Are Chicken Based Foods Bad For Greyhounds

[Guest RebekahMike1244]

Hi Everyone,

 

We have a very gassy boy at home. He's had on and off tummy issues since we got him in April, but things seemed to settle down once we moved him off of Taste of the Wild and onto Instinct Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, Chicken Meal Formula. My concern though, is that he has just awful, not normal amounts of gas. We do everything we can - hand feed him to slow him down, no running before or after eating, but the gas is pretty consistent. His stools are usually pretty solid, so on that front we're okay.

 

I recently read that chicken and turkey based foods arent as good for greyhouds. If so, I wonder if i should try an alternate Instinct bag. If the chicken based food isnt a factor though, does anyone have other dry food to recommend? I love instinct because it gets such high ratings and it high quality food for him, but I feel bad that it makes him so stinky!

 

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

thank you!

Rebekah

[cleptogrey]

felix has the same reaction to chicken based products, annie- non at all. it's the individual dog.

 

but since your dog is new to your home and just off the track you might be dealing w/ a gut filled w/ bacteria. i personally would go back to what the pup was doing well on and see the outcome. if there still is a problem then talk to your vet and bring in another stool sample, you did have it checked on your initial visit to the vet, right?

[TheFullHouse]

It depends on the dog. Some can handle chicken with no problem and some can't. My dogs had runny on chicken. Usually if I have a dog right from the track who is having issues, I put them on a beef food. The reason being is they are feed beef in the racing kennel. They prefer the taste and it seems to be easier on their stomach's than lamb or chicken.

[GeorgeofNE]

I don't know where you read that. Some dogs are gassy, some aren't. This applies to ALL breeds of dog.

[Guest RebekahMike1244]

Thanks to JillysFullHouse and CleptoGrey - he's been tested a couple of times (and once treated for worms). I like the suggestion of going back to what he was getting at the rescue, and sticking to beef for the time being. I'll give it a whirl and appreciate both your comments!

 

I don't know where you read that. Some dogs are gassy, some aren't. This applies to ALL breeds of dog.

 

Actually, Georgeof NE, I read it on a forum on this website.

[Hubcitypam]

None of mine have ever had a problem with chicken or turkey based foods and they have all preferred them to lamb.

 

Put him back on what he was eating at the rescue and go from there. Bear in mind that your dog can't read labels. His body will tell you if a food agrees with one...and the best food for your dog may not be the most expensive or highly touted one. If I'd have listened to "those in the know" who preached about the demon corn my Rex would have stayed miserable a long time.

[Guest RebekahMike1244]

Thanks Hubcitypam! It is difficult not to get caught up in all the food advice - at the end of the day, I want him comfortable, and i assume with this much gas he can't be feeling great at the moment.

None of mine have ever had a problem with chicken or turkey based foods and they have all preferred them to lamb.

Put him back on what he was eating at the rescue and go from there. Bear in mind that your dog can't read labels. His body will tell you if a food agrees with one...and the best food for your dog may not be the most expensive or highly touted one. If I'd have listened to "those in the know" who preached about the demon corn my Rex would have stayed miserable a long time.

[Guest Waterdog66]

Audrey has been eating Merrick Grain Free Chicken and Sweet Potato since she got home.

 

She loves the food and it seems to agree with her. The only thing that seems to give her gas are Greenies.

She has does not experience much in the way of gastrointestinal issues (Her poo rolls down hill) so I guess we are pretty lucky...

[Brandiandwe]

Have you tried him on a pro-biotic? This has helped immensely with my dogs' gas.

[lukasmom]

Both my hounds Luka and Peace eat Paul Newman's Organic chicken and rice. Have eaten it for at least 4 years or so and do really well on it. Some gas but nothing abnormal. Plain yogurt or pumpkin takes care of excessive gas.

When I was giving my hounds pumpkin, (too many cookies at a meet and greet) we noticed that Luka didn't have gas while getting the pumpkin.

[Guest chickenpotpie]

Lucky would go on a protest if I withheld the chicken She doesn't have issues with meat of any kind, which is a blessing indeed! Depending on how long you've had your pup, its possible you just havent found the right food yet. Lucky is rarely gassy these days unless she hasn't eaten enough or, dad gave her raw broccoli or cheeze-its.

