Food Frustration

XCR · 06-07-2008, 06:39 PM

I have had a tough 5 months after changing my buddies diet. I first started with Canidae ALS and did the slow transition. Belly rash, uncontrolled licking/hot spots/horrible gas....basically a disaster. Went to Cali natural, symptoms resided, but he was just eating enough to curb hunger. I then transitioned to Blue Buffalo and he did ok, but not great. Finally, I transitioned to EVO, small bites red meat and canned. He was doing so well for a few months, until last Sunday night at 11PM when he almost bloated....it was pretty serious until he managed to relieve himself...I noticed some diarrhea on his backside, I know he had a blockage or partial...next stool I saw a ton of grass. He isn't one to EVER eat socks or anything like that...I feel it was a food blockage. It wasn't a new bag.

So, I put him on solid gold senior, much lower protein than the EVO. He will eat the Kibble, but refuses to eat the Evangers canned.

I am basically feeding this dog the Kibble with some rice and lean hamburger. He eats that like there is no tomorrow. I am asking opinions if some of this Holistic food maybe be too over the top for a dog to make a proper transition....Everyone of these foods has Flax oil, etc...and is it possible that
these Holistic ingredients may cause animals more problems than they are worth...I have really come to the conclusion, or maybe frustration, that preparing your dogs food maybe the best way to go...whether it's raw or cooked....

I make the above statement as I will never feed commercial food with cancer causing preservatives like BHA or BHT/Ethoxyquin...It's not something I believe in.

**Luvbirds59** · 06-07-2008, 06:52 PM

You could give Raw a try......Check out this thread, lots of good information to get you started.

raw feeding faq

Carol & Petey!
ox

**Jenny** · 06-07-2008, 08:41 PM

Isabelle did well on Wellness CORE - it is the same concept as EVO just approx 10% less protein. They have cans too - I think they are call Ninety-five percent turkey (or what ever the meat is) She loved it. She was on high protein because of cancer. The new boy eats raw is just over 4 months old.

gracieface · 06-07-2008, 09:01 PM

If you are taking the time to prepare some stuff, I would consider making the change to raw, removes all additives, and dogs on raw eat with gusto. I'm one of those who does kibble in the morning (just started with wellness core and love it!) and raw in at dinner- VERY happy with the results

**berkshire** · 06-07-2008, 09:21 PM

FWIW, I've never seen an intestinal blockage or torsion caused by simple kibble. It breaks up too well in the stomach. More likely, it was something else he ate (since he had so much grass in his stool). I just don't think the incident you described could be caused by a food sensitivity.

Dobes&Hounds · 06-07-2008, 11:47 PM

Ya know, if he is doing well with what you are feeding him, keep it up.
With all the chemicals that are given to commercial livestock, I don't think you would be better off with raw than home cooked.
Was at the butcher shop the other day looking at some parts and thinking about raw feeding. They had raw pig ears which I am sure the dogs would go crazy over. Then I started thinking "that's where they put the fly tag, and that's where they put a growth hormone implant/tag" Do I want to feed this to my dog? How much of that is left in the ears I wonder? Same thing with big feed lot operations. What are the animals standing in? I know they keep pigs in tiny little pens to fatten them up and god only knows what is being absorbed through the pig's feet.
My raw-feeding snack for the dog's ended up being hormone free, antibiotic free chicken, and calf's liver. I don't wanna give adult liver cause it's been processing and storing toxins for a few years.
Just something to think about. I like the concept of raw feeding but if the animals are loaded with chemicals, it's not any better than kibble. I can't always afford free-range grain and hay fed beef and such for myself. The price goes way up when you go holistic.

