# What to feed?



## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi everyone! I have a one and a half old 75 lb (not overweight) Golden. She is so weird when it comes to food. I'd like to ask everyone their opinion to what to feed her. I'm nuts about feeding her good food, but it doesn't seem to agree with her. When she was a puppy we fed her Solid Gold LB Puppy, but it gave her loose stool. At this point she was going to th dog park almost every day. We switched to crappy food (Iams Pro Health LB Puppy) for a little while due to money constraints and her poop was solid and good. 

A few months ago we put her on Canidae Grain-Free and back to loose poop. Switched to Regular Canidae All Life Stages and she was doing pretty good, but again with the loose stool. The thing is she's had bloody diarrhea twice before and it was from Giardia (thre is a lake at the dog park we were going to). Since then we won't let her in the water, but then two weeks ago she had bloody diarrhea again. Took her to the vet wondering how she could have gotten the Giardia again, but she tested negative. The vet recommended a low fat diet and gave her the meds to clear up any type of parasite (even though the tests were negative). The Canidae is has Crude Protein (min.) 24.00% Crude Fat (min.) 14.50% Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00% is that high? It's less than other brands. While she was taking her meds I fed her home cooked rice and chicken and green beans. She wasn't pooping but maybe once every day and a half. They said it was from the meds. Now she's back on her food and her poop is loose again. Right now she hasn't been going to the dog park because she keeps getting all these bumps (a possible allergy to freaking grass). She doesn't have fleas. 

So basically I have a dog who had bloody diarrhea without parasites, who gets loose stool when we feed her healthier dog food, gets red bumps on her belly and underside when we take her to the dog park for exercise (no back yard at our condo). What the heck do I do?

What do you think? What do you suggest on feeding her? Because she's not very active do you think that would cause her not to be digesting the food right?

Thank you so much for any help!


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Hmmmm.... I'm no expert, that's for sure, but it seems people have pretty good luck with the California Natural lines of food. They're very simple, but still healthy. Also, I know there are different schools of thought as far as food goes, but I honestly believe that some dogs just can't handle the "richness" of the grain free and 'ultra premium' foods. I think my Charlie is one of them, so I have chosen to just try to find a food that's not Ol'Roy, but is also going to agree with him, and if that's Pro Plan, Eukanuba, or Iams, I'm certainly ok with it. Others may disagree, but I don't take it personally.  

Good luck!! 

Candace


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

I am by no means an expert. My 2 year old GR, Sophie, has what we call an "iron stomach." She can eat pretty near anything and seem to tolerate it well. We are going through the loose stool thing now with our puppy, Sawyer. He came to us eating Fromm Puppy Gold, which I started mixing with Sophie's food, Fromm Duck and Sweet Potato (it's one of their 4 Star foods and is an all life stages food). He did test positive for coccidia, which explained some of the runny stools. His last fecal came back negative, hopefully meaning the coccidia has been knocked back. Anyway, trying to figure out the loose stools - I called and talked with a Fromm representative yesterday and she said that for whatever reason, it seems many GRs don't tolerate chicken as well. The puppy food lists chicken meal and chicken as ingredients #2 and #3. We are keeping him on boiled rice and ground beef for today, and then when we begin transitioning him back to dog food tomorrow, we are going to transition him to the Duck and Sweet Potato only. Hopefully, that works for him! I have no clue if that information pertains to your dog, but maybe it will help?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

She might just have a chronic digestive disorder and you have to be careful about what to feed her. 

I don't like IAMS either, but I went to the description of that food you had her on that her poop was solid and normal. Maybe focus on picking a dog food that is for sensitive stomach or makes the same statements. If I couldn't find anything, I would probably switch my dog back to IAMS rather than see my dog suffering from collitis. 

Every dog is different. Personally speaking, our dogs were on IAMS and Pedigree when they went through pretty bad digestive issues. Our vet and our dog class instructor both told us to find a lamb and rice dog food. We did, and that put an end to all of the digestive problems. 




> This Iams ProActive Health formula has PreBiotics that work inside the digestive tract to promote healthy digestion and strong defenses. Healthy inside. Healthy outside.
> 
> Designed for puppies ages 1-12 months, Iams concentrated nutrition proactively nourishes your puppy to help keep him at his best
> 
> ...


