I need some dog food recommendations

[mtb_rider]

So my dog has quite a sensitive stomach, and we have had a near constant battle with her tummy and what foods she can and can't eat since I have had her. I adopted her at 9 months, she's 3 now. She get's bad diarrhea, sometimes what the vet calls explosive eek:) and at times won't eat. We have tried 4 different foods now, and so far none have given either good enough, or consistent results. And FWIW, whenever I switch, I always do the mixing it in thing just as suggested. The longest tenured food was Iams Lamb and Rice, which probably lasted about a year or so. Her stomach probably handled it the most consistently, but the last few months she was eating that, the results started to decline, she started not eating as well, and her crap was slowly getting softer and softer. I had heard that when Iams went full retail, that they "cheapened up" the recipe a bit. Don't actually know if this is true, but I thought it might be time for a change. Now we have been on a food called Canidae, again in the Lamb and Rice variety. It's not very commonly seen, but it's all USDA approved, human grade meat. No byproducts or left overs, no grain fillers, no corn, wheat or soy products, yada yada yada. And runs about 40 bucks a bag (for the 40 pounder). It seemed really good for the first few months, and still is really good, when it's good. But she has alot more "bad days" now then ever before. Almost weekly she has been getting the bad diarrhea, and now to the point that she really won't eat at all. She may eat 1/2-2/3 of one of her daily feedings. Maybe. As I'm typing this, she still hasn't touched her food from this morn. Over the weekend I was out camping with a group of friends, and there was a couple dogs in the group. I couldn't get her to touch her food once, but couldn't keep her out of theirs. It was Eukanuba. I knew it would upset her stomach, which it did, probably because of the drastic change, but ended up giving up on keeping her out of it because, frankly she just kept going back, and at least she was eating.

So, sorry for the length of the thread, but needed to at least give a small idea of what I've been fighting, and knowing there are so many dog lovers here, wanted to get some thoughts. I'm sure I am not the only one with this problem. Thanks.

 

[cary]

First, why is your vet not working on this with you? He/she should be working with you to eliminate the cause of the stomach problems by systematically eliminating potential foods that may be causing this problem.

I would suggest you check out the Royal Canin line of food. Very high quality food that has an extensive line of veterinarian foods that are used to help eliminate the problem. My understanding is that duck and potatoes is used to help eliminate allergies as a problem.

http://www.royalcanin.us/vetdiet/vetdietcanineprod.html

 

[mtb_rider]

Well, I have not gone overly into detail with my current vet, though if the issue continues, the next time I go in, I plan on talking more in depth with them. My vet that I have now is verrrrrry good. The vet I went to initially, when the problem first started did the normal tests, said she probably had a bug, and not to worry too much. I did try and talk to that doctor a few times before switching...no real details, just poor service and not real helpful. And here we are..... Also keep in mind that there was a long period of time, close to a year, where it was fairly under control. It has just become a major issue/concern again recently.

Don't know why I never though of an allergy. I just came to grips that it was some IBS like syndrome. I have looked at the royal canin lines before, but had not tried them in the past due to cost, though now I am paying almost $40 a bag for the current food, so cost is not as big of a problem. Aren't they breed specific. She's a mix breed, not sure how I would determine which to go with.

 

[cary]

They make breed specific foods now (some possible benefit but also marketing), but their original products were for vets only and what I am suggesting you consider. Check out the link, those special diet foods are not breed specific.

 

[calamaridog]

Our dog liked Nutro Lamb and Rice. If she is being a picky eater, try adding some low salt broth to the food for flavor.

Diarrea? Add some canned pumpkin to her food (to help firm it up) in the morning and some plain yogurt with active cultures (to help with digestion) at night. Or cook her some Congee which is easy to digest: 1 cup white rice, 5 cups water, boiled until very very soft. Part way through, add some browned and drained ground beef. Feed small portions for a couple days. You can add some pumpkin or yogurt also.

Diarrea for 48 hours would be a vet trip for my dog.

 

[mtb_rider]

Our dog liked Nutro Lamb and Rice. If she is being a picky eater, try adding some low salt broth to the food for flavor.

Diarrea? Add some canned pumpkin to her food (to help firm it up) in the morning and some plain yogurt with active cultures (to help with digestion) at night. Or cook her some Congee which is easy to digest: 1 cup white rice, 5 cups water, boiled until very very soft. Part way through, add some browned and drained ground beef. Feed small portions for a couple days. You can add some pumpkin or yogurt also.

Diarrea for 48 hours would be a vet trip for my dog.

I've had to do this before, except it was white rice and boiled chicken breast, with yogurt or cottage cheese for some flavor. It's just not real reasonable to have to do on a permanent basis.

The diarrhea doesn't seem to last more than a day or so, and usually is cleared up within 24 hrs.

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

We feed our dog Natural Balance brand Duck and Potato blend. He has mild allergies and this food agrees with him. He eats the wet food and it costs $1.30 a can which lasts him 1 1/2 days. He is a mini schnauzer. Our Vet recommended it. He eats it all up. And if he could talk he would probably tell me that he likes it.

 

[LoveTractor]

Been discussed and I don't feel like rewriting it all.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=143921

www.dogfoodproject.com

Menadione is bad and most dogfoods have it as an ingredient.
My dog's food, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, does not.

 

[Hank]

Good ol Purina Fit and Trim keeps the runs away from my dogs. Large St. Bernards with the runs are not fun.

