[Sweet Pea the Collie Mix]

I recently adopted one handful of a dog.
She is 6 years old and very underweight, she clearly has not been fed right in the past. Not only that, but she is extremely picky and has awful dry skin. She prefers wet food but Id like to get her on a kibble diet because she has tartar on her teeth. Currently she is 56 pounds and should be probably at least 65. She is getting fed mostly Victor beef meal and rice and was originally on Hills Science Diet Advanced Fitness (which she despises). I usually put a topping on her food like a bit of Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish. On top of that I usually soak her kibble in a bit of water to soften it, and incorporate a rotation of eggs, turkey, chicken, and cheese. Im gonna try giving her coconut oil for her dry skin as well. But no matter what I add, she NEVER finishes a good portion of her food. I need her to gain weight as she is not healthy at all right now, any suggestions?

Before this is asked, she does not get fed treats or table scraps except for a small dentastix and some shredded turkey deli meat so she can take her kennel cough pills. As for the kennel cough, she is no longer showung symptoms so Im sure that is not the cause.

[Chloe B]

Just looking for some more opinions on dog food. I’ve found one called Canagan which I think is pretty good, but I’d like to hear what you guys think of it. I’ve heard that sweet potato can lead to bladder stones in dogs, but I’m not sure if there’s any truth to it? It’s just really hard to find a decent dog food over here.

Ingredients:

Freshly Prepared Deboned Duck (16%), Dried Duck (12.5%), Sweet Potato, Dried Herring (8.5%), Freshly Prepared Deboned Venison (7.5%), Peas, Potato, Turkey Fat (5%), Dried Rabbit (4%), Dried Venison (4%), Dried Egg (3.75%), Alfalfa, Pea Protein, Salmon Oil (2.25%), Chicken Gravy (1.5%), Potato Protein, Minerals, Vitamins, Apple, Carrot, Spinach, Seaweed, Fructooligosaccharides, Psyllium, Camomile, Peppermint, Marigold, Cranberry, Aniseed & Fenugreek.

This is also their website: https://www.canagan.co.uk/dog-food/dry-dog-food.html
Thank you so much everyone.

[David C]

All of us here want the best for our pups. That’s why we spend so much time, energy, and sometimes money on them.

I want to call your attention to a disclaimer you’ll find on most pages on this site.

The Dog Food Advisor does not test dog food products.

We rely entirely on the integrity of the information provided by each company. As such, the accuracy of every review is directly dependent upon the specific data a company chooses to share.

Although it’s our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

There are many, many, <i>many</i> products above four stars that are still bad for your dog.

The Clean Label Project has certifiable results of many brands of pet foods. You’d be surprised how many 5-Star dog foods are not rated well based on lab results.

The Clean Label project is, in their own words:

[has] completed the most comprehensive pet food study ever conducted on industrial and environmental contaminants, toxins, and ingredient quality in America’s favorite pet foods.

The best food I’ve found so far, when cross-referencing both DFA and Clean Label Project, is I and Love and You’s Naked Essentials dry food.

I’d love for folks to comment with their own finding as well.

edit: Hmm. It appears that the CLP is censored. I’ll do some more research into them, as it must be censored for a reason.

• This topic was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by David C.

[Robert M]

Does anyone have any experience with a pet food called “Taste of the Wild”. I have had good results with Dr. Marty. My two Beagles seem to love it. I do seem to have one problem with one of the Beagles. She doesn’t like it too wet. She prefer it more dry. They eat it up and lick the bowl clean. The issue is the cost. I can’t continue to pay the price for Dr. Marty product. Taste of the Wild is about $ 50 for a 30 pound bag from Chewy. But I don’t want to change diet to a bad product. Any information would be helpful.

[Susan]

Hi RollTide 10,
here’s a link you should watch when you have 10mins, Rodney gives you 20 reasons why you should rotate your dogs diet if feeding a dry processed kibble…. https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib/videos/10156617345557028/UzpfSTc1NDk1NzAzMTIwOTk3OToxODc3ODEzMzI1NTkxMDA1/

In the beginning of this video you’ll see a poor Labrador struggling in his new high chair, he was feed Australian made “Advance Dermacare” dry dog food, his human parents didn’t rotate his diet, last Novemeber 2017 thru to March 2018 dogs were becoming very ill & some died, it was only when police service dogs became ill & 1 police service dog died Advance made by Mars “finally” did a recall on Advance Dermacare dry kibble but this only happened after more dogs became sick & died, there’s over 100 dogs now that didn’t die & are suffering with Megaesophagus (ME) till the day they will die, if Advance removed their poison off the selves earlier & admited there was a problem with their Advance fish dog food there wouldn’t be all these poor dogs now suffering from ME..

If you’re going to feed a dry processed kibble, its best to start rotating our dogs diet, so he isnt eating the same brand 24/7 & dont just rotate within the same brand either, if these poor dogs parents rotated their dogs food & werent just feed the Advance Dermacare dog food some dogs probably wouldn’t have ME now, we still dont know what was wrong with the Advance fish Dermacare dog food but Scienctist believe the Advance dog food was high in Toxins, who knows where Mars was sourcing their fish from?? this is why I always post do not feed your dogs any fish dry kibbles….I do not feed any fish dry kibbles anymore after Patch kept becoming very ill after eating a few fish brands, (all American fish kibbles) later when pets foods started to be tested for toxins & contaminates the worst top 10 dry then last year some popular dog foods were tested & cam back very high in Toxins & Contaminates, these brands were the 3 brands I had rotated & Patch became ill after eating them also when you watch Rodney Habib video you will see dogs being feed high Legume diet are starting to suffer with Heart problems, Kidney Problems, Pregnant dogs Pups etc so this is another reason best to rotate your dog foods & stay away from Grain Free kibbles that are are very high in Lentils, Peas & Chickpeas until they work out why are these dogs suffering from health problems that are eating a grain free diets high in Legumes & if you want to feed a fish in your dogs diet start buying the can/tin sardines & can salmon in spring water instead & start adding 2 spoons sardine/salmon to 1 of dog daily meals so if the dry food your feeding isnt balanced propery then sardines are very healthy high in vitamins, minerals, omgea fatty acids etc will help balance your dogs diet plus your dog will love the fish topper on 1 of his daily meals….also look at the dry kibbles that have healthy grains & vegetables aswell..
Good-Luck with Rotating your boy dry kibbles..

