[Josiesmom]

I’ve spent about 2 hours reading dozens and dozens of reviews and q&a on this site. None seem to fit my situation so I’m posting it. Please forgive me if I missed a thread. My dog Josie is a 4 year old terrier mix. She’s a rescue so, that’s all we know. While I don’t have a lot of money, I would and have spend just about anything to get and keep her healthy.
She seems to have major diet, digestive, allergy issues. I don’t say I’ve tried “everything”. I surely haven’t. The short and skinny is, allergies have always been an issue. Flaky coat, itchy ears, scooting, ugh. Always with the scooting!! Anyway always been an issue. Then she got a hold of an ibuprofen bottle a year after I got her (I know, I’ll never forgive myself. I was gone 15 minutes and she got it off the table). She almost died, went to the ER, etc but all tests after that were normal and they said she was “fine and would have no long term damage”. Well I call bs on that. She has been a ridiculously finicky eater ever since. One day it’s fine, next day it’s not. If she doesn’t eat for 12 hours or more she’s throwing up bile everywhere. Not to mention her stools. She either strains to go and it’s tiny, it is super loose and smelly, completely loose, can’t go at all, I mean, it’s awful. You’ve never seen someone so excited when their dog has a normal stool. I’m jumping around the backyard, “good girl!” as if she controls it.
She’s recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism so she’s on meds for that and now her left elbow is making a popping noise when she walks sometimes. Oh, and she’s overweight at least 5 lbs. The vet is so fed up bc we have wormed her twice, blood work, xrays, etc. Nothing. He says she’s fine. She’s not fine. I spend you can’t imagine how much time trying to get her to eat (so she won’t vomit) and coming home to let her out bc her her bm are so inconsistent. I can list all food she’s been on over the years but that would make this post too long. Currently, she is on (and refusing to eat) NVI LID LAMB.She was on the turkey, hated that too. I top it with with NVI canned. Hates that for the most part. Gave in and started topping it with NVI raw bites. Tried to pick out the raw and eventually refused it too. Stella and Chewys freeze dried she likes but will spend an enormous amount of time picking it out of her kibble. Even moistened I don’t think that’s enough moisture and due to cost, I’d really like to use kibble as a base. NV is not the issue issue don’t think but I don’t know. She did worse on other foods but I’m happy to switch her again. Considered Brothers but their use of turkey, beef etc concerns me since these are known allergens.
What a mess. And poor Josie. I’m a vegetarian and really don’t want to do full raw unless I have to. (Plus, she seems to have little interest in raw.) Sorry the post is so long. Thanks…

[theBCnut]

Wow, she does have a lot going on. How long has she been on thyroid medication. Low thyroid causes a LOT of the issues you are seeing. Digestion, constipation/diarrhea, dry skin, weight gain are all thyroid symptoms.

Do you have any idea what she is actually intolerant of? Avoiding ingredients because other dogs are allergic to them won’t help yours. Allergies can be to any protein, the only reason those particular ingredients are common allergens is because they are common ingredients.

[Josiesmom]

She’s been on the thyroid about 6 months. Had bloodwork redone. Vet says the dose is right, etc. Wonder why he didn’t mention it could cause all her tummy trouble? Now that the dose is right she should be ok I’d think though if that was the cause. And the issues seem to be intermittent. Which is even more maddening. I don’t know of an allergen but assumed that had to be at least part of the problem with all her issues.

[theBCnut]

I think you are right, she has more than one thing going on. Even on the correct dose, I still am prone to tummy trouble, dry skin, etc. but to a much lesser degree than before, so I assume the same holds true for dogs. But I think that is just a facet of what is going on with her.

I don’t always like suggesting tough love, but I think to get a handle on what is causing her issues, you need to pick a food and stick with it. I know you said she vomits if she doesn’t eat, but you also said she is overweight. So this is what I suggest; get either the LID turkey or lamb or some other LID food that doesn’t have chicken or beef and feed that, with no toppers. Also find, make, whatever treats out of the same protein source. A couple times a day, do a little training so you can give her some of her treats, enough for her to have something on her stomach, not enough to be a replacement meal. Offer her her kibble twice a day for 15 minutes then pick it up and put it away. When she has been on one food for a few weeks re evaluate how her skin is doing and decide if you need to try a different protein source to make things better. If you could get probiotic and digestive enzymes into her it would be for the best. The goal is to get her skin calmed down enough that you can start switching to other protein sources and actually tell when something bothers her.

