Please help with a referral to a good food for gastrointestinal issues...

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

My daughter has been feeding her cavachon Purina EN from the vet because her dog has issues without a special diet. We just checked this food on dogfoodanalysis.com & it's awful ! Since it came from the vet, she trusted it...

Can any DK member recommend a healthy alternative?

[Lynne B]

Beck has a very sensitive tummy and I have had him on grain free kibble for the past 5 months or so, there are several good ones, I'm not sure there is a point in recommending one over the other..once they are on a high quality grain free kibble it's easy to switch to another of equal value without any transition. I supplement his kibble with 3 or 4 tablespoons of home cooked ground chicken and ground turkey cooked with rice and vegetables. He has had no digestive issues since he's been on this diet!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, it's terrible food; absolute garbage:
Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken meal, animal fat preserved with mixedtocopherols (form of Vitamin E), coconut oil, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, animal digest, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, sodium bicarbonate, salt, soybean oil, fish oil, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, dried colostrum, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, copper proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. S-4552

Diane we can help, but I need to know what the gastrointestinal issues are. How old is the dog, what are the issues, what foods has the dog been on in past?
There is nothing special in this food that would help and much that can hurt.
Please urge your daughter to get her dog off this food; this stuff can kill her dog over time.

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

He will be 3 in March...just talked to my daughter...she started him on a grocery store food which gave him diarrhea...eventually bloody over time. That's when the vet put him on the Purina EN...Scooby weighs about 10 pounds...thanks so much for your help with a recommendation...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Bloody diarrhea requires more than just a change of food, no matter what she was feeding him. Did the vet do tests to determine the cause? Was there any diagnosis? Is this a Banfield vet by any chance?
Assuming that the Purina EN is the dry version (kibble), here's the macronutrient content:

Crude Protein (Min) 23.0%
Crude Fat (Min) 10.5%
Crude Fiber (Max) 2.0%
Moisture (Max) 12.0%

California Naturals Chicken & Rice is a good food for dogs with sensitive stomachs; it has limited ingredients. Here's the info:

Crude Protein (min) 21 %
Crude Fat (min) 11 %
Crude Fiber (max) 1.5 %
Moisture (max) 10 %

The ingredients are very simple:
Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Rice, Sunflower Oil, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins/Minerals, Rosemary Extract

If the cavachon is on canned food, we'll have to find a canned version.
But if he's on dry food, have your daughter buy a bag of California Naturals Chicken Meal & Rice Adult Formula. She should start feeding the CN at one quarter of the meal...that is, replace one-quarter of the Purina with the CN at each meal. After 2 days, go to half; after another 2-3 days go to three quarters, and after one week feed just the CN. This assuming there is no medical issue. I would like to know what the vet thinks the blood in the stools was from, it's not from food no matter how bad it is unless it's poisoned. Of course, if the poor dog had chronic diarrhea for a long period, I guess that could have aggravated things. I'm guessing this dog was from a pet store and has probably never been fed well in his life. It's too bad the vets don't know to just recommend a premium quality food.

If the dog starts having problems with loose stool (NOT bloody diarrhea...that requires a vet visit) during the transition, have her give the dog a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) with meals.
Good luck. I hope we can get this poor dog on a healthier diet.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's the link to the Dog Food Analysis review of the CN Chicken Meal & Rice food:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?pro...

Dog Food Analysis is heavily in favor of grain-free foods, and only gives the highest ratings to foods that contain no grain whatsoever. It is for that reason they rate the CN as a four star food, which is still very good (and certainly better than the Purina one star!). It's important to keep in mind when looking at the DF website that some dogs do better on foods with rice & other healthy grains, and to use the site as a tool.

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

thank you, karen...i've passed this along & she will be buying the California Naturals tomorrow...I'll let you know how it works out...I appreciate your input & I wouldn't be surprised if Scooby starts feeling better on the new food :)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Diane....a few years ago, my chihuahua was put on the Hills Prescription Diet for gastrointestinal issues. He hated it and I now know it is not a high quality food.
Taquito (chihuahua) has always had stomach issues. In his case, I have found that a high quality food with grain is best for him. He loved Fromm 4-Star Nutrionals (salmon flavor) and had no digestive issues for one of the first times in his life. I have recently had to switch him to a slightly lower protein diet for other reasons and chose Solid Gold Holistique. That has been an easy transition also.
Anyway, I think if you go with a high quality food, your daughter will see an improvement all around. It may take some tweaking to see what works. We have a local pet supply store that is awesome and gives me samples to try. Much better than buying a whole bag without know what will work for your dog. The only way I know what "works" for Taquito is when he actually eats every day and doesn't throw up - that's a keeper!
Please keep us posted!

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

Thank you, Allyson :) I will keep you posted...I've passed your thoughts along to my daughter who is making a change today. We certainly appreciate your input :). So glad all your changes worked for Taquito.