Rock needs new food - advise?

[Kyna]

Hi There,

 

Rock is 2.5 years old (BC) - when we got him he was on Old Roy and I slowly changed him over to Acana - he did terribly on that and we put him on Hills prescription diet until his stomach settled. He basically had diarrhea which then led to having issues with his anal glands. So then we changed him on to Origin - he is okay on it but still has boughts of diarrhea and clusters of trips to the vet to get his anal glands expressed. Since Origin is grain free the vet reomcended a food with grains. Last week I got some Innova and slowly tried to switch him over. I supplemented with rice to help with the transition - Only a quater of his daily intake is the new food and he is back to runny stools again. Today I took out the Innova and we'll be back to homemade rice with Origin. Otherwise he is healthy - he has had his regular check-ups as well as blood and stool samples.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for a dry food that may help him settle? I know that dogs can be gross but after 1.5 years of having a dog whose butt and mouth smell like poop we would like to resolve this

 

Help!

 

Thanks!

[Lewie'sMom]

Have you investigated feeding raw?

 

There are a lot of members on this board who feed their dogs raw with great results. I've had Lewie on raw for 5 or 6 months and he's doing great. When he ate only commericial kibble his stools were the size of a holstein's but with raw his stools are much smaller and he never has doggy breath or doggy body-smell.

 

You'll likely get some great advice from the raw-feeding members of this board. They're why I switched. It can be a little intimidating when you first get started. But once you get the hang of it, it's not such a big deal, especially when you realize you have much more control over what does or doesn't go into your dog's body. It also seems like I've read here recently that feeding raw can drastically reduce the anal gland problem.

 

 

Good luck.

 

 

my 2 cents

[Shoofly]

Diamond Naturals chicken and rice. I had great luck with BilJac too but am liking the Diamond. Very good for dogs with that issue because it has beet pulp in it, which tends to firm up stools. Toss some canned pumpkin on top of his food too, it works wonders.

[Alaska]

I second the suggestion about canned pumpkin (make sure it's pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling).

 

When I got Kepler I was told he couldn't tolerate beef, but actually he just has a sensitive system that seems to be set off at random intervals that don't really correlate with any particular food. However, whenever it happens all I have to do is add a few spoonfuls of pumpkin to his meal for a couple of days and all is well.

[Jedismom]

I had the same problem with my dog Cadi. We struggled with food changes for about a year. Tried most of the quality brands. The only one that worked finally is Canine Caviar Holistic Pet Nutrition. www.caninecaviar.com

 

Good Luck! OOOO..poopy kisses...

[PSmitty]

I actually heard of a dog who had a problem tolerating rice, though I doubt that's common, and most likely not the culprit. I would try a simple formula like CA Natural, maybe. Innova and Origen, I believe are considered "rich" foods. Go for something simple and plain and see how that goes. If no go, then try a food with a novel protein source (like duck or venison, something like that?) and see if you have any luck finding something that agrees with him.

 

And I ditto the canned pumpkin idea, too. A good quality yogurt or probiotic wouldn't hurt, either.

[Chesney's Girl]

I will throw my vote in for raw if you can swing it, I've been feeding it for 2 years now and won't go back to kibble anytime soon. I do know Tip's Mum has a dog with a sensitive tummy. He does well on Prairie Lamb and Rice. I believe he is pretty normal now with his stools and issues. Might want to give that a try as it is high in fiber and might help to keep everything together. Canned pumpkin can help too, like others mentioned. If yogurt works try adding a spoonful of that. Otherwise I would be really careful with adding dairy to a dog that has a sensitive stomach.

 

Good luck.

[Kyna]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions - what a a relief!

 

Thanks for the suggestions of feeding raw - I am not ready for that and I am not sure I will be but thanks for your input - I appreciate it.

 

I don't think Rock has a problem with rice because when he gets sick I put him on rice and he is good to go in a couple of days - since I supplemented the Innova with rice and he still has problems I think am pretty sure it is the food.

 

When I talked this over with the vet, the first time it happened, she said that pumpkin added fiber not bulk - I thought they were the same thing? But she advised not giving pumpkin for this but I am not so sure anymore.

 

I think for the next few days I may pick up a small bag of Hills or Medical from the vet - I know they are poorer quality - but I also know they settle his stomach which will get him ready for our next experiment.

 

I'll look into the foods you all advised and hopefully I can get some of them locally (Prairie Lamb and Rice, CA Natural, Diamond Naturals chicken and rice, Canine Caviar Holistic Pet Nutrition).

