isnt really interested in his Blue Bufflo kibble change it & find a kibble or low fat wet can or Freeze Dried raw kibble to feed him, I have found I need to rotate between a few foods that agree with him, they must be low/medium fat around 10%min to 14% max in fat, Protein over 25% & Carbs under 30% & fiber under 4%..
A dogs digestive tract is short & ment to digest a raw meaty diet not these processed dry kibbles, this is why I think so many dogs are having stomach & bowel problems……

My boy loves the Hills I/d Chicken & Vegetable Stew wet can food & the Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat wet can food I just get a paper towel & pat down & dry all the oil from the Royal Canin low fat wet food, Why I buy teh Vet Diet Wet can foods cause the fat is low where pet shop went can foods are higher in fat…
Patch gets his acid when a food has fish/salmon oils, he does well on Canola & sunflower oils…
Have you tried an ant acid reducer like Pepcid or Zantac ? you give 30mins before 2 of his main meals a day, my boy is on an ant acid blocker now he started off on Omeprazole (Prilosec) took it for 2 yrs then around December last year I moved & Patch went down hill really bad, I asked his vet can he do another Endoscope + Biopsies you must ask for the Biopsies so the vet knows what is really happening in stomach, my Patches Sphincter flap isn’t closing & the acid is coming up his esophagus into his mouth & went back down into his wind pipe this probably why he became so unwell the beginning of the year, I nilly put him to sleep he just gave up it was awful to watch, also his Helicobacter-Pylori were come back & he had Gastritis stomach…so he was put on 21 day triple therapy meds Metronidazole Amoxcillin & Prilosec given every 12 hours with a full meal, then after the 21 days I continued giving just 1 x 20 Prilosec tablet of a morning for his acid reflux & to keep his Helicotor away, it lives in their stomach walks & loves sugary carbs (kibble)
In the end I had to stop any wet foods cause they kept coming up into hois mouth causing bad acid reflux, I found Wellness Core Large Breed dry kibble & he’s doing really well now, he’s acting like a puppy, he isnt a large breed dog he’s an English Staffordshire Terrier, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is low/med Fat-13%, Protein-35%, Carbs-31% low in Kcals per cup -345Kcals per cup & is high in Omega 3 & has Glusomine & Chondroitin helping his joints & bones he’s 9ys old & it has no chickpeas or lentils…

I’d change his diet, if you can cook 1-2 of his meals a lean white meat with boiled sweet potatoes, sweet potato freezes really well & feed his other 2 meals the Wellness Core large Breed formula, try & feed 3-4 smaller meals a day, I feed him at 7am, 9am-1/2 cup kibble both times 12pm-wet can food or cooked food or his freeze dried raw food & 5pm -1/2 cup kibble & 8pm-1/3 kibble, & try an ant acid reducer first either the Pepcid (Famotidine) or Zantac (Ranitidine) 30 mins before 2 of his main meals, if they dont really help him then ask vet about trying Omeprazole (Prilosec) 20mg best given first thing of the morning just wait about 20mins then feed him but you dont really dont have to wait before feeding him as Prilosec is a Protein Pump Inhibitor (PPI) sends a msg to the brain not to make as much Hydrochloric acid in the stomach, where the Zantac & Pepcid works differently & I found didnt really help Patch… You will see results within 2-3 days after using the Omeprazole..
Sometimes I also give Patch either 5ml liquid Mylanta or 1/2 a Quick-eze chew when he has vomited up acid these line his throat & eosphagus & make him feel better…

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer,
I have a Staffy with Food Sensitivities Environment Allergies & IBD, I would be making her your own raw diet with human grade meats, no pre-made raw dog food, I went thru animal nutritionist in Australia & we started PAtch on a raw elimination diet to work out what ingredients he is sensitive too…
Dogs have a short digestive tract, their intestinal tract is make to digest a raw diet quickly so if the meat they have eaten is spoiled etc it quickly moves thru their stomach then onto their small bowel onto the large bowel then a small poo, kibbles are high in fiber & some grainfree kibbles are even higher in fiber especially if it has peas, lentils, chickpeas, I have found kibbles that have sweet potatos & potato work the best for Patch, if you do go back to a dry kibble look at “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison or Natural Balance Potato & Duck formula or look at “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato formula..

If you can afford it look for a Holistic Vet in your area.. My boy went down hill last December & now I’m feeding my boy “Frontier Pets” Freeze Dried dehydrated raw thats free range grain free raw diet human ingredients, I started to slowly introduce & give to him at Lunch time only they’re small balls & you add warm water, straight away he started to get better I saw good results like you have seen he also eats “Wellness Core Large Breed dry kibble he isnt large breed dog but this Wellness Core large breed formula is high protein-36%, low/med in fat-13% low in carbs-31% low in Kcals-345Kcals Per cup… & has no lentils or chickpeas…You need to work out what agrees with your dog…or even join a few Raw feeding groups on facebook someone will help you get your dog onto a balanced raw diet with homemade ingredients not a pre-made raw….
Start with 1 meat protein she hasnt eaten before & you blend some green veggies & fruit,I used peeled apple, take out any seeds, broccolli, celery & parsley blended then put in ice cube tray cover with cling wrap & freeze, you add 1-2 spoons of the Veggie/fruit mix 1-2 frozen veggie/fruit ice cubes to 1 cup of meat…I balanced diet with Natural Animal Solution Digestavite Plus powder….

[Deanna B]

Over the years my dogs have had some issues like yours. The best food I have found for them are Wellness Core Dry Food and I have a dog food subscription from Farmers Dog – which is homemade and uses human grade ingredients. My dogs love it. They are also white dogs and I struggled with tear staining, but did not want to treat with chemicals. Using the Wellness dry food and Farmers Dog food as a topper, the tear stains are gone. Also smaller poops, no throwing up, no loose or greasy stools.
Good luck to you.

[anonymous]

I wonder if you are feeding them too much? Could the food be high in fiber?

I never feed just kibble (too dry) add a little boiled chicken meat and rice (give up the rice when there stools have been firm for more than 3 days), add a little water or plain homemade (nothing added) chicken broth to meals.
Don’t free feed/leave food down.
Feed 3 small meals a day for now.
I have heard good things about Pro Plan Focus salmon for sensitive skin and stomachs
Make sure the food that you choose is appropriate for large breed puppies, it will say so on the bag.

PS: Wait a minute. You got them at 4 weeks? Not good for the immune system. Way too young, they should stay with the mother till at least 10 weeks.
Let me guess, they had a load of vaccinations recently.
Best to spread those out, don’t give all at once, and hold off on the rabies (required by law) for as long as you can, at least till they are 6 months old.

