To Switch Or Not To Switch

[Roo]

Tessa was on Pedigree before I brought her home and by all accounts did just fine. I switched her to IAMs and she liked it and did fairly well, but was very very itchy and kept getting yeast infections in her ears (vet gave us Gentizol and I start treating the problem ear as soon as I notice it start to get redder and itchier) and chewing at her butt. Ears and butt were very red and angry. I switched her to ProPlan Focus Sensitive Skin and Stomach. Her itchiness got better and her yeast infections became less frequent, but she still gets them. She doesn't chew at her butt as often or as intensely, but she still gnaws more than I'd consider normal. She also just kind of seems itchy all over. This past week, I've noticed more tummy gurgles and squeaks, as well as more poots. Her output is still looking good, but I'm wondering if maybe the squeaks are food-related.

 

The only treats she gets are the occasional milkbone (usually only at grandma's ), the very occasional peanut, and chunks of carrot and banana, which she's totally happy with. She also gets a small-dog cup of wet food at night as a bedtime snack to ward off empty tummy unhappies.

 

Where do I go from here? Should I try grain free and see if that helps the yeasties? If so, is 4Health a good option? Should I stop giving her the wet food at night?

 

This feels like a strange conundrum of "She's doing well enough on her current food that a switch isn't totally necessary, but I feel like she could be doing better and be less itchy, so a switch might be good."

[cleptogrey]

i would try the other sensitive skin tummy by pro plan. they have both salmon/rice or lamb/rice. spring allergies?

[Roo]

i would try the other sensitive skin tummy by pro plan. they have both salmon/rice or lamb/rice. spring allergies?

 

I didn't know there was a lamb version! Sheesh. I'll try that one next.

 

I doubt it's spring allergies - I brought her home in September (with a yeast infection in one year - thus the Gentizol) and she's been itchy to various degrees since then

[Remolacha]

Definitely sounds like allergies, mild but annoying. Could be chicken, so maybe try another protein like fish or lamb. Try to find a limited ingredient brand so you have a better idea of what is/isn’t working. Also, maybe try some Benadryl to see if that helps with the itchies, it could be a combination of seasonal allergies and food sensitivities. Fun times

[Roo]

Definitely sounds like allergies, mild but annoying. Could be chicken, so maybe try another protein like fish or lamb. Try to find a limited ingredient brand so you have a better idea of what is/isn’t working. Also, maybe try some Benadryl to see if that helps with the itchies, it could be a combination of seasonal allergies and food sensitivities. Fun times

 

When we switched from IAMs to ProPlan, it came after a few days of Benadryl that helped relieve the itchiness. I hoped the ProPlan Salmon would stop the itchiness entirely, but it hasn't! She's still getting yeast infections and ridiculously itchy ears/body. I'll give the ProPlan lamb a try next, but now I've started wondering if maybe she needs grain free, too. Wish she could just tell me

[Remolacha]

Grain free would be an option to keep in mind, corn is another common sensitivity. Try to do one thing at a time though, easier to keep track Hopefully the lamb will do the trick! My vet says all the time, I wish they could just tell us what’s wrong!

[FiveRoooooers]

Tessa was on Pedigree before I brought her home and by all accounts did just fine. Why not try the Pedigree again and see if she does just fine?

[LaFlaca]

Did you test for hookworms? They can cause squeaky-tummy and major itchy-butt. Sometimes the test is negative but they're still present. I'm going through the same situation with Lola; she's on round three of four of Panacur.

 

Lola is also just a generally itchy girl so I'm looking at food allergies. Vet said to start with an elimination diet; first chicken, then beef. Avoid soy and grains, which I already did. She was eating Wellness CORE kibble with various canned foods added. Now she's on Merrick LID kibble, no canned food at all, no chicken, grains or soy.

 

While her tushy is still itchy because of the hooks, the skin itching seems better. What a mission! Good luck with your pup!

[Roo]

Tessa was on Pedigree before I brought her home and by all accounts did just fine. Why not try the Pedigree again and see if she does just fine?

