# dog food is such a pain.



## tonisaysss (Nov 6, 2009)

i've gone from iams to blue buffalo to california natural. she just had a really bad reaction to the CN, couldn't maintain firm stools on BB, and refused to eat the iams.

every food that this dog enjoys either makes her scarily sick or unpleasantly gassy. 

i have zero idea what _exactly_ is bothering her. our attempt at CN was her first bag of adult food and i'm assuming the 27% protein content of the BB puppy food is what made her stools loose.

she's been on brown rice/chicken for the past day, so i'll be out shopping for food tomorrow.

what are the best foods for sensitive tummies/allergies/etc? something not so rich?

i feel so bad for her, lol.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Those are a lot of food changes. When you changed food each time, did you do it slowly by mixing a small amount of the new food in with the old for at least a couple of weeks before going strictly to the new food, or did you just do a sudden change all at once without mixing the 2 foods? Dogs, puppies especially, need a very gradual transition when introducing a new food, otherwise you will run into the problems that you are having now. Didn't you just switch to the CN less than a week ago if I remember correctly? Changing again will most likely only make things worse. The last thing you want is a puppy with diarrhea and stomach cramps from all of these food changes. Constant changing can also cause a pup to refuse to eat. CN is actually once of the top of the line foods for allergies and stomach sensitivies.


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## tonisaysss (Nov 6, 2009)

jwemt81 said:


> Those are a lot of changes in food. When you changed food each time, did you do it slowly by mixing a small amount of the new food in with the old for at least a couple of weeks before going strictly to the new food, or did you just do a sudden change all at once? Dogs, puppies especially, need a very gradual transition when introducing a totally new food, otherwise you will run into the problems that you are having now.


i transitioned for about a week. 1/4 to 3/4 and so forth. i don't know if i did that right, however.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

I wouldn't give up on the CN, just need a more gradual phase in. I never did have a pup do well on BB--always the loose stools.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

It should actually be done over a period of about 2 weeks before going strictly to the new food. One week is a pretty quick change. I would stop with the food changes right away and give the CN a few weeks. Changing foods again will more than likely only worsen the situation.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

tonisaysss said:


> i've gone from iams to blue buffalo to california natural. she just had a really bad reaction to the CN, couldn't maintain firm stools on BB, and refused to eat the iams.
> 
> every food that this dog enjoys either makes her scarily sick or unpleasantly gassy.
> 
> ...


Get off the kibble for a while and stay with the Chicken and Rice diet for a week or so. The pup needs a chance for its' digestive system settle down and start functioning normally again. 

Once things are settled down and pups' stools have been normal for at least five days, you can begin to transition to kibble. We've fed Eukanuba LBP to our pups for a very long time and have never had a single problem. PG can say the same about Pro Plan. Both are good foods.

The important thing to remember is get things settled down completely BEFORE trying to switch to a new food.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I actually take the opposite approach of most people. I give my dogs different foods all the time with no transition period. They get so used to having different things all the time they don't have a problem adjusting. I start by getting them used to eating a variety of raw foods. Once I know they can go easily from one day to another eating various raw foods, it seems to carry over to feeding different kibble. When I go to the big dog shows with lots of dog food companies, I get as many different samples as I can and periodically throw in a sample for the dogs for dinner.

One of the reasons I started doing that is because my girl's tummy was super sensitive. Any change in diet would make her sick. I worried about if I brought her somewhere (like to board) and they didn't feed her the food I brought. Now she seems to handle food changes fine.


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## tonisaysss (Nov 6, 2009)

her stools have been firm for the past day or so. 

should i really try to transition her back to CN? she was on it for four days before she got really sick -- i don't really know if it was the CN (ya never really do) and she also had a handful of CN when she was sick and she handled it well.

maybe i'll work some CN into her chicken/rice diet to get her use to it. i don't want to mix it with blue buffalo if she's had issue with it too.