 

As for poopy kisses, fortunately Rock isn't a licker, yuck.

[Kyna]

Has anyone tried Timberwolf - Ocean Blue?

[Chesney's Girl]

I did a search on Timberwolf Organics on the dog food project. I suggest you search about it as well. This site had information, along with here at the bottom of the page.

 

I ordered a bag of Timberwolf a while back and Chesney and Tucker who are not picky eaters wouldn't eat it. Plus I think it would equate to the same food group as Innova and Orijen

 

Best of luck.

[Root Beer]

Dean has a sensitive stomach and the only kibble I've found that he can eat without issue is Taste of the Wild. He eats Taste of the Wild in the morning and raw in the evening and it works for him.

[Kyna]

Hi and thanks again for all the advice!

 

My local pet store (which is the only one in town) can get Prairie Lamb and Rice, Diamon Naturals, and she has CA Natural - is CA Natural "California Natural"? If so she has the Lamb and rice, the chicken and rice and the herring and sweet potato - any preference of these three?

[Chesney's Girl]

I would think if California Naturals is ok with him then any of the flavors will do. I would start with Lamb in a dog food though since its a very digestible meat

[bcnewe2]

We eat Diamond Naturals chicken and rice too.

But we had to be very careful of making any changes. I was out and had some naturals beef and rice thought it'd be ok since it was all corn free too. Nope, gave all of them the same runny poo. There are both diamond products with no corn.

I've been hesitant to switch again. I make sure we don't run out.

 

I found what works best for us when we switch food is to fast for a day then make the switch. When I try to work them in doing it slowly it never seems to work.

 

One of the best parts besides the food seems to be a quaiilty is it's affordable. I find some of the better food to be out of our price range for our multidog household.

 

I recently started adding fishoil to the morning meal, I was wondering if anyone else does that and if it causes stinky gas? Mick or at least I think it's him, will chase me out of the room lately.

[Guest maya's mom]

Maya has been eating California Natural, Adult Lamb and Rice formula and does great on it. She had bad stool when a puppy, and switching her to this cleared it up. It is a very short ingrediant list, made for dogs with sensitive stomachs. It also has gotten her coat and skin into beautiful shape. She had bad dry skin when we got her as well. Because California Natural is a good quality food, you don't have to feed as much. Maya is 10 months old and 34lbs, and she only gets 1 1/2 cups per day. (She also gets treats of apples, carrots, peanut butter and snap peas!) Good luck!

[PSmitty]

I think if you want to try the California Natural, maybe go for the lamb/rice. It's a starting place, at least. I also like Prairie products, mine have been on the lamb and chicken formulas and did fine.

 

Good luck!

 

PS. Kristen, I give all of mine fish oil and they don't have gas issues. But then again, it's been years, so maybe they did in the beginning? Who knows, though, every dog reacts differently.

[Journey]

You may want to check out this site - gives overviews and comments about each food.

 

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

I had struggled for ages trying to find a good food that Daisy would actually eat and do well on. She is picky and was rather skinny. I have her now on Orijen and she is doing fantastic. But yes, it is a rich food. I did have her on Natural Balance, which is a kind of "middle of the pack" grade of food, but they have 3 formulas that are supposed to be good for dogs with sketchy stomachs. Lamb and brown rice, sweet potato and venison and potato and duck. We used the first two with no problems.

[osioda]

I have been using Diamond Lamb and rice for a while now, and it does very well, I haven't tried there chicken an rice yet, but I also sprinkle powdered milk replacer on the top of it, and really helps to get them eating it, and actually that works for all the dry foods, and they seem to do really well with it.

 

As for raw, when you have lost a dog like me ,do to a piece of bone you tend not to ever want to feed raw.

 

Steve

[Mollie&Me]

Muggz, my Husky/x, has the most sensitive gastro-intestinal system that I've ever seen. We have to be extremely careful when introducing new foods to him, of any kind, including treats. He does not tolerate rice at all and even the addition of pumpkin to his food will cause problems (explosive diarrhea, extremely bloody stools - so badly we almost lost him one time). Any milk products are a big no-no. His anal glands were also a big problem until I switched him to Evo.