[Bonnie W]

Unfortunately I do not use facebook due to harassment issues & getting hacked & told to kill myself every time I go one it so I’ve not gone on in over a year. No he’s not had watery stools until he was given the flea & tick poison & heart worm meds right after finishing the 14 days of SMZ antibiotic. The flagyl worked best but she said that she gave him this SMZ instead last time & this time for 14 days at a time plus the 10mg Prednisone which I’ve not given him yet as I don’t want to make things worse for the poor boy. He just poo’d all over the downstairs again & its almost 2am here & I haven’t slept in 2 night now 3…just ran him outside but it had already happened. The vet also gave me digestive enzymes which I didn’t give him yet either because it says on the bottle that they irritate the mucous membranes & I don’t want to stress him out further as his mouth waters & his nose runs but he’s been drinking a big bowl of water each day & ate most of his Metamucil & food combo w/lots of water in it tonight. Last night he threw up all of the potatoes I boiled & mashed inside his pen then had poo’d all over the rugs & his soft couch like dog bed covers as well so it was a busy day of cooking, cleaning & laundry as well as running out side for slight tiny mucous poo’s I just feel so bad for him. Plus to make things worse my Dad has severe Alzheimers & he called me tonight to ask if I was dead…which was very upsetting & telling me he’d been up to visit my long deceased uncle who was much older than he whose now 89 but telling me he was only 87. He’s supposed to be being taken care of by my sister who is an addict & just uses him & tries to get him drunk so she feels she can safely leave him home alone to go to the pubs etc. Because my older brother has power of atty I can’t do anything to help him & she is the person having people tell me to kill myself on facebook-the police said they would like to see a restraining order put against her to get her out of his house but I’d have to have power of atty to make it happen & my brother has disowned me over a religion he belongs to that I do not so he won’t answer my phone calls or respond to me at all. He says I’m no longer his sister & not to call his home because it upsets his wife to hear my voice. So this along with cancer is making me so stressed with Elijah so sick…he’s been my service dog for all these years & I just feel like I can’t help him. I know he’s very old for an Airedale but he’s been doing so good & his blood work 2wks ago came back perfect except his kidney numbers were up due to the kidney disease but he’s been wanting to go for walks & get outside. He’s very aware of all thats going on around him so I hate the thought of the unspeakable. I’ll just start crying again if I even go on about it. He’s all I have. My mom died several yrs ago & I took care of her to the end when I got cancer which has changed my life & it doesn’t feel like the springtime here it feels like the season of loss for me. I’m just a mess. Thank You for all of you kind words & helpful suggestions I just don’t want to loose him & am not in a position to get another nor do I wish to replace him. He’s been so special in my life & loves to be sung to & is just a kind loving heart full of wisdom of the knowledge bump on top of their heads? His is large so I think he’s quite knowledgeable. But again thank you & I’ll keep you all posted. I just wish is wasn’t the weekend as the vet isn’t in & I don’t want things to go down hill over the next two days. Take care. Thanks again!

[Susan]

Hi Patrica,
Wet foods have different fat%, here’s a fat calculator save it.
http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php
When you see say 5 % fat on raw or wet can food it has not been converted to dry matter yet this is when you use the calculator Ive posted or email the dog food company & ask for converted max fat %
If the wet can food says 5%min fat, when you convert 5%min fat to dry matter it will be around 20%min to 26% max fat…..
Best to look for wet foods 4% & under also if the moisture is over 78% then the fat will be higher aswell….
Have you looked at Freeze Dried Dehydrated raw dog foods? that’s what I’m introducing to my 9yr old boy who has IBD have a look at
“The Honest Kitchen” range https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food
“Ziwi Peak” Air Dried raw & wet can foods are really good for very fussy dogs & cats, my cat inhales it…. https://www.ziwipets.com/

[Gary W]

I am a strong believer that cats cannot have any grain in their diet, as it is just an open door to health problems. You may be paying a lot upfront, but your wallet will thank you when your kitty doesn’t get loads of health problems. Onto food!

Below are some recommended brands for Dry and canned foods:

Purina Fancy Feast canned food
Rachael Ray Nutrish both Dry/canned
Natural Balance
Wellness(I would feed it if they take out the garlic)
California Natural
Hills Science Dry Cat food
Blue Wilderness
Nutro(Natural Choice or Max Cat) (some people think it’s terrific and others might disagree)

Here you can find some top canned and Dry cat foods https://www.criticthoughts.com/pet/best-cat-food/

Of course, the more canned the better. To paraphrase our cat specialist vet’s recommendation, it’s best to feed a grain-free, low-carb wet-only diet. My suggestion for “best” foods would be canned foods with as much meat as possible and minimal (or, better, no) carby stuff like grains of any sort, peas, potato, and tapioca.

[Marie F]

What is the optimal fat to protein ratio in dry dog food for small breed puppies such as Westie’s?

I’m also confused as to which puppy food to choose for a Westie pup.
Any suggestions from Westi owners will be appreciated.

[Susan]

Hi emmygirl,
sorry my post is so long but as I’m writing I’m remember heaps of information & what I did with Patch….
You have written everything I have been thru with my IBD boy Patch who is nilly 10yrs old, I nilly put him to sleep in January, instead we did another Endoscope-Biopsies on esophagus & stomach, I thought he had stomach cancer…
Find a vet that does Endoscope + Biopsies & a vet that knows about IBD, you must get the biopsies done if you ever do Endoscope, some vets dont think to do the biopsies when looking at the stomach & small bowel, these vets are lacking experience in IBD, Patches stomach looks perfect when he had his 2 Endoscopes but his the biopsies told a different story. Biopsies tell the vet so much information what is wrong with your boy intestinal tract….Ultra scan was a waste of money, you cant really see the stomach & the vet can see the bowel but only if the bowel is thickening, vets thought Patch had thickening of the Bowel but he didnt, this happens after the dog has diarrhea for years, I wouldnt like to be a vet, 1 dogs cant talk & tell the vet were is sore what hurts etc, so vets have to do alot guessing sometimes when test come back OK.

*Food
Over the years my good vet told me to keep a yearly diary, cause you cant rememeber every single thing you’ve done & they have done.. now I look back thru Patches diaries when I need to remember what was Patch eating when he was doing so much better, write what your feeding, times, meds, what were poos like when he’s eating ?? etc
Is he doing OK when he’s eating the cooked Turkey, Squash & Oatmeal, how are his poos? one of Patches first vets told me in the beginning, to look & see when dog is pooing, does the poo come out of bum properly formed poo?, then when it hits the ground it turns to slop cow patty poo? the vet said this is OK as long as poo’s are formed when its coming out of the bum & as long as the dog is just doing his normal 1-3 poos a day & is not pooing at all thru day & night at all hours, vet said to me this might be as good as your going to get Patches poos, he was eating the Royal Canine Hypoallergeniic dry kibble… but I ended up getting Patches poos firmer when he started teh TOTW kibble & I ended up trying the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet can food last year it was better then the dry R/C HP kibble, then after trying all the Intestinal vet diets Hills, Royal Canine & Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue worked the best but Patch skin was yeasty itchy & smelt bad then after joining the Canine EPI f/b group dogs were doing really well on TOTW or the Kirkland Signature, Natures Domain, Turkey & Sweet potato & Salmon & Sweet potato formula’s so I started Patch on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & the Pacific Stream Salmon but teh Pacific Stream Salmon made him vomit he does firm poos but kept vomiting up the TOTW Smoked Salmon later I seen TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon is very high in toxins & another 2 fish formula’s brands Patch kept vomiting are very high in Toxins after being tested, then 3 yrs later Patch refused to eat his TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble, something had changed with TOTW kibble it smelt different, looked different & kibble size became very small….so now it makes me wonder if these kibbles are high in contaminates & toxins making my boy IBD have a flare??? thats why its best to cook their meals or find a really good dog dehydrated dog food that uses human grade ingredients.. as Patch has gotten older his acid reflux has gotten worse so he cant eat kibbles that are over 15% in fat now..
loow for lower fat around 10-13%-fat & low carb diet higher protein

Have you tried adding scramble egg with his meal? also the egg shell dry it out & crush & add 1 egg shell 1 teaspoon egg shell to one of his meals a day for his calcium, slowly start adding the egg shell if you fed home cooked diet……..Patch cant eat any kibbles that have fish or salmon oil in them he gets bad acid reflux from the fish oil also the fiber is very low in those Farmina vet kibbles 1.10% -fiber…Patch would be doing sloppy cow patties eating the Farmine vet diets that are very low in fiber..

