[CockalierMom]

Although the LID kibble and treats are dry, they are processed to the point where they digest easily. The jerky you buy is dehydrated so much that it is harder to digest. I make my own jerky for the girls and I take it out before it gets too dry–it spoils quicker with less moisture removed so you need to refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.

Single ingredients will not make a difference–it is the digestibility of the ingredient(s) you need to consider–just like rice versus potatoes.

[CockalierMom]

My girls only get their kibbles as treats because of the food issues my allergy girl has. It is clear they really enjoy getting handed one kibble at a time. I know the NB LID treats have a couple of more ingredients than the kibble, but that might be something you will be able to work into his diet slowly since it has most of the same ingredients.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Paula,
The first step would be to try the hydrolyzed protein diet. This will give you a lot of information-if she improves, you will know you are dealing with a food sensitivity and if she does not, then something else is causing the problems. Changing the diet at any time will not cause any changes in the allergy blood testing.

My girl used to get bad yeast infections in one of her ears, and it was a strain that did not respond well to antibiotic ear drops the vet prescribed. The vet and I decided to try a different approach and to use Zymox Otic, and that cleared the yeast infection up immediately. Chewy sells Zymox Otic with or without hydrocortisone. My vet suggested that we start with hydrocortisone since we were dealing with soreness and redness and then after the redness went away I switched to the plain Zymox Otic. I now use the Zymox Ear Cleanser rather than what I was buying from the vet-seems to work better and is more gentle.

[CockalierMom]

Glad to hear Atlas is doing better. It will take time for his tummy to heal and for the bacteria to get better established. For bacteria to flourish in the gut, it needs to be inflammation free and a diet with plenty of soluble fiber. It was after my girls were eating the Natural Balance Kangaroo and Potato for several months that I was not able to transition them to a new food without adding the kefir, even though one had been getting a good pet probiotic every day. It is a good food as far as digestion, but in my experience was not good for promoting gut health. (I never had a problem transitioning foods prior to the NB).

You may want to consider Purina Pro Plan. If you take a look at some of the threads on here, there have been several people with large breed puppies that were having poo issues, and they said their dogs do better on Pro Plan.

Good luck with the new vet and hopefully he/she will be able to help get Atlas on a more appropriate diet.

[CockalierMom]

Hi,
I have been away for the past few days, and have just caught up on where you are. I have been through all this–stay positive and do not give up. Everything you are describing is consistent with not having enough gut bacteria to digest the new food- my little allergy girl’s gut was so bad I could not even add 4 single kibbles of a new food without her getting diarrhea.

A couple of questions… Did you stop the kefir? How much and when did you give it?

Kefir is basically lactose free so there will not be a “dairy” reaction as many animals and people have to lactose.

I still think you are not waiting long enough before increasing the new food based on the condition his gut has been in. (A 7 to 10 day transition works for dogs with healthy guts prior to a food change-not dogs in the shape that Atlas was in.) When you make a new addition, if he has not been consistently firm for a couple of days prior, then it is only going to make him more runny. The soft and runny poo is a sign he does not have enough bacteria to digest the food properly and when you add even more, it gets worse. Take Atlas back to a 1/4 cup or the new food or just the LID and chicken and potato. When he becomes consistently firm for 3 to 5 days (like you said he was before you started the transition), then add 1/4 cup of the new food. I would wait at least 3 to 5 days after he gets firm to add another 1/4 cup.

I know you need to get Atlas on a large breed puppy food as soon as possible, but I think it will take some time. I suggested the kefir before because you will be able to transition faster with it. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons with each meal to see a difference.

[CockalierMom]

My girls are 20 lbs, and the vet told me I could add a tablespoon a day but a teaspoon is all that was needed for the transition. (I found out too much kefir will firm the poo too much.) Since Atlas is bigger and eats more food, I would start with a tablespoon once a day and see how it goes for a couple of days. If after a couple of days his poo is still soft or starts out firm and gets softer during the day, I would give a tablespoon twice a day. My girls love the kefir, and I just put it in their bowl and they lick it up immediately and then stand there licking an empty bowl for another minute. It is fine to mix the kefir with the food, especially during the transition, but long term for getting bacteria better established in the gut it works better 30 to 40 minutes before the meal.

