Food Suggestions?

[Guest Avisher224]

I've had my grey, Orion, for several months and I'm still struggling with the best food for him. We started with Iams, which was fine other than some occasion gas, however I wanted to switch him to one of the natural foods with better ingredients. First we tried Natural Balance Ultra Premium, then we tried Blue Buffalo (large breed)- he's not a picky boy and he seemed to like both of these, however they did not seem to agree with him! He would go back and forth between very soft poops and Big D poops. I felt so bad for him that I finally went and just bought him another bag of Iams this weekend and the problem was cleared up within 24 hours.

 

So, any opinions? Should I just stick with the Iams since it works or should I keep trying to find a "better" option that agrees with him?

 

Thanks!

[Batmom]

For more than a few pups of my acquaintance, IAMs works better than anything else. If it's working for your dog, I wouldn't change it.

[Hubcitypam]

[sorry for trotting this out again for long time members]

I went through heck with my Rex that had colon problems -- tried Natural Balance, Nature's Recipe, Wellness, California Natural, Blue Buffalo, etc.....

 

I think I spent about 487 hours online and in the pet stores searching for the perfect high end food. One day I got so mad I threw a green bag of Iams in the cart and called it a day. Most remarkable transformation ever poopwise and he never had bloody poops again. Besides Rex I have had several other dogs that did not do well on Blue. Great company, great ingredients but I thnk it is just too rich for some dogs.

 

I say if it works stay with it and don't worry about being a food snob. I just quit trying to keep up with the Joneses. If you really feel the need to change look for a food with beet pulp. it helps a lot.

 

I was saying Jey would agree with me before I edited out errors...

Edited September 20, 2010 by Hubcitypam

[Batmom]

Yep, agree with Pam -- I think we were posting at the same time .

 

Sometimes one or the next ingredients list *looks* better to us ... but dogs' innards can't read .

[Guest PhillyPups]

I may get arrested by the "food police" but I am of the opinion if it works for him, let him eat it. All of my hounds have done well on IAMS and do great on Kirkland.

[Guest GryffinSong]

Yup, whatever works. I had Gryffin for eight years and I tried everything to get him on a "better" food. I'd switch to Purina One and he'd be normal within a day. Every other food got him running, even if I tried it for a couple months.

[Guest WhenIGiveIn]

Ype I am a big fan of if it isnt broken then dont fix it.... I understand the need for "good" food but if it makes your dog sick it obviously isnt a "good" for for him.

[Guest KennelMom]

We've run the gamut with dog food...try finding one that agrees with 19 hounds! In the beginning, my two girls did great on Iams/Eukanuba. If it works for your dog, then why change it. However, if you want a "premium" food, our dogs have far and away done best on Taste of the Wild High Prairie. Best poops from everyone, not really any gas to speak of and everyone loved it. We tried the fish version but it softened a few of them up in the poo department and Diva got crazy itchy and red.

[Guest sirsmom]

Iams has a natural version called healthy naturals

[Guest Swifthounds]

I think I spent about 487 hours online and in the pet stores searching for the perfect high end food. One day I got so mad I threw a green bag of Iams in the cart and called it a day. Most remarkable transformation ever poopwise and he never had bloody poops again. Besides Rex I have had several other dogs that did not do well on Blue. Great company, great ingredients but I thnk it is just too rich for some dogs.

 

I'm with Pam & Jey. Don't switch just to switch, or because someone makes you think you should. It does amaze me how much pride people take in switching to a "premium" or "super premium" kibble -as if those words really mean anything in terms of a practical difference. The difference between the low end kibbles and the super premium ones isn't nearly as great as they make it seem.

 

What you care about in a food is protein and fat amounts, and that as much of that as possible come from meat rather than junk calories. If you experience problems, you try to weed out the most likely culprits (corn, wheat, soy, etc.). When you really compare some of the "super premium" foods, a whole lot of them do not have more/better meat; they have more/pricier carb sources, and usually a larger variety. Carbs of any sort are the junk food filler calories in a dog's diet. They aren't the most readily usable, they can cause health issues, and the more different types of them, the more things to try to eliminate to find the source of upset. They go a long way to convince you that there's an ingredient for every dietary need, and leave out that if the food doesn't agree with your dog, you have 17 or so possible culprits to eliminate from the suspect pool.

 

I don't and won't feed Iams, but I got burned by them a long time ago when P&G bought them.

[Guest Avisher224]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I think some of the things I've read (and the sales guy at the pet store) were making me feel guilty for not buying him the best of the best, but if it makes him sick, then why should I buy it?? Plus, their job is to sell! So I'll stick with the Iams and maybe try a small back of the Iams Natural since it has a little more protein to see how it works for him.

[GeorgeofNE]

The most beautiful dog we've ever had was an English Setter named Jeb. He was a show dog, and he was gorgeous with a beautiful coat, great muscle tone, good energy, etc.

 

He ate Puppy Chow and Dog Chow. Milllions of dogs and cats do just fine eating "supermarket" food. If your dog does well on Iams, there is no reason not to feed it to him.

