Jade went to the vet yesterday

[JaderBug]

Jade has had a pretty bad bout of on-again/off-again diarrhea for the last two weeks, mostly because she's gotten into some things that she shouldn't have (she ate part of a Frisbee and part of a Coke-bottle wrapper due to bad supervision by the boyfriend ). Everything has come out on one side or the other, but has been accompanied by the runs.

 

The vet said that apparently her microflora has been messed up, and that the bad bugs have taken over the good bugs. She's been put on some antibiotics and I/D dog food, but I think I am going to be looking for some new dry dog food for her. Right now she is on Iams Smart Puppy, and I've been thinking of switching her to something like Science Diet or Nutro or something like that. I want something that's good for her, but I'm also a college student on a budget, so I can't afford the super expensive stuff.

 

Any suggestions??

[PSmitty]

That whole messed up flora thing happens from time to time. Meds will clear it right up, Alex had a bout of this just a few weeks ago. Jade doesn't even really need a special food like I/D, but what's done is done. I hate to sound judgmental, but I would run away from Science Diet! I know a lot of folks feed Nutro, but I'm not sure there aren't better choices for the money out there. Canidae is a good food at a reasonable price. I think Natural Balance might be one of the more affordable ones, too. One thing to keep in mind, you will feed less of a higher quality food, so don't let the higher prices freak you out too much.

 

Check out this website for some good dog food info:

 

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

[JaderBug]

I hate to sound judgmental, but I would run away from Science Diet!

 

Why is that? What have you heard about Science Diet (or Nutro for that matter)?

 

Any opinions on Eukanuba?

[PSmitty]

I don't have much time to post right now, but I encourage you to read the site I linked. It will tell you exactly what's wrong with some foods (like Science Diet). Have you read the ingredient list for Science Diet? Check it out.

 

Some Science Diet stuff:

http://www.ourdogsonline.com/content/sciencedietscam.html

 

I have no idea about Nutro. I think it's a mid grade food. I know people who feed it and their dogs do well on it. It's not that expensive (I don't think?) and it would be a better step up from Iams, Science Diet, Purina, etc. Again, check out the site I referenced. It will help teach you what exactly separates one food from another.

[1sheepdoggal]

I call it Puke-a-nuba. It use to be a good food, ( many moons ago) but they, as many other companies did, sold out to companies like proctor and gamble, and the like, who changed the formulas to cheaper ingredients, yaddy yada, and science diet? Look at the first ingredient on the bag. If Im not mistaken, it should say Corn. Great for chickens! Not necessary for dogs

[stockdogranch]

Last I looked at a bag of Eukanuba, I believe the first ingredient listed was ground yellow corn. Canidae is good, and less expensive than Eukanuba.

 

A

[sweet_ceana]

We use Blue Buffalo. It works great, not too expensive, and it is easy to find.

[Maralynn]

If you do a search on "food" here you'll find pages of great information on the subject.

 

My first reccomendation of a good food for those on a budget is Diamond Naturals. Cheaper that Iams, Science Diet and Eukanuba and it has better ingredients.

[MaggieDog]

Foods I used as a college student that are way better than the SD, Euk., Iams stuff:

 

- Eagle Pack Holistic

- Proplan Selects (Salmon, the Turkey isn't as nice a food)

- Authority (Petsmart brand, the baked version is the best)

 

HTH - one nice thing w/ good foods is you have less poop to pick up because you feed less. A HUGE plus when you live in an apartment and scoop on each walk.

[JaderBug]

I went on a dog food mission today with some help from my friend who has a degree in animal nutrition... I think I am going to try ProPlan Puppy Lamb & Rice Formula for Jade once she gets off the I/D from the vet. Any opinions on ProPlan?

[MaggieDog]

Regular Proplan still has a lot of grain for a dog food - the Selects is the only variety I would feed my girls.

[RaisingRiver]

River was diagnosed w/ messed up bacteria in her tummy. I had already tried all kinds/formulas of dog food. So she just started on Purina's FlortiFlora which is packets of good bacteria to keep her balanced. So far, good poop. A packet a day right on top of her dry food. It's about a dollar a day, and you can buy them over the counter (also in boxes of 3 online which ends up cheaper a day). Lots of rave reviews about it. It is supposed to used under your vet's advice, so might want to check.

 

But the food never helped. Her diarrhea was on and off again all the time, no matter the food: Blue Buffalo, Canidae, Merrick, EVO (no grain). So now I've got her on Merrick (she lost weight on canidae) because I like the price point and it's a quality food that all my dogs are doing well on.