[CockalierMom]

The softer poo is related to the new food, but not necessarily that it will not work-it is too soon to know at this point. He had just become consistently firm with the food he is eating and think back how many days he was on the LID before that happened–his belly has been through a lot in the past month. I would go less and slower–such as a quarter cup to one meal for 2 days, and if he is ok then add quarter cup to 2 meals a day for 2 days, then do another quarter cup increase to one of the meals and so on. Have you added any kefir yet?

On another note, thanks for posting the picture-he has a soft spot in my heart now. My cocker that is grain intolerant has almost the same markings black with a chest that is almost all white and 3 paws that are white. If you decide to try Sentinel, please let me know if it turns his coat dull.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
Since his poo is now getting consistently firm, that means good bacteria is starting to populate his gut but it will take a little longer for the bacteria to become more established–when that happens you will probably only see 2 or 3 poos a day. I started using kefir after I told one of the vets that I did not think the probiotics I was using were helping and he suggested adding either goats milk or kefir. In my case, instinct was correct and the probiotics were just aiding in digestion and not getting established in her gut. It made a huge difference when I started giving kefir 40 minutes before she eats.

Since he wasn’t like this before I think the “possessive” behavior may be coming from the fact that he is hungry. He knows the food comes from you and your hands, but when you touch him while he is eating, he may not perceive that touch as coming from you-his eyes and brain are focused on the food dish-not his surroundings. Rather than touching him, try giving him a command, such as sit and then immediately release him to go back to eating.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
If he is still not gaining weight, I would increase his food even though you said calories are there.

The soft poo at the end and frequency could be due do not enough gut bacteria especially since the food he is eating does not contain probiotics. I occasionally have that issue with my grain intolerant girl. I used to give the girls pet probiotics, but I have found that kefir seems to populate the gut faster and better than everything I have tried in the past. Also, when you consider the price of pet probiotics, kefir is a lot cheaper. I use Lifeway Plain Kefir that I buy at my regular grocery store.

I would personally try a few more days to get the poo less frequent and more consistent firmness before starting the Nature’s Domain. (Since he is a large breed I do think the transition needs to be done fairly soon to meet his growing needs.) If you want to try kefir, start with 1 tablespoon once a day and see what happens, and if necessary twice a day. I give 30 or 40 minutes before a meal–if he gets runny during the transition, mix the kefir with his food or give to him right before he eats.

When you used to leave his food out, did you try to touch or pet him while he was eating?

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
Susan may have better information as to how long to wait before trying the Nature’s Domain, but here are my thoughts. The LID food is formulated for adult dogs whereas Nature’s Domain is formulated for All Life Stages and also claims to be appropriate for growing large breeds. I think the sooner you can transition to Nature’s Domain the better. Since you are already feeding a salmon based food that appears to be working, the transition may go smoother going to the Nature’s Domain Salmon first before trying the Turkey. You said you are in day 3 but what is the home cooked to kibble ratio?

It does not surprise me that he has not gained weight in the past month, since food has not been staying in his system long enough to absorb all the nutrients. If you do not know how many calories a day is suggested, you might ask the rescue. Other option would be to look at the bag of Natures Domain (or get on the website) and see how many cups of food are recommended for his age and weight, and convert to calories. Then figure up how many calories you are actually feeding with the home cooking and the LID kibble added in. If you need help with this, just let me know how much and what type of chicken, potatoes and kibble you are feeding and his weight. I feed my allergy girl a mixture of THK base mix, home cooked protein and a few kibbles and I have spreadsheets setup to keep track of the calories.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
With your boy’s gut already irritated and inflamed from something in the Instinct, the rice irritated it more. Neither one of my girls can tolerate rice in kibble or when it is double cooked in water and time. As Susan mentioned before, once his gut gets healed he may or may not be able to tolerate rice. When it comes to food issues, it really is a matter of experimenting to see what they can tolerate.