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I think the thing to do is to try a different recipe - if she's not good on chicken for example, switching to a different chicken based food isn't going to work! Same with the grain free, some are too rich so another rich food is going to do the same thing if that's the issue.

With all her allergies and issues, I'd suggest a raw diet to see if that makes any difference. Many dogs have done much better right away on a raw diet and with a bit of help you can adjust it to her needs too.

Lana


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## Starfire5 (Apr 23, 2010)

My daughter's 1 year old boy Jameson had bloody diarrhea off and on during his first year with us. He was diagnosed with colitis and put on prescription food (I think it was Iams - not sure). Since that has grains and other junk in it, she recently switched him to a partial raw diet. She buys the frozen raw food already prepared ($$$$), mixes it with Great Life holistic kibble which has a "raw food coating". She gives him sweet potatoes, green beans, banana, vitamin C, digestive enzymes, etc. 

I have him now for 4 days and am going crazy trying to feed 4 goldens and 4 cats, all on different diets and combinations! My 57 year old menopausal brain will be lucky to survive the next 4 days without exploding! LOL :uhoh:


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

To me it sounds like the higher protein and better quality ingredients don't agree with her. Some dogs do best on what we consider lower quality food. 

If it were me, I would put her back on the food that she did best on. If it works for her then it's the right food for her, even if you would prefer a more premium food.


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

Thanks you guys! I really appreciate all the advice and responses! Keep 'em coming!

Firedancer - I agree with you and I don't want to watch my pup suffer. I want her to eat right, but not at the expense of her digestive track. A lot of those crappy foods have so much corn in it. I remember talking to one of the Science Diet reps telling me corn is good for dogs and I laughed in his face. Humans can't digest corn and we have 28 ft of intestines, dogs have 3 ft. I gave my dog some mixed veggies in her food and she pooped out the corn whole. I don't see how something you can't digest is healthy for you, you know?

Sophie_Mom - I've never heard of the intolerance to chicken thing before, but I did read an article (http://www.grccny.org/Feeding a Golden.htm) on how vets started recommending lamb alot for dogs with weak stomaches because at the time dog food was primarily made of chicken and beef and lamb was more rare and therefor "primer" meat, unlike the leftover poultry and beef being put in our dogs food. I don't know if that holds up today because the Solid Gold I was feeding my GR was lamb and rice. 

Bender - I agree with you about switching from chicken to chicken. The food she's on now goes chicken meal, turkey meal, lamb meal for the first three ingredients and then ocean fish meal later down the list. The dog eats better than we do (as I eat my beefaroni lunch).

Megora - Thank you for posting that! You really made my brain click. "This Iams ProActive Health formula has PreBiotics..." The thing I think that helped were the prebiotics. See we've made friends with lots of people at the dog park with the lake and our GR is the only one who gets the Giardia. After talking to several people it's clear that our dog is more prone to getting it than others - kind of like my bf's nephew is prone to getting sick if you sneeze a mile away. I've been wanting to get this probiotic prebiotic salmon oil for her but I've been poor lately. I think it's time to try that, huh? http://www.alaska-naturals.com/Index/probiotic.php

Starfire - Good luck! I think that you are a very dedicated mommy!


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## dc_glidden (Jul 14, 2010)

You did all of the right things when you were asking for help, Minus one.

You never mentioned how much you fed your dog.

feeding the recommended amount of one food and your dog agreed, doesn't hold true for all foods.

I would try reducing your dogs food intake a 1/4 for the next 2-3 days and see if the poop changes. If no change, back off another 1/4 for another 2-3 days.

1/2 cup isn't going to starve your dog, hell even a cup less a day won't, but it may be just enough to fix the issue.

remember its just a guideline you feed 3.5-4.5 cups a day. ( on an active dogs diet ) 

your dog may only need 2-3 cups to be sustained correctly.

Anology. 

You over eat a bunch, see if you get the runs  lol


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

You mentioned about this dog park. Is it possible that your dog is getting exposed to something environmental? Perhaps other than the water, which might be causing the bumps you had mentioned? Your situation is needing some detective work. I give my dog a good plain yogurt for healthy digestion. Along with feeding Fromm Four Star Duck and Sweet Potato. I hope you are able to resolve this soon.


