[Trang L]

Hi everyone, i really need help choosing the kibble for my little Pokey. He is a toy poodle and 5 months old. I was feeding him Fromm puppy food and currently switching to Acana Paficia. When I mixed the two, his stool was soft until I completely gave him the Acana one yesterday and he didnt bother to eat the food again today. He was so in love with it at the beginning. He would only ate the Acana when I mixed it with the Fromm. However, today he does not want to eat. And he had firm stool following with watery stool. I dont know is it because of the Acana that giving him the problem. I am thinking about try something else better for him. Does anyone have the same problem? Please help me! I am really wrr about my little guy. Thank you!

[Trang L]

Ah i forgot to mention he is teething right now. And he seems fine and still plays normally

[Suburban Gal]

Given my experience with dogs with sensitive stomachs, I highly recommend Natural Balance’s LID (Limited Ingredient Diets) line. That all my dogs ever got and the food worked well for their sensitive stomachs.

[Suburban Gal]

That said, I’ve also dealt with both puppies and picky eaters.

(I have a very long history with dogs. I just turned 37 and have never been without a dog in my life.)

In my experience, it’s best to just pick a food and stick with it. I’ve limited treat intake and have even withheld treats in an effort to get my dogs to eat their food.

Just put the food in the bowl, put the bowl down and leave it. Eventually, the dog will get hungry and eat. Don’t let the dog get the best of you either. You’re the master or pack leader. If you want the dog to eat XYZ, then this is what they’re going to eat.

The only time I’ve ever switched foods is if there was a problem and it didn’t sit well with my dogs after awhile.

I don’t know a lot about food rotation though I know some people do it.

IMHO, it’s really best to stick with one food. It’s something I’ve always been doing from the very beginning of dog ownership and it seems to work just fine. If anything, I’ll usually switch up the different kinds of hard and canned food I’m giving. In other words, I just don’t stick with Blue Buffalo Wilderness chicken. I also buy and feed turkey, duck, beef, venison, etc… . Once I’m done with the bag of duck, I buy a bag of the chicken. When I go get cans, I make sure I have a variety, at least 2 of each protein.

[LexiDog]

If he’s teething try putting some water on his food and letting it’s it for a while until it is soft. His teeth could be hurting.

[theBCnut]

Teething alone can cause loose stools.

[Nona M S]

Hi, it’s Nona again. With my first try at using this website, I guess I didn’t explain my problem very well. So I’ll give this another go. My greyhound, Halle is 11 years old. I got her when she was 5.5 yo. When we got her she was eating the foster mother’s food (in Eugene. I live in Salem). The tendency was toward soft stool, and matters got worse, and I talked to my Vet who suggested Science Diet TD, which is formulated for dental problems and can only be purchased from a vet. It worked!! no more messy stool. Only nice, firm ones. So, here I am 6yr and many $$ later wondering if it isn’t time to change the food to a senior one. However, I well remember the problems of trying one food after another. Hard on both Halle and me. So please, good people, some suggestions.

[Susan]

Hi Nona MS, ur better off posting ur own post so people will read & see it better in Diet & health issues.. click on forums up the top scroll down to the 5th “Diet & health issues” click on this then scroll down passing everyones problems then u see ‘New Topic Title’ type put ‘Need help for a good Senior food for sensitive tummy’ then in the bigger box underneath type whats wrong, how old ur dog is etc then tick the box that says notify me follow up replies then click submit….
Im trying Holistic Select Senior “Chicken Meal & Rice” for my boy that has a Irritable bowel & Pancreatitis at the moment, this is only 10% fat & low fiber 3.50% & it is easliy digested kibble, so far everything is going good but Im still only 50/50 half the new Holistic Select Senior the other half his old kibble “Eukanuba Intestinal” which is also a good kibble for sloppy poos I just dont like him being on just 1 kibble say something happens & I cant get his Intestinal this way I have 2 kibbles that I know will agree with him..