[Susan]

Hi
I learnt on here “DFA” to Rotate my dog diet, also Hills say on their Vet Diet formula’s when you feed your dog the same diet year after year your dog can start reacting to certain ingredients causing food sensitivities…
Rotating a dog diet strenghten their immune system, stops food sensitivities also if the food/brand your feeding your dog isn’t balanced properly or is high in contaminates & toxins, then when you rotate your dog diet he isn’t eating the same food 24/7 causing health problems….
You will see a big difference in your dog coat, skin & over all health, my boy has IBD, if I stay on the same dry food for more then 3 months my boy starts reacting, he goes down hill, starts doing his smelly sloppy poos, so around 3 months I start to introduce a new dry food, I look for a new kibble/freeze dried raw that’s “around” the same Kcals per cup, fat% & protein %, the fiber doesn’t seem to matter withPatch as long as it’s NOT higher then 6%… He does get 2 Freeze dried Green Lipped mussels daily & something different for lunch everyday thats not a dry kibble…

Patch will be 10yrs old in November & he still acts like a puppy, running, jumping, playing ball etc people think he’s a young pup… He doesnt suffer with Arthritis, I keep him lean & all muscle, he isnt over weight to put any pressure on his joints, he gets walked twice a day & has a very active life for a dog, I think this also plays a big part in a dogs life…

Have a look at “Canidae Ancestral raw freeze dried coated formula’s..
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-grain-free-pure-ancestral-raw-coated-dry-red-meat-formula-with-lamb-goat-wild-boar/

[Susan]

Hi Cline,
Try & stick with other freeze dried dehydrated dog foods that are similiar to The Honest Kitchen formula’s, there’s a few around, there’s Air Dried formula’s like “Ziwi Peak” but air dried is like jerky & when you add any water nothing happens to the product, then there’s freeze dried raw & all the nutrients are locked in, NO heat is used you add warm water & the food reformulated to its fresh natural self again….

Have a look at “Kiwi Kitchen” Freeze dried
http://www.kiwikitchens.nz/dog-food/freeze-dried-dog-food/
The fish formula has teh lowest fat%

Have a look at “Canidae Pure” formula’s excellent for dogs with digestive problems & skin allergies, Pure Sky, Pure Wild, Pure Land, Pure Elements, Pure Sea..
Canidae have brought out a new Grain Free Raw Freeze Dried formula’s, Raw Coated Dry Red Meat Formula with Lamb, Goat, & Wild Boar..
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-grain-free-pure-ancestral-raw-coated-dry-red-meat-formula-with-lamb-goat-wild-boar/

If your dog gets dirrahea from the Ancestral formula then take it back to Pet Shop & ask can you try the “Canidae Pure Sky” formula, it’s simple with limited ingredients & it has NO Lentils, NO Chickpeas, https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-grain-free-pure-sky-dry-formula.

[pitlove]

Hi Sandy-

Grain free and potatoe free have nothing to do with yeast in dogs unless your dog has an allergy to grain (fairly rare) or potatoe (also fairly rare). This is a popular internet myth. Dogs with yeast are not necessarily allergic to the food they are eating either. Yeast overgrowth on the skin is secondary to a larger problem like allergies, but environmental allergies can also cause yeast.

The best thing you can do if you want to rule in or rule out food allergy is a elimination trial. This is the only realiable why to diagnois a food allergy. Using a food from the vet like Royal Canin Ultamino or a homecooked diet of a novel protein and carb for 3 months are your best options. But the dog can not eat anything else, but that diet for the full length of the trial. Then the idea is to challenge the dog by putting him back on the old food and see if he has a reaction. If the symptoms went away during the food trial and came back with the old dry food, then you will know its a food allergy. If the symptoms show no improvement on the elimination diet, then food is not the issue. If food is not the issue the next step is a veterinary dermatologist for environmental allergy testing (if you can afford it).

I couldn’t afford the dermatologist, so I’ve been managing my dogs seasonal allergies with frequent bathing in Malaseb shampoo or Miconahex+Triz by Dechra. Both available on chewy.com.

[melissa e]

I had this issue with my frenchie female. She had extremely loose stools I tried chicken and rice and was actually the worst for her ironically. After making sure there was no medical cause,(actual food allergy worms parasites all those factors) I had no choice to put her on the vet prescription diet dry food which worked amazing she was on it and thrived no issues i would occasionally try to switch her and it wouldn’t work. after speaking with different vets for another opinion since she was healthy and doing well there was no reason to change it just made her stool loose again she for what ever reason just had a sensitive stomach. So give it time. Ik its not the best food to be on but if it works it works.

[Debbie D]

To solve this problem and gain enough knowledge (and spend enough $$$$ at vet clinics) it took me 10 years. I am glad to say we have kicked this problem 100%. I am very sad though that my pets had to suffer for 10 years before we found the solution. Several of the answers here are on the mark, however, there are some missing pieces of information. Here are the components of the solution that results in the ear problems clearing up in addition to every other allergy issue a dog may have. You can’t do just one thing, you have to address all aspects of care:
1. Diet
2. Flea control poisons
3. Heartworm and Parasite poisons
4. Vaccinosis
5. Chiropractic
6. Vet type
We solved this problem when we started going to alternative vets and Chiropractic vets. I spent thousands at the veterinary clinic, hundreds at the alternative clinics and next to nothing at the Chiropractic vets. The alternative vets (3 of them) were all indispensable. One used Chinese herbs, another acupuncture and another (the best) used a combination of modalities including cold laser, acupuncture, Chiropractic, nutrition, and herbs. The Chiropractic vets gave the most bang for the buck but it took to a visit to five different ones to settle on our favorites. Yes, hard to believe, but a spinal adjustment can be miraculous in calming down allergies. The older the dog the more likely they need this treatment. Some Chiropractors also have cold laser treatments. Go to AVCA.org to find a pet Chiropractor. Some states require Chiros to be vets (like Texas) and others (Oklahoma) allow human Chiros to treat pets. There are advantages both ways.

So bottom line, we now feed NO commercial food but instead feed raw chicken plus a home cooked chicken and vegetable stew. We freeze it in daily portion size containers. This raw food supplemented diet eliminated all parasites (fleas, ticks, heart worms, intestinal worms, etc.) thereby eliminating our need for poisons. Raw diet also eliminated our need for vaccines (titer testing proved this.) Eliminating vaccines eliminated the need for steroid therapy that the vets kept pushing on our dogs. Eliminating flea control like Nextgard, Trifexis, Comfortis, Frontline, and Advantage was a major step forward. These chemicals/drugs were a major cause of itching in our Pugs and we tried them all. These chemicals also caused sores and weeping irritated skin.
Once our dogs were already having out of control skin issues we had to use shampoos and aloe vera in addition to dietary changes. We switched to duck and fed only (USA) Merrick commercial dog food and this was a major improvement. However, the real change came with the raw. We eventually eliminated the Merrick except for traveling/hiking and emergencies. It took about 3 months to a year of proper feeding to stop the fleas dead in their tracks. We used flea combs and Ark Naturals Neem Shampoo to check for fleas.
In one dog, we had to get a prescription of Apoquel (new drug only at select vets) to stop the itching (instead of dangerous steroids.) This was an emergency measure because itching causes scratching which leads to staph infections in ears and on the skin/belly.
The ear itching and yeast infection eventually led to staph infection also from the dogs scratching their ears. To clear this up we used a combination of products over several months. I will list the products and their purpose.
1. Zymox enzymatic ear solution (green bottle) for yeast/bacteria
2. Olive Oil drops – extra virgin for yeast/bacteria
3. Colloidal Silver (10ppm) dropped in ears for yeast/infection
4. 7-Day feminine antifungal cream (yeast only, outside of ears and bumpy noses/folds)
Zymox was best for yeast. Olive oil was the best for everything including swelling of the ear canal. Colloidal Silver kicked the secondary infections almost overnight.
Moist ears is a side effect of yeast infection, not a cause. Swimmers ear is a result not of the water but of having a dietary systemic yeast infection before your dog ever goes swimming.
Taking our dogs swimming in a creek or lake had no effect on the ears, however, swimming in a chlorinated pool did aggravate the ears and skin.
The feminine yeast cream has been a real life saver. We use the weakest version and only apply it to ear flaps. If you want Miconazole ear drops, you’ll have to go to the vet for that. But honestly, the olive oil is just as good. The problem with prescription drugs is that they usually only treat one bug, unlike the first three items on my list.
I hope someone finds this useful.
Since this is a dog food website, i will give my two cents on dog food brands (never feed dry): Highest quality, readily available brands are Merrick, Nature’s Variety, Primal Freeze Dried Raw, and Orijen. No, I would never feed Blue. I’ve been in the pet business for most of my life and I know secrets about many brands that will make your skin crawl. I will not lookup or recommend any brands other than the ones I listed.
I am chronicling my personal experiences on a blog so feel free to visit as you like. Snortlepuss.com
DogFoodAdvisor.com is one of the best resources a person can have for learning about brands. Please take the ratings seriously and only feed to top rated foods.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Debbie D. Reason: missing info

