Commercial Foods-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tell us what commercial foods have worked for you and which have caused problems; information, questions, warnings and advice on dog food companies, ingredients, brands, and switching foods.
(Recall information now in it's own discussion here in The Food Group)

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

we use nature's variety....
all flavors, i buy a different "flavor" every time i need a new bag
izzy loves it, and it is good for all ages... puppy - adult. that makes it easier to free feed both dogs! because i know that if i had 2 diff. kinds, izzy would eat the puppy food and tucker would eat the large breed food. so this food really works well for us. both of their coats are soft and shiny. and not to be gross, but izzy has small poo's for a large dog, and if i miss a pile on clean up duty, the rain just dissolves it (sorry to be gross! lol)

but i also give them cooked chicken, eggs, cottage cheese & yogurt as a special treat once in a while. i would love to cook for them all the time, i just don't have the time.
so in all my research i found this brand to work best for us, and our groomer carries it in her boutique, so i have easy access to it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Are you using the "Prairie" kind?

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

yes, right now i have the chicken meal & brown rice....is this bad?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No- in fact, it's one of the kibbles I'm considering switching Jack to...we would be using the salmon and the lamb varieties. I've held off because he's had so many medical issues, I've been waiting for everything to settle down before putting him through more changes.
One of my concerns was that it doesn't have glucosamine or chondroitin in it, which his current food has...but I've found "happy hips" jerky treats which supply those, so we're set to make the switch...as soon as I get up my courage, LOL

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

i guess i am playing post it tag...lol!!! what a relief that it is a good choice!
like i said i switch flavors every time i get a new bag...the salmon and the lamb are more expensive, but the salmon really gives izzy a beautiful coat!! i can tell the difference! tucker hasn't gotten to try that one yet...almost done with the 30 pounder of the chicken...lol

i have read in several of your post that jack seems to have some problems..what is wrong? can it be treated?

when i switched izzy it was easy...lynn, our groomer said not to even mix it...just give it to her as i would her old food. and i did just that...we had no tummy issues, so when we brought tucker home i just started him on it with no mixing with his old food...he had no tummy issues either. so good luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack has severe Atopic dermatitis, or Atopy, which is an autoimmune disease-in other words, an allergy. This is one of the things which led me to start this group. Although I have a background in biology and physiology, I was shocked when I began discussing Jack's medical problems on line by how many people associate allergy with food. In fact, food allergies are relatively rare, both in people and in dogs. I was also shocked at how many people do not know the difference between food intolerance, and actual food allergy. Allergy itself is poorly understood by most people. To this moment, even when presented with incontrovertible scientific information, every time I discuss Jack's issues, someone will start to talk about food. (I promise you it will happen here too.) People are playing around with food while their dogs are suffering with bacterial infections (different from yeast infections, which CAN be caused by food) and advising others to do the same. So I started to do a lot of research; I think there is a great need to inform ourselves.

[Tracy L Boring]

Hello,

I am new to the group, so I am unfamiliar with Jack's Atopic dermatitis. Can you tell me a little more about Atopic dermatitis? Mostly the symptoms.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Basically, Atopic Dermatitis is a genetic disease which takes the form of severe seasonal and/or environmental allergies. The symptoms are severe itching, scratching, and skin infections, primarily of the feet, face (especially around the eyes), axilla, groin, and base of tail. Paw licking and chewing are frequently the first signs. Ear infections and red eyelids are common, too. It most commonly appears in dogs over 1 year of age, although we have seen it recently in younger dogs. We have a support group here on DK for prople whose dogs are affected. Again, Atopic Dermatitis is hereditary and has nothing to do with food.

[Tracy L Boring]

Thanks for getting back to me.

[Tracy L Boring]

Karen,
What would be considered severe itching, and are the eyelids red around the top and bottom, or just the top?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sure every dog is different, but it is not normal for a dog to be scratching repeatedly or on a daily basis. Now that Jack's being treated, he rarely scraqtches at all, ever. So if you see a dog scratching on a regular basis, something is wrong.
But severe itching causes a dog to be scratching, licking, and biting at himself constantly, and as if he is very uncomfortable. There may be hair loss, redness, scabbing, swelling, etc.
Any area around the eyes and eyelids can be affected; again, it would vary from dog to dog. Jack's upper lids get purplish red, but some dogs have it all around their eyes.

[Tracy L Boring]

Karen,

Thanks this is all good to know. I have two dogs, and one may itch twice a day. The other one itches five times in a day. I have not noticed any paw licking, or chewing. What I have noticed is that when he gets very excited he starts coughing and kind of struggles to catch his breath. We took the dog in on Friday. The veterinarian thought maybe a collapsing trachea. They took x-rays of his trachea and his heart. They looked good. Oddly enough, they noticed some inflammation around his lung. The veterinarian mentioned allergies. She wanted to run him on a steroid and allergy medication. I chose not to for now, and we have an appointment to get a second opinion.