Dog food for sensitive stomachs

[Carrie E]

My 5 month old pup has been put on Hill's perscription diet w/d dry dog food. We came to this after constant diareha and horrible gas- and after trying 3 other foods. It works great- her stools are solid- way easier to clean up out of the yard!!!!!- and gas be gone!!!!! So- great stuff. However.... here's the problem. The cost. It is very expensive and I can only get it from my vet. Does anyone know of an "over the counter:)" food that compares. It is a very bland food. Hope someone has an answer!!!

[Lynne B]

My 5 month old puppy had the runs and gas, we finally got him on taste of the wild and haven't had a problem since

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, a lot of Food Group members are having good luck with their puppies on TOTW.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Carrie, the vets prescribe the Hill's products because their nutritional education is paid for by Hill's, and they get commissions for selling the porducts. They really don't know very much about the products.
Here is what's in your Hill's w/d:
Water, Egg Product, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken, Cracked Pearled Barley, Pork Liver, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Iodized Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, L-Tryptophan, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), L-Carnitine, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

The third ingredient, (and really it's the 2nd, because the first is water), is corn. The food also contains soy, and cellulose, which is an undigestible substance meant to add bulk. (It's significant that W/D is also intended for overweight dogs...cellulose fills them up without adding any calories or nutrition.
Overall, you are paying a lot of money for a very poor quality food, and one which may cause allergies over time. Corn and soy are two of the biggest culprits in canine food allergies.
All you need is a limited ingredient food, one which has a quality protein source, a substantial amount of rice, and not much else. What were the other three foods you tried, specifically? Is Evanger's available in your area?

[Carrie E]

I will have to check about the Evanger's- not sure. The breeders had her on IAM's large breed puppy food. Then we slowly switched her to nature's recipe lrg. breed puppy food, later slowly switched her to Eukanuba Natural puppy lamb and rice.... the last two is when the gas really began- the runs where a problem from the time we got her. Another problem she has is bald spots. She digs n itches ALOT! They have tested her for mites and funguses- and yes she is on flea med's. She isn't a regular "Shedding" dog. However, she looses big chunks of hair at a time. I hate it and really want an answer because she is loosing her beautiful fur and it breaks my heart! I just started her on Benadryl in case of allergies. However the vet says she's too young for allergies to have set in??????? I just want the right answers- isn't puppy time supposed to be great times?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Carrie, none of the foods you have used are very good foods...IAM's and Eukanuba are pretty crappy, and I'm not familiar with Nature's Recipe, but generally speaking, anything you can buy in the grocery store or the discount stores is crappy food. The brands we recommend are listed in the Commercial foods section, and here are the results of a survey of foods we did recently; any of the more popular ones would be good places to start.:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/dk-doodles-are-eating-good...

First of all, stop the "large breed" foods...not necessary, she is getting more fat with those and fat=gas.
Get a good quality kibble that doesn't have corn, wheat or soy in it, and does have rice in it. Try Fromm's Four Star Line or TOTW, or the Evanger's if you can find it.
She is pretty young for allergies, but there are other things that can cause itching & skin conditions...did the vet do a scraping for mites? Pick up a bottle of fish oil or evening primrose oil capsules and try giving her one a day...the EFA's will help her coat. And DO NOT BATHE HER more often than every 6 weeks. Has the vet run a stool culture? A healthy puppy should not have had the runs since you got her. Have you spoken to the breeder about the hair loss/scratching/diarrhea?
As to the puppy time being the great times...not in my opinion, lol. Cute times, yes. Give me an adult dog any day!!! Remember, this too shall pass.

[Carrie E]

Malley has had the scraping for mites and tested the stool sample and tested her hair for fungus.... no results. I will try the fish oil- anything that might help! I have attempted to speak w/ the breeder- that was a joke! If anyone ever asks about the doodles on the web site www.lotsofpuppylove.com I would not recommend them. They have not been helpful at all. I can almost guarentee the wouldn't stand up to their 3 year health promise if I attempted to persue it. I have had a lot of expensive vet bills already and she is only 5 months.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, and pick up a can of pumpkin...plain canned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Give her a spoonful two or three times a day, that will help, too.

[Janie]

I second the pumkin works great. Karen gave great advice on the dog food. Good luck!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

I also agree with the pumpkin! It really helped Timbow during his digestive problems!! I also give him a little bit of plain yogurt a couple times a week and it seems to help too.

[Carrie E]

Thank you everyone with all of the advise. I will start trying to switch her over again to one of these foods once I use at least half this bag (30lbs was very expensive to waste). Can't wait- I hate having her on a diet food! I will also try the pumpkin for her belly

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just got word that Evanger's has had a production suspension & an FDA investigation into their canned foods...it seems there is a suspicion of possible botulism. That's a shame, because their canned foods are some of the best quality, simplest & most nutrious foods available. Lynne started a discussion here in TFG about it, for those who want to know more. So, nix on the Evanger's for now, although their dry food should still be fine. The Pheasant & Brown Rice in particular is great.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/evanger...

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Since I have changed Samantha to the Fromm's Puppy, her stools have been great! When she came to us she was on Royal Canine. Changed to others which I didn't have luck with. She had very loose stools and mucous all the time. The man that owns the store where I purchase her kibble is an animal nutrionist by education. He suggested Fromm's and to include a powder called 'Clay' into her dinner. With the 'Clay' and the Fromms no more loose stools or mucous. I have weaned her off the the 'Clay' but will add it if she has any more problems.
I also give her Probiotic Plain Yogurt and Pumpkin - mixed together she loves it!! You can try freezing some and let her chew on it - great treat for a hot day.