[Celt S]

Applaws is a very good dry cat food in my opinion. Very heavy on meat protein and almost no grain. Here it’s $20 for a 4 lb bag. Which is pretty decent for the quality. Another much more cost effective, if not the same quality, good food is Crave. It’s about 10 for 4 lbs. Nutro’s Wild Frontier dry is decent too. Both Crave and Nutro have more “grain” to them but isn’t bad. Nutro perfect portions, Fancy Feast (classics only, the rest has too much “extras”), some Fancy Feast broths (usually in the treat section, but are doable has a meal), Fancy Feast fillets (same place), Crave, and Muse (not the ones in the can) are also usually cost effective and pretty good. I love the applaws wet foods, but have to say they are a bit pricey. Worth it but not very budget friendly.

[Susan]

Hi Angel,
What formula’s have you tried? have you tried a dry kibble that is just Lamb meal & Rice?? a kibble with grains she might have been fed a cheaper dry food bought from supermarket or she might have been feed a raw or cooked diet??
My rescue was the same he had to be put on Metronidazole 21days & a vet diet for 9 months to get his gut healthy again…
Have you tried adding a probiotic or kefir to her diet??

Look for a new limited ingredient kibble that is chicken free, there could be 1 or 2 ingredients in the kibble she has been eating that she is sensitive too??…

“Artemis OSO Pure” is simliar to Zignature, my boy doesnt do well on a heavy Legume diet,
It’s best to find a pet shop close by & try pet foods from the Pet Shop so they can be taken back if she gets diarrhea or wont eat it, most pet foods have a palability guarantee money back..

If you live near a Tractor Supply store look at “4Health” formula’s or “4 Health Special Care” Sensitive Stomach formula, the fiber is 3% but it mighten have anything to do with fiber %, it might be an ingredient she is sensitive too….
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-special-care-sensitive-stomach-formula-for-adult-dogs-8-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10008

4Health UnTamed has simliar ingredients to Zignature & cheaper…

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/brand/4health%20Untamed/dog?cm_re=4health-_-Untamed+Page-_-Shop+Dog

Keep a diary & start writing down ingredient list & fiber % etc

[Susan]

Hi Heather,
are you looking for a premade raw wet diet, a Freeze Dried raw diet or a dry processed kibble??

There’s
* “Ziwi Peak” air Dried raw Venison
Original Air-Dried Venison Recipe for dogs
Ziwi Peak Moist raw Beef, Venison, Lamb
https://www.ziwipets.com/catalog/ziwi-peak-dog-nutrition/moist-dog-food

* “Stella & Chewy” Frozen Raw or Freeze Dried Raw, Pheasant or Raw Rabbit Patties
https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/freeze-dried-raw-dinners/patties/phenomenal-pheasant

* “Instinct Original”
https://www.instinctpetfood.com/dogs/original

* “Instinct” Limited Ingredients Kibble Diet
https://www.instinctpetfood.com/dogs/limited-ingredient-diet

* “Instinct Raw”
https://www.instinctpetfood.com/dogs/raw

Or go online
“Hare Today Gone Tommorrow”
sell Goat, Duck, Llama, Pork, Pheasant, Quial, Rabbit, Venison, Turkey etc
https://hare-today.com/category/meat_proteins_or_packaging_types

Also if you join a few Canine Raw feeding facebook groups, then post a post asking for meat contacts in your area that sell cheaper cuts of novel raw meats…

[Ryan K]

Thanks for responding Bill!
That all makes a ton of sense. It IS very conflicting to what some are telling me to do so it’s a tricky spot. I do know though that he did much better physically when he was on a higher protein diet. I’m not sure if hypothyroidism was ruled out. Would that show up in the blood work or is that a specific test he would require? My vet didn’t mention it. I do think it is most likely diet since all of his issues began when I started attempting to fix his skin issues by mixing up foods for him. It also didn’t help when he slipped his disc and didn’t have any appetite so I wound up relying on canned food which then led to him not wanting dry again. I am open to trying the high protein again for sure since I do know that he did so well on it in the past. I might just need to throw in the towel on his skin issues and go with the higher quality food. I am not having much luck finding foods with fat levels over 20% though. I will keep looking. I see them near 18% but I haven’t found one yet over 20. I was contemplating a go on Nulo Freestyle Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Adult Dry Dog Food. It has 33% protein with 18% fat. Not sure if that sounds like a good one to try or not. But, I am definitely investigating. I just want him to settle a bit and recover a bit. I’ll definitely try a new food soon for him though! He isn’t thrilled about this Science Diet. He only eats it if I throw a chicken topper on it so it’s not winning me over. I might also go back to Instinct by Nature’s Variety Original Grain-Free Recipe Rabbit. He was on that for about a year and liked it a lot. That was when he was a young dog though. I think the protein on that is 36.5% and the Fat is 20% so it could be spot on with that recommendation. We’ll see! I might order that though soon! Thank you Bill!

[Junebug and Mike]

Hi Pitlove – I’m not sure that the cans are being damaged or tainted during transport.

I always buy 3 cases each of Eagle Pack chicken, beef, and lamb (9 total) when I order from Chewy. On the last order (in the YouTube video) each of the cases of lamb had one or two popped top cans. The cans were completely undamaged – no dents or dings – so for there to be air in the cans indicates a processing problem somewhere during the canning. The beef and chicken formulas were both fine (except for a couple of dented cans).

On the previous order of 9 cases, again only the lamb formula was really strange looking. There were voids in the top of the food with greasy globs (when I called Eagle Pack I was told it was broth), and dried food around the edges of the void. Again, I suspect that the cans were either sitting open long enough for the food to dry before processing, or air was present in the cans after processing. I sent the following images to Eagle Pack and that was when I was told to contact Chewy if I wanted a refund.
https://ibb.co/m6DES8
https://ibb.co/bZTg78
https://ibb.co/j4JQZo
https://ibb.co/m8X8n8
https://ibb.co/mQpzuo

I can live with a few dented cans, especially since Chewy is always so understanding about refunding if the cans are badly damaged. But I can’t live with tainted/spoiled food that causes bloody diarrhea and vomiting in my female boxer, and liquid diarrhea in both of my boxers that takes a week to clear up, and I really think that Eagle Pack is responsible due to issues with their lamb formula canning process.