When I read your post about your dog can’t eat most ingredients I knew its more then just the ingredients he is reacting too, sometimes it’s not the ingredients they cant eat, it reminded me of Patch when I first rescued him, he does have food sensitivities that I worked out BUT later I worked out there’s In-soluble Fiber, Soluble Fiber, Crude Fiber & Dietary Fiber, dogs with IBD need to work out what fibers agree with them & there isnt that perfect dry kibble diet for our dogs even vet diets dont help Patch or if a vet diet did help Patches IBD he gets his itchy smelly yeasty skin paws & ears.

Have you tried Royal “Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat” wet can food??? I bought a 12 can pack last week I had credit from a pet store I had forgotten about & at Lunch time if I think Patch doesnt seem well I open a can of R/C Gastro low fat & I take out the meat loaf from the can as it has heap of oil in the can so I pat dry the loaf with paper towel then I cut into 1/3 & he gets 1/3 of a can & I put the rest in bowl cling wrap bowl & put in fridge Patch does firm poos on the R/C Gastro Low Fat wet can & 5 yrs ago when he ate the R/C Gastro Low Fat he had diarrhea, so sometimes you have to re try foods or wet can or kibbles again cause sometimes its not the ingredients they are reacting too… its something else wrong either their small bowel or large bowel in the beginning it was Patches small bowel S.I.B.O now its his large bowel….
I would start the B-12 weekly injection ASAP you can buy & do yourself, if you join “EPI” Canine face book group they can help & tell you which B-12 tablets to get from chemist & where to buy the B-12 liquid for injections, you can never over dose your dog with B-12′, if they’re feeling crap or have had diarrhea the B-12 can really help them feel heaps better, alot of the EPI dogs take B-12 injections or tablets, I was going to get the tablets for Patch as B-12 is good for them & us humans when we are run down & unwell…..

Try & work out does your boy do better when you cook & add pumkin a soluble fiber soluble fiber is very easy to digest & dissolves in water or does he do better eating Lentils & Chickpeas they’re Insoluble fiber & Soluble fiber food? My boy doesn’t do well on Lentils or Chickpeas he gets instead dirrahea that night if he has ate a kibble with lentils..
google foods that are soluble fiber & foods that are insoluble fibers?

Try & stay feeding the home cooked diet or try a limited ingredient Freeze Dried raw if you I’m slowly introducing a new freeze dried dehydrated raw free range diet we have in Australia called “Frontier Pets” they’re small balls & you add warm water, so many dogs that can’t eat & have IBD symptoms are doing really well on this free range, dehydrated Frontier Pets dog food, it has no lentils, no chickpeas like most of these new grain free foods have now & my Patch is doing firmer poos then what he does when he’s just eating his Wellness Kibble…
I have to feed my boy dry kibble for some of his meals cause his sphincter flap isnt closing now & his food comes back up his esophagus into his mouth causing bad acid reflux, then sometimes the acid goes into his wind pipe & he becomes so unwell, cries, whinges, its awful to watch him when he becames so unwell, I wanted to put him down in January out of his pain, these last 5-6 yrs Ive tried everything & something always seem to work, I had him on Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb the Australian formula, has no chickpeas or lentils like the American TOTW formula’s have…. I could always fall back onto his TOTW if he started to do cow patty poos again when I was rotating his kibbles his vet said cow paddy poos is the large bowel where yellow sloppy poos is a small bowel problem but when he stopped eating it in December I had no kibbles that I knew worked & didnt iratate his IBD, his vet said please wait 1-2 months before we put Patch to sleep, his environment allergies are real bad at the moment & have put his immune system into over drive, we had just moved as well, so I didnt put him to sleep plus I couldnt do it, I just wanted more help, I wanted a miracle but vets cant always help the dog sometimes no matter how good my vet is, she always tells me Patch is her favorite & she always thinks & wonders how is he going when she doesnt see us but she said she knows he must be doing better cause I havent come…
Have you tried Metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets when he become unwell with vomiting & diarrhea/sloppy poo’s, I have Metronidazole in the cupboard with repeat scripts so I can just go chemist & get them out if I need them saving at $60 vet visit & as soon as I see he’s becoming unwell doing sloppy poos, vomiting or when Im introducing a new food, I put him on the Metronidazole for 14-21 days it helps him, Metronidazole has an anti inflammatory & antibiotic in it, so it helps a few health problems…
With a dry kibble, I’m feeding Wellness Core Large Breed at the moment even though Patch isnt a large breed dog, he’s a senior & when I email Wellness they said yes their Large Breed formula’s are OK to feed a senior dogs, they are high Glucosamine & Chondroitin for their joints & high in DHA, Patch is small to medium English Staffy weights about 40lb -18kgs, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is high protein-34%, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, then potatoes, peas, Patch can’t eat chicken he gets red paws but I had no other kibbles left to feed him & the man at Pet Barn said, if anything happens just bring it back all dogs food are money back Guaranteed, I got the 5,4kg bag 1/2 price $40 so I tried it, Patches paws went red but his stomach became better, he had no acid reflux, poos firmed up not 100% firm in the beginning but better then when he was eating a kibble that had grains, I can pick his poos up now on our walk & not leave a poo stamp on the grass, Wellness Core Large Breed is low-med fat-13%max, low Kcals-345 per cup, carbohydrates are 31% you must read the Kcals per cup when looking for a kibble, stay under 360Kcals per cup the higher the Kcals the more dense the food & harder to digest…
also have you tried giving your boy a acid reducer? Patch was taking Losec-(Omeprazole) for 2 yrs then this year I change it to Somac (Pantoprazole) what i take & he stopped eating grass everyday so he mustnt feel sick as much now, sometimes you have to do things yourself when you know in your heart what the vet is doing & advising you isnt helping your dog, & I saw my vet & she now wrote me repeat scripts so I can get the Pantopraozole from chemist cause the vets dont have Pantoprazole in Australia, Pantoprazole is used by American vets… but know if my vet & Patches other vet that does his Endoscopes & Biopsies see a dog like PAtch & cant work out what to do with the dogs bad acid reflux they can rememeber what we did with Patch & touch wood he seems to be getting better he has some bad days but I have his acid reflux under control no & I really want him on this Dehyrated free range, grain free food..
Try the new food just for 1 of his meals, thats what I do now, I feed new food for his lunch 12pm this way Patch has his kibble from breakfast 7am in stomach & small bowel then he eats something different for lunch a small meal then he gets his dinner 5pm kibble again & it seems to work for Patch when Im introducing a new food he gets it at luch time cause you can’t mix kibble & dehydrated raw wet food with a dry kibble, it would probably upset Patches stomach & the Holistic Vet Kathy that help formulate this new Frontier Pets dehydrated raw dog food droped off Patches new food + some samples to try & she said take baby steps, it took 1 of her patient dogs Bernie 6 months to get him onto the Frontier Pets, he was doing well then when down hill but yiou just restart again she said search for “Frontier Pets” on facebook & scroll down, look for Bernies Story” Italian Greyhound story, it will give you some hope…