My girls actually do good with the LID Natural Balance foods because of the low fiber, but I knew you did not want the expense so the Nature’s Domain looks like a good option. (If I had a Costco close to me, it is a food I would try). My girl with just the grain intolerance actually eats half Wellness Simple Turkey and half NB Duck and Potato–the fiber in Wellness is a little too high so I cut it with NB.

As far as the Sentinel, I used it all the time 10 years ago with my previous girls and then it was discontinued. When they brought it back 4 years ago, I decided to try it again instead of Heartguard, but after the first dose, their fur became very dull and dry (they are both black cockers). Our vet mentioned how bad their coats looked and wanted to know what I had changed and it turned out to be due to the Sentinel. I found this out when I took them off of it for the winter, and the shine returned to their coats. I did try giving another dose a few months later, and the same thing happened so it obviously did not agree with either one. I know there are a lot of people who use it without any problems at all. My best advise is if you want to try it just watch for reactions like you have done with the Revolution. After what I have been through with these girls with food problems, I limit as much exposure to heartworm and flea products as possible–I do not use any more than what is necessary. I keep my yard sprayed with Wondercide so they are not exposed to a lot of fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. You just need to use your judgement as to what is necessary in your environment. When you are dealing with a food issue, it is easier when you do not have other sources that may be contributing factors.

Keep us updated if you get a chance.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
I agree with Susan about trying the Nature Domain Turkey and Sweet Potato. In my experience with food issues over the past few years, your boy is sensitive to something in the Instinct kibble, whether it was too much protein, fat, fiber or grains, but not the chicken. My other girl (not my allergy girl) had soft poos as a puppy like you are describing until I put her on grain free. I have noticed even on grain free she needs a lower fiber food (4% or under) or she starts going more frequently and it gets softer. We also have to stay away from chickpeas–green peas are fine.

Your comment about the diarrhea coinciding with the Revolution is an important point-trust your instinct. Even though it is a topical, it still gets absorbed into the bloodstream (and the gut). You may want to try using just a plain heartworm preventative like Heartguard without any additives for worms and parasites. If possible, try a plain flea product, like Advantage, without anything for ticks. (I found that I only need to use it every other month to control fleas during the warm months.) This all depends on your environment what you can limit, but I would look at options other than Revolution until you get your boy’s gut healed. The ingredients in Revolution could be part of the cause of the sensitivities, or a side effect since the gut is not healthy.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Susan,
I feed Preference to my allergy girl and she loves it-my other girl not so much so she eats it only as a topper. First, I would suggest that you give THK a call and have them send you some samples to try. In my situation, I did a slow transition over several weeks to make sure it agreed with her GI tract. Also, during the transition I gave her a teaspoon of plain kefir with each meal. THK has the Perfect Form and Pro Bloom goat’s milk that will help with the transition but I could not use either one because of her sensitivities to some of the ingredients. I also hydrate the food for a lot longer than the suggested time. At night I mix the food for the morning and let it hydrate overnight in the refrigerator, and then add the meat at the time I am ready to feed. In the morning, I then mix the food for her next meal. I personally feel the food digests better when it is hydrated longer. I fed the Kindly base mix prior to Preference, and I was only hydrating it for a few minutes and the longer hydration period seems to work better for Lucy.

If you want any other information, just let me know.

[CockalierMom]

… so the wet food is much lower…

Dawn, no the wet food is higher in fiber than the kibble. To compare dry kibble to wet can, you need to convert both to dry matter.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Linda, the Science Diet food is less calories per cup and a lot more fiber than Merrick so that would account for why he is hungry and pooping all the time. The one thing I would suggest is to put him back on the FortiFlora for a few days while you are changing back to Merrick. Even though he was eating Merrick before, there is a good possibility if you change the food too fast he will get diarrhea again and the FortiFlora should help prevent that. Since he is on medication for the rest of his life, it would probably help him to have the FortiFlora a couple of times a week, or give him a little kefir or yogurt a few times a week.

