Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO Food Forum => Food Discussion & Information => : Lyn October 09, 2005, 10:30:28 PM
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I'm in the process of making the switch now. I started out with 2 cups of Canidae and 1 cup of the Potato & Duck. We are now up to 1 1/2 cups of each. So far so good. Poop is still a bit soft.. but nowhere near as nasty as before. The nice thing about this food is that they also make Potato & Duck treats. So I can still give him something when he's being a good boy.
Bubba was getting to the point where he didn't want to eat the Canidae. And I had to coax him to eat it. After eating he was going on a scratching rampage. Which let me to believe he definitely has an allergy to the Canidae. But there are so many possible allergens in the Canidae (chicken, turkey, lamb, fish plus the grains) I just couldn't figure out which one.
Alot of people are really high on this food for allergy prone dogs.. so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it. If it doesn't I can always switch to something else yet again... I'm suppose to give it 6 weeks after I've made the complete switch unless his scratching and licking gets worse. So crossing my fingers this food works.
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DVP is a great food. Bear was on it when we brought him home and he did very well...great stools and happy skin. Good luck and let us know how things turn out.
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My Harley (4 year old Flat Coated Retriever) eats the Natures Balance Duck And Potatoe and seems to do well with it; his trainer/boarder told us about it as he had dry and itchy skin. I hope it works for you as well.
And I must say that picture is ADORABLE!!! What a sweetie!!! :D
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hope it helps.... hotspots/allergies can be so devastating to a dog's lifestyle..
i went 'food browsing' at my local Pet Supplies Plus this wknd. They took out the Karms food, and got new 'Merrick' as well as 'Newman's Own' brands.. so many "cool" choices, so lil dog mouths to feed...
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Just an update. Bubba is still itchy! He's only been eating the Duck & Potato for a few weeks though. But at least his stools are normal now.
Just a few minutes ago he was dragging his face on the carpet... :-\ I know I need to give this food at least 6 weeks. So I'm hoping it works and he will stop itching.
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Poor Bubba, that photo makes you just want to kiss his itchey face. I am glad that the change is making his poop better, we are still working on that for Sugar Bear.
Lisa
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I think I figured out why his face is itchy. It's those beef bones I've been giving him!!! Everytime he's finished chewing on one he drags his face on the carpet. I wonder if THOSE bones are the reason he's itching.. not his food. :-\
I never thought of a beef allergy.. UGH and we buy those bones for him every week. I'm going to pick up a large kong. Rawhide he can't have because he rips them apart and eats them dry. Stuffed toys he shreds. So I stopped buying them. I'm running out of options..
Any other idea for things I can give him to chew?
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Any other idea for things I can give him to chew?
Kongs and nylabones are good. I also highly suggest http://www.mammothpet.com/ Their tire toys are awesome!
How does bubba do with pig ears or bully sticks?
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I just got an email from Cowboy's breeder suggesting that I try "Transfer Factor" for Chester who's been having itching/scratching problems and also Wysong Back to Basics which doesn't have a lot of the grains that can cause problems. I'm going to give it a go as soon as I can get it sent here (CA). It seems it's mostly available on the East Coast.....
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shangrila, I haven't tried the pigs ears or bully sticks. Bubba is a hard chewer so unless it's a solid bone it's gone in minutes.
We tried a tire toy called Tirebiter. It was suppose to be 'chew proof'. But Bubba shredded it and I caught him eating it. :o He can also chew apart those nylabones. He's a destructive little man. LOL Thank god he doesn't chew anything but "his" things.
The DVP is doing some good though. It must be easy on the belly since he's not having loose stool anymore and he's not gassy either now.
I also also switched detergent for Bubba's blankets. No difference there with the itchyness.
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shangrila, Those are the tire toys that Bubba shredded. I just checked the link you posted. I have to take a pic of what's left of his 'tirebiter' LOL
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Here's Bubba's TireBiter. LMAO
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kong. definitely go w/ a kong, or a kong-LIKE toy. they're muchos dineros (and we only have ONE for both dogs). or... something like a big tennis ball... anything nylon/pvc based w/ hollow insides can be obliterated in a tow.
beef allergies is actually extremely common... as it's one of the top sources of animal protein used throughout the decades by major doggie kibble companies...