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi guys! I went to the store yesterday and picked up a small bag of Natural Balance Sweet Potatoe & Fish Formula. It's part of the limited ingredient diet formulas that the company makes. I did look at the Fromm Duck formula, but was concerned because it's a fatty, greasy meat. The thing I like about the stuff I bought is it only has 5 main ingredients and I can't be sure if my baby is allergic to something that's in the food. She could be getting sick from chicken, or rice, or something else. In fact it makes sense that she doesn't do good with rice because on the Iams (with no rice) she was ok. If this doesn't work I'll most likely put her back on the Iams but add meat to it. I feel good about this food though because after adding it to her food last night her stool this morning was partially formed. That could be the sweet potatoe. Wish us luck!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I've never really bought into the whole "premium" food stuff. Many (not all) of the formulas seem more about selling the food to the human sense of what's more "wild" or "natural" or "holistic" than about selling a food that's great for dogs. So many dogs seem to have GI issues while on some (not all) of these expensive foods. Some of the more "traditional" foods seem to be formulated to agree with a wider range of dogs.

By the way, the bag of Eukanuba I just bought is definitely labeled "premium" in the info section of the bag, and the name of the formula is "Premium Performance." So, by all accounts, I seem to have a "premium" food. 

That said, the cyclical nature of what you're describing, particularly when it improves while the dog's on meds and then comes back, seems to indicate chronic giardiasis. The dog can either be reinfected from the yard while his immune system is still compromised, or it can because the parasite persisted in its cyst form, which isn't affected by the meds. An on-off course of metronidazole (like one week on, two off, one on) can help catch the cysts as they try to break out again and wipe them out completely.

Giardia frequently gives a false negative since it only sheds periodically. The best diagnosis is by response to meds. If your dog tested positively recently and is experiencing the symptoms, testing negatively, and responding to meds, it's a good bet that he still has it.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

The Fromm 4-star line is the only food that has worked perfectly for both of our boys and they absolutely love it. I've never seen them so excited over a food before. It's also a lower calorie food. I can't recommend it enough.


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## AllShookUp (May 7, 2010)

Hi Tempest. 
So how's it going on the feeding & evacuations? I hope you are getting better results after changing food once again. We had a similar problem with our pup 13 years ago. He came to us & was always having gas & diarraha all the time. We put him on the Regal Foods. He has not had gas or loose stools or diarraha since the change from Eukanuba. If you don't have results soon, check out the Regal line of foods. We use the Red bag, Lamb & Rice & plan to start switching our new pup over to it once we get him home.

http://www.regalpetfoods.com/


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

From my own personal experience, the "premium" foods also did not work for my Flora. Solid Gold, TOTW, Blue Buffalo, Orijin, and Wellness all gave Flora gas and nasty poop. As much as I personally want to feed her these upper end foods because to me, they sound yummy, Flora has been doing quite well on her Purina Pro Plan Sensitive stomach... I thought for a while that she might have allergies from it, but a change in the weather (and a subsequent disappearance of Flora's allergy symptoms) has completely eradicated those thoughts.

We also eliminated chicken from her diet, as per the vet's instructions. I don't know if that was the culprit or not, but for the time being Flora does not eat anything with chicken in it.


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hey guys and gals! Here's whats going on with the new food: Solid poop! Hooray! I've tried pumpkin filler in her old food but to no avail, however this new food with Sweet Potatoe does the trick. She hasnt had a runny bout once. I don't know though if she was allergic to rice or perhaps the meat content. Here's the bad thing: She smells like dirty kitty litter. Oh my gosh, phewy! I really believe it's the Salmon food. Oh jeez. Luckily Natural Balance has other formulas like duck and venison besides the chicken and turkey formulas. Worst case scenerio? Doggy spritzers. She has solid poop and seems happy and enjoys her food so I'm not going to upset that just cuz she's stinky now. 

Anyone else have stinky Golden due to Salmon or Salmon oil? I mean it really smells like kitty litter (we dont have a cat). 

Thanks guys for all your posts! I think that when it comes down to it, any dog food that you feel is good for your dog and works is great - each dog is different. As long as you are aware of the chemicals in it each brand then it's fine. But I'm very thankful for everyone's suggestions and knowledge!


