Central Pennsylvania Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Dog Mommies... Question for you...
Sarge has had a heck of a time adjusting to food. We had him on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Chow (he's a black lab puppy - 18 weeks) and his stomach is so sensitive he has had recurring diarrhea.
We have him on rice and chicken now to kind of rid his system of the Euk., but the vet suggested sensitive stomach food. Of course, they want him on the Science Diet (which is freakin' expensive! They charge $17 for a 4lb bag! He eats that as an appetizer!)
Any suggestions for a moderately priced sensitive stomach puppy food? We were paying $30/20lb bag for the Euk., so in that price range is okay. I just want the little guy to be okay! TIA!
Re: Dog Mommies... Question for you...
DD 1/29/07 -
Our dogs have had HUGE issues with foods. 1st... STAY AWAY FROM SCIENCE DIET!!! It is terrible and the only reason why your vet recommends it is because they get free bags and stuff from them.
Our dogs can't be on anything with poultry in it because they get very sick (diarhea, vomiting, etc). We've been through all the different foods. They are on Natural Balance Sweet Potatoes and Fish. It is AWESOME for them! They don't have any issues on it. It is a little expensive, but Petco has a deal with them where if you buy 10 bags you get 1 free, and it is continuous. It is $47/28lb bag. The nice thing with this food is that it is grain free, so it fills them faster and you don't give them as much as you would a normal dog food. We use a Weis margarine container as a scoop and we fill it about 3/4 full. We feed them twice a day. It is specifically made for dogs with stomach issues. It says on the bag "Allergin formula". AND you won't ever have to change his food between puppy and adult because it is meant for puppies, adult dogs, and seniors. The down side is that their burps smell like fish! Haha! We did a lot of research into dog food and this was the one that really worked for them that we were OK giving to them.
If you want to find more dog foods that are OK check out: dogfoodanalysis.com.That site is great for rating certain foods and giving you info as to why it is rated that way.
I would really stay away from the brands that are in Wal mart, etc (like eukaneba and iams). One of the issues with dog food is that it has no regulations on it like human food does and it can make a dog sick. It can also have carcinogens in it.
Good luck!
We also have a lab (Chocolate, just over a year) and feed her NutroCycle which we love. It is more pricey at about $50-55 per bag, but we haven't had any issues like we did when we first fed her a different brand in the beginning--she would throw up or have diarrhea at times.
?I hope you find a brand that works for you! And GL with your high energy puppy : ) We lucked out and Sadie is so calm and easy-good for being a year!?
Ditto checking out dogfoodanalysis and dogfoodproject. Unfortunately the brands that you see advertised and in grocery stores/Target/Petsmart aren't the best when you look at the ingredients. I really like Orijen, Nature's Variety, EVO, Innova, Fromm, Acana, and Wellness, which you can find at specialty dog stores. I know you can find most of them in PA as I made a list for my mom. CA Natural is another good food that is especially good for sensitive stomachs and is made by Natura, a great company.
If you do want a puppy food, Innova Large Breed Puppy is one of the best that has a good amount of calium and phosphorous as you want that lower for larger breeds to ensure that they do not grow too quickly.
I third the suggestions to check out dogfoodanalysis.com and dogfoodproject.com. I learned a lot from both sites. I also second the list of brands that TheLinkBride posted. I've fed several of them to my dogs over the years and they always did really well on them. I'll also mention Taste of the Wild since that's what my dogs currently get.
The only other thing I wanted to add is that once you've decided on a food, make the switch slowly. I usually do 3/4 old, 1/4, then half and half, then 1/4 old, 3/4 new. I wait at least a few days in between to make sure poops stay solid. If my dog was having problems adjusting, I might even do it slower. If Sarge likes pumpkin, you could throw a little of that in with his food. It's good fiber and usually helps firm things up. Good luck to you! I hope things clear up soon.
I'm going to ditto this. I know the really great grain-free/food allergy/sensitive stomach foods are more expensive, but if it meals a healthier and happier life for your pup, I still think it's worth it.
I'm totally not a dog food snob at all, but I'd be surprised if you found anything at the can-buy-it-at-the-grocery-store level pricing that works if his stomach is that bad.
Yeah, I'm definitely desperate now. lol I am willing to pay damn near close to anything to save MY sanity!
I'll check those websites out, and thank you all soooooo much for your suggestions! I never knew there were so many pups with squirmy tummies like Sarge!
Is it okay to feed grain-free to puppies? I thought too much protein that young might be a problem?
A teaspoon or two of pumpkin is often recommended during food changes to help keep things solid during the transition.
California Natural Chicken and Rice or Lamb and Rice. http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=1252
They have very few ingredients and are made for sensitive systems. CA Natural worked very well for Guinness as we sorted out which ingredients he couldn't tolerate.