[CockalierMom]

LuckyLab there are a couple of easy things you can do. Flea combs are excellent to find fleas. If you comb once a day for a week and do not find a single flea, then the odds are pretty high there are no fleas. If there are fleas, I think you will find them the first time you comb. I keep a small container of water next to me so that I can drop or shake the fleas in the water to keep them from jumping off the comb before I can kill them.

Also, it has been my experience that if you give them a bath, you will see at least 1 or 2 come off in the rinse water. (Rinsing in a bath tub works well for seeing the fleas.) Not necessary to use a flea shampoo, just any gentle shampoo appropriate for puppies will work.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Simon, I just checked the ingredients for Iams Puppy, Beneful, and Canidae All Life Stages. Iams and Canidae both have prebiotics, and Beneful does not–that is your answer. Iams has FOS (Fructooligosaccharides) and Canidae has inulin (usually chicory root) as a prebiotic and papaya and pineapple act as digestive enzymes. After reading the way you say Moose reacted to Iams, and now the change in behavior with Canidae, I am 100% certain that he has a sensitivity to prebitoics. It took me two years to figure out that prebiotics would set Lucy off. FOS is the worst, but any prebiotic causes her ears to become extremely sensitive to sound, and she gets aggressive because she does not feel good and her gut hurts. FOS also caused her coat to become dull and excessive shedding. You may find that Moose has trouble with any food that has high soluble fiber (prebiotics are classified soluble fiber), such as the grain free foods containing tapioca starch.

I know the other people think the behavior change is coincidence and it is not the food, but I have lived through this and the food is the problem. If you want to look for a food other than Beneful, stay away from anything with probiotics because they will usually have prebiotics.

[CockalierMom]

Simon, rather then guessing if it is the new food, just put him back on Beneful and see if his behavior goes back to when he was doing good before. This will give you a definite answer whether food contributed to the extreme reaction to fireworks.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Rich,

I have a different viewpoint and experience from anon101. Based on the experiences that I have had, your initial instinct of going with a limited ingredient diet would be the best to start. The Acana you were feeding had lentils, beans, chickpeas and peas. Any one of those ingredients are a candidate to cause poo issues and I would limit as many of those ingredients as possible. My girl that had problems with soft and runny poos when she was a puppy now does fine as long as I stay away from grains and a limited amount of chickpeas–green peas do not bother her. She eats Wellness Simple Turkey or Salmon, and I sometimes add a little Wellness Complete Grain Free, with Honest Kitchen Preference and my own cooked meat as a topper. My other girl that had serious food issues eats mostly Honest Kitchen and a few Wellness kibbles. As you and I both know, Honest Kitchen is not a supplement or a scam.

Although Natural Balance LID diets are lower protein, they truly are limited ingredients with only one protein and one carb source. I use to feed their Kangaroo and Potato formula before it was discontinued. My personal opinion though is to try Wellness Simple first.

[CockalierMom]

I give my allergy girl a tablespoon of Lifeway plain low fat kefir every morning before she eats and it really helps her, more than any other type probiotic I have tried (plus I drink it myself). In my experience, kefir is better than yogurt and she prefers it over yogurt. As far as goat milk kefir, I am not aware of any brands widely distributed.

[CockalierMom]

Paige,
Since this is happening immediately after eating, has your vet ruled out a contact allergy? What type of bowl are you using to feed and give water?

[CockalierMom]

Matt,

Natural Balance limited ingredient foods are lower in protein, and with the very limited ingredients they work out well for determining food issues and giving the GI tract time to settle down. If it does solve her symptoms, then after 3 or 4 months, I would try slowly adding another brand of grain free food with higher protein and more ingredients to see how she reacts. If at all possible, you do not want to be locked into just one brand of food. All of the brands, including Natural Balance, are apt to change or discontinue formulas without notice, and you need to have other foods to feed when this happens.

