Yet Another Feeding Thread

[Guest firegypsy]

I'm in the market for a new food. We're using Orijen and they aren't doing so well on it. Icky, runny stool is the biggest problem. I'm doing the comparison now to see what I should run to next and my requirement is that it HAS to be gluten free. In dog food, that seems to be synonymous with grain free (at least I haven't seen a GF food yet that has grains-correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

So in going over my grain free options I'm trying to determine cost effectiveness. I'll clearly feed my dogs whatever will be best for them, but I just shelled out $70 for a 30 pound bag that they are not in love with and isn't doing great things for them. So I'm curious, has anyone ever done a cost/benefit analysis? As in, I see that many like Acana which is around $50 for the same 30 pounds and totally comparable. Had I seen that earlier I'd have started with that. So I'm curious-is there a list somewhere that lists this information? I've seen the sites that rate the foods, and that's great-but I'm super curious about the cost compared to caloric density.

 

I was thinking of trying TOTW next-a meat version as that was highly rated (5 star on the site I saw, same as Orijen) but for HALF the cost. I'm hoping they tolerate that better. Anyone else go through this? It's a strange world to wade through....

 

FWIW I've been adding rice to the Orijen which certainly helps, but the stool is still runny. BUT I'm not going to pay top dollar for a food that isn't optimal and that I have to doctor.

[Batmom]

I'll clearly feed my dogs whatever will be best for them

 

Why does it have to be gluten free? They might do better on a food WITH gluten.

[MaryJane]

I'll clearly feed my dogs whatever will be best for them

 

Why does it have to be gluten free? They might do better on a food WITH gluten.

 

 

I was going to say this exact same thing!

 

Grain-free seems to be the "in diet" and I'm not sure that it helps unless there is a documented sensitivity to a particular grain or gluten.

[Guest firegypsy]

sorry, my entire family (me, husband and 3 kids) have celiac disease. no gluten in the house, especially if little hands can find it. contact can set off a horrid rash and days of explosive, bloody stool in kids. no one has to eat it to have this happen. no gluten for cross contamination reasons.

Edited July 22, 2011 by firegypsy

[Hubcitypam]

FWIW I've been adding rice to the Orijen which certainly helps, but the stool is still runny. BUT I'm not going to pay top dollar for a food that isn't optimal and that I have to doctor.

seems kind of an oxymorn to pay a ton for a high end grain free food -- then add grains.

 

There are a ton of lamb and rice foods out there -- maybe start there?

 

 

 

[Guest firegypsy]

FWIW I've been adding rice to the Orijen which certainly helps, but the stool is still runny. BUT I'm not going to pay top dollar for a food that isn't optimal and that I have to doctor.

seems kind of an oxymorn to pay a ton for a high end grain free food -- then add grains.

 

There are a ton of lamb and rice foods out there -- maybe start there?

 

that's what I am saying! But I haven't yet found gluten free dog food that isn't grain free. That's where I'm stuck.

[MaryJane]

Have you thought about a home-made diet. It's a bit of work and more expensive but, it will accomplish what you want. Also, dog food manufacturers are able to change the dog food ingredients at any time and if you find something that works now, they may change the ingredients without any notice and it might not work in a few months.

 

I feed my dogs rice, meat chunks, and veggies with additions like toast (which would not work in your house), yogurt, and applesauce. You can also make dog treats out of sliced roasted sweet potatoes.

[Guest KennelMom]

We fed TOTW to our crew of 19 and it's the food that everyone has done the best on. Pretty good poops across the board (which I consider a big success!) and no one ever refused it. It's the most wallet-friendly of the grain free foods.

 

Another grain-free food we had good luck with years ago was Natural Balance...it's just hard to get around here. I'm not sure if they've changed the formula since we fed it or what the pricing is.

 

If you have access to a Costco, many now sell Nature's Domain, which is grain free. We feed raw now, but keep kibble on hand for emergencies or fosters/visiting dogs...we had some poop-splosions from some of our dogs just getting a handful of it....something we don't experience when we have TOTW on hand (fun time treat for the pack a few times a week is to toss a bunch of kibble across the kennel floor and they run around hunting and hoovering)...but I know some folks on GT have had good luck with it.

Edited July 22, 2011 by KennelMom

[Guest firegypsy]

thanks and good to know! our plan is to transition to raw but I need my fence to be repaired first. I just can't deal with raw chicken quarters for two dogs in my small house! I need to start outside, personally.

 

I'm going to try TOTW for now I think. I know this is all a trial and error type situation. I just want my doggies to be healthy. They were being fed Beneful at the rescue. One of them came to be with bad dandruff and dermatitis which has subsided on Orijen. He's no longer chewing on himself. I'm quite happy about that, but the stool is bad.

[Batmom]

If the TOTW doesn't work, might see if you can get Pinnacle Salmon & Potato or Turkey & Potato. I think their other varities all have some oats but those two don't. (Oats technically don't have gluten but may pick up some contaminants in processing, so often they're considered NOT gluten free. You can buy your own gluten-free oats from folks like Bob's Red Mill.)

 

There's also IAMS Adult MiniChunks (green bag), which is some folks' go-to food for bad stools ... only gluten-free grains here.

[Guest firegypsy]

If the TOTW doesn't work, might see if you can get Pinnacle Salmon & Potato or Turkey & Potato. I think their other varities all have some oats but those two don't. (Oats technically don't have gluten but may pick up some contaminants in processing, so often they're considered NOT gluten free. You can buy your own gluten-free oats from folks like Bob's Red Mill.)