[emmygirl01]

I am hoping someone may have some advice or even just a word of kindness.
My dog is going to be 10 years old in May. He had parvo as a pup. It messed up his intestines and now he is sensitive to foods. We have literally tried almost every kind of food on every shelf, in every pet store. I have done home cooking, I have ordered Balance-it, I have tried alternative/medicine, I have tried probiotics, enzymes, chinese herbs, I have tried hypo-allergenic Royal Canin and Science Diet.
He has been on beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, venison–grain free, you name it.
He has been on steroids, antibiotics, Tylan powder. I have B-12 shots that I am supposed to start this week.
The only thing I have not tried is RAW or BARF diet.
Most recently, he has had diarrhea for 4 months. He has vomited a hand full of times.
I have been to 4 vets, he has had his poop tested, blood work, ultra-sound (april 2017)-YOU NAME IT, we have done it. Test results: clear, no real problems.
Currently: Until this morning, I was feeding 3x a day 1/3 cup of home cooked turkey, 2 TBS of acorn squash and 1 Tbs. Oatmeal. 2 TBS FARMINA Digestion
I was trying to transition from home cooked to Farmina.
I thought we were doing well until last week when his stool started to become soft, then turned to liquid and this morning he barfed.
SO–no more of that.
He was starving a few hours after he barfed, so I gave him a few tablespoons of The Honest Kitchen Embark and 1 TBS of canned goat.
He tolerated that all day and I gave him more at 7 pm. Diarrhea at 9:00pm.
He is not taking any medications or probiotics or enzymes at this time.
I really have no idea what to feed him to get him back to normal. Home cooking does NO better than canned or dry.
These are my questions:
1. I would like some feedback on Sport Elite ( no peas) dog food
2. I would like to know how I approach my vet–3 out of the 4 won’t call me back after I leave a message at the front desk–they say, “i will have her call you back today'” I never hear from them—
Does anyone have any words of encouragement or any help?
I know my experience is not your experience, and I am following my vet’s advise to the best of my ability. But when she puts my dog on Royal Canin Hypoallergenic food and he barfs and has massive diarrhea, tummy gurgling and looking like death–this is NOT the answer. Just because a food is “healthy” or “hypoallergenic” does not mean it is tolerated.
He has a great appetite, always appreciative of food and eats anything, but I continue to look for the combination that will keep him healthy, happy and no diarrhea.
I literally don’t know what to do!

Thank you in advance for listening.

[Robert S]

I am sharing info that I wish I had know 10 years ago.

What I am going to tell you will be hard to believe, however read my story, and consider the possible outcome.

Benji, wirehair mini dachshund is 10 this year. Ever since we got him at 2 months old he has had what the vet called a sensitive stomach. Maybe a couple times a month he would eat his kibbles, Nature’s Recipe grain free, and then be shaking like he had a fever. We would take temperature and never was it above normal. He normally threw up twice and by early afternoon he was good to go. At the vet’s suggestion, we changed food and we choose Natures Recipe, Sensitive stomach. That seemed to help for a while, but since his spells were sporadic it was hard to tell. For 8 years we dealt with it and tried to fugure it out. Changing things didn’t make any difference. We take him to vet yearly or when sick. Blood work all fine. Stool sample fine always. We give heartguard and Frontline regularly. He gets normal shots per vet.

In June 2017 he had a seizure and my research indicated that he nay be carrier or has Lafora, no blood test completed. He has never father any pups and the only thing that might help is reducing starch from his diet. Which we are doing.

As things would have it our now 14 year old female smooth coated mini was diagnosed, thru an xray, that she has a mass in her abdomen. Vet feels sure it is cancer. The only way to find out is an ultra sound, at additional cost and at a different vet. We are not operating and are presuming that it is a slow growing tumor. One can feel the mass but it is not visible. She was diagnosed in June 2017.

Ever since we had Liza she has had loose stools and urinated frequently. Often in the house, which is unusual as other dachshunds have not had either problems. The vet suggested steroids, which we did off and on. Also we gave her pumpkin to firm them and fed her the same kibbles that Benji ate. (Our dogs do not est human food.)

I had booked mark Dog Food Advisors website and used it to find Natures Recipe, grain free. So I started researching again. Thru the research I found that dogs with cancer do best on high fat high protein food. So I looked for “canned food” with carbohydrates of less than 20% and little starch. Rice, white potatoes etc.

After feeding this type food Benji is no longer sick in mornings. Liza no longer has soft stools and urinates less often and has never urinated in our home since. To our knowledge Benji has not had another seizure, but we dont expect food to cure him, just reduce seizures.

I now realize that dogs, especially hounds for sure need a diet of meat, vegetables, some fruit and very limited ceral type filler. (IMHO).

I have and are using the following foods. You can use dog food advisor and do research. I am just sharing for what it is worth.

I do mix kibbles with stew for Benji. He has most teeth and no problem eating. The gravey makes kibbles look more apealing.

Liza gets all wet food due to health and she has lost some teeth. I figure she won’t be with us for more than 2 years so we will feed her the best we can.

Dry: Has been discontinued still have some food to use:
/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/

/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/

/dog-food-reviews/canidae-dog-food-grain-free-canned/

/dog-food-reviews/castor-pollux-butcher-bushel/

/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-dog-food-canned/

I do not work for any food companies, Vetenary, or Dog food advisor.

If you told me this I would not believe you but I am here to tell you this is what happened to me and my dachshunds. Yes wet is more expensive, but for me, I see it as pay now for food or pay at the vets later. I now have happy dogs.

Maybe this will help someone.
Bob

[Angie W]

My 19yo’s collie puppy (16 months old) got the Rimadyl that my German Shepherd was taking off the counter and ate the entire bottle. It was two week’s worth of Rimadyl and my GSD had only been taking it for two days (had just had surgery).

We didn’t find out that it had been eaten until about 12 hours afterward. I left for work and my oldest daughter found the chewed up bottle about 30 minutes later, but thought it had been an empty bottle from the recycle bin (she’d been on Rimadyl before the surgery too), so she didn’t say anything or think anything of it. I found out when I went to give my GSD her pain medication after work and found the chewed up bottle.

We took all the dogs (also have a Golden Rottie mix) to the emergency vet and they were on IV fluids for 5 days. At that point their BUN and creatinine were normal. They never had any symptoms during this time and still have not shown any symptoms.

At this point, the collie puppy has creatinine 1.8 and is starting to spill protein. This is after one week off of IV fluids. We are going to do a full panel in four weeks to check everything.

