Low residue food

[Itims]

Hi all,

Recently, Biba was sick in 2 different ways (fluid in lungs and constant diarrhea) and took 2 rounds of antibiotics (amoxycillin, followed by metronidazale, followed by panacur + probiotic -fortiflora). She got stool and blood tests and they were all negative. So the vets hypothesis was that some food induced diarrhea was made worse by the amoxycillin. 

After the panacur didn't work, the vet put her on Iams Low Residue and Prostora (different probiotic). Almost instantly, her diarrhea got better and she has really formed poop since the last 5-7 days. 

However, I was going through all the ingredients in it and Iams Low Residue has corn and Ethoxyquin in it. Iams, the company says that Ethoxyquin is not harmful at low levels. I feel a bit uncertain about that. In any case, the vet is recommending keeping her on the Iams for the next 2 months or so. I would really like to look for a better low residue food and would appreciate any reccos from other people in similar situations. When I search for 'low residue', I keep getting Purina and Iams results. 

Reccos and general suggestions will be greatly appreciated. As always, thank you for your help and interest in all our doggy problems. 

Thanks!!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I'm sure Karen will chime in here.. but Iams is a very low-quality food as is Purina.  

From the Iams website: "Low-Residue™ works by providing a unique blend of high-quality fiber, protein, and fat sources to help naturally strengthen the intestine and make digestion easier."

If that's the case, then I would go with a high-quality food from the "recommended brands" list here:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/recomme...

Orijen and Acana are made from very high-quality ingredients that are locally sourced in Canada.  Fromm is similar but with U.S. ingredients I believe.

Our dog Luna has been eating Acana grain-free (regional formulas - Ranchlands, Pacifica and Grasslands) for about a year and a half (it's about $40/month to feed her) and she loves it.  We had a hard time finding a food that "jived" with her digestive system but this one has been great.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are lots more problems with this food than just ethoxyquin. It's full of garbage. The first three ingredients shouldn't be in any dog's food, and the rest of them are not much better:

Corn Grits, Brewer's Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken, Fish Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewer's Dried Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Monosodium Phosphate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate [source of Vitamin B1], Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement [source of Vitamin B2], Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [source of Vitamin B6], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Choline Chloride, Flax Meal, DL-Methionine, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Rosemary Extract

"Low residue" in this case means very little; basically, the probiotics are helping firm the stool along with an easily digested diet. I would forget about "low residue" and just feed her a good quality limited ingredient diet. Don't buy any more Purina or Iams probiotics from the vet, you can get much better ones much cheaper. I recommend Proviable DC or iFlora for pets. Pick up a bottle of Gentle Digest by Ark Naturals and give her that in addition to the probiotics. 

Wellness Simple Solutions would be a good choice of food. You might also look at the Acana Singles and their Chicken with Burbank potatoes formula. Petcurean's Go! Sensitivity and Shine line might be another good choice. Transition slowly, give the gentle Digest and the probiotics, and let us know how it goes. 

[Diana Erhart]

A month or so ago my parents puppy (not a doodle but we love the little guy just the same) had a bad bout of diarrhea and vomiting and ended up in the hospital. We were convinced it was the food (he came from the breeder on Purina). Anyway, no matter the cause, we decided to switch his food. Karen was a huge help (as usual) and my parents settled on the Wellness Simple Solutions. It has been great for the puppy and he has not had any problems since. I would not hesitate to use that. Also, in the past my dog has been on the Go! and it was very good for him too. Good luck!

[Itims]

Thanks, Karen and J -

I forgot to mention that her usual food is Taste of the Wild but it gave her only average poop so I was looking for some other food even before the diarrhea incident. I'll check out Wellness and Acana. The local family owned pet store here, mentioned Zignature, saying its a limited ingredient food but I have never heard of it. Any thoughts about it?  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Zignature discussion: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/zignatu...

Which TOTW formula was she eating?

[Itims]

Thanks for the Zignature link. I read on the website that their products are all manufactured in the US. But didn't realize that the supply could be different. Thanks for the headsup!  I don't really want to try stuff made outside the US (or where these things are not regulated or watched)

She was on TOTW- Pacific Stream (gave her very bad breath). Her poop was formed to soft-formed on it and she did not like to eat it (needed a lot of coaxing). Before that we had her on TOTW- Prairie but her poop fluctuated between soft formed to pudding. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Acana and Wellness have limited ingredient formulas too:

Acana: http://www.acana.com/products/singles/  (Lamb & Apple, Duck & pear)

Wellness: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1  "Allergy dry dog recipes"

Haven't tried the Acana ones for Luna since she does fine with the regular grain-free.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, GMTA! Above, I wrote: "Wellness Simple Solutions would be a good choice of food. You might also look at the Acana Singles and their Chicken with Burbank potatoes formula. Petcurean's Go! Sensitivity and Shine line might be another good choice."

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

:D

[Diana Erhart]

Charlie has been eating the Zignature line of food now since that discussion in Karen's link. Although we weren't sure of the source, I trusted my local pet shop owner who assured me it was US based. I must say that this is the first and only food Charlie has ever eaten without me having to put toppers on it. He is not much of an eater and even with this doesn't eat nearly the amount recommended daily, but he does eat it daily. He likes the turkey and the fish ones better than the lamb.

[Itims]

Thank you for the reccos everyone! Some more questions about method of admistration:

- how long should a food be given before you decide that its good or bad? Assuming a 10 day transition from 1/8 of a cup to a full cup, do you give the system any time to get used to it? Or assume that it is bad, if the poop is off even once? By "off", I mean soft but mostly formed i.e. not pudding

- Should I totally hold off on previously used treats (fyi, we aren't giving any treats right now) while adding in the new food? 

We will have to wait to do the food trial as we are travelling end of next week and unfortunately, she will need to be boarded for 4 nights and I'll wait till we get back to change her food. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A good rule of thumb for any health related issue is, one change at a time. If you are changing food, do not introduce any other food item, and do not reintroduce treats. If she hasn't been getting treats, don't start giving them to her again while you are making the food change. Don't change the probiotics. Don't change or add anything until the transition is complete. One exception is that you can add plain, pure canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) and/or plain, unflavored, fatfree yogurt to her diet, a couple of tablespoons with each meal. 

Chances are you will be feeding less with a higher quality food than you are with the Iams, so pay attention to the feeding guidelines on both foods. depending on which food you choose, a half cup of the Iams might be equivalent to a third or even a quarter cup of the new food, so you have to take that into account when transitioning. 

If you get to day 10, and the poop is not formed or very soft, that probably isn't going to get any better with time, and you probably haven't found the right food for her.