 

There's also IAMS Adult MiniChunks (green bag), which is some folks' go-to food for bad stools ... only gluten-free grains here.

 

great information! thank you!

 

I didn't do rice yesterday at either meal and we had nasty diarrhea. something has to change soon.

[Guest MyCody]

WE have tried every food that got good ratings and have settled on TOTW, Pacific stream. Leah loves it and they have firm stools. Leah has never had a problem with any food as far as her stool or digestion but JJ has. She too now has firm stools.

 

Lamb, chicken and turkey give her loose stools. I put in a tablespoon of Alpo canned beef to moisten it.

 

I had cooked for Cody the last three years of his life, wish I had tried this.

[Hubcitypam]

Would California Natural be an option? This is also available in a lamb and rice version. Rex my colitis bridge boy ate it for a while.

It is $45.99 for 30 pounds at the high end pet store on my corner.

http://californianat...fault.asp?id=62

Edited July 23, 2011 by Hubcitypam

[PrairieProf]

There are grain-inclusive gluten-free foods. Beth used to do pretty well on TOTW, now she does better, I have to say, on Hill's Prescription I/D which has corn and rice. Science Diet Sensitive Stomach has similar ingredients, and receives rave ratings from non-dog food snobs who actually use it. One thing I'd suggest trying is going lower fat -- that has made a big difference for us, although it was hard for me to wrap my mind around since I don't eat grains and do eat plenty of fat for health reasons myself.

 

There are lots of foods that have only rice, too, I'm pretty sure, like CA Natural.

 

One issue you might want to think about too is not just what's in the food but where and how foods are processed -- if your family has celiac disease there could be issues with cross-contamination in the processing plant. Remember that very few companies actually make their own food, many foods are made by giant processors that the "name" companies have little oversight over, and even there they're going to probably be making multiple lines of food (some gluten free, some not) on the same machines. Might be worth some phone calls if you're really concerned about avoiding any exposure.

[Guest mbfilby]

Myka came to us with some tummy issues. We switched her to NutriSource grain free chicken and she is doing awesome. NutriSource is a super premium food, but is priced considerably less then Orijin.

[krissn333]

We feed TOTW Pacific Stream here, no problems, great poop, no pickiness, and I have 6 dogs!

[cleptogrey]

i had success w/ nature's variety venison until the price skyrocketed. right now i am serving holistic select(eagle pack) duck and oatmeal. all of the following went right thru felix : lamb and rice- any brand-costco, califorinia nat.,large breed or sardine and anchovy holistic select went thru him as well. fortunately i deal w/ a feed store w/ a good return policy. i did have some success w/ the chicken based canide foods, until they changed their recipe.

 

so, oatmeal and duck...knock on wood....good results, i only suppliment w/ cold pressed salmon oil and a probiotic usually a couple of times a week and for a treat....a baked potato.

 

why not go to straight rice and beef, wait for his gut to clear up and then sloooooowly start introducing a food that you can afford and meets his needs.

 

holistic select has started to give out $5-7 coupons and i clip and save the upc symbols, send them in for a free bag. w/ 2 pups it takes a couple of months to acquire 12 symbols.

[Guest Tuesday]

I have an Italian Greyhound with Idiopathic Epilepsy. It is thought that feeding a grain AND gluten free diet to IE dogs can help minimize if not eliminate seizure activity. So,...because of this, she eats Wellness Core Ocean Formula dry food. Every few bags I switch her to Evo Turkey & Chicken dry food, just to give her some variety. She does awesome on both foods. Nice tight stools, gorgeous coat, and bloodwork so good she is going to outlive us all. I am knocking on wood as I type this but she has not had a seizure in over a year and is managed by nutrition alone. No phenobarb or Kbr for my gal.

[Guest 7ct5]

I fed Orijen to my Chow because I lot of breeders recommended it. She didn't do well on that or on Innova. TOTW has been good in this house, but for firm stools I haven't found anything as good as Blue Buffalo. It's expensive, but worth a shot! It's really made a difference in all three dogs - pretty much right away, so experiment with a small bag!

[Guest WhiteWave]

You could try adding a tablespoon of slippery elm powder to his food and add a little water to make a paste (gel like consistency). It works wonders for firming up stool.

 

My dogs had issues with the regular Orijen, but did well on the 6 fish and they adore the Acana Ranchlands. TOTW I didn't have good results. Weight loss and major gas were 2 of my biggest issues. I am feeding Earthborn Holistic Great Plains and Canidae Pure Element and both foods seem to be working. I am feeding 12 dogs so we go thru a lot of food and I like to try different foods!

[Guest kydie]

for the past 8 years I have fed Taste of the Wild,,, but have used and like Blue Buffalo too,

each person feeds what they think is best,,, but I still stand on feed the very best you can aafford,,, in the long run it pays off,, a friend of mine just had to put down her St Bernard,,, age 16 years,, Yep,,, 16,,, she said she had the dog to the vet 3 times in his life,,, once to be neutred,, once when he got into a porcupine,, and finally to be pts.his main diet was blue with any and I mean any table scraps she had

Edited July 26, 2011 by kydie

[Guest firegypsy]

Okay, so about 4 days ago we bought TOTW pacific stream based on several good reviews from greyhound lovers. So far so good! MUCH better than Orijen, and my gal's stool was firmer within 24 hours. They still have some gas, but not like it was. I am already much happier and given that this is HALF the price of Orijen I'm NOT complaining. Thank you for all your feedback!