The vet said that at this point we do not want to restrict her protein or phosphorus and is worried about blood pressure possibly becoming an issue as well. She said to keep her on her regular kibble, but add water to it. If our golden rottie mix (6yo) has an increase in creatinine, then she said she will recommend switching her over to a senior food for lower protein but not putting her on a prescription diet yet unless her creatinine goes up much higher. Right now the collie puppy’s creatinine is 1.8 and the golden rottie’s creatinine is 1.9.

What I have been feeding her is Kirkland Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables Formula. The local Tomlinson owner is very knowledgeable about dog foods and recommended using Lotus Dog Food. I do like that they list the actual values in their food rather than minimums and maximums.

Any specific recommendations? The collie puppy does not like canned food and never has. She likes crunchy dry food, so I don’t know how she’s going to react to having water added to it. We are going to start adding it in a little at a time and hopefully she just goes along with it. She’s a picky eater

[TranceSends]

When I type “toy breed” (no quotes) in the search engine on the main website (not the forum), no reviews for toy breed dog food are returned. However, there are actually reviews that reference toy breed dog food on dogfoodadvisor.com, such as “Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult”. The search function just doesn’t find it. Even worse, a search on the word “toy” returns zero results — no match at all!

Here’s what is actually returned when I type “Toy Breed”; note that “Nutro Ultra” is not included in any form:
_______________________
Search results for: toy breed

Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition (Canned)
How to Choose the Best Large Breed Puppy Food and Lower Your Dog’s Risk of Hip Dysplasia
Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Grain Free (Dry)
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Puppy (Dry)
Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Dog Food (Dry)
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Adult (Dry)
Eukanuba Breed Specific Formulas (Dry)

The only way to find reviews for Toy Breed dry dog food on this website is to use Google, which is itself hit-and-miss, a needle in a haystack method.

[Susan]

Hi Lindsey,
Try “Royal Canine” Gastro Intestinal Vet diet wet & dry if after 2 weeks poos are still sloppy while eating Hills I/d vet diet. My boy does sloppy poo’s when he eats Hills I/D formula’s
also get the Purina “Forti Floria” Probiotic, make up recommended dose with 10-15ml water & give this way, not with food, it’s best to give probiotics in between feeds or first thing of a morning on empty stomach when stomach acids are low..
He needs to get a healthy gut & the vet diets do this as the have Prebiotics but you need to feed vet diet for a good 6-9 months for best results then slowly introduce new diet over 2-3 weeks & try a freeze/air dried diet, not kibble…
Maybe ask vet can you put him on the Metronidazole for 21-28 days, 200mg every 12 hours with a proper meal, he might of needed to be on the Anitibiotic (Metronidazole) longer..

[crazy4cats]

You’re very welcome! Hope it works out. Btw, I feed one of my cats a prescription Royal Canin dry food. He’s done very well on it.

Limiting treats is hard! Our pets can be so darn convincing.

Best wishes to you!

[Tyler S]

Thank you, but I was hoping someone from dog food advisor could comment specifically on this dog food. It is actually the reason I signed up for this. This food has been given 4 stars – the same grade as some of the editor’s picks and other well thought of and most expensive foods on the market – despite the fact that the second and third ingredients are ground corn and wheat flour. What is it about this dog food that makes it a good dog food despite these things? I really think that this dog food should’ve been reviewed instead of the diamond maintenance, which caused diamond dry dog food to be given an overall rating of 3.5 when the majority of the products are four stars. I am interested in understanding why this is, because when taking into consideration how much of this particular food costs, one could come to the conclusion that this is the best dog food FOR THE MONEY on the market.

[Susan]

Hi Lisa,
start looking for freeze dried or air dried raw diets, try & reduce all dry process kibbles.
There are NO better quality kibbles out there.. Kibbles are made from rotten meats & fly blown veggies, then kibbles are cooked at such high temperatures all the nutrience is killed, best to feed fresh whole foods, healthy foods you eat, your dog is very small, it wouldnt cost much to feed your girl a homemade cooked or raw diet, she’ll live longer & be healthier through out her life…
or look for human grade freeze or air dried food & rotate between different brands….

Look at Instinct freeze dried raw, Ziwi Peak air dried, Buckley Liberty freeze dried & Canisource Grand CRU dehydrated raw food instead of a dry process kibble.

[Susan]

Hi
There’s Vet Diet “Royal Canine” Select Protein, Potato & Rabbit dry kibble & Wet can food
also look at “Ziwi Peak” has a Rabbit air dried formula & Rabbit wet tin raw food. https://www.ziwipets.com/
there’s also “Rayne” Clinical USA, Kangaroo, Rabbit or Crocodile formula’s..
It’s best you do your own raw elimination diet, that’s what I did with my boy 4yrs ago…

These salvia, blood or fur testing are not accurate, they give false positives, the only way 100% is to do a food elimination diet, normally dogs have food sensitivities, food allergies are very rare & the dog normally has IBD symptoms when he has food allergies….

[pitlove]

Hi Rick-

No, supposed quality of a food has nothing to do with how much you feed. It is revolved entirely around the amount of kcals per cup.

Just as an example. Orijen is considered still by a lot of people to be one of the best dry dog foods. The Orijen “Original” is 449 kcals/cup. My dog for his weight would eat 2cups a day according to their website. Now when I look up Purina Dog Chow, considered one of the WORST dog foods by many, it is 419 kcals/cup. According to their feeding guidelines for my dog, he would eat roughly 2 cups a day as well.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Lauren-
Congratulations on your new adorable puppy! Looks like he found a great home.
I do like to rotate foods a bit also. I usually feed one brand for four or five months, rotating through their different flavors paying particular attention to calories and fat. I like to feed them food that is around the same amount of calories. It just keeps it simpler for knowing how much for everyone in our house to feed them and to keep their weight fairly stable. I add a couple of spoonfuls of canned food, sardines or eggs to their meals. I used to feed some commercial raw as a topper as well, but NO more after all the recalls of late!

I pretty much feed my cats the same dry food and switch up their canned food for some variety in their diet.

Good luck with your new pup. Keep it simple! I’m learning that feeding them different foods is probably as much or more for our own enjoyment as it is theirs! LOL! Best Wishes.

[Susan]

