Do EB's need to be on a grain free diet? Any suggestions on what to feed?

LifeWithLulu

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Hi everyone! My Lucy was having stomach issues which have since resolved. The vet out her on Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Dry Puppy and said to start mixing in her forever food when I am halfway through the bag. My sister gives her EB, Milo, since she got him the Kirkland Chicken and Rice Premium Puppy. He has done great and has no health or allergy issues. He does however have a slightly dull coat and sheds quite a bit. We are on a bit of a budget at the moment due to some unexpected expenses and can't really buy any high end puppy food. What are you thoughts on the Costco brand and the PetSmart Grain Free? I would never even consider any of that purina or pedigree stuff.
 

Pati Robins

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Have you thought about home cooking or raw? It might be more cost effective
No they dont need to be on grain free however i believe its better for them as they can suffer from allergies-good diet is also cost effective when it comes to paying for vet visits and running tests to see why dog is poorly or suffer from allergies xx
-as you said your sister dog got dull coat and shedding a lot , im not really sure how good are us brands but i hope some members will be able to help you x
 

Marine91

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Grain free is not mandatory but it does help with some of the things you describe as so many bullies are allergic to grains and chicken. I am a firm believer that you should use the highest quality food that won't break your budget and that works well for your pup. If that is a 3 or 4 star brand so be it. However, while high end grain free foods are more expensive you tend to not go through them as fast as you actually feed your pup less kibble as it has more of what they need and less fillers in it. Before i got my second pup a few months ago a 26lb of Fromms grain free would last me 3 months, so when you look at the cost yes it was $70 a bag but broken out over 3 months in reality it only cost us $23.33 per month for the food which is not far off or even less than you wold pay for a lower quality food over the same time period. When i got my second pup it only lasts a month and a half now, but feeding 2 pups for roughly $40 to $45 a month is pretty cheap when you think about it and comparable to lower end food costs.
 
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LifeWithLulu

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Grain free is not mandatory but it does help with some of the things you describe as so many bullies are allergic to grains and chicken. I am a firm believer that you should use the highest quality food that won't break your budget and that works well for your pup. If that is a 3 or 4 star brand so be it. However, while high end grain free foods are more expensive you tend to not go through them as fast as you actually feed your pup less kibble as it has more of what they need and less fillers in it. Before i got my second pup a few months ago a 26lb of Fromms grain free would last me 3 months, so when you look at the cost yes it was $70 a bag but broken out over 3 months in reality it only cost us $23.33 per month for the food which is not far off or even less than you wold pay for a lower quality food over the same time period. When i got my second pup it only lasts a month and a half now, but feeding 2 pups for roughly $40 to $45 a month is pretty cheap when you think about it and comparable to lower end food costs.


That makes sense. The only problem is I would really like to be able to get my puppy's food from a Pet Supermarket or Pet Smart. The only places in my area that have Fromms are very small puppy boutiques that tend to go out of business in the blink of an eye. What do you think about Wellness Super5Mix Complete puppy or Natural Balance Grain Free Alpha? Or how about Taste of the Wild?
 
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Manydogs

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I have been using Taste of the Wild Pacific, grain free for three years. So far-all is well. They all like it,too.
 

neraknna

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I feed Bentley natures domain turkey and sweet potato and he seems to be doing well on it so far. We recently adopted him so I have no idea what he was eating before but his coat looked awful and terrible gas when we brought him home. Since then, his coat looks great, though he is shedding lots, and his gas is much less with no terrible smell. I would love to try Fromm's after hearing everyone's great reviews but the closest store that sells is an hour away!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Marine91

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That makes sense. The only problem is I would really like to be able to get my puppy's food from a Pet Supermarket or Pet Smart. The only places in my area that have Fromms are very small puppy boutiques that tend to go out of business in the blink of an eye. What do you think about Wellness Super5Mix Complete puppy or Natural Balance Grain Free Alpha? Or how about Taste of the Wild?
Wellness has had a lot of recalls over the years so i would not personally use their products but that is just me. There are several members here that use Taste of the Wild and i am willing to bet some that use or have used Natural Balance but I only have experience with the cat formulas of those brands and they have been mixed. You can always order online from petflow.com or another site. Do you have a Tractor Supply Store anywhere near you? If so they carry many of the top brands and have their own grain free called 4Health that I have several friends that use it and have had good results and it is a bit cheaper than the others but I don't remember who makes it for them if it is Diamond or someone else.
 

Vikinggirl

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Hi, it looks like Todd and others have given you awesome advice and suggestions. Not all EB's have allergies or sensitivities to chicken or grains, but many do. My female Blossom is allergic to chicken, salmon, corn and grains, so we feed our two guys Fromm's Beef Frittata. Hey both do very well on this food. It is generally best not to feed grains, corn, or other fillers to dogs, as they don't really digest these things.
 

Leon van houkje

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I agree with [MENTION=8859]Marine91[/MENTION] people just look at the prices of what dog food costs but in general it's best to look at the ingredient first and how much is advised to feed them per meal, and normally the more costly foods go a lot further than cheaper brands because they have better ingredients.
So I personally think the expensive foods work out cheaper than cheaper dog food.
I give Leon orijen puppy he gets 150 grams twice a day.
 

2BullyMama

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Grain free is not mandatory but it does help with some of the things you describe as so many bullies are allergic to grains and chicken. I am a firm believer that you should use the highest quality food that won't break your budget and that works well for your pup. If that is a 3 or 4 star brand so be it. However, while high end grain free foods are more expensive you tend to not go through them as fast as you actually feed your pup less kibble as it has more of what they need and less fillers in it. Before i got my second pup a few months ago a 26lb of Fromms grain free would last me 3 months, so when you look at the cost yes it was $70 a bag but broken out over 3 months in reality it only cost us $23.33 per month for the food which is not far off or even less than you wold pay for a lower quality food over the same time period. When i got my second pup it only lasts a month and a half now, but feeding 2 pups for roughly $40 to $45 a month is pretty cheap when you think about it and comparable to lower end food costs.


EXCELLENT POST!!
 

jlcox24

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I also feed the 4health grain free and have for nearly a year! My EB loves it and has had no issues with it! They just came out with a few new flavor's which i've heard are manufactured by diamond but the original, which was whitefish and potato, beef and potato, and one more but i can't think, turkey and potato maybe, are made by a different company and i can't think of the name now! However yes it is more affordable, and the issues that Ollie was having have gone away, knock on wood! So if you have a tractor supply you may wanna check it out!
 

Starkie

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That makes sense. The only problem is I would really like to be able to get my puppy's food from a Pet Supermarket or Pet Smart. The only places in my area that have Fromms are very small puppy boutiques that tend to go out of business in the blink of an eye. What do you think about Wellness Super5Mix Complete puppy or Natural Balance Grain Free Alpha? Or how about Taste of the Wild?

Walley-Bubba has been enjoying Taste Of The Wild Buffalo and Venison since last October.
So far so good, no more tear stains or yeasty smell and he seems to like the food, so does the Yorkie.
Best of all, TOTW is available just up the street at PetFoodExpress; when we run out we just go get some more.
 

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