Also, when you start transitioning to the Natural Balance, do it very slowly over at least a two week period. Natural Balance does not add probiotics to their food and it will take longer to do food transitions with it.

[CockalierMom]

Matt,

The symptoms you described could very well be food related and it would probably only take 2 to 3 weeks to start seeing improvement if it is food. I agree with Denise, start with a limited ingredient food, and Natural Balance does have the Potato and Duck in a puppy formula. If that works out, then move on to other foods.

[CockalierMom]

Erika,
The Natural Balance Venison food is fairly low in fiber at 4%. NB does have Duck and Potato at 3% and Taste of the Wild has several varieties at 3%. Most kibbles are at least 5 to 6% fiber.

Since your girl had loose stool before switching to NB, her gut is probably still adjusting to this new food. Natural Balance does not add probiotics to their food and I suspect the low quality food she was on prior did not have probiotics either. Since her stool is formed now, you may want to give it 2 or 3 months before changing or adding another food to the mix. There is a good chance that once her gut bacteria has had time to get established, she will not have as frequent bowel movements.

I have personally found it to be beneficial to add a good dog probiotic with multiple strains of bacteria when doing food changes.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Steve,

I cannot offer any suggestions as to a canned food to recommend for diabetes/pancreatitis but can say that the two brands you mentioned are a lot higher in fat than the RC GILF. The GILF shows 1% min and 2.5% max for fat. To compare canned foods, you will need to convert to a dry matter basis since there is a difference in moisture content. On a dry matter basis, the GILF is 4% minimum and 10% maximum fat whereas the lowest fat TOW is a minimum of 16.5% fat on a dry matter basis and they do not state what the maximum is. This is a huge difference and I think it may be too high but check with your vet to be sure.

The other thing I wanted to mentioned is the GILF contains prebiotics and that is probably why he had a good stool on it and runny when you tried homemade. One food that I know is low fat and low carb is THK Zeal, however he would probably have a runny stool with it unless you tried adding THK Perfect Form or some other prebiotic/probiotic supplement.

Hopefully someone else will be along that can offer some food suggestions based on their experience.

[CockalierMom]

Anon101, reread my message to the OP. I did not advise the OP to cover the wound or do anything. I stated the behavior my dog had when she had a hot spot.

After you stated to the OP what you would do, I stated directly to you, not the OP, that my vet did advise to loosely cover the area to prevent chewing and licking of the wound.

In my opinion, chewing and licking an already infected wound is more likely to create an environment for bacteria and infection to flourish than loosely covering a wound to prevent chewing and licking. So I suggest we agree to disagree on this point.

[CockalierMom]

Anon101, my vet must have gone to a different school than you, because it was advised to loosely cover the area to prevent any chewing and licking.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Sharon,

One of my girls, who is also a 20# dog, had a small hot spot (about the size of a quarter) on her backside, and she would also run from spot to spot and then sit down quickly. In the house I was keeping a loose diaper on her so she could not chew or lick the area and I discovered she was more comfortable having the hot spot covered. When I took the diaper off, she would start the running and sitting again whether inside or outside. This behavior did not go away until the hot spot was completely healed and the hair was growing back which was around 3 weeks.

[CockalierMom]

We have the Doggie Doo Drain on our septic system and it works great. Just the normal use of water in the house clears away the “deposit” and not necessary to pour a bucket of water. It will work with sewer or septic. You just unscrew the cleanout plug and screw in the Doggie Doo Drain.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Leslie,

I recently had the same problem with my girls after feeding them food without probiotics for a few months. I do not think Science Diet puppy has probiotics in it and your puppy probably has not developed enough gut bacteria yet to handle a transition. I know a lot of people say the probiotics in kibble are useless, but I never had a problem doing a food transition when my girls were eating a kibble that had probiotics.

