# Food Suggestions?



## ndirishkmk (Jan 23, 2016)

My pup has been struggling with digestive issues off and on (usually soft or mucus filled poop) and every few months a bout of diarrhea. He's gotten checked out at the vet and is fine, so that's not it. I'm suspecting food and I've heard many goldens from his rescue having similar issues with Taste of the Wild in the last few months (which he's been on since I rescued him in August). 

I'm looking for suggestions for food to switch him too. I'm trying to go grain-free since he is very itchy as well, but am not sure what brands are the best (and hopefully not crazy expensive!). 

Thanks!


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

It may be a food allergy or intolerance, or it could be that his current food is too rich. A food intolerance or a food that is too rich could cause the digestive issues, but the itching would be more likely caused by an allergy of some type. You could try switching to a new food, but try pick one with a different protein base than what he is eating now. 

How much do you feed at once and per day? Overfeeding can cause stomach upset, as well.

Does he get anything other than his kibble during the day?

Mucous can be a sign of many things, including infection, stress, parasites, and/or just an irritated digestive tract. Soft stools can be helped by small amounts of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), or plain non-fat yogurt, or cottage cheese, with live and active cultures. I also read somewhere that a couple of pieces of shredded wheat can firm up a soft stool. (I actually did try the shredded wheat, and it seemed to have worked.) 

There's a ton of grain free foods. You can check out a website like chewy.com or petco, filter by grain free, and then sort by price to see options. Brands like Fromm, Acana, Orijen, and Merrick are good. You can find some in your price range, then ask around the board again for opinions.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

I should add that while grain free MIGHT help with the allergies, dogs are frequently allergic to meat proteins, which is why I suggested choosing a different protein base for the next food. As an example, mine is highly allergic to lamb. It causes scratching and foot chewing, and his ears become inflamed. He cannot eat foods containing any amount of lamb. 

Your dog's itching may not be food related. It could be environmental. That is a more frequent cause of allergies than food, but given the stomach upset in combination with scratching, I'd certainly be wary of food allergies.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

My crew, all four of them are on Acana Ranchlands which is grain free, and have always done well on it. It may seem expensive but my male golden who weighs 75 lbs. maintains a good weight on 2 cups of kibble a day.


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## ndirishkmk (Jan 23, 2016)

The vet has checked him out and he's completely healthy. I just thought it was odd that I've heard several other people in the area complain about the same issues with TOTW! When he did have the super loose stools and I fed him pumpkin for a day or so that seemed to help (since he was no longer eating the food that potentially caused it I'm guessing). I'm feeding him a cup and a half 2x a day currently.

I'm not opposed to trying something like Acana or Orijen if it helps my little angel, I was just looking for some recommendations! I know that every pup is different, but I imagine some are better for Goldens specifically than others. Forgive me if this is a dumb question, I'm still a new mom!


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

If you are able, you could try feeding 1 cup 3x a day and see if that helps. I am feeding Acana right now due to allergies, but it is too rich for my pup's stomach. To mitigate some of the digestive issues and soft stools, I feed 1 cup morning and night, then 1/2 at lunch. The other 1/2 cup is used for training/treats. Mine was on ToTW Pacific Stream when I got him, but developed diarrhea. I tried to put him back on it several times (using three different bags with different lot numbers) and he always got immediate diarrhea. I determined that he likely has an intolerance to fish based foods when I tried to put him on another food that was fish based and he got immediate diarrhea again. 

I don't particularly care for Diamond foods, honestly, but it was recommended by the breeder, so I gave it a try. Much happier on Acana.


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## ndirishkmk (Jan 23, 2016)

Great suggestion. Unfortunately, I work during the day M-F so have to do 2x a day then. Do you think there's any benefit changing it up on the weekends only? 

He's currently on a wild boar flavor of TOTW but he's tried the salmon as well a while ago with other stomach issues (though that was right when I got him so it could have been adjustment too!). 

I think I'll get a smaller bag of some Arcana to give that a shot. How long does it normally take to notice a difference (to know if that's a winner!)?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

It wouldn't help anything during the week, for sure. As for the digestive issues and Acana (or any different food), you need about a week to transition. You might see some improvement once you're at 50/50, but you should notice within a couple of days of being fully on it. It just depends on how sensitive his stomach is to the change, and whether or not the soft stools are related to food. If it isn't a food issue, you won't see any change. I'd suggest a small spoonful or yogurt or cottage cheese, or a small amount of pumpkin (I think the correct amount is a tablespoon), once a day, just to help out his tummy while you switch. Giving any of those things in excess can cause stomach upset. I'd also stop giving him any dog treats that aren't his kibble, as it complicates your problem. Baby carrots and small apple slices (no seeds) make great treats, in the meantime.