[NectarMom]

Turkey is not a known allergy in dogs and if it is then I would be rushing my one to the vet constantly. Beef on the other hand is a big allergy problem. Chicken and Lamb are also known allergy proteins. But this can also vary on each individual dog. I say with your dogs issues that I see every day at work ( I work for a vet) try the allery Turkey and Egg from Brothers, whats it going to hurt at this point? Actually I think you will see some improvement but possibly not all. You will never know if you do not try. ………..You may also want to add probiotics and Digestive Enzymes with her meals until she feels better. This could take a while but worth it IMO

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

[Josiesmom]

@Patty My old vet suggested the same thing bc he thinks I coddle her. I didn’t mention when she does eat, I have to hand feed her. She went over 3 days without eating and I switched vets. I’m not saying some of this couldn’t be behavioral, it could. I have no kids so, she’s it but, the dog isn’t giving herself loose stools. She may be throwing a fit and not eating tho, agreed. She hates that LID NV Turkey. So, now I have a new small bag of the lamb. We can do the kibble only pick it up after 15 mins again thing but I know this dog. She’ll walk Away with no problem and go to sleep. Then get up couple hrs later and puke. I adore her but this is really testing my patience. It may sound bad but her skin isn’t near my concern as the stools. I’ve got to get the loose stools fixed before I worry about her skin. That is secondary in urgency. Probiotics and enzymes should help with that tho I suppose.

@NM Well shoot! I just opened a new bag of NV LID Lamb and bought Stella and Chewys lamb fd raw to go w it. If lamb could be an allergen I could exchange it if there is any chance that’s the issue. Before I saw your post I ordered some of Brothers samples. I agree. It can’t hurt at this point. I’m just frustrated.
Really appreciate the insight! (:

[theBCnut]

The probiotics and digestive enzymes are to address the loose stool issue. The training treats are to make sure she has something on her stomach so she doesn’t vomit. BTW, I really love Brothers too, and it has probiotics and digestive enzymes in it.

[Josiesmom]

Hi there,
I wanted to check in bc she’s been on Stella and Chewys Dandy Lamb in the morning (for whatever reason, she will NOT eat kibble in the morning), and Brothers Fish Formula in the evening. Both supplemented with a small amount of a canned food called “Fruitables”. It’s basically pumpkin, Apple, etc. She loves it and has been doing very well for about 6 weeks. I tried the Brothers sampler before I ordered the food bc #1 she is SO picky and #2 it’s not inexpensive food. She didn’t really like any of them but the fish, she loved it. I’ve never seen her go after kibble like that. Success! I felt like I finally had a solution. Went to reorder and no more Fish Formula!! I wrote in and the owner kindly explained why it’s been temp discontinued but, that doesn’t help me. What to do? I can’t afford Stella and Chewys for both meals and she has maybe 3-4 days left of Brothers. I’m scared another food change might put us in a tail spin right back to bad digestive issues. She hated the turkey and chicken, kind of liked the beef but, apparently that’s a known big allergen? Any feedback greatly appreciated.

[FreeholdHound]

Hi. So sorry for all you’ve gone thru. I can relate to some of it. My Greyhound Harry would do ok on food for a few weeks at best & then “milkshake” poo would start , or he would just refuse to eat some foods. I tried Brothers too & loved it but as usual it didn’t end up lasting. I started to realize that I couldn’t feed him chicken, turkey, salmon or sweet potato. Recent allergy test confirmed and added oatmeal, venison, white fish, milk, and soy to the list- UGH! I liked Brothers too but realized their beef formula contained turkey & chicken too. Thought I’d never find a kibble that excluded ALL of the triggers but I found Natures Logic (Beef formula first). It’s been over a month and no bad reactions. I’m now trying their Sardine formula – the dog that wouldn’t /couldn’t go near fish is scarfing it down. It’s not the cheapest but I think it’s reasonable. No stores near me carry the kibble but I’ve been ordering off Wag.com & get free shipping.
Just a thought if yours like fish formulas. Good luck – I’m sure you’ll get lots of good advice here .