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

No kitty litter smell, but my dog did start to smell like potatoes when he ate Core so who knows!!!! You are what you eat right? For Banner, it was foods that were grain heavy that created a nightmare. I'm glad you seemed to have found what works for your girl.


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## ChiPack (Jan 22, 2010)

I can relate to the feeding frenzy frustration! Reagan had stomach problems her entire life. That's when we didn't know any better and were still feeding her Science Diet Lamb and Rice mix. She had a stomach ache nearly every day. 

She has a very sensitive stomach. Now, we feed her Wellness Super 5 mix Large Breed and her stomach problems are gone. We have also found that Taste of the Wild works for her too. Good luck!


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## crnp2001 (Feb 18, 2007)

I don't know about her odor, but my girl recently had major issues with Canidae Lamb and Rice, after successfully eating it for 3 yrs. I don't know if they changed the formula (like they had with the all-stages formula), but she refused to eat, had vomiting and diarrhea, and after all tests were negative, the vet thought she had a bad bag of food and some kind of allergic reaction to it.

We transitioned her to Natural Balance Lamb and Rice and have had NO problems (knock on wood). She LOVES this food. No problem with stools, odor, or gas. I am not an expert on dog odors, but perhaps if you try a different formula, she will do better.

~Kim~


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## sidney's hot momma<3 (Aug 28, 2010)

Taste of the wild is a really good food. my puppy had diarrhea for two straight months while on store bought food. i asked my vet and she recommended Taste of the Wild and we haven't had any problems since. It's amazing how fast it worked and how much better he's been feeling. Good Luck!


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## daisysmam (Sep 5, 2010)

When Daisy had a few raised bumps on her belly my vet said they were mosquito bites...just a thoought


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## mygoldenkids (Oct 4, 2010)

When you switch her foods, try adding a spoonful of pure canned pumpkin the the food until you've made the complete transition. This really helps w/ loose stools.

I have my puppy on Fromm's Duck & Sweet potato now (she had a few problems w/ food tolerance early on), and she is doing well. I add about 1/8 tsp of a probiotic powder that was recommended at a holistic pet store. It helps w/ keeping the levels of good bacteria in check (just like w/ humans.) You could do yogurt, but I found that my puppy got very gassy w/ yogurt. EWWW!

I also give her mashed banana as a treat every now and then, and I do limit the number of times I give her peanut butter in her Kong toy, as the pb sometimes gives her looser stools.

Good luck!


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi all! Happy Halloween! 
So far we've kept Sable on the Natural Balance (no loose stool in months!). We did switch from Salmon flavor to Bison and it did help with the stinky kitty litter smell. Who knows? Now that we have her steady on her food I slowly introduce her to new things to find out what she may be allergic to. Our results are: Wheat flour in dog treats gives her the red bumpies, rye flour gives her a small reaction. Basically she's only getting the pure meat treats because any kind of flour and possibly rice makes her break out. 
Now I'm trying to get rid of the dry flaky skin. I put that on a different thread, but I'm finding if I don't let her daddy wash her (I don't think he rinses her well enough - lol), switched her to an easy rinse out shampoo, and added fish oil and animal fat supplements to her diet...the dandriff/yeasty smell is less and less. It's a process, but she's totally worth it.
CRNP2001 - We had that issue with Canidae too! Sable was good for a little bit then BAM sick. I still feed it to my mutt because she loves it and doesn't have any bad reactions to it. 
DAISYSMAM - these bumps on sable's belly is little red bumps from an allergic reaction similar to a rash on a human. She gets them from food and from the grass at the dog park. The city has to treat the dog park every few weeks, and when Sable lays in the grass she breaks out. 
I've heard good things about Taste of the Wild for a lot of dogs, but unless something changes I'm pretty sure we will stay on the Natural Balance and just switch her flavors every few months so she doesn't get bored. Who'd want to eat the same thing everyday?


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

Great Website for dog food is Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble if you go to and look at food reviews... you will see the foods rated from 1-6 stars... Im going to feed Wellness, but good foods like Innova and California Naturals are all 6 star foods.


