Wysong Dog Food

[Marie + Marshall]

I took Marshall (almost 6 months old) to a Holistic Vet (his office isn't, but he is) last night for an eye issue (he got drops). And going over his soft stools (I once again brought in a sample and once again it was negative) and his runny, sometimes a little gunky eyes. He believes he most likely has allergies and actually suggested grain free food and a probiotic . The thing is, his suggestion was Wysong. He said, you don't just want grain free, but starch free. So of course the first thing I did was look up on here. I didn't see any mention of it for a couple years and wondering if it is still off the recommended list? Marshall is on Wellness complete puppy and my Hubby wants this to be an easy transition...so I am not crazy. We switched from the breeder food (Kirkland) and honestly it was firmer.. but still off and on lose. And we have withheld treats and added sweet potatoes, green beans and all your suggestions.

So.. I am really thinking the easiest would be the Wellness Core until he's a year old. I will decide on an adult food (brand) at that time. My question, I guess is about Vets recommendation of Wysong and if the Wellness core was be the smoothest transition?

On a side not (I know it's for a different group) But he was REALLY passionate about waiting to neuter Marshall until one year old. We are thinking it through at this time.

Thanks for any input!!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Hey Karen, kind of an unrelated question for you... When I was looking up the Wysong formulas, I noticed that they have a TON of added "fermentation products." It seems like a lot of companies add these, and I've never understood why. Wouldn't these kinds of probiotics be destroyed with the heat of processing?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The probiotics, vitamins and minerals are added after the heat processing. :)

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Ah- gotcha! Thanks!

[Diana Erhart]

I struggled with loose stools with my Charlie for years.  Finally (after much trial and error) I came to the conclusion that he is sensitive to chicken.  Not really an allergy, just any time he eats something with chicken in it his stools become loose.  I am not sure what protein you are feeding him but you might want to try a different protein within the same brand to see if that helps.

[Marie + Marshall]

Wellness complete puppy with chicken. Something to consider. Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad you made the distinction between an allergy and a sensitivity or intolerance, Diana. That's an important and significant difference. 

[Shari Becker]

Lexi seems to have loose stools from any food that has poultry in it, too. Duck, turkey and chicken. The woman who owns our local pet store has four standard poodles, and she tells me all her poodles have trouble with poultry. It's definitely worth changing the protein to check it out. 

[Marie + Marshall]

Thank you

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I's important to understand that the protein in each type of poultry has a distinct and individual molecular structure, and a sensitivity to one would not translate into a sensitivity to another one. They are as unrelated in this respect as chicken is to beef or turkey to lamb. And again, it's impossible to have an allergy or a sensitivity to something to which you have never been exposed. Pheasant, turkey and duck are used as novel proteins in many LID foods designed for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities, and many dogs with actual allergies to chicken do just fine with duck and other poultry. 

[Jennifer & Truffle]

I'll let others who are much better informed than me respond to the food question, but I'll chime in re: the neuter. Truffle's (he's a male labradoodle) breeder also has a contractual stipulation that dogs not be neutered until they are between 9-14 months, primarily because research indicates it might be more beneficial for dogs' skeletal growth to do the procedure once they are closer to their adult size. If I recall correctly, early vs. later spay in females is a bit more controversial b/c there are some studies that demonstrate a higher risk for certain types of cancer with a later spay. We decided to have Truffle neutered once he hit nine months - by then he was essentially at his adult weight (and he was also getting increasingly humpy which, while apparently more of a dominance thing than a sexual thing, greatly decreased after he was neutered).

[Marie + Marshall]

Thank you. I feel 9 months would be a good age!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It also depends on the size of the dog and the age at which they reach full skeletal growth. The orthopedic risks relayed to early spay/neuter are greater for big dogs than for small dogs.