[diane allen]

Food recommendations here are pretty good. But if intestinal flora is messed up - feed that! Check out your local health food store for acidophilus and/or primidophilus. It should usually be refrigerated, but capsules can be sprinkled onto food and should help restore the "good bugs." There are probiotics made for dogs (affordable-Jarrow.com, B-Naturals.com and others), but human varieties are quite helpful too. No matter the food, I'd suggest adding probiotics, at least until all is back to normal.

 

diane

[PSmitty]

Ingredient list for Purina Pro Plan Puppy Lamb & Rice:

 

Lamb, brewers rice, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), whole grain corn, corn bran, egg product, animal digest, fish oil, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, salt, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite

 

Ingredient list for Canidae:

Chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, white rice, lamb meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), herring meal, flax seed, sun cured alfalfa meal, sunflower oil, chicken, lecithin, monocalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, linoleic acid, rosemary extract, sage extract, dried enterococcus faecium, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation extract, inulin (from chicory root), saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles, yucca schidigera extract, mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), zinc amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid chelate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (source of B2), beta carotene, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), calcium iodate, folic acid, d-biotin, sodium selenite, papaya, vitamin B12 supplement

 

Ingredient list for Innova:

Turkey, chicken, chicken meal, ground barley, ground brown rice, potatoes, ground white rice, chicken fat, herring, apples, carrots, cottage cheese, sunflower oil, alfalfa sprouts, egg, garlic, probiotics, vitamins, minerals

 

Even if you just "skip" over all the big words and stuff at the end that you have no idea what they are (like me! ), take a look at the first 7-10 ingredients. That will tell you plenty. I get the feeling you're just looking for someone to tell you what to feed, and if that's the route you want to go, it's your puppy. But the website I referenced will help teach you how to evaluate a food for yourself. Which ingredients to look for, which ingredients to avoid, and that kind of thing.

 

So, it's up to you. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

Oh, and I mentioned on another thread, but your dog doesn't need to eat puppy food, either. Many people either don't feed it at all, or get their dog on to an all life stages food at 3-4 months.

[JaderBug]

Ingredient list for Canidae:

Chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, white rice, lamb meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), herring meal, flax seed, sun cured alfalfa meal, sunflower oil, chicken...

 

Sounds like some pretty good stuff, and the prices I found on Google look reasonable, but I've never seen it in any stores... where do you find it??

[PSmitty]

Store locator:

 

http://www.canidae.com/company/storelocator.html

[Lenajo]

I tried Canidae a few times - my dogs pooped like cows on it, and they didn't really like the taste either. Nobody I know of down here likes it, and the holistic place I get bulk raw from is taking it off the shelves.

 

If your dogs "flora" is off, antibiotics will only make it worst. That who pattern of treatment makes no sense. It would be like treating a yeast infection from antibiotics, with more antibiotics.

 

You can get probiotics for dogs (Probios for example, or a B Natural product - I like those best). I tend to go very bland when a dog has had a really upset stomach (say, post Parvo or a bad gastroenteritis) and boil ground beef, draining it well, and mixing with homemade chicken broth. Gives the probiotics a chance to work.

 

Science Diet dog food is better suited to a duck LOL

[JohnLloydJones]

You can get probiotics for dogs (Probios for example, or a B Natural product - I like those best).

 

A dollop or two of plain yoghurt is pretty good too.

[JaderBug]

A dollop or two of plain yoghurt is pretty good too.

 

I forgot to mention that the vet did prescribe yogurt in her diet too, 1/2 a cup per day

[RaisingRiver]

My dogs like Canidae, but mine plus some others on these boards lost weigh on it after a few months (and I had to feed more then I do the Merrick - and they don't loose weight on that) but other swear by it, so I think it's an individual thing.

[Lenajo]

Yogurt makes diarrhea worst more often than not as many adult dogs are dairy/lactose intolerant. Probiotics don't cause that.

[kaos]

I alternate between California natural Herring and sweet potatoe and Candidae, usually with a small bag of EVO mixed in for fun. The girls have been doing really well on it and their poops are quite small, they love the taste and they are both really affordable and long lasting.

Sara

[JohnLloydJones]

Yogurt makes diarrhea worst more often than not as many adult dogs are dairy/lactose intolerant.

That's not my experience -- the lactose content should be low enough that it isn't a problem. Our yoghurt is made at home (with casei / bifidum cultures). Shop bought yughurt may vary -- it should be fairly tart.

[Root Beer]

I forgot to mention that the vet did prescribe yogurt in her diet too, 1/2 a cup per day

 

Yogurt helped Dean a lot when I was sorting out his digestive issues.

 

What ended up helping the most, though, was digestive enzymes. I got the digestive enhancer by Dogzymes for him and it has really helped him a lot. At one point the only thing he could eat was raw chicken and now he can eat just about anything.