Hi Hronn,
like CockerlierMon has posted just feed the Hills Z/d nothing else & see does he start getting better?? Vet diets are high in Omega 3 so skin should start to improve, the only way to find out what foods your dog can eat is to do a food elimination diet, he eats 1 meat protein & 1 carb for 6-8 weeks if he has no reaction diarrhea, sloppy poos, wind, farts, itchy smelly yeasty skin, itchy ears, shaking head/ears, red itchy paws, etc then you introduce another new ingredient for 6 weeks see how he goes, does he react?
You can do food elimination diet with the Hills Z/d formula wet or dry formula’s or there’s Hills D/D formula you can try if the Hills Z/d doesn’t work for him, it takes time doing food elimination diet but you will know 100% what ingredients he can & can’t eat..
See how he does on the Hills Z/D, the Z/d didn’t work for my boy, it has Corn Starch & my boy reacts to corn he gets red paws & his skin started to smell yeasty & he became real itchy, Hills is money back guaranteed so if your boy starts having diarrhea, yeasty itchy skin, or gets worse like my boy did then you can take back for refund or try another vet diet like “Royal Canine” Hypoallergenic HP…My dog was put on the Z/d for his IBD & then he started having his yeasty smelly paws & skin…
What symptoms is your dog having? Intestinal problems, skin problems or both?
are you bathing weekly in a medicated shampoo to wash off any allergens on skin, paws etc, baths are really good & relieves itchy skin & paws, I also use creams on paws & around mouth anywhere thats red & itchy I apply cream to stop the itch & reduce the reddness, I use Cortisone 1% cream at night before bed & of a morning before our walk I use “Sudocrem” Sudocrem is a anti bacterial, anti fungul thick healing cream for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, protects the skin & paws…
If you boy can handle Lentils, Chickpeas & Peas (Diarrhea/sloppy poos, wind/farts) then the dry kibble Nutram looks very good, but it has alot of ingredients, he needs a dry kibble that has limited ingredients, 1 meat protein & 1-2 carbs so there’s less ingredients for him to react too….
Can you feed a raw diet or cooked diet? this would be best, if the Hills Z/d makes him better then after 8 weeks just eating the Hills Z/d then start introducing 1 new ingredient with the Z/d food or for lunch feed this new 1 cooked ingredient for 6 weeks then after 6 weeks if he doesnt react then add another new ingredient then you can cook 1 meal with these ingredients he can eat & didnt react & feed the Hills Z/d for his other meal.
Baby steps, do it slowley & keep a diary, write down what your doing, he might have both food sensitivities & environment allergies, if he’s having Intestinal problems & itchy smelly skin, paws…

[Alex D]

We just took home our 10 week old Vizsla puppy and were sent home with some of the Pro Pac Ultimates food she’d received since being weened, along with some TruDog Boost as a topper for the dry food (1 tablespoon per meal).

I’d not heard of Pro Pac before and checked the review here and discovered that he puppy formula appears to receive 5 stars. That said, we’d given our old girl, who recently went to the Rainbow Bridge, grain free food (Blue Wilderness Senior among others over her life) and she seemed to perk up when we moved her to grain free. I also am not able to get Pro Pac Ultimates locally whatsoever–I’d be relegated to online ordering only which isn’t a problem (I’d always ordered from Amazon/Chewy/etc. in the past) but it’s nice to have the option to pick up locally in an emergency.

Accordingly, before we picked up our new little girl, I’d looked at the potential dog foods from the Editor’s Choice list and was contemplating Wellness Core (puppy) given it’s high rating, relative availability both locally and online, and the fact that I’d have a better idea about where they source their ingredients.

Pro Pac Ultimates is certainly cheaper than Wellness Core, and is likewise cheaper than the Blue Wilderness we’d fed our old girl, but my wife and I are willing to spend more for a better product if needed (and within reason).

Curious for input on whether Pro Pac Ultimates is a quality natural dog food (especially for puppies and with/without the TruDog Boost) or if I should consider transitioning to Wellness Core or another grain-free brand. Alternatively, would it be best to keep her on the Pro Pac until about a year old when we’d move her to a non-puppy formula anyway and try a different brand at that point?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[Susan]

Hi Patty,
are you walking her daily, throwing a ball in the yard or park for 20mins X 3 times a day? Excerise will help her lose weight, get her into a routine with her excerising, eat meals the same time, feed 3 small meals a day, if she is hungry then start adding beans with her raw food or as a treat, buy the frozen beans, make sure she goes on daily walks, same time everyday…
A raw diet does make the dog lose weight, cause they are not eating all those carbs that’s in dry processsed kibbles, they are eating what their bodies have been build to eat, raw food, a dog has a short digestive tract made to quickly digest raw meat & move quickly into the small bowel before any bacteria starts to breed, the raw meat moves thru the stomach quickly into the small bowel then large bowel then poo…
A raw diet is healthier, higher in protein & higher fat what a dog needs….
I’ve just started my 9yr boy on Dehydrated Raw Diet. “Frontier Pets” due to declining health, I have to try everything before I put him to sleep, I just wish I started him on this dehydrated raw diet earlier when it came out… I know in the past my boy lost weight when he was eating a home made raw diet, I didnt want him to lose weight, I had to increase his raw diet to keep his weight on, the home made raw diet stopped his yeasty smelly skin, stopped his red paws, then I started a raw elimination diet & found he can not eat chicken, it was the chicken causing his red paws & itchy smelly skin, he also suffers with Seasonal Environment Allergies as well Spring & Summer & baths are best for environment allergies, you wash off the allergens that’s on their skin & paws……
Are you bathing her weekly or twice a week? or as soon as you see her really scratching, rolling around on carpet grass scratching herself give her a bath in a medicated shampoo, it will reduce her itchy skin & paws. I use “Malaseb” Medicated Shampoo for Patch, the Malaseb kills any bacteria or yeast on his skin & paws, relieves his itchy skin & red paws, puts moisture back into his skin & leaves him feeling so soft & silky.. Buy some Malaseb shampoo & start bathing weekly or every 5 days especially now Spring is here….
Look for a raw wet diet or dry air dried raw diet or dehydrated raw diet & stop the Wellness Core dry kibble, if you have 1/4 to 1/2 a bag of the Core then take it back to pet shop & buy her some more raw food, just feed her the raw diet for 1 month & you will see a difference, have you looked at Ziwi Peak air dried & wet can food raw? Ziwi Peak has limited ingredients & good for dogs who have food sensitivities & environment allergies, You don’t need to feed as much as you do with the dry kibble, the 1/2 a cup comes in the Ziwi Peak bag, here’s their site https://www.ziwipets.com/ contact Ziwi Peak if you have any questions.

[patty S]

I have a havanese 3 year old female that needs to lose some weight. I had her on Wellness Core weight management dry food but she still kept gaining. I now am giving her a frozen raw pork pattie (1/2/ a day) and it seems to be maintaining the same weight for several months, but still not losing. She seems to be doing better with her scratching, and she has energy . But I wonder if raw food is really all everyone says it is. What do you all think? Is it really worth the price or is it just hype?

[GAby R]

Hi there, I have a almost 9 year old Maltese/yorke. she has been swallowing and licking a bit, not much, I am wondering if it could be due to dry air in the bedroom. She is currently on Instinct, just wondering if maybe the food is not good for her, she has been on that for months, I have thought maybe of switching her food, but with so many choices there, not sure which once would be the best for her. thank you

[Anonymous]

current pet supplies plus employee here, there is not a ton of info out on redford unfortunately (even i want to know more!) of course since it is a pet supplies plus brand, we’re supposed to promote it and recommend it (when appropriate, of course, i’m not gonna force someone feeding raw to buy it!)
redford has both dog and cat food, and by the end of march all stores should carry canned dog and cat food too! i will admit, it’s not the absolute BEST food you could feed your pet. it was meant to compete with blue and taste of the wild mainly, defintely not top notch dry foods we carry like zignature or orijen! after all, it’s a 50 dollar bag of dog food, not $100. that being said, it’s VERY comprable to blue and taste of the wild in terms of ingredients. where they source them and who manufactures it is still unknown, but i imagine i can’t be worse than their competitors. the big selling points are having the limited ingredient line (grain free, single protein, single carb) and that all of them have the extra omega 3&6s in them to help with skin and coat.
i’ve only been able to get my hands on the canned dog food, but there’s a loaf and stew version. personally, i would go for the stew over the loaf (your typical paté) if your dog is able to eat/chew it. i found the stews to be very similar to merrick’s wilderness blend at a first glance, but i believe they’re a tad cheaper. the ingredients, again, are pretty comprable to blue or taste of the wild.
overall, my 3 pups and 3 cats have been loving it and it’s been easy on their bellies to rotate the proteins. they were all on taste of the wild before, and we had no problems, but seeing that redford price tag was pretty appealing and i’ve seen their coats get much softer and shinier (especially in my cats!)
i’m excited to see how the cat cans turn out, but that’s a whole other topic 🙂
if you’re thinking about switching, give it a shot! you can always return it (for a full refund) if your pet doesn’t like it or it doesn’t quite agree with them.