[Josiesmom]

Aww, your Harry sounds like my little Josie. It’s so tough bc you don’t know right away what will/won’t work. The vet thinks she might have IBS but I think testing for allergies makes more sense like you have before we go down the dark road of IBS. I guess it isn’t right to keep blindly trying all these foods, I need to just get her tested. 🙁
Natures Logic sounds interesting, thanks for the heads up! I’m always interested to hear of new foods working for ppl in similar situations. The breakdown and description sounds like it has meat protein (which is good) but website says it’s plant based. I’ll dig into it a bit deeper, I’ve got to get something ordered tomorrow…Stella and Chewys breaks my bank bc of how fast I go thru it…

[InkedMarie]

I can’t help other than to say not to wait so long before ordering food especially if you’re feeding a food that you have to order. That being said, I can’t get the Brothers website to work. It comes up but if I click on links, none of them work except the Brothers Document

[Josiesmom]

The issue is not that I’m out of food, the issue is they don’t have the Fish Formula anymore and she is very picky, etc.
I initially tried to order it a couple weeks ago, I just didn’t comment on here right away. I spent time trying to get it elsewhere and exhausting all possibilities.
I think we are all here for help and support. I’ve been through hell with my dog and I’m trying to do the right thing. What I don’t need is finger wagging and scolding.

[theBCnut]

As far as Nature’s Logic being plant based, it is only by a very small percentage. Unless you are dealing with yeast issues, that would not be a deal breaker for me.

Regarding allergy tests, they are notorious for giving false positives as well as fasle negatives, so while they may be a little helpful, they are not completely reliable.

[InkedMarie]

Well, you posted that you only have a few days of Brothers, a food that is only available from them, unless they’re selling it elsewhere now. You tried to order a couple weeks ago but they don’t make the fish right now. I’m assuming you know to transition over a week, unless your dog transitions easily so you should already have another bag of something. You say you can’t afford the raw for both meals and she’s picky.

I don’t know what I’m missing and I’m sorry that you don’t like what I said but when you won’t feed raw for two meals, your dog eats only one kibble that has to be ordered direct from them and you only have a few days left of food but those are the facts as you’ve presented them.

[Josiesmom]

@Patty My vet seems a little unsure or even kind of flippant about yeast issues. Though let me just say, he has been very open minded about some of this (like food changes), I do feel like his ultimate answer is to take her to the specialist b/c he thinks it’s IBS and get her scoped, etc. He said that may not provide an answer, etc. though. So I’ll spend thousands…for to what end? I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help her. IF it will help her.
She does chew on her feet, has had a recent ear infection which we got cleared up, etc. Someone said allergies (which makes me leary of different foods), someone else said that’s definitely yeast (which I’m still learning what to do/not to do). Ach!! It’s really enough to make a worried dog mom throw her hands up. SO confusing but I really appreciate any input. I think I’ll stick with Brothers for now and pray that the Fruitables on top of the Beef doesn’t make her hate it. 🙁
I hear they are coming out with a new formula in a month or so that may work better for her…

[theBCnut]

They are supposed to have the new formula in the next few days, I believe. I heard end of August!!

[Josiesmom]

Is that what you feed…is Brothers, or do you rotate?

[theBCnut]

I feed primarily Brothers and raw, and yes, now I rotate. I had a very sick puppy and couldn’t start rotating until I got his issues under control. Then I rotated through the Brothers formulas. And now I add in another brand here and there. BTW, I was wrong about when the venison formula is due out, it’s still a few weeks away. The venison biscuits are due out any day though.

[Josiesmom]

I saw that (on the Brothers site) so I ordered enough of the Beef Formula to get her through at least 2 months and I’m thinking it will be out before then.
I wish I could do raw with Josie but I couldn’t get her into it. I tried all different proteins and she just was not having it. So far so good on Brothers. Fingers crossed!!

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