 

It took me a good month to find out what works and dosen't work. Full fledged dairy dosen't..... I have to do lactaid version stuff for her (and for myself, so its a no brainer!)

 

You may want to start with a probiotic. I just give Lucky mine....its cheaper that way. Also she gets a teaspoon of yogurt every morning now I found the lactaid version. I tried pumpkin and sweet potato, but now that she's on a good diet, I found I really didn't need them.

[galgrey]

Have you tried him on a pro-biotic? This has helped immensely with my dogs' gas.

Probiotics often help with gas. Another source of gas is parasites. My Princess has horrible gas and a very lose stool when I first adopted her. Changing food didn't help, so I took in a stool sample and it was positive for hookworms. It took two doses rounds of wormer to get rid of them, but when we got rid of them we got rid of the gas and the loose stool.

[a_daerr]

My dog has no problems with a chicken-based diet (we feed IAMS now, which is chicken). But prior to this, I tried TOTW and did awful on it. Gas, diarrhea, itchy paws. It just did not agree with him. In your case, I imagine that if your dog had an intolerance to chicken (a major ingredient), you'd see way more problems. Gas, diarrhea, upset stomach, etc. My guess is that he's intolerant to some obscure ingredient further down the ingredient list.

 

FWIW, I've tried a bunch of expensive, premium (grain free, limited ingredient, wholistic) foods over the years, but it's all one huge marketing scheme. I'll always go back to IAMS green bag. I always suggest it to people whose dogs are having problems with gas, diarrhea, and GI issues.

[moofie]

My boys (brothers) didn't do well on chicken kibble, had awful toxic wind & soft poops, tried few brands before switching to a salmon & potato kibble & problem solved almost immediately. fish based kibble & tried few brands, since has suited all 4 dogs we've had & while you can hear them fart it rarely smells bad.

 

I do know plenty that feed chicken kibble so their greyhounds must tolerate it ok. Though I think minor gut issues like softer poop & wind are often overlooked or put down as breed sensitivity, read lots of forum posts that make out stinky greyhound farts are normal.

[Guest Addie]

Anyone ever try charcoal dog treats? We give them here and rarely have anyone with gas. I have had good luck with Taste of the wild lamb and natural balance LID lamb but mine also get one meal of raw food and veggies (maybe that's the trick?) One thing about charcoal is you have to be careful what meds they are on because it can absorb the meds too. I have seen just plain charcoal in the health food stores in a powder form (I bet that's messy!) Finding a food is so hard sometimes!

[Guest johnmclaren]

Hi, its totally upon a dog. Chicken based food are not bad for Greyhounds. If, your dog prefers it, give it to eat.

[krissn333]

Totally depends on the dog. Mine do best on TOTW Pacific Stream (fish). One of my iggies is on their bison formula right now-he decided he didn't like the salmon anymore after 3 years (could start my own thread about how puzzling THAT is!).

 

My angels had BIG issues with lamb so we've always avoided that like the plague. Diarrhea within 10 minutes, no exaggeration.

 

My other iggy can't do chicken-his hair thins out terribly and he is itchy.

 

My new guy has done so well on the pacific stream I'm leery of switching him to the bison, but, if Sage still refuses the salmon when we've finished the small bag of bison, we'll try all of them on it. With multiple dogs it's just easier if they can all eat the same thing, but, it's not the end of the world to have two foods to deal with. I digress...

[greysmom]

Some dogs do and some dogs don't have issues with a particular protein source. As others have said, it just depends.

 

Couple things: It can often take two or more rounds of treatment to fully resolve a bad worm issue. You might take a poop sample in and see if he's clear. Hooks have been particularly bad for a couple years now. And a probiotic taken along with the worming can really help re-establish the good gut bacteria he needs.

 

It could still be the protein, just not in the way most people think. Sometimes a food is just too "rich" for a dog. He might be fine with chicken, or not, but you might consider a food with a lower level of protein.

 

If you've read here for a while then you know many people have had good success with the Iams green bag kibble. Many also use the Kirkland (Costco) brand of lamb and rice kibble. We use Nutra Nuggets that we buy at the grocery store. They are all sort of the same kibble anyway! So you don't always *need* to have a brand name, high end kibble to have good results. You want to find a food you can afford, that provides good basic nutrition, and keeps them in good condition with little to no stomach upset and good poops. Everything else is really optional.