[Susan]

Hi MX
if your dog health has gone done hill then change his diet, we are what we eat…
Does he like eating cooked or wet can foods & stop feeding him kibble all together…
Is it just kibble he doesn’t want to eat or is it all types of foods?

Have you taken him to vet to see why he doesnt want to eat?? normally stomach problems & food is causing pain, acid reflux, gas etc then they go off their food & can become very fussy eaters….
If he likes the ingredients in the Pro Plan Sport then look at Hills Science Diet or Royal Canine premium formula’s, they have similiar ingredients to Purina Pro Plan, the Corn & Corn gluten meal, their ingredients may be of better quality then Purina…But if he isnt pooing daily, he must be bloating up, not a good thing…
also the Hills & Royal Canine diet might be balanced better & higher in omega 3….
If the Omega 6 & is too high & the Omega 3 is toooo low this is when a dogs coat & skin will suffer….
One thing about vet diets they are balanced properly & very high in Omega 3 to help stomach, bowel, skin, coat, heart & brain health….
Have you tried the Hills I/d Digestive Care dry vet diet & wet can food?… or the Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin dry kibble?? buy from a pet shop & then you can return if he wont eat it, I know the Hills Sensitive Skin & Stomach is very palatable, also these foods are guaranted money back on palability…& it has ingredients he likes….

another food to look at is “Vetalogica” made in Australia & also sold USA when it first came out 2017….
Looked on their site & look at the Kangaroo formula, my boy who has IBD has become fussy with his food lately as he’s aging, so I bought a bag of Vetalogica Kangaroo I saw great reviews & he loves the “Vetalogia Kangaroo” formula, the kibbles aren’t dry like a normal kible, the Vetalogica kibbles are small & moist chewy type ball, I’ve never seen a kibble like this before, when Patch eats dry kibble all I can hear him do is crunching up the kibble but with these Vetalogica kibbles there’s no noise, he just chews them then swollows…
Send email to Vetalogica link below & ask do they have any samples especially of the Kangaroo formula & explain how you have a fussy dog & read on DFA that Vetalogica have a very palatable kibbles but you’d like to try sample first before you buy just incase….
https://www.vetalogica.com/

Also contact “Ziwi Peak” ask for samples…
he will definitely eat air dried Ziwi peak”” Venison formula. its healthier then any processed dry kibbles…
Air-dried recipes for dogs

[Patricia M]

Hello. I’d like some recommendations for USA ingredients dog food, preferably dry for small adult dog. 5 star rated of course.

[Nyree P]

I’m in the same boat. I’m switching from Natural Balance Sweet Potato and fish and I want another food. I feed my dog Weruva canned food and she loves it and I like how it looks like food. I wanted to switch to Weruva dry just because I like the canned so much however 1. It is VERY expensive. 2. Nobody stocks it. 3. Although they give it 5 stars on this site it is not one of their top selections and there are not a lot of reviews on it. So….as I research the Wellness brand keeps popping up so I think I’m going to try that. The reviews on the fish flavor say their dogs fur is very shiny and soft. Multiple people said this. Multiple reviews also said it was food for dogs that have itchy skin or are prone to rashes. I have a Boxer and her skin is very sensitive.

[Ryan K]

Thank you Patricia and Susan! Those are vey helpful! Maybe I am just focusing too much on attempting to find. 4 or 5 star food? I have to look into Wellness again. I could have sworn those had fermentation in them. I have no idea why but whenever there is probiotic in a dog food his ears almost instantly get yeasty. It never fails.

I will look into Nature’s Balance. I was looking at the low calorie one by them but maybe I don’t need to go with low calories now that his triglycerides are good? Or should his cholesterol drive me toward something more fat free? He DID eat the dry kibble tonight when I put some Nulo wet on top of it. I was surprised cause he was spitting it out when I just had it mixed with rice and chicken. I also saw him eat a few kibbles out of his bowl earlier in the evening in a grazing way but he does seem disinterested in the flavor. This is confusing but I’m going to keep looking!! Thank you so much!!!

[Susan]

Hi Ryan,
if your cooking Chicken & Rice start adding some veggies, broccoli, carrot etc & start balancing 1 of his meals a day or over the week add things that will balance his diet over 1 week, in Australia we have “NAS Digestiavite Plus Powder” I had to mix thru Patches cooked or raw meal was just 1/2 a teaspoon & it didnt smell of vitamins, it smelt nice like spinach & kale its green powder & has everything to balance a dogs diet…..
Take back the Hills 1/d dry kibble, I would of gotten him the wet Hills Digestive Care I/d Chicken, Vegetables & Rice wet can food, it smells really good, its balanced & formulated for a few health problems, sounds like your dog doesn’t like dry kibble, I wouldn’t flare up his Allergies, I’ve been feeding Patch Chicken since March, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula cause the fat is low/medium, protein % is med/high & carbs are low & Kcals are 345 per cup & Patch does well on it BUT now he has red paws, red around his mouth, he cant eat too much Chicken, the chicken agrees with his IBD/Stomach but not his skin… Have you tried “Wellness Simple” Turkey & Potato ? I buying a bag tomorrow, my cat even likes the Wellness kibbles but she wouldnt eat te TOTW kibble also teh Wellness is palabity money back guaranteed…you have to read thru all the Wellness formula’s ingredients for no lentils, the Natural Balance Potato & Duck or Sweet Potato & Fish doesnt have lentils or chickpeas or Probiotics…
Ive read that Probiotics die by the time we get the kibble or once exposed to heat?? I dont know if this is correct..

Tin Salmon & Sardines in Spring Water or Olive Oil will help balance his diet, Sardines are very healthy, Sardines have vitamins minerals, Omega 3 are very healthy, just read salt % & buy brand with the lowest salt %, add 2 spoons to 1 of his meals a day, also crush up 1 egg shell a day & add to 1 of his cooked meal for calcium…
I often buy tin salmon in spring water, for making sandwiched the smaller cans, I drain all the spring water & add a few pieces of boiled sweet potatoes, 1/2 salmon & 1/2 boiled sweet potato & mix & give only 1/2 for a meal & the other 1/2 the next day… dogs love fresh fish..
I’d look at “Judy Morgan DVM” face book page, look at her videos & “Pancreatitis Diet” her “IBD Diet” she has easy to make cooked balanced meals, you just put everything in a Slow Cooker, then freeze meals, probably healthier then feeding dry kibbles…
Your dog is smart & he can smell the off meat in the dry kibble or he can smell the vitamins & omega oils in the vet diets something is turning him off…

[Patricia A]

Hi Saundra…I feel for you. I have three chihuahuas. One being 16 who has one kibble and topper she eats(with EXTRA cooked food for her when the others aren’t looking) I then had to search for another kibble and topper when the younger one got very picky and stopped eating.Had to find topper and kibble that would agree with BOTH of them so as not to be buying like 6 different brands of food of wet and dry etc. FInally have them transitioned over to the Stella’s kibble and freeze dried raw. I’m able to get recipes like rabbit topper for the one that gains weight easily and duck for the picky one. Sometimes she still needs another topper on top of the topper to get her going. But so far so good fingers crossed. Don’t remember being this worried about what I was feeding my kids when they were little.. I really need some grandchildren. lol Hope the Merrick works out for you.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by Patricia A.

