[Scyllarus]

So I finally created an account to ask this (and hopefully in the right place).

I adopted a Pomeranian (possibly a mix) from the shelter about six months ago. He came with some coupons from Petsmart, including a coupon for a free bag of Purina Pro Plan (which got ditched shortly after I made the horrible, horrible mistake to research dog food – I have at least a year’s supply of 5 star foods now and may or may not be compulsively purchasing more). He now eats a rotation of Nutrisca and Wellness Core with various canned and raw, no problems with switching foods suddenly at all.

I found out the hard way that he has a beef intolerance after feeding Kirkland’s Cuts in Gravy (beef, of course) – I thought the food was bad at first, but my boyfriend’s dog got a few of the cans and had no reaction whatsoever while my dog had diarrhea all night. I more-or-less confirmed that it was the beef when I decided to purchase some frozen beef liver some time later and he had a similar but milder reaction to it. He also has issues if he has too much rawhide or bully sticks.

He doesn’t seem to have a reaction to the buffalo ears or bullies I get him, though.

So, I guess all that boils down to this: My local Tractor Supply had a sale on Merrick Grain-Free and all they had left was the Buffalo flavor, so…I bought it. How likely should I expect my little furball to have a digestive upset over similar proteins? He hasn’t shown any reaction to the buffalo chews, but he doesn’t eat those on a daily basis. I’d like to work in a few different kibbles, since his current ones are poultry-heavy.

…also, on a completely different note: Something about Newman’s Own canned (not grain-free) is giving him gas. He eats one large can over the course of maybe a week, and all week it’s just been unusual amounts of methane in the atmosphere around him. I don’t know what it could be – he’s had all sorts of 3-5 star canned food, with and without grains, and he gets probiotics. Maybe it’s the ‘organic’ part, he’s had everything else listed in the ingredients…

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Scyllarus –

Buffalo and beef are two completely different proteins, so just because he has a sensitivity to beef doesn’t mean he will with buffalo. Be aware though, the Merrick “buffalo” formula is really a poultry (chicken/turkey) based food – there’s very little buffalo in the formula. As for the gas on the Newman’s, there’s a possibility it could be due to the vegetable gums. Vegetable gums are used as thickeners and gelling agents in most canned foods. Most are moderately to rapidly fermented by intestinal bacteria and gas can be a side-effect.

[Scyllarus]

I saw that on the back of the bag, yeah. It’s more that he had such a bad reaction to the beef in Kirklands (even though that’s also mostly chicken-based) that I’m a little wary of similar proteins – I mean, beef and buffalo can create fertile hybrids, which leads me to believe that their protein are more similar than, say, beef and lamb.

As for the Newman’s, he’s had other canned foods with guar gum and carageenan. I just don’t know what it is about this food that’s giving him gas. He’s not very gassy, but he wasn’t gassy at all before so even a small change is noticeable.

I guess I’ll go ahead and rotate the Merrick in after he finishes his Nutrisca and see how it goes…

[theBCnut]

Hi Scyllarus

As an example of how specific allergies/intolerances can be, my dog can’t have chicken meat, but does great with chicken liver. One of the ladies that posts on the reviews all the time has one that can have chicken meat, but can’t handle the bone. Your dog may not be able to handle bison, but the only way to know is to try it.

[Scyllarus]

Fair enough. Tavish seems to just not be able to tolerate beef well at all. I guess worse come to worst, my boyfriend’s dog will have a high-quality food for a week or so (he gets Kirkland’s, we’re transitioning him onto the grain-free version atm since I noticed he’s getting yeasty. Unfortunately boyfriend is on a budget and can’t afford to buy his dog a big bag of Origen or Wellness, so Kirkland’s for now and we’ll probably try 4Health))

[InkedMarie]

No other advice but I’m laughing here at yet another compulsive dog food buyer. Welcome to our madness!

[Author]

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