Pet Lovers

[nyc1]

We have a great vet who has always been big on nutrition, and she has never been a fan of grain free.  The dry food we use is Fromm's Duck & Sweet Potato. 

[Jersey Born]

Thank you for your response.  I had changed my dog's food to V-Dog about 5 months ago, and found one very positve change-- his hair on his chest and for that matter all over his body grew in very thick and lush.  I thought that was a good sign.  Then, his breathing changed out of the blue, and I wondered if it could be the food change.  I had been feeding him raw duck nuggets from Primal, and then they had a recall due to larger bone fragments being found in their food.  My vet recommended V-Dog, and so I started the transition.  I always give real food with the kibble or nuggets, like organic kale and organic quinoa.  I took my dog to the vet and she found nothing wrong with him, but I know that he is not his "normal" self.

I will be stopping the V-Dog kibble immediately, and go back to the expensive duck and kale and quinoa combination that never gave him a problem.  It's sad that my dog has problems with both beef and chicken, because over 90% of dog food seems to have chicken and beef as main ingredients.  Those animal proteins gave him colitis.  Only duck and rabbit have worked out for him.

I am hoping to find a good, larger bag of appropriate food for him that he will eat, not because I am lazy, but because with all the instability and uncertainty in this world, I really want to have a feeling of "food security" for my dog.  

[SeaMaiden]

@Jersey Born  I switched my two goldens over to Fromm adult large breed GOLD.  I had been feeding grain free for years thinking it was "better"....    now I know....

Here is the break down of ingredients:

All Ingredients:  Gold Large Breed Adult Formula Dry Dog Food

Duck, chicken meal, chicken, oatmeal, pearled barley, brown rice, white rice, dried tomato pomace, dried whole egg, menhaden fish meal, lamb, potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), cheese, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), flaxseed, brewers dried yeast, alfalfa meal, carrots, lettuce, celery, chicken cartilage, monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, salt, potassium chloride, l-tryptophan, dl-methionine, taurine, chicory root extract, yucca schidigera extract, sodium selenite, sorbic acid (preservative), Vitamins [vitamin A acetate, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin B12 supplement, choline bitartrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin], Minerals [zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodate, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, magnesium proteinate, cobalt proteinate], dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Pediococcus acidilactici fermentation product.

Guaranteed AnalysisNutrient Guaranteed Units

Crude Protein	23.0% min
Crude Fat	12.0% min
Crude Fiber	3.5% max
Moisture	10.0% max
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	0.4% min
Omega-6 Fatty Acids	2.1% min

[Jersey Born]

@SeaMaiden. Thank you for the recommendation.  I am not sure my dog could handle that particular type due to the chicken in it, but I think I will try a small bag (to start) of the Fromm's Duck and Sweet Potato just to give it a try, or the Honest Kitchen Zeal (which is whitefish).  

It will be an interesting adventure for sure.  This morning, I fed him Primal Duck nuggets, freshly made organic quinoa, and organic kale and broccoli.  I really hope he starts feeling and sounding better soon!  

Thank you for all of the recommendations, everyone!  Finding a new brand of dog food is never easy.  My dog has always had a sensitive stomach. He was on prescription food for a while as a puppy.  I had to find (through trial and error) the atypical animal proteins that he could tolerate and even enjoy.   

[NickNack]

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@Tweetybrd wrote:
@Kachina624.
What brands did you find without potatoes, peas, lentils? I feed my little Shih Tzu, wellness core, which is full of these ingredients. What to feed my most wonderful little doggie now?

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@Tweetybrd  Feed her the regular Wellness Complete Health food that's not grain free.  It's one of the best dog foods on the market. I feed my dog Fromm Duck and Sweet Potato and feel it's an excellent food, too.

[goldensrbest]

I want the first 3 ingrediants in kibble to be real protein, not meals. be it beef,turkey ,pork , that kind of real protein.

[NickNack]

@Kachina624  I posted a warning about this a while ago and did see the segment on NBC News last night, too.  I've never fed my dog grain free but do feed my cat grain free.  I haven't read anything about negative effects to cats, but I'm going to discuss it with my Vet at his next appt.

[NickNack]

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@goldensrbest wrote:

I want the first 3 ingrediants in kibble to be real protein, not meals. be it beef,turkey ,pork , that kind of real protein.

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@goldensrbest  Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains 300% more protein than chicken.  It's not a bad thing according to Dog Food Advisor.

[ItsME]

My poodles need grain.  My older boy... almost 14 ....  used to have an iron tummy.  That changed a few years ago.  We tried several vet-recommended remedies.  The only thing that worked was to add rice into his diet, and that's in addition to the rice that was in the kibble formula.  My younger boy ... almost 4 ..... never had an iron tummy, but was doing well on this kibble until recently.  I added rice for him, too.  Just a couple spoonsful once a day, helps both of them.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago... I got a bag of dog food that had bugs in it.  Replaced it, and had the same problem.  So, Friday, with no dog food in the house, I found a Doctor Fox recipe for dog food and made a variation of it.  I still have to get some of the supplements, but I'm adding in kale, carrots, blueberries, etc.  They are loving it!  Stools are perfert and smaller than with the kibble.  And we are all happy.  I have to weigh them weekly until I figure out portion size.  But, I think I might just keep this up.