[jeanne e]

My dog has had this problem and my Vet put my dog on the Hills Science PRESCRIPTION dry dog food. Need prescription. Anyway, unless symptoms get really bad immediately give whatever you do use a few weeks or so to take effect. Always start out mixing the new food with the old to eventually just using the new food. Like people, dogs can have tummy, stool problems. Never just start using any new food immediately. Just a gradual change.

[Susan]

Hi Robert,
have you tried any puppy formula’s that have 1 single meat protein & Sweet potatoes or Potatoes, also adding boiled pumkin to his meals & see does he need a higher fiber diet?add 1 spoon of boiled pumkin to his next meal & see how he goes…
Pumkin can be boiled then frozen, it freezes ok same as sweet potato..
Potatoes & Sweet Potato seem to help dogs with gastro problems..

“Natural Balance” LID Potato & Duck Puppy formula, fiber is 4%
or there’s N/B Potato & Duck Adult & fiber is lower at -3%
https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-lid-limited/dp/126515

or try the N/B LID Sweet Potato & Fish formula fiber is 5%, pea free, chickpea free..
You have to read all the Natural balances LID formula’s ingredients as they all vary

or try the “American Journey Limited ingredient Lamb & Sweet Potato formula, the fiber is 7%, the peas are 4th ingredient instead of being 2nd or 3rd ingredient like the other American Journey LTD formula’s are.
Here’s the American Journey LTD ALS Lamb & sweet Potato link.
https://www.chewy.com/american-journey-limited-ingredient/dp/148425

The Hills I/d prescription formula you’re feeding now is low in fiber 1.7% so maybe try a higher fiber diet……
also you need to find out WHY this happening? what does the vet say??
he’s young so he cant have IBD yet but if he continues with his diarrhea & sloppy poos he will end up with thickening of the bowel, when I got my boy he was a rescue & 4yrs old so I’d say someone just kept feeding him the cheap food that irritated his bowel & casued his IBD he has now… the Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue dry vet diet formula was to only vet diet that ended up working for my boy, its low in fiber, my boy doesnt do well on high fiber diets….

Take back the Hills I/d Digestive Care vet diet that isnt helping him, vets diets are money back guaranteed & ask vet nurse can you try either the Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Puppy formula or Gastrointestinal Fiber response the fiber is 12%
Have you tried the Purina FortiFloria probiotic?? strengthen his gut?

Also reassure him when he is stressing out, tell him it’s OK, calm down down & stroke him & calmly speak, settle him down, also he may need to start gaining confidence, he may have low confidence, I rescued a dog she had very low confidents she had to go to puppy school & learn how to met other dogs etc…also never get cranky with him if he has an accident in house etc, whoever owned my boy must of belted him as he is so paranoid about pooing, it has taken me 4 yrs & Patch now FINALLY poos on grass BUT only if he knows he’s doing a firm poo, if he knows his poos is going to be very sloppy he wont poo on grass he holds it until he finds a bush or somewhere he can hide his poo.. I’ve reassured him & told him it’s OK Patch but he still starts to panic if he’s going to have diarrhea, as soon as he does do his sloppy poo or diarraha I praise him & tell him GOOD BOOOOY, you got it out, that after he has ran & looked & looked & panic stressed himself out, Im just relieved he fianally did his diarrhea lol
Here’s Royal Canine Digestive foods see which one is different to the Hills I/d formula he’s eating now, there’s also a Gastro Intestinal Kit

https://www.royalcanin.com/products/vet/digestive-support
keep me up dated what happened?

[Kay K]

My Silky-Chon (Silky terrier and Bichon) all of a sudden started pee-ing in the house, just randomly. Even while she was sleeping! We thought maybe because I got a full time job and my daughter went a way to college she way to college she was having anxiety or something. So the vet did some blood work. 2 times… He found that she had too much fat in her blood. So he wanted to switch her food to the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Canned Dog Food mixed with the dry also. She is a very picky eater. But she LOVES this stuff. The wet more than the dry of course. Like instantly within.. a week. No more pee spots!! I thought it was weird but it worked for her. But reading some of the other posts.. this seems like it should not be the case, should I be worried about something else?

[Saundra H]

I switched my dogs over to Acana Regionals Meadowlands a few months ago. They responded very well, their coats have never looked so good. However I noticed that they started eating grass, not after each meal but often enough to know it was not normal. I cut out all other foods/treats and only gave them the Acana and the grass eating continues. I checked the Champion Foods website and recommended storage for their dog food is “the best storage is in your home in a cool, dry place with a temperature maintained between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit.” I made a mistake and left two bags in the back of my SUV in the barn for the past 4 days with temps in the 90’s. So I messaged Champion on Facebook to see if this was a concern. Here is their reply “High temperatures can negatively impact the nutritional integrity of our foods. It is difficult to say whether your bag of ACANA Meadowland would still be okay to feed. Depending on how warm the bags got while in your car, it could cause digestive upset.” So my concern is how this food is transported and how it is stored in my local store. I know that there is no place in my house that is between 50 – 70°. My air is set on 75°. And I am quite sure that the local pet store does not set their air that low either. So are my dog’s having intestinal distress because Acana food needs to stay below 70°? I am waiting for a call back from their customer service.

[Anonymous]

I have been feeding my 5 year old dog Instinct Raw Boost Dry dog food. I can afford to feed her Nature’s Domain canned but I’m not sure which one would be better. Its the only 5 star canned food that I can afford. Is it better to feed a lower (but still good) quality wet food or a higher quality dry?

[Patti P]

Our dog, Gracie, is a mixed breed “best dog ever” and is 11 years old. For most of her life she has had bouts of diarrhea and has been given metronidazole many, many times. Recently her liver enzymes were very high and she was having very soft stools … like soft serve ice cream. Our veterinarian suggested we try the Royal Canin HP. We had been feeding her Stella & Chewy’s Frozen Raw Patties. She was doing very well on this diet but the vet wanted to try the hydrolyzed protein Royal Canin to see if the liver enzymes would lower. We started with the Royal Canin HP canned and her stools were still very soft … although the occasional explosive diarrhea stopped. I then added the dry kibble Royal Canin HP variety that contains potatoes … I believe it is called Hydroloyzed PS. I would give her ⅔ dry and ⅓ canned. Her stools continued to be very soft. So, about 5 days ago I stopped giving her the canned and her stools are more formed now. I did some research and learned that carrageenan, an ingredient added to canned food to hold it together, can be an irritant to the intestinal tract. Royal Canin HP canned contains carrageenan. So, I think stopping the canned version helped.
However, Gracie doesn’t really care for the dry by itself. She will normally eat anything but now eats a few bites, walks away, eats a few more bites, walks away, etc. Last night she threw up after eating the dry. This morning she wouldn’t eat it at all. So, I ended up fixing some boiled chicken and rice for her which she gobbled right up. I am now searching for alternatives. I hope this helps with your decision about the Royal Canin HP.