She also had a weird medical crisis in July while on Pedigree - I don't know if it was related to the food or not, but she had bloody diarrhea, lethargy, disorientation, internal bleeding, spots of necrosis on her liver... Antibiotics helped and she bounced back, but I've been kind of avoiding Pedigree since then just out of association I guess I could try it again.

 

She had a fecal in September that came back negative for hooks, but you're right about negatives not always being negative... Would her poops be bad if she has hooks? She's pretty consistently solid!

[greysmom]

Classic allergy symptoms.

 

Always read the whole ingredient list. Even not-chicken-as-a-first-ingredient foods will have it listed farther down. Lilly can't even have the food preservative made from chicken fat that is supposedly hydrolyzed to be acceptable. You need a food that doesn't contain *any* chicken at all.

 

It takes about 4 weeks for a body to clear out all the allergens, so a food trial needs to be at least that long. Unless there's a huge bad reaction earlier like diarrhea or vomiting soon after starting a new food.

 

We're currently feeding Blue Buffalo limited ingredient, which I'm not happy about, but it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and Lilly eats it without a reoccurence of her allergies/intolerance.

[MaryJane]

Classic allergy symptoms.

 

Always read the whole ingredient list. Even not-chicken-as-a-first-ingredient foods will have it listed farther down. Lilly can't even have the food preservative made from chicken fat that is supposedly hydrolyzed to be acceptable. You need a food that doesn't contain *any* chicken at all.

 

It takes about 4 weeks for a body to clear out all the allergens, so a food trial needs to be at least that long. Unless there's a huge bad reaction earlier like diarrhea or vomiting soon after starting a new food.

 

We're currently feeding Blue Buffalo limited ingredient, which I'm not happy about, but it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and Lilly eats it without a reoccurence of her allergies/intolerance.

 

 

I agree with this. When I fostered a dog that had serious allergies, the only foods that would work were ones without chicken and they had to have no chicken at all - not even the fat. Ended up using the Natural Balance Venison Limited Ingredient. This company was taken over within the past few years so, not sure how good their product is now.

[Hubcitypam]

If she did OK on Pedigree it wasn't corn that was the problem. Natural Balance makes more L.I.D.s than you can shake a stick at and Poodle did great on their Ultra Light with his pancreatitis and diabetes. Actually, if you want to try the grain free route (how did dogs live eating grain up until a decade or so ago? - when Rex was having diet issues grain free did not exist). Wal Mart Pure Balance actually has pretty good reviews and ingredients in addition to being mid priced and easily accessible.

I count my lucky stars these two can eat anything...we rotate between Nature's Recipe, Purina One and Iams.

[Roo]

If she did OK on Pedigree it wasn't corn that was the problem. Natural Balance makes more L.I.D.s than you can shake a stick at and Poodle did great on their Ultra Light with his pancreatitis and diabetes. Actually, if you want to try the grain free route (how did dogs live eating grain up until a decade or so ago? - when Rex was having diet issues grain free did not exist). Wal Mart Pure Balance actually has pretty good reviews and ingredients in addition to being mid priced and easily accessible.

 

I count my lucky stars these two can eat anything...we rotate between Nature's Recipe, Purina One and Iams.

 

It's like humans and peanuts - either the problem was there but it didn't get as much coverage, or for some reason it's a new problem! At least, that's how I think about it... I don't know how well she did on the Pedigree - only that no one mentioned any adverse reactions. I was still living in Asheville and she was at the kennel while I packed up that house, bought my new house, fixed up my new house, etc... I wasn't able to really keep an eye on her. If the ProPlan lamb doesn't work, I may try the Pedigree again. The wet food she eats is Pure Balance and she loves it (then again, what's not to love about stinky canned food - yummy!). I tried their kibble for "I can't possibly eat anything" Daisy and she did alright on it. For some reason I'd forgotten all about it Thanks for reminding me!

 

 

Classic allergy symptoms.

 

Always read the whole ingredient list. Even not-chicken-as-a-first-ingredient foods will have it listed farther down. Lilly can't even have the food preservative made from chicken fat that is supposedly hydrolyzed to be acceptable. You need a food that doesn't contain *any* chicken at all.

