Anyone have experience with Canidae foods & more thoughts on hypoallergenic feeding

[sheshistory]

I am breaking this out from the "Food for Skin Issues" thread started by Nikki. That thread actually put me over the edge to make another food change for Linus and Truman.

So here's where I am at with things: Linus is 4 and suffered from chronic ear infections and, with the help of this site and a proactive vet, I finally decided to stop feeding him the junk he knows and loves and move towards a better diet. I was feeding him Royal Canin Bulldog formula (not bad, not great) but topping it with Pedigree canned food (I know, I know) and giving him all kind of bad goodies like Snausages, Pupperonis, etc. Linus lives to eat and, especially after Bentley died, I would do anything to make him happy but I realized that it was ultimately making him unhappy because he wasn't feeling great. It was a hard thing for us both.

I switched from Royal Canin to Taste of the Wild (TOTW) Pacific Stream, because it was grain free and the protein content was more reasonable since Linus isn't a terribly active dog. I topped that with a little TOTW canned food and fed only hypoallergenic treats. He got better, lost some weight, and his coat looks great but he developed red, yeasty tear stains and yeast in his ear, both of which had never been big problems for him, particularly the tear stains.

Nikki's thread brought to my attention a possible link between sweet potatoes (the starch that most commonly replaces grains in grain free foods) and yeast problems. My own brief investigation and desertsky's post about ingredients confirmed the idea that sweet potatoes are a main ingredient in most grain free foods.

So, long story long, I am going to switch foods again and based on the ingredients, I was thinking of trying Canidae brand of foods. My reason for this is I see higher quality proteins (absence of chicken fat) and better quality grains (barley, oats, rice instead of corn or wheat) as main ingredients. They are as follows, for the Lamb Meal and Rice Formula:

Lamb meal, brown rice, cracked pearled barley, rice bran, peas, millet, canola oil, lamb, tomato pomace, natural flavor, flaxseed meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, suncured alfalfa meal, inulin (from chicory root), lecithin, sage extract, cranberries, beta-carotene, rosemary extract, sunflower oil, yucca schidigera extract, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, papaya, pineapple.

Does anyone have any experience with the Canidae family of foods? Hopefully, by sharing all of these experiences, we can help others pin point good food choices of bullies with specific problems like yeast or dry skin or itchy paws, etc.

Thank you!

[bullmama]

I did try Canidae and Canidae Grain Free both, and was not impressed--- especially by the grain free one. So I contacted @Lindathedogsmaid and she told me Canidae was bad, but cannot remember her exact reason why.

Maybe she will respond to this topic?

[TessaAndSamson]

Linda really recommends Fromm. I know she has done alot of research on how foods are made and where the ingredients come from so I took her advice and switched to Fromm. So far so good! They have the grain free surf and turf which is what Samson is on and then other options of course. I was looking at the different formulas and I think they all have sweet potato but in the ones that aren't grain free it isn't the main/only carb source so maybe it won't cause such an issue???? Here are the ingredients for Salmon A La Veg, looked like a good option to me:

Salmon, Salmon Meal, Brown Rice, Sweet Potato, Pearled Barley, Potato, Oatmeal, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

It's hard to find a store that stocks Fromm here but Linda did some research for me and got me in contact with a local distributor that has it. Found out the feed store that I have always gone to orders from that distributor and will special order it for me. Hope that helps!

[Ann Farley Hamilton]

I went through all that with Mack and now with Rocky. I have found the best for them and bully issues is no grain. I feed California Natural Lamb and Rice no grain, all it's ingredients are human grade no junk. According my vet and 2 others he has seen when I took Rocky to the specialist he has the best coat, skin, eyes and ears in bully they have ever seen. We are in the process of switching Rocky to all the same things. I have to admit though Mack only gets about 1/2 cup of dry food daily the rest of everything he eats I make. I make his treats and his food this way he gets fresh veggies and things depending on the season. Plus my one of my nieces husband has a butcher shop which helps. I think even if they didn't it would be worth every penny spent. He has only been to the vet 4 times in 4 years for visits that weren't he his check ups. No ear trouble, skin trouble or tear stains, I guess I am lucking or have found what is right for him. Rocky on the hand I am still working on because before he came to me he was allergy tested and he is allergic to everything. Grass, cats, beef, grains, eggs, fish mix and boarder line on fowl mix. so he's going to be a little harder. But they did say lamb OK and the rice OK so we're trying it. Well that's my story hope it helps and good luck.