I would suggest adding a good dog probiotic with multiple strains of bacteria and a prebiotic in it, or if you use one without prebiotics, add kefir, yogurt, or goat’s milk in also.

[CockalierMom]

The ingredients in the link you provided are the exact same as they were 2 years ago when I had this food in my rotation. As far as I can remember, turkey has always been in Core Original.

[CockalierMom]

John,

I prefer to use Heartgard and my vet only carries the meds that have everything in them. I have been using Drs. Foster and Smith for over 10 years without a single problem. They have been in the pharmacy business since the catalog days long before internet pharmacies started popping up. They are accredited and reputable plus their prices are usually better than other places.

[CockalierMom]

I have previous experience with a heart murmur and suggest that if you are wanting to educate yourself, you need to understand how the pharmaceutical meds will help before ruling them out. Ask your vet for the names of the medications and then do your own research on the meds without relying on what the vet says. I think you will find these meds will help her heart function and make her breathing easier. The meds really helped my girl for several years. With all the information on the internet now, there is never any reason to do just what the vet tells you without researching it first and understanding what you are dealing with.

I researched a number of supplements, herbs, and amino acids after my girl progressed from grade 1 to 2. If you want to give supplements, find a holistic vet to consult with, if you cannot drive to one. I am a firm believer in holistic medicine, but cannot recommend just using a holistic approach for a murmur that has progressed to a grade 3/4.

[CockalierMom]

Hi weezerweeks,
I have fed both Grandma Lucy’s and THK premixes. My girls love all the premixes but they would probably eat anything mixed with the fresh protein. (We did not try the dehydrated with protein in it so I don’t know if they would eat it.) With my last box of THK Kindly, I noticed they are using a smaller grind now.

THK Preference has a little bit lower fiber than the other premixes so it might be an option. It may be worth getting a sample to see if your yorkie likes it.

I am currently feeding 1/3 low fiber kibble and 2/3 THK Kindly/protein due the frequency of bathroom use. (We are back down to 2 or 3 times a day with this combination). I will probably try adding digestive enzymes in the future to see if that makes a difference.

[CockalierMom]

Brie, the 7 lb box of Kindly on Chewy is $53.99. If you feed equal base mix and protein, the box would last about a month and I think it would be about 12 oz protein a day – 20 to 25 lbs a month. Hope that gives you a starting point. THK also has their new Marvel which is turkey grain free. It would be around $100 a month to feed.

[CockalierMom]

Hi Brie,
Unfortunately, I was rushed to the dermatologist since my vet had run out of ideas when changing proteins did not help (I was feeding a mixture of canned and kibble). The dermatologist insisted she did not have food issues and that all her itching and problems were environmental. Long story short, between the specialist, tests, and shots it cost me a $1,000 (which was very hard on my limited income) as she continued to get worse. Four months later they decided she did have food issues and put her on prescription food which caused such a severe reaction that she had to go on steroids. After that episode, I decided to try dehydrated food since nothing else had helped. I started feeding Honest Kitchen Kindly which is a base mix and I add my own cooked protein along with probiotics. She started improving before I got 50% into the food transition. Dehydrated will be more expensive to feed a 55lb dog, but it may be worth trying for a few weeks.

BTW, I did do the mail in saliva test a couple of months ago and it came back that she is sensitive to carbohydrates, rather than proteins. This backed up why the prescription food caused such a severe reaction and why just changing proteins prior did not help either. I just wish my vet would have told me to do saliva test rather than sending me to the dermatologist.

[CockalierMom]

Wysong Epigen formulas are pea free and high quality. If you want to consider dehydrated, Honest Kitchen and Grandma Lucy’s have pea free varieties.