 

Your dog might be like Muggz - when I switched Muggz to Evo (which is very similar to Orijen) I had to do it Very slowly. It took about two months to fully transition him, but once he was, his bowels settled down and we haven't had a single episode of explosive diarrhea. In fact, Evo has practically cured him (moment of silence, please! )

A quarter portion a day after a week of transitioning really might be too much too soon for your dog; what I'd suggest is, no matter what you are switching Rock over to, start Very slowly with Very small portions (think 1/16th instead of 1/4th of the new food per day) and Don't add any other foods that he does not eat at every meal. Cut out the rice, strictly feed only his current food and the new food.

 

Another thing I would really recommend is adding a probiotic supplement to his food, especially while you are transitioning him (with a sensitive bowel, I wouldn't suggest using yogurt or any other milk product). It really helps to keep the digestive system running smoothly! There are several powdered forms made, you could probably have your vet recommend something or even just do a search on the internet.

[kylebrk]

Could someone explain to me what raw is? Is it actually raw meat or is it a brand? I'm sorry for sounding like such a rookie...but I am....

[Kyna]

After Rock's last episode of upset stomach, on the vet's advise, I started with a tblsp of yogurt every morning and supplementing his food with rice. This, along with the antibiotics it cleared up (his pooper was red and the vet was worried about infection - I think it was due his licking). And I continued with the yogurt and rice. He also gets Missing Link Supplement but I have taken him off of that for now.

 

So here's how I'd like to proceed:

 

I have put him back on his regular food today, along with the yogurt and the rice. Once he back to normal I'll start introducing the CA Naturals lamb and rice - very slowly as Mollie&Me advised.

 

I suspect this will be a long process!

 

(as for explainnig raw - I'll leave that to someone who can do it justice).

[stockdogranch]

Could someone explain to me what raw is?

 

Yes, it's raw meat and bones. There are a number of different versions of it, as in, just meat and organs (which is still meat), or bones with some meat, or meaty bones and a few veggies thrown in--you get the idea. People generally don't totally agree on exactly what goes into it (how much bone, veggie or not, etc.), but generally it means big hunks of raw meat and bones, fed whole. So, for instance, tonight my girls are having lamb ribs--a good-sized rib with a nice layer of meat on it, as well as a good layer of fat. They start at one end and eat the entire thing, bone and all. Chicken necks or backs or whole chicken quarters are a staple for many dogs...and so on. The general idea is to balance nutrients over time, not necessarily within each meal, and to feed a variety of different types of meats and organs. The dogs LOVE it, they do REALLY WELL on it, and their teeth NEVER need cleaning. As long as the bones are RAW, they are OK to feed. Never cooked bones! If you do an archive search on here, you should find a lot of info!

 

A

[Chesney's Girl]

After Rock's last episode of upset stomach, on the vet's advise, I started with a tblsp of yogurt every morning and supplementing his food with rice. This, along with the antibiotics it cleared up (his pooper was red and the vet was worried about infection - I think it was due his licking). And I continued with the yogurt and rice. He also gets Missing Link Supplement but I have taken him off of that for now.

 

So here's how I'd like to proceed:

 

I have put him back on his regular food today, along with the yogurt and the rice. Once he back to normal I'll start introducing the CA Naturals lamb and rice - very slowly as Mollie&Me advised.

 

I suspect this will be a long process!

 

(as for explainnig raw - I'll leave that to someone who can do it justice).

 

Did you notice if there was trouble before you started adding the missing link to his diet? If there a reason for adding the supplement? Does should get the nutrients they need from a high quality dog food without supplementation. I would try taking Rock off missing link for a good amount of time and see if his tummy troubles settle down.

[kylebrk]

Yes, it's raw meat and bones. There are a number of different versions of it, as in, just meat and organs (which is still meat), or bones with some meat, or meaty bones and a few veggies thrown in--you get the idea. People generally don't totally agree on exactly what goes into it (how much bone, veggie or not, etc.), but generally it means big hunks of raw meat and bones, fed whole. So, for instance, tonight my girls are having lamb ribs--a good-sized rib with a nice layer of meat on it, as well as a good layer of fat. They start at one end and eat the entire thing, bone and all. Chicken necks or backs or whole chicken quarters are a staple for many dogs...and so on. The general idea is to balance nutrients over time, not necessarily within each meal, and to feed a variety of different types of meats and organs. The dogs LOVE it, they do REALLY WELL on it, and their teeth NEVER need cleaning. As long as the bones are RAW, they are OK to feed. Never cooked bones! If you do an archive search on here, you should find a lot of info!

 

A

 

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your help.