(and for the user talking about the life source bits in blue, sometimes it’s better to pick a kibble that is uniform because you can never get the exact ratio of normal kibble to life source bits that they base the nutrition off of. one day it might be, say 50 life source, the next it could be 15. even small variances can mess with some pups so generally speaking, a uniform kibble could help with that!)

[Susan]

Hi Holly,
what has Rooney been eating when these gulping episode started?
With Omeprazole (Prilosec) it needs to be taken daily same time is best given in the morning before breakfast, I give Patch 1 x 20mg Losec as soon as he wakes up, by the time I make my cuppa, feed the cat & prepare Patches breakfast he has waited 20mins so the Losec has had time to dissolve in stomach & send msg to brain, do not release hydrochloric acid into stomach, just make sure when you do give any tablets you use a syringe filled with water & put the Losec tablet on back of tongue down his throat then put syringe in the side of his mouth & push water out of syringe into moouth so the tablet goes into the stomach & doesnt sit in his throat & dissolve….
When Rooney seems to be having bad acid reflux give the Prilosec for 3-4 days then if you want to stop giving the Losec stop but once he takes the Prilosec more then 15-20 days you need to reduce slowly 2 days give then 1 day none etc, in the beginning I use to give Patch Losec for 3-4 days on, then 3 days off the Prilosec depending if he started his gulping, then I realised he was heaps better while taking his Losec so he’s been on Losec 2yrs now but last week I changed him over to 20mg-Somac (Pantropazole) another Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) as Patches lower esohageal Sphincter flap isnt closing properly now & the acid is washing back up into his throat & wind pipe, certain foods make it worse he can NOT eat wet can foods or cooked food now only kibble seems to sstay down…

I havent read your post properly but if your dog is taking Apoquel (a drug I wouldnt give Patch after reading the bad side effects), Apoquel can cause bad side effects with some dogs, I’ve read alot of dogs vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, sleeping all day etc the company that makes Apoquel has brought out Cytopoint Injection now, Cytopoint Injection has less side effects, the injection is given every 4-8 weeks depending on the dog.
I would also start your dog on a limited ingredient diet, 1 carb & 1 lean meat protein, just in case he has food sensitivities & is reacting to a few ingredients & getting itchy skin, smelly yeasty ears/paws or intestinal problems, keep the fat around 10 to 14% for a dry kibble, with wet can foods around 3% & under for fat when you convert 3%min fat in wet/raw can foods it’s around 8%min to 12%max fat…
The vet diet Hills I/d may have ingredients he’s sensititive too & he’s reacting also vet diets are very high in omega oils that can cause bad acid reflux, Patch & a few other dogs that have IBD, IBS etc don’t do too well on vet diets….
Do you belong to any face book groups for Canine IBD or “Canine Pancreatitis support group” has a few dogs with IBD, IBS, Food sensitivities, or “Dog Issues, Allergies & other Information Support group” has dogs with food senitivities, allergies, itchy skin, paws, ears etc dogs with most health problems…
Have you tried the “Natural Balance” LTD dry -Sweet Potato & Bison or Potato & Duck or Sweet Potato & Fish formula’s? I dont know which wet Natural Balance LTD can food has 3% & under for fat here’s the conversion calculator so you can save & convert the fat protein fiber in wet can foods raw foods if you buy them the etc http://www.k-9kraving.com/resources/calculator.php

[charisse]

Also wanted to mention “Carna4″ which got good marks for quality human grade dry dog food on her 2018 list of best foods from author of The Truth about Pet Food” blog/website.

I’ve decided to give this brand to my ShihTzu Bella, along with “Meal Toppers” from Honest Kitchen.

[Susan]

Hi Tyler,

I got email of the latest study done in February on popular dog foods that were tested for toxins & contaminates, below are the first 12 brands that got 5 stars for product purity.
American Journey Lamb & Sweet Potatoes got 3 stars….
You will notice white meats Chicken, Turkey & Pork seem to be cleaner meats & kibbles that have fish as main protein seem to be very high in toxins & contaminates, so your best not feeding a dry kibble that’s fish/salmon etc, I go to Aldi’s & buy their tin Sardines & tin Salmon in spring water, add 2 spoons to one of her meals a day…
Aldi’s have a new kibble called “Heart To Tail” Pure Being it has pretty good ingredients, go to the “Review” section up top of page, look up “Shep dog dry food” scroll down & you’ll read peoples post about Aldi’s new brand called Pure Being, DFA hasn’t review the new Pure Being formula’s yet, there’s grain free & grain kibbles, people have put up the ingredient list, fat, protein & fiber %…. I wish I could get Pure Being in our Australian Aldi’s, my dog does really well on kibbles that have sweet potatoes….

5 Star freeze dried raw, dehydrated raw formula’s & dry kibbles.

* “Buckley Liberty” – freeze dried beef, freeze dried Chicken, G/F Lamb dry kibble & Chicken dry kibble formula.

* “Canisource Grand CRU”- ALS Turkey dehydrated raw dry food, Pork & Lamb dehydrated raw dry & red meat dehydrated raw formula.
Iwould stick wit the TOTW Victor Nutro & Diamand

* “I and love and You” – Naked Essential G/F Lamb & Bison dry kibble, Naked Esssentials G/F Chicken & Duck dry.

* “Nutro” Natural Choice, small breed Chicken & lentils recipe, Natural Choice, Chicken & Lentils dry recipe, Lamb & Lentils dry recipe, Nutro Wild Frontier Open Valley dry recipe, Nutro Wild Frontier Rolling Meadows dry recipe.

* “Diamond Natural” Chicken & Rice dry formula & small breed puppy dry formula.

* “Proffessional” – Lamb & Brown Rice dry & Chicken & Pea formula dry.

* “Dog for Dog” Lamb Meal & Brown Rice dry.

* “Purina One”- Smart Blend Chicken & Rice formula, Smart Blend Healthy puppy Dry formula,

* “Fresh Pet” Chicken recipe dry.

* “Canidae” ALS Lamb Meal & Rice Dry formula, Canidae’s “Under the Sun” Adult G/F Lamb dry, UTS adult G/F farmed raised chicken dry, UTS G/F Puppy with Chicken dry.

* “Simply Nourish” Adult Chicken & Brown Rice recipe, Chicken with peas & potatoes G/F recipe dry.