 

[Matador98]

Try Innova or Nature's Choice. IMOP, they are two of the top dog foods and way above Nutro, Iams, or the equivalent in quality of ingredients.

 

[Cuerno Largo]

Check out LoveTractor's links. There is good info there.

I have a lab that has a sensitive stomach and have found that the Diamond Naturals brand has been the best without breaking the bank. There is some really good dog food that will cost you 45 to 50 dollars for a 40 lb bag. The Diamond Large Breed scores high on the scale in the links above (I think a 99), but is only about 20 dollars for a 40lb bag. Anyway, it worked for us and you might want to try it before going for the really high dollar varieties.

 

[Tofudebeest]

Try Innova or Nature's Choice. IMOP, they are two of the top dog foods and way above Nutro, Iams, or the equivalent in quality of ingredients.

Agreed. Also great are Canidae, Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance, Solid Gold (like Holistique), and Wellness.

Don't buy any pet food sold in the grocery store. They are garbage (literally).

The best: home made (with vitamins and minerals added specifically for a canine's dietary needs).

 

[LoveTractor]

Good ol Purina Fit and Trim keeps the runs away from my dogs. Large St. Bernards with the runs are not fun.

I don't think the words "good" and "Purina" should be used in the same sentence, paragraph, or book. The stuff is absolute s***. You might as well just feed your dog McDonalds everyday.

The ingredients of your dog's food:

Ground yellow corn, soybean meal, ground whole wheat, soybean hulls*, corn germ meal, corn gluten meal, turkey by-product meal, animal digest, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), meat and bone meal, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, manganese proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, brewers dried yeast, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite

Garbage. Just as MyHJ60Shiela said.
"Animal digest?" That's fxxxin' nasty.

 

[carboncycles]

Innova lines w/out a doubt some of the best and most responsible vendors I've run across....worth at least checking out.

 

[78-FJ40]

Been feeding our dogs Innova for 10 years. Very high quality.

http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp

 

[Jetboy]

I have used Kirkland (costco) dog food for a while and it seems to be pretty decent. I have two boxers, which as a breed generally don't do well with corn based foods. I buy the lamb and rice (green bag).
Here's the ingredients,
Lamb, Lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, rice flour, white rice, egg product, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved witn mixed tocoperols and Vitamine E), beet pulp, potatoes, fishmeal, flaxseed, natural flavor, milet, brewers dried yest, carrots, peas, choline chloride, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, taurine, vitamin E suppliment, iron proteinate, copper proteninate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteniate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bivulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein 23% minimum
Crude Fat 14% minimum
Crude Fiber 4% maximum
Moisture 10% maximum
Zinc 200mg/kg minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg minimum
Vitamin A 15000 IU/KG minimum
Omega-6 fatty acids 2.2% minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.4 % minimum
Glucosamine HCl not less than 300 mg/kg
Chondroitin sulfate not less than 100 mg/kg

I'm not coniseur of dog foods, but it's about $18/bag and my dogs seem to do well on it. I switched from Nutro BTW. Not because of a particular problem, but the vet said kirkland was essentially similar but 1/2 the cost.

Apparently Whole Dog Journel (I have no idea if they are a good source) voted Kirklands as the best and beneful as the worst.

EDIT: BTW we feed unlimited ie. the bowl is always full. We also run our dogs ~3miles/day, sometimes twice a day and they are outside in the yard the rest of the day. So far they have remained at a healthy weight. I'll cut back if they begin to add much fat.

 

[Landpimp]

we started cooking for our dogs a few years ago, as they both got some gut infection.....so we started cooking.....and its been GREAT for them, we cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rice, garlic, carots and some other stuff....the dogs are 15 and 17 years old now. For breakfast both get 2 cups of Nurto(sp) dry food, then dinner is the cooked food

BTW.......Beau dog was not feeling well last week, he was falling down, couldn't stand etc....thought his back legs/back had gone.........turns out it was just an inner ear infection....all fixed now and he is running(well as much as a 15 year old lab runs) around again and happy as can be

 

[freightdog]

Our dog liked Nutro Lamb and Rice. If she is being a picky eater, try adding some low salt broth to the food for flavor.

Diarrea? Add some canned pumpkin to her food (to help firm it up) in the morning and some plain yogurt with active cultures (to help with digestion) at night. Or cook her some Congee which is easy to digest: 1 cup white rice, 5 cups water, boiled until very very soft. Part way through, add some browned and drained ground beef. Feed small portions for a couple days. You can add some pumpkin or yogurt also.

Diarrea for 48 hours would be a vet trip for my dog.

Yep, nothing better...Hoss thinks Nutro is the only food and will not eat anything else...

 

[concretejungle]

Wow Pimp, that's OOOOOLD for a dog!

I fed my dog Eukanuba for about 2 years and just recently switched to nutro. He is very healthy and looks great. So i will continue feeding him the same. He gets no table scraps (unless it's cooked chicken breast or steak).

 

[cary]

I have used Kirkland (costco) dog food for a while and it seems to be pretty decent. I buy the lamb and rice (green bag).
Here's the ingredients,
Lamb, Lamb meal, whole grain brown rice, rice flour, white rice, egg product, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved witn mixed tocoperols and Vitamine E), beet pulp, potatoes, fishmeal, flaxseed, natural flavor, milet, brewers dried yest, carrots, peas, choline chloride, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, taurine, vitamin E suppliment, iron proteinate, copper proteninate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteniate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bivulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid

I'm not an expert either, but it is a good sign when the first ingredient is a meat, not some processed grain.