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need sick dog/dog food advice
My dog has been sick off and on for awhile now. He had a spell back in October, got better, and got sick again about a month ago. He's been throwing up, not eating, lethargic, and just not himself. Our vet has run many, many tests and has come up with nothing. His blood test has come up with low white blood cell count a few times (he's had many).
My vet now thinks it may be a food allergy and wants us to do a food trial for 6-8 weeks. I'm OK with that, but the ONLY suggestion they are giving us is Royal Canin vegetarian vet diet. It is $10 a day to feed our dog!!! He's a big dog (75 lbs) and needs a lot of it! I just can't imagine this is the ONLY option for a food trial. I've lurked enough on here to know there's a lot of good dog foods out there and I feel like we're jumping to the most restrictive, most expensive option/ I feel like there has to be a different choice. Am I wrong?
I guess my question to you knowledgable women: Do we go against our vet and try a different food? Or would you suck it up and pay that much to feed your dog even though that may not even be the cause?
Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!
Re: need sick dog/dog food advice
What are you feeding? Were there food changes that corresponded with his better/worse spells? How about treats?
Personally, I'd get a copy of his records and get a second opinion.
Have you seen my monkey?
I'd go with a grain-free food with a novel protein, I think Wellness has some of these? I have a dog with a lot of food allergies, and Taste of the Wild has two formulas that work well for her, Pacific Stream (fish and sweet potato) and Sierra Mountain (lamb and rice).
I believe California Naturals has foods with very few ingredients also. Good luck!
We found that no grains, no chicken, no beef and no lamb is what works best for our dogs.
I also feed Wellness Simple-Duck. I have never been able to find a grain free/novel single protein food. Maddy does very well on the Wellness. I would never pay that much for Royal Canin.
He's been on the same food since he was a puppy. No new treats or food. No table food (or very little; we have a toddler: he manages to get a piece her or there).
I'm not sure it's going to matter now. He's been good for 2 weeks, but last night and this morning, he's been very sluggish and not hungry. I'm just waiting for him to be sick. It may be the unusually high temps here, though.