* “Eagle Pack” Large & Giant Breeds Naturally Dry formula & Small Breed Chicken Meal & Pork Meal dry formula

Yesterday I bought a bag of “Wellness Core” G/F Large Breed kibble, I got it 1/2 the price cause it’s due by date was ending of 25th March 2018, the kibble is still good, it’s when you open the bag of kibble & the air/oxygen gets to the oils in the kibble, then the kibbles starts to go rancid, so make sure if you buy large bag of kibble get out enough kibble for daily use for about 1-2 weeks & store in an air tight container & put the rest of the kibble in a dry cool place & make sure kibble bag is air tight, I sticky tape the kibble bag, if it has no seal on it, then I put the bag of kibble into another plastic bag seal, then I store the kibble bag in one of those plastic storage containers & I put it in the coolest part of the house where my air condictioner is so it stays cool…

Shop around for bargans & rotate between different brands, Victor, TOTW, Nutro, Diamond, Eagle Pack & Pure Being, this way your dog will have a healthy stomach & stronger immune system cause she’s eating a variety of ingredients & she isn’t eating the same brand ingredients 24/7 & if the kibble she is eating is high in toxins then she wont be eating it for too long to cause any health problems later on cause your rotating with other brands…….

[Susan]

Hi Gina,
my boy has IBD Plus Environment Allergies & Food Sensitivities, as my boy aged now 9yrs old he has gotten worse with his allergies they dont get better as they age allergies get worse, baths are the best thing to do, weekly baths wash off any allergens on the dogs sick peas face, baths in a good medicated shampoo relieve their itchy skin & paws get some “Malaseb” medicated shampoo its really good for Allergies & yeasty skin problems…

My boy has never done well on vet diets, the vet diets for skin problems are very high in Omega 3, 6 oils, this makes his acid reflux worse, Patch cant take Prednisone it makes him sleepy, tired, nausea, vomit & diarrhea, so he takes low dose of Metronidazole (Flagyl) on & off now….

Regarding TOTW Australia, our TOTW formula’s are made at the South Carolina Plant, TOTW have 4 different Plants around America this could be why Australia hasnt been affected, plus some of the TOTW formula’s are different for Australia & Europe customers, Australia & Europe have very strict importation laws so any pet foods that come into our countries must follow strict guidelines…..
When TOTW did formula changes a few years ago I read on a EPI face book group dogs in the UK were having bad diarrhea after the TOTW formula change, TOTW had added Chickpeas to some of their TOTW formulas.
(Lentils are the new protein booster, add Chickpeas or Lentils to the kibble & up goes the protein % in the kibble, so less meat protein, Wellpets have just done it to their Holistic Select & Wellness Core formula’s, you’ll be reading complaints soon about Wellpet formula’s, my dog is having diarrhea/sloppy poo’s etc”)
So I wrote to TOTW in America & I begged TOTW “Please dont change the TOTW made for Australia, the TOTW Pacific Stream & the Sierra Mountain formula’s, TOTW has low fiber % & we have sick dogs with IBD & EPI in Australia we need a grain free, low fiber dry kibble without lentils & chickpeas, we dont have any other low fiber dry kibbles that agree with our IBD & EPI dogs, we dont want our dogs to react like the dogs in the UK are reacting to the new TOTW formula change,” TOTW listened to us, we have no peas or lentils in the Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon formula & our TOTW Sierra Mountain Roatsed Lamb formula has NO lentils YET Ive just noticed teh American Sierra MountainLamb formula has Lentils now it didnt 2 yrs ago the only thin different was the American Sierra Lamb had Salmon Oil we have Canolia Oil… it can take just 1 small ingredient & a dog with IBD can react..
Lentils, Chickpeas, Peas can irratate the bowel when a dog has IBD IBS etc

Have a look at “Natural Balance” Limited Ingredients formula’s when I run the “Canine International Allergy” face book group a couple of years ago alot of dogs with IBD were doing very well eating the “Natural Balance” LTD, Sweet Potato & Bison or Potato & Duck or Sweet Potato & Fish formula’s…..N/B use to have Potato & Kangaroo formula but they dont have it no more, if you do decide to try N/B please read all the N/B LTD Formula’s as they are all different, some N/B formula’s have Chickpeas/Lentils/peas in them, the formula’s Ive posted dont have any peas, chickpeas or lentils, if you do try a new kibble make sure you introduce it very slowly over 2 weeks, if poo’s go sloppy then go back to the amount of new kibble & old kibble he was eating & doing firm poo’s on also dont reduce the Predisone until he’s stable on new kibble…

There’s a new drug called “Cytopoint” Injections for allergies or “Apoquel” tablets, the same makers Zoetisus make both, first Zoetisus made Apoquel & the Apoquel has a few side effects nausea, vomiting then Zoetisus brought out Cytopoint injections, you give injections every 4-8weeks depends on the dog, we dont have the Cytopoint injections yet in Australia, Patches vet wanted Patch to try Apoquel when it came out 2 yrs ago cause it can also help dogs with IBD, do you have a vet that specializes in your boy IBD? ask him about trying the Apoquel for his itchy skin & IBD, Aqopuel does NOT work if your dog has Yeast Dermatitis, you’ll need to change his Vet diet if he’s got yeasty itchy smelly skin, I dont know if your boy needs to be off the Predisone to take Apoquel, here’s Apoquel site, you can email & ask Zoetisus can a dog take Predisone & Apoquel together?. https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/apoquel/index.aspx

[anonymous]

You could try a different food, however it sounds like it could be environmental allergies. Hopefully, if it is, they are mild and/or seasonal.
I would consult your vet, you don’t want him to scratch till he gets infections.
He may suggest a prescription/therapeutic diet to rule out food sensitivities, also, ask your vet about adding fish oil to combat skin dryness.
If it continues for 4 seasons/1 year without significant periods of relief despite treatment by the regular vet. Or the symptoms become worse and the dog is suffering, I would find a board certified veterinary dermatologist for accurate testing/diagnosis and treatment.
That would be your best bet.
Your vet should be able to refer you.
Hope these articles help
Keep in mind there are even newer treatment options than when this article was written
http://www.nevetdermatology.com/canine-atopic-dermatitis-treatment/

/forums/topic/allergies-and-itchy-dogs/

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=allergies

[LeighAnne W]

Looking for your advice on what’s best to feed my 14 wk Female European Boxer Puppy? She is currently eating Simply Nourish Puppy- Natural Chicken/Brown Rice Recipe. She isn’t having any issues with this dry formula, in fact her vet says “she looks great, leave it be” … I just want to ensure I am providing the very best for her that I possibly can. Thank you kindly.

[Susan]

Hi GL,
Yes most vet diets will make the dog poo less, read the ingredient list, both Urinary vet diets have corn/maize & corn gluten meal these ingredients make the dog poo less, are you feeding the Royal Canine Urinary S/O dry formula or the Hills C/d Multicare dry formula? look at the Hills C/d Multicare Chicken & Veggetable Stew, it has good ingredients, wet food is best to feed when a dog has Urinary/Kidney problems…..When I first rescued my boy he was eating the R/C Dry Urinary S/O kibble for breakfast then for dinner he was eating the R/C S/O wet can food, 5yrs ago Hills didn’t have their new C/d Multicare formula’s, Hills C/d Multicare has a bit better ingredients then the Royal Canine Urinary, ask vet can you change if your dog ends up constipated or ask vet can you feed the wet urinary cans aswell your dog will like having the wet food for a meal….