[Ryan K]

Hi Susan! Thank you for all of that info!

I am not sure that I would go raw or take him to a nutritionist. I might one day but right now I want to keep trying dry foods.

I should have mentioned before that I have been having a hard time with him and foods since I decided to take him off his old Zignature Kangaroo recipe and put him on rx Hydrolized protein by Royal Canin and Science Diet Z/D. Both of these cleared his skin up immediately but made him incredibly…OFF. He seemed very agitated and unlike himself when he was on these two prescription foods. He seemed almost restless and irritable. Someone mentioned that it might have been the super high % of Omega 3’s in those diets so I got him off of them and ever since I have been trying new foods. He has been a mess since that. I haven’t had him on one food that has worked well. I am not sure if those rx foods just really messed with his gut and now he has still not recovered or what but I need to get it sorted out. I made sure that the Prescription food by Hills has low Omega’s this time because that was a concern. I also noticed that while on the Hydrolized protein diets his poops were incredibly loose and runny. That was a big part in my taking him off the ZD and trying the Royal Canin Hydrolized. I didn’t like how soupy his poops were. He has anal gland issues so I would prefer him to have a food that gives him a more firm stool. But, at this point…I just need his stomach and appetite to normalize. That’s my priority. If I find something that he actually EATS and doesn’t seem irritated by I am sticking to it. He did well on the Kangaroo by Zignature but the lentils make him super itchy and his ears get very gooey and gross when he eats it. I had him on Orijen six fish for probably the first 2 years of his life (he’s 9 now) and he loved that but continually had ear issues…I realized it was the probiotics and stopped and they cleared up. I have had him on Acana which he likes but again…ear issues…skin issues….not fun.

I did get several cans of the prescription diet you mentioned. Oddly enough, he does not like it! It’s so weird because he normally loves canned food but he sniffs it and turns away. I am hopeful that the fact that he is still eating boiled chicken and rice that that is a good sign? If he’s not eating anything I would be very scared. I think maybe I am overthinking this and giving him too many options and messing his system up. If his triglycerides come back as normal and there is nothing to worry about I will go from there. If that is a problem…I am not sure what the next step is. I think I also need to get him more exercise. He isn’t overweight…the vet says he looks healthy…but, he is very sedentary. I have a fenced yard and he runs around from time to time but nothing very regular. I might start walking him around the neighborhood. Maybe that will work up his appetite and help regulate him a bit more.

Thank you very much for your amazing help!! 🙂

[Susan]

Hi Ryan,
do you have the money to see a animal nutritionist? & get a balanced cooked diet, join a few Facebook groups “K-9Kitchen” run by Monica Segal, Monica does balanced diets for health problems….
there’s “K-9 Nutrition” group run by Lew Olson…
also “Judy Morgan DVM” look at her videos on her F/B page she has a few home made balanced easy to make meals…

When a dog is shaking its normally PAIN related, aso having diarrhea he probably was having intestinal pain could it have been Pancreas? did vet do blood test for Pancreatitis? also your dog might have IBD, my boy has IBD & he shakes when he has his stomach pain, I thought he was having Pancreatitis attacks cause he gets all the symptoms & he was shaking really bad, but blood test have always come back all good, no pancreatitis & the vet just says its his IBD, its stomach pain….
So I have excepted he doesnt have Pancreatitis & its his IBD causing him pain after he has eaten something it has caused him bad pain, he does lift one of his front paws & wants me to rub his stomach/pancres area when he gets this pain & shakes….
What was he eating when this was happening? was it a high fiber diet??
Dogs have a short Digestive Tract, so they do better eating low fiber or no fiber at all my vet told me, how are his poos since starting the Hills I/d Digestive Care formula, are his poos firm, cause the Hills I/d Digestive Care formula’s are lower in fiber ??
Try the Hills I/d low fat digestive care wet can food, I feed the Hills I/d Chicken,Vegetables & Rice wet can formula, it has less rice, No Fish Oil & has 14.9%-fat, I have to pick out all the boiled rice but Patch loves it for lunch & the cat gets all his rice & gravy she loves it.
Hills have improve their vet diets & brought out some really nice wet can stews…

Just ask your vet if you want to try a certain vet formula you think has OK ingredients & might agree with your boy.. I’d stick with the vet diets, they are balanced properly & made for certain health problems, some vet diets will help a few different health problems if you read “Key Benefits, look at
Hill’s® Prescription Diet® w/d® Canine Vegetable & Chicken Stew it’s for a few health problems, maybe talk with your vet about trying the Hills W/d formula??
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-wd-canine-vegetable-and-chicken-stew-canned#accordion-content-054167331-2

Have you tried “Natural Balance” LTD Potato & Duck formula the fat is low-10% & fiber-3%, but you have to remember when the protein% & fat % is lower the Carbs are higher this is when weight gain happens if they are couch potatoes & dont excercise daily, The Natural Balance limited ingredient formula’s have all different ingredients so make sure you look at the ingredient list…
I would be feeding 3 small meals a day, same time every day, I’d feed 1-2 meals cooked meal or vet diet wet can food & the other meal the dry kibble… I feed 4-5 meals a day but my dog weighs 40lbs
https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets

Here’s N/B Small Breed Potato & Duck, it has no probiotics
https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-lid-limited/dp/36763

There’s Hills Prescription Weight Loss vet diet?? Ive heard dogs have very good results with this HIlls weight loss vet diet formula, Hills have brought out their
Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Natural Canine
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-metabolic-natural-canine-dry

There’s Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ Metabolic + Mobility Canine formula its lower in carbs-36%, the fat is a bit higher-14.6% in fat, probably from from all the omega oils for joint health, https://www.hillspet.com.au/dog-food/pd-metabolic-canine-dry

*Metabolic + Mobility Canine has clinically proven nutrition to improve mobility in as little as 21 days AND reduce body weight by 13% in 60 days.

*Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Canine Lamb Meal & Rice Formula
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-metabolic-canine-lamb-meal-and-rice-formula-dry#accordion-content-054167331-2

There’s Hills Prescription Diet™ Metabolic Canine Vegetable & Beef Stew or
Hill’s™ Prescription Diet™ Metabolic + Mobility Canine Vegetable & Tuna Stew
ingredients look good & no cooking, no balancing cooked diet.
Here’s all Hills Weight Loss formula’s
https://www.hillspet.com/search?_BRAND=pd&_CONDITION=weightCondition&_SPECIES=dog

BUT 1 thing all of Hills Weight Loss formula’s are high in fiber, if your dog does OK with higher fiber & doesn’t get any pain or sloppy poos eating high fiber then try feeding the wet can foods, wet food is easier to digest then hard kibble….

I have found when a dog becomes picky with its food they normally have stomach problems & food has caused them pain so they become very fussy & when a certain food has caused them pain they will refuse to eat that food, so best to stop feeding whatever it is & read ingredients, read fiber %, the Kcals per cup??
Try & work out what is causing pain ….
Good-Luck

[Ryan K]

Thanks so much! Me too!!

