[Donna H]

I have Australian Shepherds. They have been on Fromm Acana, Orijen, and are now on Farmina Ancestral Grain. One of my boys was diagnosed last year with very mild DCM. I switched all of the dogs off of grain free in light of this. On the Ancestral Grain, a couple of them are having G.I. issues (specifically gas). I want my dogs to be on a high quality dog food that is not grain free. At this point I am not interested in getting into the discussion regarding DCM and grain free foods. Veterinarians will recommend science diet which I am not necessarily in favor of. I’m looking for a healthy grain kibble that does not produce G.I. issues.

[joanne l]

Hi Donna, you can try annameat you can find it n chewy and read all the different ones they have. It is a very good food. You can also try Holist Select this is for their stomachs. I use Purina and I know some people don’t care for it and that is fine. But I have used others in the past as well. A lot of people here may recommend freeze dry food I never tried it so I can’t give a review on it. Hope you find something. I like the two I mentioned because they don’t over do the fiber content. Plus they are very good brands.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by joanne l.

[Laura A]

Yes I agree with you Joanne. Annamaet is really a good choice to go with.The Annamaet Dog Food product line includes a variety of options to pick from. The age and activity level of your dog will help you determine the amount of Annamaet to feed your boy.Here is another interesting link that you can check out https://animals.net/best-dog-food/

[GSDsForever]

Donna,

I agree with the recommendations above for Annamaet and Holistic Select.

I am sorry to hear about your dog’s diagnosis of DCM. I think it’s wise to have switched to a quality grain inclusive formula, from a reputable company, and 100% support your choice.

With the Farmina with Ancestral Grains, the FOS (fructooligosaccharides) and inulin, prebiotics, which also increase digestibility and absorption of other nutrients, may have been the culprit. They’re healthy ingredients, but too much/overfeeding of foods with them is known to cause flatulence and bloating in some dogs — especially when their systems are not used to them.

Is it possible you were feeding too much of the Farmina? While I didn’t experience this with my dog on it, I do know that I needed to reduce the amount of food I was feeding. By calorie basis, not just cups/weight, my dog eats MUCH less of this food to maintain her ideal weight. That might help.

I’ve fed those both Annamaet and Holistic Select w/good results, including tiny stools (esp. on the Holistic Select). Since I wanted to feed higher protein than offered in the formulas I chose, I added fish — increasing daily protein grams, while not substantially increasing calories/imbalancing the diet.

Let us know if the HS & Annamaet don’t work for you, and we’ll try to suggest others.

[Author]

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