[Autumn]

Does anyone have suggestions for a good limited ingredient (preferably kangaroo) dog food that is within a budget and of good quality? I have a 10 month old Great Dane with horrible food allergies, and I’m having the hardest time finding good foods within a good price range and quality. He does not do well on rabbit or lamb, but I have not tried any other novel proteins other than Kangaroo which he has done pretty well on.

[Naturella]

Hi, Autumn, and welcome to DFA. I don’t know much about kangaroo-based foods, but I can’t imagine them being extremely affordable… I think Natural Balance and California Naturals both offer kangaroo formulas, why don’t you check them out? Also, you don’t mention having tried venison as a protein. If your Dane is not specifically allergic to venison, that may be a good option with more affordable choices.

[DogFoodie]

Take a look at Addiction Wild Kangaroo and Apples, but check the Calcium. Are you making sure the foods you’re looking at have appropriate Calcium levels for large breed puppies?

[Autumn]

Yes I am. I looked at addiction but a 15lb bag is 65 dollars.. Sully will go through that in 2 weeks.

[Autumn]

I haven’t tried venison yet but youre right.. That might be cheaper.

[InkedMarie]

There are very few kangaroo foods so if you must feed that protein, you have no choice but to buy it. Naturella mentioned the two that came to mind. You could also look at Grandma Lucy’s freeze dried, you add water but it may be costly. They have a goat option. What about a fish based food?

If I was you, I’d work with a holistic vet for a home prepared diet.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by InkedMarie.

[Christine A]

Our pup’s best buddy has been on a three year food challenge to rule out allergy triggers. Only recently has he started trying small amounts of Natural Balance limited ingredient foods; they have a venison option as well as a few fish options, I think.

We have it relatively easy, our pup has severe food allergies only to lamb and wheat. He has been doing very well (read: no hives or explosive diarrhea) on the Salmon and Sweet Potato based grain free formula from Taste of the Wild….until we figured out that he tests off the charts for storage mite allergies which means no more dry food for him….and that Yours Truly is learning the ins and outs of making his food at home. With a little luck, I’ll be able to stop telling people that he’s a “mix of stubborn and anxious held together with itch” when they ask about his breed. It’s an adventure!

Best of luck, fingers crossed that you find something

[Hanna J]

Have you considered that it could be the lentils or peas in grain-free novel protein kibbles that are causing the issue? Try checking the foods for common allergens besides the meat meal, like potatoes, alfalfa, lentils, peas, or meals that aren’t listed on the front of the bag.

Also, if you haven’t tried fish or turkey, or if those dry foods have other ingredients in them that could be the trigger, consider trying the Freshpet lines of Vital grain free. They have a turkey and a salmon meal that have fish, but no lentils, peas, or other non-meat allergens, just some veggies. They’re here:

http://freshpet.com/products/vitalgrainfreeturkeyrecipe/
http://freshpet.com/products/vitalsalmonrecipe/

All dry kibbles have SOME binder, and even the “grain free” kind need a starch like potatoes, peas, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Some dogs can’t tolerate those, and they are a protein source, so they can be the problem. A canned, fresh, or freeze dried food with no binders may help you isolate whether it’s the meat causing issues or another protein source. That may open you up to non-kangaroo options in the future.

[Autumn]

Hanna,

Thank you SO much! That was very helpful. He has always been on a grain free so you may be right, he could be allergic to some of those ingredients!

[Author]

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