 

It takes about 4 weeks for a body to clear out all the allergens, so a food trial needs to be at least that long. Unless there's a huge bad reaction earlier like diarrhea or vomiting soon after starting a new food.

 

We're currently feeding Blue Buffalo limited ingredient, which I'm not happy about, but it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and Lilly eats it without a reoccurence of her allergies/intolerance.

 

I'm so very familiar with scouring the ingredient lists Daisy got itchy on chicken (any amount of chicken at all!) so I'm used to reading through the lists for anything chicken-related. Tessa was on IAMs from September to January, then I switched to the ProPlan. We're on our second bag of the salmon sensitive stomach. I'll get a little further down this bag before I give the lamb recipe a try. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll give Pedigree another try. If that doesn't work, looks like it's on to an LID diet.

[robinw]

Acana makes single ingredient dog food. My guys do really well on it and have the softest, shiniest coats.

[TheFullHouse]

You asked about 4Health, I use it for my four, I use grain free and the dogs do well on it. Just FYI, my little one Angel was very itchy. She was chewing her feet, got ear infections and my new vet suggested Cytopoint for her. It’s an allergy injection that lasts from 2-4 months. Her first shot was a complete success, no itching or chewing and totally stopped her ear infections. It lasted 4 months! She just went in last week for another shot because she started scratching and chewing her feet. Hopefully this one will last four months too!

[fastpointydoge]

I'm not dealing with allergies, but I did recently try a switch for other similar reasons(gassy, gurgles, butt chewing). Got Rogue and at the kennel they fed whatever people donated. Started on Zignature but he wasn't having firm poop unless I gave him a lot of Olewo carrots with each meal.

Then we went to Nutro Essentials and I was much happier but he still was getting gassier than I'd like.

So we tried 4health and immediately poop went runny.

Switched to Fromms gold and I like it even better than Nutro so I'm glad I decided to see if there was something better. Less gas,I can feed a smaller portions so smaller poops!

[palmettobug]

You can also try Purina Beyond Tuna&Egg, or Petco's house brand of Lamb&Lentil. I got both for Johnny when he hit a "Mr. Picky" stage. Good luck!

[Guest Sportingfields]

Have you checked out Taste of the Wild? I know several dogs that do excellent on it. At one time Fromms was highly touted, never used it. Another thought is can you do some raw? The prepackaged is expensive but maybe a combo of dry & raw? I don't think wet food is hurting anything but if you are in doubt, discontinue for a bit and see if you notice a difference. I like adding wet to their kibble just to keep their meals interesting. I'd hate to eat the same thing day after day. Unfortunately with so many brands of kibble on the market, there are as many opinions on what to feed as their are choices. Take your best guess on what is available and affordable for you. Get smallest bag, switch slowly and see how it goes. Is there any way you find out what they fed her at the track? That has always been my go to plan when all else fails with resounding success.

[Roo]

I can't afford to do raw, unfortunately. I'm sticking with the ProPlan Salmon for now - if I switch, it'll be to the ProPlan Lamb, then if that doesn't work, I'll try something else. Fromm's and ToTW are both a little higher price-wise than I can comfortably manage, but if I can't find anything in my range I'll give Fromm's a try. Used one of their for Daisy for a while and was pleased with it!

[cgs]

We're at the end of a bag of Kirkland chicken, which Percy seems to love and is fine on. I decided to try the lamb formula to see if a food with lower protein would help his poop be firmer and less frequent. It's not bad on the chicken--firm poop in the morning, then loose late morning on a walk, then sort of mixed in the afternoon. 3-4 poops/day. I'd love to have firmer all the time and be down to 2/day if that's possible. I don't really know what's normal, as our other dog hasn't always been walked regularly and I didn't pick up her small piles every day.

 

So anyway, I'm mixing in the lamb formula and his stomach has been gurgling (but I'm not noticing any gas) and he was just outside eating grass, so I think his stomach is a bit upset. Could this just be the adjustment period, or might it be the lamb itself? I started the food Thursday night and now it's Saturday and I'm giving him about 1/2 and 1/2 lamb and chicken. The chicken is nearly gone, so I need to step up the ratio pretty quickly.