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## Traz (Jan 19, 2009)

Since she has had some problems I agree to let her tummy settle a while with the chicken & rice. Then start with what ever food you choose. Because of having a problems with some foods I would stick with something with limited ingredients & mix only a small amount with the chicken & rice. Since she seems to tolerate the chicken & rice maybe go with a food that is similar. She must not have an allergy to either of those. If you are afraid to try California Natural, Natural Balance or Fromm make limited ingredients foods also. I am sure there are others.
Once you switch, unless she is really sick, give it a while. They say it can take 4-6 weeksd to really get use to a new food & get the bowel pattern reset. Watch added foods like treats & things during that time. Maybe use a little kibble if you need a reward.
I have probably missed it in another thread but you have had stool samples just to be sure it isn't a medical problem, right?
Good luck!


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## goldengirl09 (Jul 23, 2009)

I think California Natural is really good too but my vet recommends Natural Balance L.I.D. for dogs with allergies. I think it's pretty similar to California Natural so I'm not sure if it would help but each bag has only one protein and one carb. Harvey doesn't have any allergies but I just put him on the Sweet Potato & Fish one and noticed that his stools seem firmer and he loves the food.


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## Sucker For Gold (Jan 13, 2009)

I'm really surprised to hear that CN does not agree with Layla.

Since she's been having a loose problem for a while now and it's remained through two different foods....have you considered the thought that it may not be a food problem. Puppies are quite vulnerable to parasites such as coccidia and giardia. A $20 fecal float at your vets might not be a bad idea at this point. Vomiting, loose stools, and gas can all be indications of parasitic involvement and I'd be even more suspect if her stools are mucousy or mushy like pudding OR if you are seeing cycles of a few days of firm stools and then a few days loose stools.


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## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

Sucker For Gold said:


> I'm really surprised to hear that CN does not agree with Layla.
> 
> Since she's been having a loose problem for a while now and it's remained through two different foods....have you considered the thought that it may not be a food problem. Puppies are quite vulnerable to parasites such as coccidia and giardia. A $20 fecal float at your vets might not be a bad idea at this point. Vomiting, loose stools, and gas can all be indications of parasitic involvement and I'd be even more suspect if her stools are mucousy or mushy like pudding OR if you are seeing cycles of a few days of firm stools and then a few days loose stools.


Exactly what I was thinking. When Brady was a pup, we went through 9 MONTHS of changing foods to try and get him stabilized!!! I was ready to rip my hair out!! In the end, it turned out to be a combination of giardia and food allergies. He now eats CN lamb and rice with some metamucil added in to keep him nice and firm. That combination works for him. But what others have said is correct: Don't keep changing too quickly as that will make things worse. If your pup is stable now on the chix/rice, WAIT about a week before slowly transitioning to CN or whatever food you decide to try. Brady also has a sensitive stomach, and the transition formula I found works best for him is this: 25% new/75% old for 5 days, 50% new/50%old for 5 days, 75% new/25%old for 5 days, then all new food. One other note: it is now believed that the fecal float test for giardia can often miss the worms and show everything is okay when it's not...sending it to an outside lab to be spun down and looked at under a microscope is more accurate. Good luck!


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## BJSalz (Mar 24, 2009)

Funny, I too switched from Iams to BB and now on Pacific Acana. He LOVED Acana orginally and has had no problems until just recently, he doesn't gulp it up any more, leaving most in his bowl. 

I think I might switch too but didn't know what to get. I might go with CN or Natural Balance because my local pet store sells them; the store with Acana is a far drive.

I'm undecided.


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## mx3fam (Dec 14, 2008)

I have been feeding my 9 week Golden puppy Authority Puppy food (lamb) but his stools seem soft. His breeder was feeding him Prism Growth Forumla. He has been on Authority for about a week. Should I just give it some time or add something to firm up the stools. Also, is this a good puppy food?