**Luvbirds59** · 06-08-2008, 09:58 AM

^^^ D&H you can get some great raw meats with out all the hormones, etc. There are companies that just sell raw for dogs that raise and slaughter all their animals themselves. All the poultry I feed is free from antibiotics etc, and all the venison I feed is from wild deer. If the OP is doing home cooking with meat that contains these things.....it is in the dogs food. Also most kibbles are not free from the chemicals in meat.

oxc

Dobes&Hounds · 06-08-2008, 10:16 AM

The point of my post is that there are chemicals EVERYWHERE. If his dog is doing well right now, well, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I get some stuff from a local butcher who guarantees the beef is grass fed. It's not organic though. With ground beef I go to Kroger and get "Laura's lean ground beef" which has no growth hormone or antibiotics.
Anyhow, every dog is different. I think when you find something that works for your dog, stick to it.

natdobe · 06-08-2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCR

I have had a tough 5 months after changing my buddies diet. I first started with Canidae ALS and did the slow transition. Belly rash, uncontrolled licking/hot spots/horrible gas....basically a disaster. Went to Cali natural, symptoms resided, but he was just eating enough to curb hunger. I then transitioned to Blue Buffalo and he did ok, but not great. Finally, I transitioned to EVO, small bites red meat and canned. He was doing so well for a few months, until last Sunday night at 11PM when he almost bloated....it was pretty serious until he managed to relieve himself...I noticed some diarrhea on his backside, I know he had a blockage or partial...next stool I saw a ton of grass. He isn't one to EVER eat socks or anything like that...I feel it was a food blockage. It wasn't a new bag.

So, I put him on solid gold senior, much lower protein than the EVO. He will eat the Kibble, but refuses to eat the Evangers canned.

I am basically feeding this dog the Kibble with some rice and lean hamburger. He eats that like there is no tomorrow. I am asking opinions if some of this Holistic food maybe be too over the top for a dog to make a proper transition....Everyone of these foods has Flax oil, etc...and is it possible that
these Holistic ingredients may cause animals more problems than they are worth...I have really come to the conclusion, or maybe frustration, that preparing your dogs food maybe the best way to go...whether it's raw or cooked....

I make the above statement as I will never feed commercial food with cancer causing preservatives like BHA or BHT/Ethoxyquin...It's not something I believe in.

XCR, I can understand your frustration. We all want to feed what is best for our dobies. I've heard of dogs choking on kibble but I have never heard of it causing a blockage. That doesn't mean that it can't happen though. I do believe that some of the grainless, high protein foods can be a bit much for some dogs. Evo is a GREAT food, but it may not be great for your dog. I've said it before that I had mine on it for a short while, and mine did horrible on it. I transitioned VERY slow, fed way less than usual, tried canned pumpkin and yogurt, etc. but mine had HORRIBLE explosive diarrhea on it. So I went back to Canidae. I know Canidae didn't work for you, so that just goes to show that every dog is different. I know that you already know that but anyway. I feed kibble every morning and some evenings. On the evenings they don't get Canidae, I either give raw or cook for them. Have you thought about trying the regular adult Innova? It has good ingredients. I know it has some grains, but not the typical allergy causing ones, such as wheat, soy, and corn. A lot of dogs do fine with grains. Also, if you want more protein in his diet there is nothing wrong with adding cooked meats such as hamburger, chicken, etc. sometimes. Mine also love canned salmon, which is good for their skin. Anyway, I know this is long, but if you're not comfortable feeding a certain food you can always try other things. I do think that raw is best, IF you know what you're doing. I'm not comfortable going totally raw right now, which is why I only supplement. Mine are doing great on what I'm doing right now anyway. Just be patient, and I hope this helps. Please keep us updated on everything.

**ellenm** · 06-08-2008, 11:33 AM

My dogs must have cast iron guts because I rotate kibbles in the space of a year, and they have thrived on:

Nature's Variety (any flavor kibble), Wellness Core, EVO beef, now we are on Taste of the Wild Salmon and whitefish. I transition from one to a new one over a week and never had any diarrhea outbreaks. I do feed Nature's Farmacy digestive enzymes with their dinner meal. I use Nature's Variety as my main kibble and rotate a new one in for 2-3 months. I guess I have been lucky as explosive diarrhea is no fun to clean up!!!