[CockalierMom]

Yes, raw chicken is correct. I have made chicken jerky for my girls several times in a dehydrator and the oven. The most important thing is that you make sure you slice the chicken as thin and uniform as possible (a little on the frozen side helps). If the pieces are not the same thickness, the dehydrating time varies too much. You will have some that get over crisp while other parts may not be dehydrated enough. My girls prefer chewy rather than crispy. In the dehydrator I use plain chicken breast with no added oil or seasonings. In the oven, I coat the pieces with a little oil.

[CockalierMom]

I have experience with Cushings that was diagnosed at the age of 12 in one of my cocker spaniels. There are a series of tests that must be done to diagnose Cushings not just an ultrasound. Panting, ravenous appetite, weight gain, high liver enzymes and enlarged liver are ALL symptoms of Cushings. You may want to consider getting a second opinion from another vet.

[CockalierMom]

I use Nature’s Way Extra Virgin Organic, pure and unrefined. I give to the girls but I use a lot more for myself in cooking since it smells and tastes like coconut. It may take a month to several months to use a jar and it always stays fresh tasting with no mold issues.

[CockalierMom]

Karen,
One of my girls had severe ear and head scratching along with yeasty ears that were hard to clear up when she ate BB products (Wilderness and Basics) that contained tapioca starch. Their Freedom line use to be tapioca free, but last year they quietly changed the formula and added tapioca starch to it. Within a couple of weeks of eating the new formula, her ear problems started back with a vengeance and then cleared up, with no medication, after getting her off BB.

The BB food could be the source of your problems also. You may want to change to a brand of food that does not contain any tapioca to see if it helps.

[CockalierMom]

One of my previous cockers had an enlarged heart, tracheal problems and fluid build up and she was on similar medications. She started coughing when she was 7 years old and enlarged heart was diagnosed. Vet put her on theophylline at that time and was on it for 5 years before changing her to Enalapril and Lasix, which is a diuretic like Furoquid. The meds did help and she lived to 14 1/2 with a very good quality of life during the entire time. For the last 3 or 4 years, I home cooked chicken and brown rice with vegetables and gave her a senior multi vitamin to help with missing nutrients. This was several years ago when chicken and brown rice was recommended for heart conditions–don’t know if it is still the recommendation now.

I am sure some of the other people here have more knowledge about this than I do and they will be along to give assistance.

[CockalierMom]

One of my girls has all fowl and tapioca allergies so I am creating charts with protein and ingredients for the potential foods she can eat. From the information I have gathered so far, I can point you in the direction of a few brands that have varieties that meet the lower protein and no potato criteria — California Natural, Tuscan Natural, Spring Natural, and Natural Balance LID. If there is not an oat allergy, you might look at Pinnacle Trout & Sweet Potatoes or Wellness Simple Lamb & Oats. These foods are lower protein than you are currently feeding (I saw in another post that you are feeding Purina Beyond and it has a dry matter content of 31% protein).

[CockalierMom]

Sarah, I am in the same situation as you. Our vet dermatologist prescribed RC Hypoallergenic Soy because one of my girls is reacting to chicken, turkey and tapioca (and I am sure there will be more). I had ordered a bag of Wellness Simple Salmon prior, so I am trying that first. I have not completed the transition yet, but there seems to be improvement already. If she still has food reactions after 4 to 6 weeks, then I am going to the RC food to do a real elimination diet.

If you suspect chicken is a problem, you may want to try what the dermatologist had me do first. Take the first 5 ingredients of the food you are feeding now and increase each one individually to see if there is a noticeable reaction. I added 1 ounce of turkey to Lucy’s morning and evening meals, and by the end of the second day her scratching increased significantly. Then, after a couple of days of being off the increased turkey, her scratching calmed down.

Good luck with the choice you make.

[CockalierMom]

My dog has environmental and pollen allergies, and I have recently discovered any food with tapioca starch causes her to have severe scratching at her ears, eyes, chin and neck, and chewing on her legs. I was beginning to think she was allergic to almost all foods until I realized the common ingredient was the tapioca starch.

[Author]

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