[Guest mcsheltie]

I just cringe thinking about feeding Iams. BUT... if it was working, don't change it. You can go back to Iams and after Rex's gut has calmed down you could add some fresh meat or eggs to the kibble. You can go 75% kibble - 25% meat without throwing the nutrient balance off. Give him a month before you do this and only one thing at a time, until you see if his bowels can tolerate it.

 

It is possible he has a food allergy to something common in the other two brands. By adding fresh food yourself, you will be able to control the quality of the add-ins. And if something doesn't work you will know it right away and can avoid that in the future if you decide to change diets.

[Guest grammarules]

I had problems with my pup having bloat until I put her on Iams. She loves it and no more diarrhea.

[Guest taylorsmom]

If you want to give the premium foods just one more chance, I would go with a grain-free food like Taste of the Wild or Orijen. We are having fantastic results with Orijen--I just switched them from raw to Regional Red Orijen and I tell you the poops are just as good as they were on raw, and not a bit of diarrhea. Often I think the grains and higher carb foods tend to cause a lot of pudding poop problems. Just my 2 cents!

[sobesmom]

When I got my first grey, I wanted to feed the "best" food I could - I did a ton of reasearch, and tried EVO. The "best" food available to me. My dog was a MESS. It was just awful - and expensive. He lost weight, pooped puddles, looked terrible. So - I tried Premium Edge, not a lot of people have heard of it, they don't advertise much - but the ingredients are good - and MY DOG DID GREAT on it. And - it was a price I could live with.

 

Now - my 2nd grey, and all my fosters eat it. And all do well on it. Nice weight, shiney coats, good energy. I've also done Diamond Naturals when I can't get Premium Edge, and they all do well on that too.

 

I also supplement with raw a couple times per week, and appropriate leftovers. I think that helps balance it all out.

 

Do what works for your dog.

[Guest Swifthounds]

I don't think I mentioned it in my original post, but especially with a hound new to the home, unless he/she was experiencing problems on his/her current food, I would allow for a 4-6 month settling in period. There are enough changes for a hound, especially one that enters a home where he/she is the only greyhound or an only pet. Digestive upset is the last thing you want to voluntarily throw into the mix. If the food isn't agreeing after the first few weeks even with a bit of slippery elm then consider changes.

[Guest Bamn]

If it's not broken, why try to fix it? IAMS is just fine.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

I agree, when I got my dogs I went a little nutty trying to find the best food. Origen was way to rich, the high protein content did not help them at all. My vet did not like it either. Right now they are all on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream and doing well. All four of them, and my picky eater is still eating it a year later!

 

If you are worried about nutrition, add in some regular food to their kibble. They will love it and you will feel they are getting a well balanced diet. A little egg once in a while, green beans, fish bits, fruit, whatever you can think of and are cooking. I can't say anything about raw, I'm completely unexperienced in that area. But as long as my dogs have a good kibble base, they rarely get Big D from a few bits of people food. Watch out for bacon and a few other things that can cause pancreatitis, just do small amounts and you should be fine. Just like people, a variety is good!

[Guest Gert]

We've run the gamut with dog food...try finding one that agrees with 19 hounds! In the beginning, my two girls did great on Iams/Eukanuba. If it works for your dog, then why change it. However, if you want a "premium" food, our dogs have far and away done best on Taste of the Wild High Prairie. Best poops from everyone, not really any gas to speak of and everyone loved it. We tried the fish version but it softened a few of them up in the poo department and Diva got crazy itchy and red.

 

I agree with Heather (and the others that have said it), if it's working for you, don't change it!

 

That said, I've also tried several foods; Kirkland chicken and lamb versions, Blue Buffalo large breed and fish and sweet potato and Iams (green bag). I finally got some TOTW samples. The one that seemed to work best for us was the Pacific Stream. Of the foods we've tried, it's the only one that gives Viktor normal poop.

[Guest GreyRabbit]

I just joined in January when I got Cosmo, my first retired racer, and immediately looked on here for a better food than Science Diet (which is what I was feeding him). After adventures with TOTW, Nurto and Blue Buffalo and two rounds of tests at the vet to see what the problem was (which revealed that NOTHING was wrong) I put him on Purina One and within a week he was a NORMAL (not stinky, bloated and runny) dog again!!!

 

I also feel the "guilt", but really, he was very uncomfortable so I dont care, he's on Purnia for good now...

[Hubcitypam]

I just joined in January when I got Cosmo, my first retired racer, and immediately looked on here for a better food than Science Diet (which is what I was feeding him). After adventures with TOTW, Nurto and Blue Buffalo and two rounds of tests at the vet to see what the problem was (which revealed that NOTHING was wrong) I put him on Purina One and within a week he was a NORMAL (not stinky, bloated and runny) dog again!!!

I also feel the "guilt", but really, he was very uncomfortable so I dont care, he's on Purnia for good now...

As I said in the other thread a large majority of true dogmen and women feed Purina. I don't now but did successfully when times were tough. A bizillion dogs whos owners are working with them instead of listening to people quoting self proclaimed experts on intenet forums have thrived on Puppy Chow, Dog Chow, Hi-Pro and Purina One.

 

Get past the shame. If people say "well...they say..." my sister says "exactly who are 'THEY' and who made them the ones to make the rules?"

Edited October 1, 2010 by Hubcitypam