# Switching from Fromm :(



## LilTuffGirl (Sep 22, 2009)

I had Hayden on TOTW when she kept scratching and it didn't help one bit. After having enough of listaning to the husband complain about the cost of dog food I went back with Purina One and got her Equis shampoo and some organic conditioner I picked up at the dog wash. I'm not sure what did it but she now only scratches one spot and her coat is looking much better! 

I had some test packages of Fromm but neither of mine seemed all that interested in it. Probably because my husband kept telling them they like cheap food better. :doh:


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

Thanks for letting me know! That's great that your pup isn't scratching much anymore. I switched Hudsen's shampoo to the Earthbath Oatmeal and aloe and I also use their tea tree oil anti-itch spray. I've been trying to bathe him once every 1-2 weeks and he does seem better for a few days after his bath, but then he is right back to scratching. How often do you bathe Hayden (I love that name by the way!)? Maybe I'll try that shampoo you mentioned.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Ok, I'm a bit confused. If he was doing so well on the Fromm and really liked it, then why take him off of it?  I guess I just don't understand that part. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a few good quality grains and there is no reason for avoid them as long as the dog doesn't have a specific allergy to them. Fromm is a very high quality food and our dogs thrive on their 4-star line. It's isn't really even that heavy in grains. There is definitely no corn or wheat in it. Our 2-year-old Golden has a corn allergy that was diagnosed by allergy testing a little over a year ago and he has done excellent on Fromm. The best thing to do is to find one food that your dog does well on and just stick with it. This forum is loaded with Goldens who are fed Fromm and do very well on it.


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## The Trio (Apr 24, 2010)

Becareful! I had the trio on Taste of the Wild and they got HORRIBLE diarrhea!!! I mean the explosive kind.


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Another Fromm family here. Duck and Sweet Potato for us. How long has Hudsen been scratching? Has it been the whole time he's been on the Fromm? What environmental allergens prevail in Colorado? Sometimes you have to become a detective through process of elimination to find the antagonist. I know a few people around the forum have expressed great results from using Microtek shampoo. I do believe the chicken in the Fromm Surf and Turf is the 13th ingredient on the list if I'm not mistaken.


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

If he really does better after a bath, maybe it isn't food but something in the environment? Just wondering....

Also, maybe to help him feel better you could give him a bath more often (every 5 days?).. Summer gets washed down much more often cos she swims every other day, though I only do shampoo and conditioner once or twice a week.. Some people say baths dry out their skin, but so far so good for us!


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## Abby (Aug 17, 2010)

Chopin's been on Fromm for from for almost a month, and didn't do all that well on it. He had really soft poop and occasionally diarrhea. Also, he pooped sooooo much!! Today we bought a 15 pound bag of California Natural at the reccomendation of the staff at the store. They said it might help because it doesn't have that many ingredients.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

HudsensMama9 said:


> After much deliberating, I decided to make the switch to a grain-free today to see if it helps. I chose Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this. I really love the Fromm company and am kind of sad to take Hudsen off of Fromm, but I'm really hoping the grain-free will help. I just want my baby boy to feel better. My heart breaks for him every time he scratches.
> 
> Has anyone tried both TOTW and Fromm? Pros/cons to each? Any allergy dogs out there doing better with TOTW?


Don't get too hung up on feeling bad about it. If the Fromm isn't working for him, it isn't working.
It does sound, to me, like the problem could be either environmental or grain. You'll just have to decide which possibility you want to try to eliminate first.

I've fed both TOTW and Fromm, but to different dogs, so I can't compare them head-to-head.
Our GSD had a pancreatic condition and could not tolerate grain, at all. He did 'okay' on TOTW, but was pretty gassy. We ended up switching to Core Ocean formula and he did great on that. Plus, the fish in Core isn't preserved with ethoxyquin. In TOTW, it is. (Or at least it was, at the time.)


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

We use TOTW. Their fish meal is no longer preserved with ethoxyquin, I emailed and asked. It has been ethoxyquin free since May 2010. 

Gibbs does well on the food. I think he smelled fishy from the Pacific formula, so he is now eating 50/50 fowl and salmon. He's enthusiastic about eating!