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I work at a vet clinic/hospital and the one vet swears by the duck and potato...but he tells our clients that if they do a feeding trial with the food it has to be for six weeks and they can have NOTHING but the food....no treats, no other bones...nothin g to eat but the food otherwise it ruins the trial and they'll never know what's really causing the problem. I used to think this was a bit extreme but we adopted a Cane Corso in July and I've been having trouble with him. He was on regular science diet..then i switched him to pedigree( i know what was i thinking) it was disasterous! Now he's on the SD sensitive stomach but he's still licking his feet to the point of getting a "lick granulosis"...and he's gained 15pounds since july...any suggestions?
thanks liz
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I have been doing some research and I am glad that I came across this topic. My beagle Maggie has been doing a lot of scratching and her stool as been runny also, we thought maybe she got bit by something, butthe vet said no, it might be her food, so she put her on Science Diet I/D. I have been looking for something a little more healthy and I have heard good things about the potato and duck, so I am going to give those a try,
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Just wanted to jump into this disucssion...o ur Bo was switched to Eukanuba Fish & Potato to treat her cow pie disorder (probably IBS) and it really helped! My only problem is that she doesn't like the kibble as a treat for her obedience. I emailed Eukanuba to ask if there was a treat that would compliment the FP diet, but didn't get a response. I fed her some Mother Hubbard liver treats over the weekend & BOY am I sorry I did that! We're back to cow pies. Anyway, does anyone have any suggesions about treats for dogs on special diets?
Thanks!
Jenn & Bo
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I think liver is a bit rich for any of the pups on special diets. Dried chicken or turkey is a big hit around here. Also Cowboy loves apples. Anything that really low in fat (preferabley non fat) should be okay.
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Oh, duh. I didn't even think about the liver being too rich!!! Sit me in the corner with a dunce cap! =) I'll check for some low-fat treats...perha ps that will work better. I was giving her liver treats becuase I was sticking with the "alternative protien" theory.
Thanks!
Jenn
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I've learned the hard (okay, maybe the opposite of hard :P!!) way! Dried fish is another good choice...but maybe start with chicken or turkey since I think that's the lowest in fat. :D
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Where do you get the dried chicken/turkey?? Our local Petco doesn't carry such things!
Jenn
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I just checked.....an d they are right here at the BPO store....chick en, turkey, fish. I've given Cowboy the 'whole life' line and he did great on them!
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Try Gold's Freezed Dried Lamb Lung. My fur kids are nuts for it.
You can also try CharlieB's Dog treats.
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I just noticed that this post back in the active topics. So I thought I'd give an update.
I switched Bubba off the Natural Balance.. and onto Solid Gold Hundenflocken (lamb) about 8 weeks ago. He has had solidish stools up until yesterday. So I tried to figure out what he's possibly eaten that upset his tummy. Well I figured it out..
The snow in the potty area has melted and uncovered the poop in the yard. I 'thought' I saw him eat some yesterday but I couldn't tell for sure since he also eats grass/mud ::) But this morning I decided I better go outside with him and I caught him red handed. He never eats his own poop.. we live with a toy poodle and it's her poop he's snacking on. So not only it is gross.. it's giving him nasty bouts of the runs. >:(
So his poop eating is what's been causing the loose stool all along. I thought he had quit this yucky habit. But I guess I was wrong. So I'm back to taking him out to potty on leash and correcting him when he attempts to snack. :(
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Regarding the Solid Gold Hundenflocken, I got it for Chester as well and he liked it better than most other kibbles he's had, but a dog food store owner pointed out to me that it's for medium sized dogs. Even on the back of the bag, it only goes to 70 pounds, I think. It does give the formula to figure out for larger dogs, but do you think there is any harm to feeding a giant breed puppy food that is meant for smaller dogs?
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Hmmm.. I checked my bag and your right, the bag only lists to 70 pounds. I did a quick search and lots of large and giant breed owners are feeding it. Definitely to breeds that are way over 70 pounds. Maybe if I get around to it today I'll email Solid Gold and ask and I'll post their reply.
But after reading the bag I don't think I'm feeding Bubba enough. ??? I've giving him 6 cups a day and Bubba is around 125 pounds now. They list 4-5 cups (I think, I don't have the bag in front of me) for a 70 pound dog. If that's correct I'm way underfeeding him. :-\