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## kelseypr95 (Jul 5, 2016)

My boy has an issue with poultry. We got him off our turkey and potato food and stopped giving him anything with turkey, chicken, or duck and the itching has pretty much stopped. That said, our food is also grain free and limited ingredient so I suspect that helps too. The food that finally got his itching and diarrhea straight is blue buffalo basics limited ingredient grain free large breed lamb and potato. He loves it and he is healthier than ever on it!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

You're in Minnesota so the first thought when mucus and stool are in the same sentence is Giardia. Giardia is almost impossible to catch in a test at the Vet's office. (They can pick up Giardia from lakes, ponds or poop from a variety of wild critters.)


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

A lot of dogs don't do well on chicken or other poultry, also corn. 

I have been feeding my dogs Purina Pro Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach for the last 6 years and they have done really well on it. My two had sensitive stomachs especially my boy when I adopted him. I tried several different brands and formulas, nothing worked until I started feeding the PPP SSS. it's also works great for their skin/coats. The protein is Salmon, it has a lot of Omega 3s in it, does not contain wheat, corn or soy. 

When you decide to make the food change, be sure to do it gradually or Gipper may have an upset stomach if you make the change all at once. Mix some of the new in with the old food you are feeding and gradually increase the new food while decreasing the amount of the previous food until you are only feeding the new food. I would do this gradually over a week. I would also cut him back to one cup of food twice a day.


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## ndirishkmk (Jan 23, 2016)

So I've done A LOT of research this morning and I think I'm more confused now! There are a lot of quality foods out there, but each seems to have comments about dogs that do fantastic and dogs that can't tolerate something (too much protein, certain additives, etc). A couple of you mentioned that your dogs have issues with various ingredients, was that just a trial and error process?

Bottom line, I think my original question was not the right one. I think I really want to know this... What is the best way to find the best food for him? Get a small bag of a few different brands/flavors and try each for a week? Allergy testing?


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## bixx (Sep 8, 2015)

I feed my dog Remske, but it is a european brand. It's grain free and because it's high in protein -- she gets half a cup 2x a day. It may seem too little, but it's actually the recommended serving. I used to give her a full cup, 2x a day and noticed she gained weight so quickly on it so I cut it down. 

Occasionally, I give her a handful of Core Wellness salmon kibbles, just to break up the monotony of her usual dry food (and to put in fish in her diet). I think this brand is available in the US. It's also grain free. Amber really likes this and often times would ignore her food until I put in some of the core wellness bits. So far, between her regular dry food and this, her poop has remain good (firm, not smelly, not a lot -- which means most of the food is absorbed). Maybe you can look this brand up.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

If your dog has a true food allergy, an elimination diet is the best course of action. That means he gets his food and only his food for eight weeks. If the scratching doesn't improve, you need to try a food with a different meat protein. Foods with single meat proteins are your friend. Also, keeping a chart of what foods you've tried and tracking common ingredients can help you narrow down the problem. However, a food ALLERGY is unlikely to cause stomach upset. A food intolerance would, as well as any number of conditions, including giardia, as mentioned by swampcollie. You may have a combination of things happening all at once. Food allergies would cause scratching, as would allergies to flea bites, pollen, dust/dust mites, detergents, etc. If your primary goal is to solve the stomach upset, ask your vet about the giardia, since swampcollie stated it is prevalent in your area, then try switching foods. If your goal is to ease the scratching, as well, then pick a food with a single meat protein and see how he does for eight weeks, but you also need to look at his environmental conditions, such as the presence of fleas, detergents, shampoo choice, etc.

To directly answer your questions about different dogs and different foods - yes, it's trial and error. Carolina Mom's dogs do well on the PPP SSS that is salmon based, but that gave mine diarrhea. So, you really do have to just try things until you find one that works. However, recommendations from other people are a great place to start.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Swampcollie said:


> You're in Minnesota so the first thought when mucus and stool are in the same sentence is Giardia. Giardia is almost impossible to catch in a test at the Vet's office. (They can pick up Giardia from lakes, ponds or poop from a variety of wild critters.)


I totally agree with this. I had a puppy with giardia and coccidia, and it took three fecals to get a positive. Those were fecals that each included collecting three consecutive samples. So nine poops were tested before we got the first positive (coccidia) and another three before we got the positive on the giardia. She consistently had soft-serve to liquid poos, full of mucous. 

I would ask your vet to treat for whichever of the two is more common in your area - it sounds like that would be giardia. Do a two week course of treatment, and while on it, feed a prescription food (Purina EN is a very bland, easy to digest vet food). If things seem to be better, keep him on the EN food, and do a gradual transition to a similar food (Pro Plan Chicken and Rice is very similar).


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Member usually lurking is absolutely right, some dogs will do great on a particular food while others will not. Each dog is different just like people. 

I also agree with ruling out any medical condition too first before trying to find a food that works for Gipper.


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