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

Sawyer didn't do well at all on Fromm Puppy Gold or Fromm Duck and Sweet Potato (his issues were sensitive tummy rather than skin). I realllllly didn't want to give up on Fromm and we found a Fromm formula that worked GREAT for him - Whitefish and Potato. Happy to report he is still doing excellent and we've even been able to take him off The Honest Kitchen's Perfect Form!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

CarolinaCasey said:


> We use TOTW. Their fish meal is no longer preserved with ethoxyquin, I emailed and asked. It has been ethoxyquin free since May 2010.


Really? That's great! 
That's back on my list of potential foods, then.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

I agree that if he does better after a bath, it sounds like more of an environmental thing than a food thing. I don't know anything about TOTW, but I've heard good things about California Natural for dogs with allergies, like Abby suggested. There are also the Blue Basics foods that you could consider. They are limited ingredient foods, as well.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Abby said:


> Chopin's been on Fromm for from for almost a month, and didn't do all that well on it. He had really soft poop and occasionally diarrhea. Also, he pooped sooooo much!! Today we bought a 15 pound bag of California Natural at the reccomendation of the staff at the store. They said it might help because it doesn't have that many ingredients.


This was our experience with Fromm as well as Eukanuba and Pro Plan. We eventually settled on Wellness with a higher fiber content of 8%, which includes grains. I have no issues with giving my dogs grains if they have no allergies to them. Everything cleared up beautifully BTW and I now am able to scoop his poop without a mess.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I had Orijen 6 fish recommended to me when Ranger had suspected allergies (which actually turned out to just be a grain intolerance). It worked great for his skin condition (way less dandruffy and itchy), and he did really well on it. My brother's dog has been on it for a year now and he does great on it (another dog that can't handle grains). It's a great food!


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

If you've been pleased with the Fromm company in general, I suggest giving their Surf & Turf a try. Salmon and duck are the two primary proteins. Chicken is so far down the list that unless a dog had a truly significant allergy to chicken I wouldn't think it would be a problem.

My Bentley has been eating the Fromm Surf & Turf for 4 months and doing great with it. He has an intolerance to many grains (hot spots, itching, etc); so it's just easier to keep him on grain-free kibbles that are not high in carbohydrates. At 70 lbs. he eats 2 1/2 cups of the Surf & Turf daily with a dollop of plain yogurt and salmon oil pill and glucosamine pill.

Fromm is a good fit for us so far: good company IMO and a formula that works well with my dogs.


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## Luna2 (Dec 24, 2007)

I love Fromms,but it doesnt have enough calories for my active goldens,I had to feed them soooo much...my dachshunds do well on the surf and turf..they have been on it for over a year...we feed Acana to the goldens,keeps the weight on,and they look great.


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

Thank you everyone! I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what is causing Hudsen's itching, which is why I'm switching to a grain free. So far, trying single proteins and eliminating chicken, corn, wheat, and soy has not helped. I agree with you guys that his allergies could totally be environmental- I'm just trying everything I can to rule out food allergies. My thought on switching to TOTW was that if he is still scratching in a couple months, then I know it isn't a grain allergy and we will go back to Fromm. When I said he did well on Fromm, I just meant no poop/gas issues and he seems to really like it. Again, I just worry that the grains are the cause of his itching, since I know it's not from protein.

Summer's mom, thanks for the suggestion. I think I will try to bathe him a little more. So far, I've been bathing once every 1-2 weeks (more if he's been swimming), but the air out here in CO is so dry, so I worry about drying out his skin (I don't to cause even more itching). 

Blondie, he's been on Fromm since July. He had scratched a ton before Fromm, which is why I wanted to switch to Fromm- so I could eliminate chicken from his diet and try different proteins. Although, I wasn't sure if his scratching was because it was summer (allergies can get pretty bad here in CO) and also because he was swimming so much. However, since switching his scratching has not gotten better and he actually has wounds on his foot and face from scratching so much (even with the weather changing)

I have been thinking a lot about surf and turf and I know chicken isn't a main ingredient, but chicken fat is seventh on the list. When I decided to eliminate all chicken, my vet said to stay away from all chicken (meat, meal, fat, etc.), but that cartilage is ok as it is pretty far down and basically used just for glucosamine/chondroitin. Has anyone tried the beef frittata flavor?

