Need Food Advice

[Guest luvdogs]

Hi all; I am asking for some input on foods that might be good for my male. He had problems with Diaherria when he came back from a kennel. I panacured him and put him on a diet (he loves) cooked hamburger and white pasta and white rice, as per the vet. About two weeks ago as we slowly started to get him back onto his old food, which happened to be Kirkland Chicken and Rice (he was on it before the incident and my female is still on it now) About 4 days into the transition, he again had SEVERE diaherria and even went in his crate. I think he may have developed an allergy to the food. We can't keep feeding him the "human" diet, we can't afford it for one and it is a lot of preparation - we have been making it in batches. I am looking for suggestions of good food with low allergens, raw is not an option. I need something that is available in Canada as well. Thanks in advance for any input!

[kamsmom]

Does your costco carry the new grain free food? It is called Nature's Domain and comes in Salmon and Turkey. If you are thinking it is an allergy you may start with that one and the cost is significantly less than other grain free foods.

[OwnedBySummer]

Summer has a reaction to wheat in her kibble so we feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness, readily available in Canadian PetSmart's. A lot of people also recommend Taste Of The Wild but I haven't tried it yet. But are you sure the parasites are cleared up? Did you have a second fecal flotation done? I've heard that panacur is not the best choice...

 

And here's a kibble additive recipe that I nabbed from this forum, which you may find useful:

 

Here's a recipe from another member, Becky_R. I have made this recipe for Summer and she gobbles up her kibble now, no problem. I only used half the amount of yogurt by stirring it into the full recipe, THEN divided it up and froze most of it in double servings. BTW, I use Blue Buffalo kibble.

 

Puppie gruel recipe

 

Thoroughly mix 1 pound of lean ground beef with 3 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, and add 2/3 cup brown rice.

Turn the heat back down to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.

Add 2/3 cup red lentils and cook another 15 minutes, or until the rice is soft.

Check periodically, and add more water if needed.

Let this mixture cool, then freeze half of it and use it later.

Take the other half and mix with a two pound container of plain, low fat yogurt.

Serve a dollop of this mixture tossed with your dog's kibble.

 

 

Becky_R's notes: If you can't find lean ground beef, brown it first and drain off the fat. I was surprised at how little fiber was in brown rice, so that was why I added the lintels. They are high in fiber and protein. Red lentils cook quickly, which is whay I add them toward the end. If you can't find them, use another type of lentil, but add it to the pot earlier when you add the rice. I was tired of adding hamburger and rice, plus yogurt separately to the food bowls, so this is how the gruel recipe was born. Maybe you can suggest a better name for this recipe.

Edited October 2, 2010 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest Bamn]

Purina Sensitive Systems food has over 400 Kcal per cup. I had to cut my boys back because they were getting chunky. Good luck.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

Vegas can be very touchy when it comes to food, we use Authority large breed chicken (from petsmart) and we also mix in raw chicken (pre-ground for dogs from mountian dog food) and he does well. i tried so many other foods and this is what i have found worked best it doesnt cost a lot and works well for all 3 of my hounds (age 2,7 and 11) Vegas is hard to keep weight on and he actually keeps a good weight and muscle tone on this diet.

I have also heard that Iams can work well for some hounds, i have never tried it so i dont know what formula.

[Guest luvdogs]

Thanks for all your input. We tried again to transition him onto his old kibble, again 4 days in, severe diaherria. I wanted to make SURE it was the food. I think I am convinced. I am at the end of my rope with this. My husband is starting to lose patience and so am I. Poops have been checked and nothing in the stool, but we panacured anyhow, and so I don't know what else it could be other than the food. I really hope this works, I feel like I just don't know what we will come home to each night. I could just cry I am so fed up.

[Guest jbox]

Honestly I've tried almost all of the premium expensive and medium range foods and the best results I have found is with Iams Lamb & Rice (red bag). It pains

me to feed it but it works digestive wise.

[Guest luvdogs]

Thanks for all the feedback, we decided to try the orijin at great cost (ugh). It will be worth it if it works though. My husband just about croaked when he saw what I paid for the little bag!! We started it yesterday and the gas coming out of my dog was unreal (yes we started slowly, just a little bit with his pasta meal). I woke up at 2 am and was overwhelmed by the gas in the air. I had to get him up and let him outside so he could empty some of that out!!! I will try it for a month or so and if all goes well, great, if not I will try the Iams. There has to be something out there that works!!!

 

Does your costco carry the new grain free food? It is called Nature's Domain and comes in Salmon and Turkey. If you are thinking it is an allergy you may start with that one and the cost is significantly less than other grain free foods.

 

 

Thanks, checked on that last time I went, and no, they don't carry it. Thanks for the suggestion!

[cleptogrey]

have you spoken to your vet since he was wormed??? he might need a round or two of flagyl to clean up his gut. they come w/ all sorts of wierd bacteria that might be causing diaherria. call and ask you vet, describe the situation and i always go really slow on weaning a dog off of chop meat and pasta/rice. i start w/ 1/4 c of kibble at a time and i maintain feeding them rice for quite a while, even after they are firm.

Edited October 13, 2010 by cleptogrey

[Guest kydie]

I am no dog food expert,, , but I would sure get some meds to slow down the intestine,, this could be something medical other than a reaction to food or worms,,, fish base products can be of help,, rather than red meat or chicken

 

I too would vote for a round of flagyl,, and some times a long round is needed,, this can't be more expensive than trying one high cost kibble after another

Edited October 13, 2010 by kydie

[Greytlady94]

If raw feeding won't work for you you could check out Fresh Pet Select. Those are the only two diets that have been non-gas. My link

[Guest Hoolyghans]

When you had his poop checked, ask the vet if they tested for Giardia. That's a separate test from the regular worm check, they might not have done it automatically. A kennel is a prime location for picking up the nasty bugggers. Aside from the big D, Giardia will cause the most foul fumes wafting from your dog's rear. First hand knowledge, our new guy Louie came with Giardia & roundworms. He's being treated with a Pancur & Flagyl combo and it's getting a little better.

[Guest luvdogs]

Thanks everyone, he seems to be doing really well on the billion dollar bag of Orijen, lol! I am still feeding him the rice and pasta as well, because he is so skinny I will keep that up for a while. I am really hoping that this is the end of all that - if it comes back, I will definitely take him in and have him put on panacur with the flagyl. Thanks for all your advice and concerns!!

[Guest Profgumby]

on the billion dollar bag of Orijen

 

Ha ha ha ha ha! Well at least you seem to have found one that works for your hound!