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

LOL BetterThanYourBentley, I have that site in my signature. I love that site!PMBetterThenYourBentley


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

haha just saw that... i do to i saw a new food today at the pet store.. the first thing i did was go on that site


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

I'm back! I'm losing my mind AGAIN! So here it is: First, Sable has had a couple ear infections, she gets ear drops, they go away. This last time she was scratching I took her to the vet and she had no infection, but was scratching and causing cuts in her ear, which scab and become itchy. I've tried flushing and now I'm back to flushing and ear drops, some light peroxide on the major rips and neosporin. 
Next, the itchy, dandriffy, SMELLY skin. I tried different shampoos thinking they weren't washing out, they were drying her skin out. I've tried washing weekly, washing monthly, no conditioner, conditioner, no sprays. Nothing. Now she has a "hotspot". I figured she's highly allergic to fleas. She had ONE flea. ONE! I shaved the area, cleaned it, neosporin, and if she even goes to sniff the area I give her "the look". She also seems to be getting rashes again (red bumpilies on her tummy). I thought the grass treatment at the dog park, maybe even from the (ONE!) flea.
Now to the food: She's on Natural Balance Sweet Potatoe & Bison. I've tried at least a dozen different foods and brands: too much protien seems to give her diarrhea, I think she may have an allergy to rice - definitly one to wheat (she breaks out). The sweet potatoe makes her poop solid, she LOVES potatoe, bison is a good lean meat.
Issue?: I think she has a yeast infection. A big one. A systemic yeast infection explains everything. Sure go to the vet and they will treat the problem at hand with antibiodics for this and for that, but it doesn't get rid of the problem. Sable licks her paws, "scratches" (she lifts her back paw and attemps the scratch motion but never really makes contact like "i have an itch but i know i shouldnt itch it"), has yeast ear infections, red bumps, sometimes black patches of dry skin, her coat is oily at the skin yet flaky, smelly and coarse (sable has medium curly hair - yes she's a full blooded golden), and her joints pop-pop-pop. This screams yeast infection. From what I've read I need to give her probiotics daily - no problem. But that won't get the yeast levels back down to a normal level. Also her diet should change because (of course!) potatoe is a huge feeding ground for yeast. 

What can I feed her? What doesn't have wheat, or uses rice or potatoe for filler....and isn't too high in protien? Water. I'm going to put her on a water-only diet and put her in a bubble. That'll fix it!

Please help.

UPDATE: I'm going to try the Natural Balance Chicken & Brown Rice. If she doesn't have diarrhea or break out into a rash good, if she does - she's allergic to rice and I'm going to try Go! Natural Salmon and Oatmeal. She may be allergic to salmon, who knows. Please give me any suggestions you may have and let me know if you've dealt with yeast issues. THANKS!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Have her thyroid checked and have her hips checked. 

Popping sounds from joints either means your dog is not getting enough fluids or it could be an issue. 

Rule out those issues out first before going any further. 

I'm not one of those people who feels that every ear infection or itch indicates a thyroid problem. But what you describe sounds like classic symptoms of thyroid disease. The smelly skin with patches of black, dry coarse coat, etc...


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## Tempest7777 (Jul 30, 2010)

I've had those checked recently. Fine and fine. Lots of things can cause joint issues. Gluclosmine is supposed to help. I'm looking into getting her a supplement that includes that and probiotics. She turned 2 in February.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Sensitivity to wheat is a common problem for a number of dogs. Fleas allergies are also a big problem in Goldens. Giardia is tough to get rid of completely unless you make your dog live in a bubble its' entire life. Yeast infections are stubborn. It take long term treatment to finally get rid of it completely. 

You may want to consider going back to Iams since it doesn't contain wheat and your dog did well on it. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it.)


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## Sheltie (Apr 8, 2011)

*Blue Buffalo*

My six yo spayed bitch has always been very finicky when it comes to eating. Sometimes she will go a couple days only eating a couple of kernels and then she will eat normally. She is 80 lbs, in good health and with no problems I know of. I feed her Blue Buffalo, large breed chicken formula, two cups per day (she won't eat any more) because I want to feed her a 5-star rated food. In all honesty, I could probably feed her Ol' Roy and she wouldn't complain (but I won't). BB is a good feed, but at almost $50 per 30 lbs, it is expensive.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

I am not a fan of dog parks, too much stuff lurking around.:yuck: As far as yeast infections of the ear, I just use vinegar daily until they are gone. I didn't read all the posts, but did you take her to see a specialist(allergy, or thyroid)? I hope you can get this all figured out.


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