More food problems.. *sigh* :(

[Lyn]

Bubba is still chewing and licking. His front legs are staining pink from his saliva, and he's chewing small patches of fur off his belly again. Same problem on Canidae and now on Innova adult. I'm seriously thinking he is allergic/intolerant to chicken or turkey. But he had similar reactions on lamb and duck. He did so well for the longest time.. now it seems everything is flaring up again.

The only food he did great one was Eagle Pack Holistic.. The Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon one. No itching/licking and no diarrhea. The problem is he didn't keep weight on at all when he was on it. For a Saint he's fairly active and the 22% protein and 12% fat just didn't seem to cut it. But Hubby wants to put him back on it anyway and just add canned food, olive oil etc..to boot the fat and protein levels.

Here's the ingredient list, Guaranteed analysis etc..
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Fish.html

*SIGH* I soooo wish I could get Timberwolf Organics here. They have a fish kibble that would be perfect. Protein: 26%
Fat: 16%. But NOOOO nearest store that carries it is a couple hours away.

http://timberwolforganics.com/s.nl/it.A/id.82/.f?sc=2&category=-102

[GoldenPyrs]

Oh dear, I feel for you! Daisy, our Golden can only handle Natural Balance Duck & Potato and a Pyr that we had years ago was allergic to most grains (back when it was harder to find good grain-free foods).  You mentioned that lamb and duck didn't work, was this a strictly duck & potato blend? If not, the D & P seems to be really packing the pounds on Daisy and also on Sammy, our new pyr that was rescued and was very, very thin when we got him.  Also, is it possible to get the Timberwolf Organics shipped to you?  If not, adding calories to the Eagle Pack sounds like a good option if Bubba can tolerate the things that you are adding to boost the calories.  Good luck!!

[The Brindle Pack]

I feel for you.  Tucker has allergies and it breaks my heart when he breaks out.  He is allergic to Russian Thistle (Tumble Weed) and we live in the desert.  The only thing that has helped him is swimming or a shower a couple times a week.

As for the food issue are you able to get California Natural, also made by Natura Pet Products.  They have a Herring & Sweet Potato that is a little higher in calories than the Eagle Pack.  I currently use Eagle Pack Holistic and feel it is an excellent food but for those that need the extra calories there are other excellent options out there.

Another option would be to add some peanut butter to Bubba's grub.

[Lyn]

Thanks!

I think I might have just found another option. Go! Natural makes a Salmon and Oatmeal formula. It looks like a better alternative (less ingredients) even though I'd still need to boost the protein/fat. But it's 617 calories per cup. Eagle Pack is only 354.

http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=42

Plus I've never tried a rice/potato free food with Bubba before. So I think it might be worth a try.

We have tried the CN Herring & Sweet Potato, Fromm's Salmon A La Veg and DVP Fish and Potato. Plus Bison, duck, chicken, turkey and lamb based foods.

Poor Bubba has been pretty much on every mid to high quality food I could find with no luck. 

[Brownis15]

have you tried Fromm?

http://www.frommfamily.com/

They have AWESOME foods and their salmon a la veg is great! Take a look at it see if you like it!

[Brownis15]

they also have a place to click on that lists internet providers so you can order it online!

[seaherons]

I can't rememeber - Have you considered raw feeding?  We are new to raw feeding and learning however it is my understanding that dogs may not be allergic to a meat raw when they are allergic to the same meat cooked. 

[ptkennel]

We have the same problem and we think that we have it figure out.  She licks and eats at her fur when she is on a food that has dried egg in it.  So we switched her to a lamb and rice diet.  It has no egg.  We are going to try a food with whole fresh eggs in it to see if shes allergic to the eggs for sure or if its just the dried eggs.

Weird, we checked off all the ingredients that were the same in all the foods and that left us with the dried egg.  She isn't allergic to chicken or lamb.  Maybe the same is for Bubba.  Good luck!!!

[Lyn]

I know it's so darn frustrating trying to pick though the ingredients to find the possible allergens. As for grains we know for sure that corn and wheat are no no's for Bubba. Corn causes huge loose/watery poop and wheat makes him itchy as heck. But I also suspect barley makes him itchy, and I'm wondering about rice now. I gave him some rice yesterday with what was left of the Innova and his poops are gigantic and loose. Rice is suppose to firm up the poop, but it seems to do the opposite for Bubba.

Hubby said he was positive Bubba was itching a bit when he was on the Eagle pack fish. Not as bad as now though. So that may point to the rice? When we were feeding it though it also contained barley. They have since changed the formula, removed the barley and put white rice in it's place.

I said heck with it and decided to try the Go! Natural Salmon and Oatmeal. I know he's ok with oatmeal, and should be good with the salmon. The rest of the ingredients are vitamin/minerals and probiotics. So this food *should* do it.

I'm going to put Lola and our soon to be Pug pup on Canidae. Lola has no allergies and hopefully the Pug doesn't either. Go! Natural is beyond expensive. $77 Canadian with tax for a 30lb bag. But if it works for Bubba so be it. Since it's 617 cals per cup it should last him about 3.5 weeks as long as he's the only one eating it.

Hopefully hubby doesn't ask me what the bag cost or he's going to have a heartattack. LOL

Forgot to add.. Brownis15, Yup we did try Fromm salmon a la veg. He loved it, but it didn't agree too well with him. But there as so many veggies/fruits/grains etc.. we were not sure which ingredients were causing the problem.

Thanks all! I hope this food is the last one!

[schelmischekitty]

maybe you could look into the innova evo foods?  i know in canned food they have the 95% rabbit.  they also have 95% duck and 95% venison, 95% beef, and 95% chicken / turkey with similar ingredients to the rabbit list below.  maybe the people who supplied your innova could order this if you decided to give it a try.

rabbit
water
natural flavors
Tricalcium Phosphate
 Guar Gum
 Seaweed Extract
 Sea Salt
 Sodium Phosphate
 Inulin
 Sodium Ascorbate
 Garlic
 Choline Chloride
 Potassium Chloride
 Sunflower Oil   
 Herring Oil
 Beta Carotene
 Vitamins/Minerals

[schelmischekitty]

sorry  Karma Organic makes a good looking dog food also.  it doesn't have any egg in it, and almost all the ingredients are organic.  maybe it's an additive or something that causes him problems

[Anakalia]

Bubba's digestive system needs to stop being so picky! lol  Good luck, hopefully the Go! Natural food will work for him! 

[bluskygirl]

I was also going to chime in here and suggest that if nothing else, you may find an internet site that sells a food like Timb. Organics and will ship it to you. Often times, I find that the cost of the food online is less to help make up for the shipping costs.  Just a thought.

I just switched Bella this weekend to Innova Large Breed Adult. I'm hoping it will work ok for her. Good luck with Bubba.  I hope that the Go! works for him (expensive or not, I understand where you're coming from!)...