[sheshistory]

Thanks everyone, but grain free usually has sweet potatoes in the top 5 ingredients and I think that could be what's making Linus yeasty so I was going to try something without the sweet potatoes to see if that worked.

[Bulldogg]

Alright Jill, I was very interested in your concern of sweet potatos and yeast, and I did find some very interesting info on it, and I thought this one in particular was extremely useful:

Food to Help a Dog With a Yeast Infection

By Jamie Conrad, eHow Contributor
updated: December 8, 2009

I want to do this! What's This?

Canine yeast infections are most commonly found in the ears or on the skin of dogs. The yeast causes sores on the dog's body, which may also be accompanied by scaliness, greasiness, odor and/or hair loss. Your veterinarian can best advise you as to the proper treatment for your dog's yeast infection. One common treatment is to change the dog's diet by incorporating certain foods and removing others that may make a yeast infection worse.

1. Foods to Avoid
   
2. Eliminate foods from your dog's diet that are known to cause yeast infections. There are certain foods that your dog simply must avoid when placed on an anti-yeast diet. These foods can be avoided long-term to prevent reoccurance of a yeast infection, or short-term in order to clear a current yeast infection. Foods to remove from your dog's diet include buttermilk, cheese/cottage cheese, packaged cereal, crackers, flour enriched with vitamins derived from yeast, mushrooms, peanuts, pretzels, potatoes, sweet potatoes/yams, bread, sausage, bacon, lunch meat, sauces/gravies, all grains and sugar or anything sweet.Foods to Include
   
3. Feed your dog a healthy, yeast-free diet. Some foods help boost your dog's immune system, rid the body of toxins, and aid in building up a resistance against the yeast that cause infections on your dog. These foods should be included in your dog's diet to aid in prevention and speed the healing process of canine yeast infections. Foods that help prevent and heal canine yeast infections include asparagus, broccoli, parsley, squash, celery, green and yellow beans, dark leafy greens, beef, duck, chicken, fish, rabbit, lamb, plain yogurt and water.

Read more: Best Way - Food to Help a Dog With a Yeast Infection | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5729777_food...#ixzz0ygz4O9D6

So, I wonder about doing a vegetarian diet may be good for Linus, and you could always add some raw food from a butcher for protien.

[bullmama]

I wonder what is in those raw tubes you see at petsmart! Is it just meat or does it have veggies n potatoe too?

[Champ Waring]

we feed all da rescues canidae. it'z one of da better foods. no shur why someone wud say it'z bad. it'z not da best but it'z one of da top ones in my opinion.
it'z all about finding da rite fit. even a great food may not be great for a specific dog. i fink raw diet is da best personally. but i know der are sum good kibbles wif no sweet potatoes out der. i used to recommend natural balance (either bison and sweet potato OR duck and potato...which is white potato not sweet) but i just found out dat dey recently changed der formula. so meat'z not da #1 ingredient....potato is. soooo, i duno. da overwhelming frustrations of finding da rite food.
woof. -champsky

[bullmama]

I was just searching for dog food that has no fillers of potatos, grains or rice. Nature's Variety is one of these dog foods.

They also make a raw pre-made diet as well.

I think I am going to have to try this food.....

@laurentourville this is what you switched Horse to isn't it?

@Champ Our bullies did okay on Canidae ALS, but the grain free was awful. They were pooping about 10x more than normal on the regular ALS. It was weird.

[Champ Waring]

da one fing about raw diet....hardly any poop! we use almost all of da nutrients dat go in, so der'z very little output. mom'z thrilled

[cali~jenn]

This is very interesting! I used to use canidae and had no problems with it whatsoever. Then I started switching to find a better food and have been switching ever since. Have thought to go back but heard mixed opinions on the food after they changed formulas maybe a year ago or so. Heard that many people werent liking the change they saw etc so that made me nervous about going back so I never did. I never tried the grain free either, just the other formulas. Every dog will respond to different foods. This is why it is the never ending question with bullies and allergies. You are going to have to give it a try yourself and see how it works for you. Heres to hoping it works wonders.

[laurentourville]

I was just searching for dog food that has no fillers of potatos, grains or rice. Nature's Variety is one of these dog foods.

They also make a raw pre-made diet as well.

I think I am going to have to try this food.....

@laurentourville this is what you switched Horse to isn't it?

@Champ Our bullies did okay on Canidae ALS, but the grain free was awful. They were pooping about 10x more than normal on the regular ALS. It was weird.

we switched Horse to Nature's Logic, I've only been able to find it at a small locally-owned dog store right near us, but we LOVE it!