Bland Diet - Chicken/Rice Alternatives?

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Tenley has been sick for a few days because of a bone we gave him last week (more about that below) and has been on a bland diet of Chicken and Rice. 

But I was thinking more about this. Say a dog is allergic or intolerant to chicken and beef. What are some bland diet alternatives? I have always fed Chicken and Rice but as we get ready to begin the food trial marathon, I am trying to figure out what to do in the future should we find him to be allergic or intolerant of chicken and beef. What do others do?

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Alright-- more about the bone that made him sick. I am kicking myself--literally-- for even giving it to him. One of my best friends recommended it as the best thing she has ever given her dog, and she is generally picky about what she feeds so I trusted her without explicitly reading the ingredients. Wrong. Tenley had explosive diarrehea all over himself, his crate, the couch, the walls... EVERYWHERE. Thankfully that is now behind us. My vet said that she has seen a lot of dogs getting sick from this very same bone. I contacted Chewy and told them what happened and they are discussing with RedBarn. , so I think with that news RedBarn is definitely closely investigating this, they even mentioned recall in our last communication. Here's a link to the bone:

http://www.chewy.com/dog/redbarn-large-peanut-butter-filled/dp/45883

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Yup, I literally cringed when I read the ingredients. My friend who recommended it was horrified too when I told her what was in it. As I said below, lesson learned... don't trust anyone!

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Yes, that is what we have always done. We typically wouldn't give him ANYTHING like this. But, I trusted a usually very picky friend who recommended it. Lesson learned... don't trust anyone.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Except us, lol. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nobody who is picky about what they feed their dog would ever dream of giving this to their dog. It's no wonder dogs are getting sick from it. 

From the Dog Food Project's Ingredients to Avoid:

Propylene Glycol:

A colorless viscous hygroscopic liquid, CH3CHOHCH2OH, used in antifreeze solutions, in hydraulic fluids, and as a solvent.

Used as humectant in semi-moist kibble to keep it from drying out. May be toxic if consumed in large amounts, and should definitely not be an ingredient in a food an animal will eat daily for weeks, months or even years of its life. In countries of the European Union, propylene glycol is not cleared as a general-purpose food grade product or direct food additive.

Yellow 6:

Industry-sponsored animal tests indicated that this dye, the third most widely used, causes tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney. In addition, small amounts of several carcinogens contaminate Yellow 6. However, the FDA reviewed those data and found reasons to conclude that Yellow 6 does not pose a significant cancer risk to humans. Yellow 6 may also cause occasional allergic reactions. Another ingredient I would rather avoid and err on the side of caution rather than risking my pet's health.

 

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

That is crazy! I am starting to get a little glad that Tenley got sick after only eating MAYBE a teaspoon of the peanut butter (we gave it to him for 10 min before bed one night, then took it away), because otherwise he very well may have eaten the whole thing! Imagine how sick he would have been then. I would not have liked to see that.

I was talking to my dog food store guy about it on Saturday (who I love), he was saying it sounds like my friend is the type that he sees all the time: feeds their dog the best food out there, but doesn't think of also buying healthy treats. I think that is pretty accurate. He says he sees so many people coming in asking for grain-free recommendations for food, then he asks them what kind of treats they feed and they mention something with grain (like Milkbone or other grocery store treats) and they aren't interested in switching the treats, too, because their dog loves them. Since dogs don't get THAT much in the way of treats, I think a lot of people forget to think about that when they think about their pet's overall nutrition! He was saying he wishes he could keep his entire store behind a counter so that he can quiz each pet owner coming in to buy food all about their pet's nutrition to make sure it is "correct"! Imagine that!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

What about eggs?  Maybe too high in fat? 

I know when Luna isn't feeling well I often give her plain scrambled eggs with rice and it goes down well.  Super easy and quick to prepare too :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Eggs are fine, and they are not high in fat at all. 

In fact they are so low in calories, you have to use an awful lot of them, which is the main reason I don't recommend them as the protein source for a bland diet. But for a smaller dog who doesn't need as many calories, they'd work just fine. I used them back in the days when JD was still a picky eater and I had to get him to eat something. 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

What a load of junk in your peanut butter. Mine just says peanuts. Sunflower oil , no added salt. Thank goodness.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nicky, this isn't peanut butter. These bones come already stuffed with this junk when you buy them. Look at the picture in the link: http://www.redbarninc.com/redbarn-pet-products/redbarn-for-dogs/dog...

The peanut butter in jars that we buy in the store is much like yours. :)