Poop Issues on Acana

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

Although I think Archie has enjoyed Acana...I am not 100% sure.  Since moving to Acana about 3-4 months ago (maybe longer) Archie has most definitely enjoyed it over anything else weve ever fed him.  He usually (not always) runs over to his bowl when we drop a scoop of Acana down.  With that said though, he has always been a picky and not so big of an eater (sometimes only once a day). 

 

However, Acana has brought on some weird poop cycles.  Archie usually goes one or 2 weeks okay and then has a rough day or two.  Since moving to Acana Archie has never really had a nice firm stool.  Its not always loose, but its just soft.  He also poops about 2-3 times between the morning and afternoon (won't eat until he has done all his pooping for the morning/afternoon).  After about a week or two of normal yet soft poops archie ALWAYS seems to go with a day or two of not eating and having those rumbling and bubbling gassy type noises in his stomach.  (not sure if its gas noises or hunger) but it happens so often that I know whats next....He doesn't eat, gassy bubbling noises in his stomach, and then comes grass eatin outside, followed by diarrhea for a day or two...

 

So we have done plenty of vet visits and all that jazz, but nothing major has come of it. 

 

Do we think its just sensitive stomach and we have to deal with it? 

Could Archie be allergic to Acana?

Archie has only had grain-free dry food...even outside of Acana. 

Should we try food with grain? (I was thinking Fromm, Earthborn, I andLOVE andYOU and Petcurean)

 

Any ideas and help would be awesome!

Thanks,

Sam

[F, Calla & Luca]

I sincerely doubt it is his food since that would not cycle. After all he eats everyday. You might try giving him some more fiber to help but I will leave that to Karen. I certainly would not recommend that you change his food yet again.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Fiber is not a bad idea. You could try adding a couple of tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin or plain baked mashed sweet potato to his meals. 

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

Yeah, I guess fiber could help.  How would I go about adding more fiber to his diet? Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As I mentioned above, you can buy plain canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) and add 2-3 tablespoons to his meals. Or you can bake a sweet potato in the microwave, peel it, mash with a fork and add some of that to his meals. It's usually cheaper than pumpkin, has more calories and fiber, and most dogs like it better. 

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

That sounds like a good idea! I buy sweet potatoes anyway...can't you buy canned sweet potatoes?  Or would you vote against that?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would not use canned, they will not have as much fiber and may have other ingredients added as well.

It takes 7 minutes to bake a sweet potato in the microwave, 30 seconds to peel it with your fingers, and another 30 seconds to mash it with a fork. I hate cooking & food preparation, and that doesn't even bother me, lol. 

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

LOL I actually enjoy cooking, so no big deal for me just wondering if it could be bought easier.  I will have to try the Sweet Potato/Pumpkin idea.  Thats one thing I have yet to try with Archie.  Could make a difference.  

Also, off the beaten path and kinda a non factor at this point since the bag is just about finished, but I got my Acana bag from Chewy.com as always and the smell seems to be a little off and the dog food seemed to be dried out.  Not really knowing from previous bags I didn't think anything of it.  It didn't look bad or smell god awful, but just seemed a little dry and light in coloring. The expiration was beyond fine. Could this have been anything? or just my mind going nuts! haha :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sam, you've been posting about Archie having loose stool & GI issues for months, way before you got this bag of food. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Wild Prairie is a little lighter in color than the other regionals it is also the least expensive. How it could be more dried out than it usually is seems impossible.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

First, you cannot be allergic to a brand, so the answer to the question "could Archie be allergic to Acana?" is NO. An allergy would be to one or more particular ingredients, most often animal proteins, and that would be the same no matter what brand of food you fed. If he's allergic to let's say chicken, he'd be allergic to the chicken in Fromm or Petcurean just the same as the chicken in Acana. 

The symptoms you are describing are not consistent with food allergies. In dogs, allergies of any kind cause itching. What you are describing might be a food intolerance or sensitivity, but it is not an allergy. It might also be a GI disease. The inappetance and rumbling sounds followed by diarrhea are symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but let's not go there yet. It might also just be Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Adding grains to his diet is not likely to help.

I would put Archie on a good probiotic like Proviable DC capsules. I would also put him on a limited ingredient formula that contains a protein he has not eaten regularly in the past. What Acana formula is he currently eating? Have you tried the Singles, like the Duck & Pear? 

What kinds of treats or chews does he get? 

I will also tell you that IF Archie has IBD, you are going to need to find a good Internal Medicine Specialist, and hopefully you already have insurance for him. If not, that would be the first thing I would do. Diagnostics for IBD cost about $4000. Hopefully it won;t come to that. 

[Sam, Risa and Archie]

Thanks for all the information Karen!  I always appreciate your insight.

I have tried probiotics with Archie and that hasn't been a good outcome...nothing changes honestly.  If anything it was looser stool. 

The rumbling in his stomach is interesting too, because once he has diarrhea the rumbling usually stops. He also sometimes tends to eat once the rumblings stop and diarrhea is exited.  Could it just be bad gas? 

I hope its not IBD and yes, we got Archive insured about 4 months ago or so?

Archie is on Wild Prairie and he does eat lots of Chicken when he has an upset stomach.  I have not tried the Duck and Pear formula, but it is quite pricey.  Any alternative that isn't gonna run me $75 a bag here?

Thanks!

Sam

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Most of the formulas are going to be more expensive than the Wild Prairie, as most protein sources are more expensive than chicken. Even some of the other Acana Regionals are more expensive than Wild Prairie. 

I really would bite the bullet and switch to a formula that doesn't contain chicken. I hate to see you switch brands, as Champion is about as good as kibble gets, but there are other companies that make LID formulas that cost less. You may have to feed more, though, so it's not always less expensive. 

Those loud stomach noises are a symptom of digestive disease; they usually go along with flares. It's not caused by gas, but both the noise and the gas can be caused by a digestive issue. 

You might also try giving him one 75 mg ranitidine tablet (generic Zantac about 30 minutes before meals and see if that helps. 

I would try the probiotics again. Which one were you using?