Here is the label:


Ingredients:
Lamb, Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Wheat, Wheat Germ Meal, Oat Groats, Rice Bran, Dried Egg Product, Beef Tallow (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Fish Meal, Natural Flavor, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine. Vitamin and Mineral Supplements (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Ascorbic Acid), Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, D Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement).
*Guaranteed Analysis:
*Crude Protein (min) 25.0% 
Crude Fat (min) 15.0% 
Crude Fiber (max) 3.0% 
Moisture (max) 10.0% 
Calcium (min) 1.4% 
Phosphorus (min) 1.2% 
Zinc (min) 175mg/kg 
Selenium (min) 0.15mg/kg 
Vitamin A (min) 15,000 IU/kg 
Vitamin E (min) 200 IU/kg 
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min) 2.2%* 
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.40%* 
Vitamin C (min) 20 mg/kg* 
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (min) 0.1%*


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## dmsl (Jun 7, 2009)

You can take the rest of your blue buffalo back for a refund, ya know? Even if you don't have your receipt they'll let you exchange it for another bag of a different food. Then I agree to stick with the CN for a while & see if it works. Our almost 12 yr old lab has done wonderful on Purina....and per breeder we have Bear (8 month old golden) on Eukanuba puppy growth getting read to switch him over to the Eukanuba Wild Turkey & multi grain for adults. I gasped at the price, but I know he's worth it!! We'll just hide that little receipt from hubby for now! haha!


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## tonisaysss (Nov 6, 2009)

i think we just might give CN another go. i've cooked two pots of rice for this dog already...


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

California Natural is as pure and simple as it gets.

I would consult with your vet, and maybe give the CN a little time to work. It can take a week or more.



tonisaysss said:


> i've gone from iams to blue buffalo to california natural. she just had a really bad reaction to the CN, couldn't maintain firm stools on BB, and refused to eat the iams.
> 
> every food that this dog enjoys either makes her scarily sick or unpleasantly gassy.
> 
> ...


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

NuttinButGoldens said:


> California Natural is as pure and simple as it gets.
> 
> I would consult with your vet, and maybe give the CN a little time to work. It can take a week or more.


Too bad it isn't grain-free. Rocky can't handle oatmeal.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I've only been through four puppies personally, so this is hardly a statistical sampling, but we've fed Eukanuba LBP each time and transitioned to Eukanuba Adult (years ago) or Eukanuba Premium Performance. The dogs have only ever had bad stools when they've been sick (almost always giardia) and no other food-related trouble. They're lean, glossy, and high energy—sometimes too high).

I can't count the number of times I've seen threads about loose stools and Blue Buffalo, California Natural, Wellness, and the whole host of boutique "premium" or grain-free foods. Again, that's not a scientific sampling of data about the quality of those foods, but I'm starting to suspect that some of these foods that look good on paper are perhaps not as easy on some dogs as the older-school foods.

I don't mean to bash those foods, since lots of people's dogs thrive on them. I'll also repeat that the connection I'm starting to see is definitely anecdotal, not scientific. But still...


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## tonisaysss (Nov 6, 2009)

i agree with you completely. i had layla on both eukanuba and iams when we first got her but for some reason i couldn't get her or even my min-pin to touch either foods. i have no idea why and i'm definitely not opposed to either foods whatsoever because i've had dogs that have done great on both, especially eukanuba.

it all depends on what works for the dog in my opinion. if there's no problem, i don't see a reason to switch. heck, if layla would have actually touched her iams i would have never switched.

i mean, the entire time i was in the pet feed store tonight some guy was trying to pitch some sort of holistic grain-free 38% protein food to me for my 5 month old puppy telling me dogs are allergic to all grains. i mean, come on...

it may be silly, but i took back the bag of CN and exchanged it for innova adult beef formula for my own peace of mind. it probably had nothing to do with her sickness but i never want to see her like that again. . she's been on liver, chicken, and brown rice for the past 5 days now so we are _VERY_ slowing working in the innova with rice this time. 

hoping this will be the magic food after we get the giardia taken care of. :crossfing


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