I've heard and read great things about Orijen, but the six fish is around 75 dollars out here, and that just doesn't quite fit into our budget right now. I'm thinking a little more about Acana. What are your thoughts on that one? 

Thanks again everyone! I appreciate all of your feedback!


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## babbs (Feb 9, 2010)

Are you sure he is absolutely flea free? He may have flea allergy dermatitis which keeps them itching even from an occasional bite. Anyway, Sandie has been fed Fromm (rotating formulas with grains) for 6 months now and has also gone through 2 bags of TOTW Pacific in the rotation, mostly because I can buy it a mile from my house and the Fromm I have to order. She REALLY gores crazy for the salmon. She loves both foods and has never had an issue with diarrhea from either. Best of luck to you.


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Check very thoroughly for fleas. We went through months of itching with Riley and saw no evidence of fleas. We went through allergy testing and food elimination. Finally I found them in the thick hair on her hind legs. She was on flea control too. Had to put her on Comfortis to finally be rid of the fleas and stop the itching. She is no longer on allergy shots and has been on Fromm for about 3 or 4 months now.


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## Bogey's Mom (Dec 23, 2008)

FWIW - Fromm just came out with a grain-free food in their 4 star line.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Bogey's Mom said:


> FWIW - Fromm just came out with a grain-free food in their 4 star line.



They have 2. They had Surf & Turf already and now they have Beef Fritatta.


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

Tinkerbell is on Acana Prairie and loves it. I've also used Wellness Core which she liked. We tried TOTW but it made her extremely gassy.


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

Both of mine are on Fromm and thriving. I had Casey on Origen (grain free) before Samson came. Sam's breeder had him on Fromm, and when he went to adult I switched them both. They are doing amazing on it, and I have noticed a significant improvement in Casey's energy level since switching (more carbs???) Plus, Fromm is somewhat less expensive than Origen, which is a consideration when you have two big guys on it.


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## King Chase (Aug 20, 2010)

Enzos_Mom said:


> They have 2. They had Surf & Turf already and now they have Beef Fritatta.


Has anyone tried the Beef Fritatta? I just picked up a bag tonight but I am wondering if anyone has any feedback on it. Also, since this one is a grain free, can I switch Chase over like I do with the other Fromm's or do I need to transition him?


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

King Chase said:


> Has anyone tried the Beef Fritatta? I just picked up a bag tonight but I am wondering if anyone has any feedback on it. Also, since this one is a grain free, can I switch Chase over like I do with the other Fromm's or do I need to transition him?


You should still be able to switch like you do with the other Fromm 4 star foods. I'm hoping to pick up a bag of the Beef Fritatta tomorrow, along with a bag of Surf n Turf. We used our Black Friday coupon to try a 5 lb bag of the Surf n Turf and our dogs just went NUTS for it.


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

Hudsen just got back from the vet a little while ago! The vet is almost certain his allergies are environmental (you guys were right!) We have had an unusually warm/dry fall here (we have not had more snow than a few flurries, and this week temps have been in the 60s!). My vet said he has been STILL seeing allergy dogs, which doesn't usually happen this time of year around here. He said even with somewhat cold temps, the pollens are still here because we have not had any moisture to wash them away. He also said that dogs with food allergies typically bite at the base of their tails and bums and have redness in their ears, and environmental allergy dogs typically scratch their faces, ribs, eyes, and behind the ears, and bite their paws- these are exactly the areas Hudsen scratches!! He gave Hud bud a shot of depo to help with the itching- he said it should last a couple months and he won't have the side effects that he did with the temaril-p (excessive peeing. He woke up in the middle of the night and cried to go pee. He even had an accident once because he couldn't get to the door fast enough- my poor baby. I felt so bad, I was in tears.)

I'm actually somewhat relieved his allergies are probably environmental. I'm going to continue with the bag of TOTW that we have and then switch back to Fromm, but try him on Surf and Turf. I'd like to try grain free for at least a few months to see if it makes any difference! If not, then back to whitefish and potato- his absolute favorite!!! Right now, he does get super excited about the TOTW Pacific Stream- he gobbles it up within seconds!


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