I am not sure if I would give that one a go since it features probiotics. It’s one thing that I know seems to irritate his skin for some reason. Whenever I give him food with any probiotics he gets yeasty ears. It’s a curse! I don’t know why but that has always been the connecting ingredient that brings out the yeast in him. I’ll have to google other foods to see if there happens to be a low fat with no probiotic. I will give this RX dry food a chance while I am figuring things out. Maybe he will do well on it. My only concern is that low fiber content. I hope he can manage to poop with no problems. Hopefully, his triglycerides are normal after this next bloodwork. I’m so nervous. 🙁

[CJ B]

I am going through the same thing and reached out to several dog food manufacturers to get details on their phosphorous levels. I opted to go with Weruva canned food. David Forman, [email protected], head of Weruva was very helpful. I learned that keeping phosphorous in check means ensuring no bone matter in food. I was also using the Weruva dry kibble, but have now changed over to Honest Kitchen and add Weruva canned at nite time. Good luck.

[Patricia A]

Hope that his blood levels come back normal. At least this way you’re just dealing with the allergie issues. I didn’t notice any probiotics in this food. Look under reviews to see all ingredients . It’s high protein/ low fat and carbs. Wellness Core Reduced Fat (Dry)> When I top my threes dog food I sort of just eyeball it. I don’t want them to just get full on the chicken and not eat their other food. with your size dog maybe 1/4 chunk of a breast. Good luck again.

[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 Marjorie,
when I got my rescued dog that afternoon while he was doing a wee he was weeing blood, I quickly rung the rescue lady & she said contact our vet, the vet said we’ll do Ultra Scan while he’s being desexed on Monday, after he was desexed, the vet rung me & said he has Urinary Crystals probably from being used as a breeding dog he has caught an infection, I said what happens now? the vet said, he needs to be on a vet diet for 6 weeks & eat no other foods, no treats, nothing or the crystal wont dissolve properly, when I went to picked him up she gave me a cartoon of the Royal Canine S/O Urinary cans x 12 cans & a bag of the Royal Canine S/O Urinary dry kibble & said feed the dry R/C S/O kibble for breakfast & for dinner feed him 1/2 a can of the R/C S/O wet can food, then she said, I’m given him cartoon of the wet can food so he has variety just incase he wont eat the dry S/O kibble, then she booked him to come back in 7 weeks for another Ultra Scan to see if all his crystal had dissolved, 7 weeks later we went back to see vet, he had his Ultra Scan & no more crystals, they had all disovled, the vet said now put him back on normal food & thats when my nightmare started, Patch had IBD & while he was eating the Royal Canine S/O wet & dry food it was agreeing with him & he didnt have any reactions to ingredients…

The only thing about the Hills & Royal Canine vet diets for Urinary problems is the fat, it’s a bit high, so if your girl has Pancreatitis make sure you tell the vet about the higher fat in these vet diets, the fat in the wet can food is around 17-18% the dry kibble is 17%max
Not recommended for (contraindications):
Chronic renal failure, metabolic acidosis
Heart failure
Pancreatitis or history of pancreatitis
Hyperlipidaemia
In conjunction with the use of urine-acidifying drugs
Pregnancy
Lactation
Growth

Feeding a vet diet for 2 months will work out cheaper then if your girl gets a blockage & needs an operation, it will be more expensive, I dont think she needs to be on the Urinary vet diet for 6 months ?? Patches crystals all dissolved within 6 weeks & he had a lot of crystals, they look like big rock salts…

I ended up contacting a Naturopath Jaqueline Rudan for Patches IBD
Here’s a Acidifying Diet, Urinary Crystals Diet, it gives you an idea about ingredients to feed after her crystals have dissolved with the vet diet, its a raw diet but it can be cooked as long as there’s no cooked bone…
http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/Shop/2016/03/15/acidifying-diet-urinary-crystals/

[Susan]

Hi Jessica,
has your pup had his stool tested for Giardia & been on a course of Metronidazole for 21 days?
I’ve looked up the dry dog foods you have tried & I’ve noticed they were pea heavy…
Have you tried a kibble that has NO PEAS & less fiber?

Try the “Natural Balance” LTD Potato & Duck formula, the fiber is 3%, no peas…. see how he does with no peas & LESS fiber? if this doesn’t work, take back & try Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish 5% fiber & no peas…
https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-lid-limited/dp/104645

Here’s all the Natural Balance Limited ingredient formula’s, read ingredient list as they all vary..
https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/special-category-limited-ingredient-diets

Start keeping a diary, write down all the formula’s you’ve tried, write how his poos were & how many poo’s he is doing a day, also write down the Protein % Fat % Fiber % & Kcals per cup in kibble…
I would stop adding boiled rice as rice can irritate the bowel, add boiled potato or boiled sweet potato if higher fiber is needed…if the pumkin didn’t really help then higher fiber may not be needed but it might depend what you added with the pumkin??
Have you tried feeding 1 cooked meat he hasnt eaten before with boiled potatoes for 1 week? NO treats…

If after trying the Natural Balance formula’s that are pea free & didnt help I would see your vet & try a vet diet, Vet Diets are specially formulated for Intestinal Stress, some vet diets are higher in soluble fiber or high in insoluble fiber & see does vet diet help.
You might have to try a few vet diets to find the right one then feed for a good 6-9months..
Then you look for a premium dog food & try again after he’s been doing well for 6-9months.
My boy ate a vet diet for 9 months so his bowel & stomach could heal, I knew he did well on his Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue vet diet & when I tried a new dry kibble & it didn’t work, I could go back to the vet diet he did 2 firm poos a day on & work out my next step while he was doing firm poos….
Have you tried a dog probiotic?
Try Purina Pro Plan Fortifloria probiotic? while feeding pea fee kibble..
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50029

How was he when he was eating the “Pure Vita Salmon & Peas” formula? this was high fiber 6%, very pea heavy & high in Kcals per cup, try & stay under 370Kcals per cup for kibble, the higher the Kcals the more dense the kibble, so harder to digest..

Keep me up-dated, what has happened & what you tried.

[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/

[Rebecca B]

Hi there!

I have a pup who is severely reactive to raw chicken.

Would she most likely be allergic to chicken meal and chicken fat found in the dry foods?

I know that the protein is what typically causes the reactions and that the raw would obviously have more of that protein, but I don’t want to subject my girl to another reaction.

Looking at Earthborn Primative Natural.
Farmina Lamb is my backup but my wallet cries whenever I look at it.

Thanks in advance!

