food help/advice

[Luci Jo's mama]

hello all!!! I am having some allergy issues with Luci and her food.. she is very pink and has some rash under her pits and belly area, and has been pooping about 7 times a day and its pretty soft..she is eating chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul but I want a grain free AFFORDABLE food to switch slowly over to...please let me know...thank you!!

 

[Scueva]

Have you considered raw? It's the only real way to know what you are putting into your bully. My cost for raw is currently under $1 per lb. alot of kibble feeders here have good luck with fromms.

zc. L

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, my female Blossom also had allergies or sensitivities to chicken, salmon, corn, and grains. She had pink/ red ears, face, eyes, and chin, and also chin acne, I had to give ER Benadryl quite often. We switched 3 months ago, when she was 7 months old to Fromms Beef Frittata, and now we also feed home made about 2 or 3 times a week . We alternate between kibble and home cooked. I use ground beef, package of frozen mixed vegetables, green beans, and brown rice. When you home cook, you know what is in the food you cook, and there are no added chemicals or preservatives, which can be found in all commercial dog foods including the higher quality brands. Some dogs with sensitivities can be affected by these additives. As Scueva quoted above you could also try raw food, lots of people have had good success with this. I probably won't try this as I don't think I could stomach raw food. Lol.

I also give my guys treats such as cheese strings, cottage cheese, plain unsweetened yogurt, cut up apples, strawberries, bananas, green beans, and hard boiled eggs. When giving any new food or new treat, just give one at a time, so you know if Luci has any reactions to them, then you will know which one caused it. Good luck in whatever you decide to try, and I hope you find a food and treats that she can tolerate.

 

[2BullyMama]

I will tag the food guru.... one thing to also keep in mind many, many, bullies have a sensitivity to chicken so you may want to try a different protein.

 

[BruceP]

Fromm Beef Frittata is grain and gluten free and has no form of chicken. It works quite well for HRH. BUT~~ All bullies are different so it may or may not work for you. You wont know until you feet it to your bully for a month or so after doing a slow transition from her old food.
Do a slow switch using 1/4 new food mixed with 3/4 old food each meal for about a week. Then go 1/2 and 1/2 for a week, then go 3/4 new to 1/4 old for another week before giving him 100% new food. This is important because bullys have very sensitive tummys and too quick of a change may upset his tummy. If you notice soft poo while switching, back up and reduce the new food a little for a few days so his tummy can catch up to the switch. Another thing that helps during a switch is to add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin to the mix *not pie filling but canned pumpkin*. Once you switch his food give her a few weeks on the new food and note how it has helped or not, but it takes a few weeks to get the old food out of her system. It can be a long process but is great when you find the right food..... Fromm Beef Frittata was that right food for Princess Gracie.

 

[anatess]

I am having some luck with Earthborn Holistics. I use the Primitive Natural formula. It's relatively cheaper than Fromm and Blue Buffalo. It's $10 cheaper than Blue Buffalo Wilderness with 4 extra lbs in the bag. I used to feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness (Grain-free) and my dogs did great with it even with the chicken (all their grain-free formula have chicken). But the farm feed store I buy my food from quit carrying it and started carrying Earthborn, so I tried a switch and we did well. Same healthy coat, same small poops. No allergies. It's worth a shot if you're concerned about cost.

 

[Bella'sMom]

all of these suggestions are great. Please remember with the better quality foods, you can feed less. They don't have wasteful fillers, so they digest more of the actual kibble. In the long run, a little more on the food will help out with other health concerns (vet bills and meds)

Also, allergies don't just come from foods. I have one allergic to plastic and artificial fibers. so we have to have glass or SS bowls, no rubber toys, no acrylic stuffing in beds.

 

[cowsmom]

well if your looking for a lower cost grain free food. id say earthborn is a good bet. also nutri source has 2 grain free ones that i have fed my bostons and they did ok on it. fromm is a good choice but its a bit more. the food you are feeding now is made by diamond and they dont have a good track record at their manufacturing plant lots of recalls. merrick has upgraded their grain free line and it available at petco but not sure bout pricing really. some bullies are ok with chicken and some are not but most do better without grains.