[InkedMarie]

Hi Nona,
I have read that people use Nutri Source for dogs with sensitive tummies, with great success. I’m not a fan of senior food, they’re usually way too low in protein. Seniors need a good amount of protein!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nona-
I agree with the other two posters. I don’t think you necessarily need to switch foods due to your dog being a senior. I think you need to find another food because it is healthy to rotate and add variety. And also to have another food to use in case you can’t get the current food. Like Marie said, seniors don’t necessarily need less protein like many senior foods have. They actually could use more high quality protein. Since your dog has been on the same food for so long, when you switch, you will have to transition very slowly. I’d also try to find something with similar fat and protein levels. I also really think that adding healthy toppers to dry food is a must. I use either canned, dehydrated, raw, eggs, cottage cheese, or sardines to every meal. Good luck!

[michele b]

hello i have a 2 year old Shih Tzu / Pekingese mix she has been on alpo dog food recently she has been sick with an upset stomache i don’t know if she ate something out side that made her sick but i am right now feeding her rice with hamburger which the vet told me to give her that but when i put her back on her dog food and she gets sick again it must be something in her food that don’t agree with her so my question is there a dog food out there for dogs with a sensitive Stomache that is cheap ? i don’t want to have to get rid of her b/c of this b/c i know there is people out there that wont take care of her and i would really like to keep my dog with me b/c i will take care of her but when your on a low income where you can barely get by yourself .but if there is something out there that i can feed her it would be great to know if anyone knows anything about this please let me know thanks Michele .

[Mom2Cavs]

If you have a Tractor Supply in your area, they have their brand of food called 4Health. It is very reasonably priced. Look on their website to see what they have. Also, Wal Mart has their brand called Pure Balance that is not bad. I’m sure others will help out on here.
Oh, yeah….one more I like for people on a strict budget is Whole Earth Farms, however you would have to buy a large bag….which would be fine if you stored it properly. Victor dog food is great, too! I have to order my Victor online through http://www.sportdogfood.com, so if you can do that check them out, too. Good luck to you!

[Bobby dog]

Hi michele b:
The brands Mom2Cavs recommended are very budget friendly. I feed most of those foods regularly. I have a strict budget for pet food also so I understand your issue. I buy most of my food on sale or with coupons.

Tractor Supply Co.’s 4Health and Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance both make kibble and canned foods that are affordable; my dog loves and does well on both brands. I have not fed any Pure Balance kibbles, but they are well rated here. I use Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance stews ($1/can), Pure Balance 95% canned ($1.25/can), and all recipes of 4Health canned (99 cents/can) weekly. I also feed 4Health grain free Turkey or Beef kibbles in my rotation.

I also feed Rachael Ray zero grain kibbles and wet food tubs which are rated well. Wal-Mart and some grocery stores carry RR. A lot of times there are coupons on her website. There is a $4.00 off coupon posted now for any size Zero Grain kibble and one for B2G1 free of the wet foods. I believe you can print each coupon up to two times. You can also sign up for her pet food e-mail promotions.

Here’s a link to Rachael Ray’s site:
http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/switchto

Here’s a link to Pure Balance products:
http://www.walmart.com/cp/Pure-Balance-Natural-Dog-Food/1097490

And here’s a link to 4Health products:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/content_landing-page_4health

Victor is probably one of the most affordable brands of the DFA 4 and 5 star rated foods. Victor’s grain inclusive kibbles are very budget friendly. If you are able to order Victor on line, the website Mom2Cavs posted in her reply is great to order from. If you can find a Victor dealer in your area it would be much cheaper than buying on-line. Here is a link to Victor’s website, check out the “find a dealer” option to see if there is a store near you:
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/index.html

Other places to find affordable pet food are large animal feed stores, lawn and garden supply stores, and hardware stores. These stores are also likely to have frequent buyer programs you can sign up for. If you buy any pet food from a pet store check to see if they have any frequent buyer programs or e-mail promotions you can sign up for as well. Good luck!

[Author]

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