[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 Franette,

I’d stop feeding dog fish kibbles, my boy also has IBD & I feed a fish formula in the beginning. Fish seem to help him then all of a sudden he was getting bad acid reflux from the fish oils..Look at feeding white cleaner meats like Chicken, Turkey, Pork these meats are white easier to digest & dont have as much toxins as the fish dog foods have, get a kibble that’s lower in Kcals per cup kibbles under 370Kcals per cup, I stay around 340 Kcals per cup, the higher teh Kcals the more dense teh dry kibble is & harder to digest the kibble… I have found my Patch does heaps better eating a kibble that is lower in carbs lower in fiber & the fat doesnt have to be really low, its the Fiber & Carbohydrates that need to be lower..Fiber can be 4-5% & under, Carbs 36% & under, fat- 10-14% & protein 26-34%…higher teh protein & fat the lower the carbs.
Im feeding “Wellness Core” Large Breed formula at the moment, my boy isnt a large breed dog & the Wellness Core Large breed formula is high in omega fatty acid but not no fish/salmon oils, oils can upset his stomach, Vet Diets are the same they are high in fish oil causing acid reflux..he licks his paws, bed sheets, grinds his teeth & mouth licks..

Can you afford an Endoscope + Biopsies done you need the “biopsies” only 2 biospsies of his stomach & esophagus to see does he have Helicobacter-Pylori then he takes 21 day course of triple therapy meds, Metronidazole, Amoxillicin every 12 hours with meal & 20mg Losec given of a morning for 21 days then he stays on the 20mg Losec tablet to stop the Helicobactor coming back & living in his stomach wall, the Omeprazole (Losec) will stop the acid reflux, or ask vet can you just try the Triple therapy meds for 21 day & continue with 20mg x Losec after te triple therapy course has finished? if you dont have the $700 for Endoscope + biopsies, triple therapy meds will stop him feeling so hungry & wanting food all day within 5 days of starting triple therapy medications, do you have a good vet that knows about IBD?…
All dogs have Helicobacter but when a dog doesn’t have a healthy intestinal tract normally dogs with IBD get the Helicobacter over growth, it takes over the dogs stomach & lives in their stomach wall giving them acid reflux & a norring feeling in the stomach & as soon as you eat this norring feeling in stomach goes away, then the food gets digested & this norring feeling comes back, so you want to keep eating & eating to stop the stomach pain.

Start feeding him a new limited ingredient kibble the first mate fish formula ur feeding has Tomato Pomace as 4th ingredient also the fiber is 8% this is high in fiber & can make acid reflux worse.. does he need this higher fiber for his IBD? can he eat a kibble that has 4-5% fiber instead?
Try a kibble that has chicken or pork or turkey kibble, something that has a white meat, turkey, chicken, pork, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas..& has lower fiber also feed 5 smaller meals a day, instead of feeding 2 larger meals a day..
Can you get “Natural Balance”LTD Sweet Potato & Bison formula or Potato & Duck formula etc or “Wellness Core” Large Breed Adult formula? if your dog does need the higher fiber then “Wellnesss Core” has their Reduced Fat formula.. I’d be asking your vet can you please try the 21 day course of Triple Therapy meds for Helicobactor & then can your dog continue & stay on 20mg X Omeprazole (Losec)
Then see does the floor licking & feeling hungry & wanting food 24/7 goes away or reduces…Good Luck keep us posted what you try.

[James A]

I have Beagles and one has locked paws raw and chewed fur. Five years. We tried several foods and meds like you have. Nothing helped. I think he gets worse if he eats chicken or wheat. I have been using a new food for two months now and seems to do it less. Cut back on treats as most have wheat in them. Walmart and Chewy dot Com sell I and Love and You Nude Food Red Meat Medley Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 23-lb bag. I tried the chicken but not good. The Nude has pork and fish. He licks much less. I hope this helps.

[Ralph S]

I have found some excellent reviews for FreshPet wet dog food, but I have not found any reviews for FreshPet dry…especially grain free dry. Is there a review for the dry dog food?

[Ryan K]

My dog recently had a bout of gastritis and the vet put him on Hills ID low fat canned dog food. They x-rayed his stomach and noticed the lining was inflamed. While his main issue has dissipated I tend to think that these Hills rx diets seem to make my dog uncomfortable. He seems irritable when he eats them. He was on ZD a while ago and it made him act…odd. He wouldn’t sleep. He seemed more restless and uncomfortable. I got him off that and went through a period of trying to find the right food for him. I got him onto Nutro small bites Lamb and that has been working well until this gastritis issue. Should I just go back to that? The vet told me to try the ID dry dog food but I almost feel like that will just result in the same reaction for him for some reason. Someone once mentioned there might be too many Omega oils in the formulas by Hill…I’m not sure if that is the issue or not. Anyway, I am wondering if I need to just get him back to the Nutro or if I should be looking into something with less fat? I feel like my vet just wants to sell the rx foods they have and there is no other suggestion from them as to what to feed him.

[Susan]

Hi,
I’d start rotating your dog foods, so he is getting a variety of different ingredients, this strengthen their immune system & later on he can eat anything & no dog foods will be too rich (High in Protein) for him..
When you rotate between different brands, if he’s eating a brand that isn’t balanced properly then he’s not eating it long enough, to cause any health problems cause you’re rotating his foods..
* Look at Freeze Dried foods, Raw Coated Kibble, Air Dried Raw etc
I’d stay away from kibble or try not feed him just dry processed kibble…
introduce a variety of different foods…
Dogs have a short digestive tract made to digest a raw, low fiber diet, not these high fiber dry kibbles full of lentils, sweet potatoes are good, low in Gi…

Click on link below & watch Stella & Chewy video & their new Raw blended baked kibble & their Raw Freeze Dried Patties look good, you add water, scroll down bottom & look at all Stella & Chewy’s different diets.
https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/raw-blend-kibble
But I did notice the raw freeze dried coated kibbles have Chickpeas & Lentils, so this is when you rotate between different brands & the next food you feed doesn’t have any Lentils or Chickpeas. When the bag of dog food is nilly finished & there’s 1/4 of the bag left you start introducing another new brand of food with his old food & introduce, once his immune is strengthen from rotating different dog foods, you won’t need to slowly introduce new foods…..
You’ll see which brands he does really well on then use these brands in your rotation… I feed 1 brand for breakfast & lunch & something different for dinner…

*Have a look at “Canisource Grand CRU” Dehydrated Raw balls
you can add warm water wait 15 mins so the balls rehydrate or add some yogurt or kefir as a topper..
http://www.canisource.com/grand-cru/recettes-chiens.php

*Also Look at “CANIDAE” Grain Free PURE Ancestral. Raw Coated Dry Dog Food
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-grain-free-pure-ancestral-raw-coated-dry-red-meat-formula-with-lamb-goat-wild-boar/

There’s a few good freeze dried dog foods around..

[Susan]

Good article Aimee,
this is why I always tell people to “Rotate” their dog foods, don’t just feed the same dog food 24/7, month after month…When you’re “Rotating” a dogs food, if you’re feeding a dry/wet food that isn’t balanced properly then your dog or cat isnt eating the un-balanced food long enough to cause any health problems cause you’re rotating their foods regularly…..
I knew these new dog & cat foods that have Chickpeas & Lentils will lead to serious health problems….

[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….

[Ann B]

I buy my food at the local specialty food store… Bentleys. Wouldn’t buy from a source on line that isn’t trusted. We feed Zignature both wet and dry and our dog no longer has GI issues (vet had her on Science Diet Prescription ID). Recommend talking to others on local level. Good luck!