satyr

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Feb 17, 2013
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Kirby
My 4 year old EB seems to have developed an array of both food allergies/sensitives and general pickiness in the last year. We have tried most major grain-free brands (earthborn, merrick, fromm including beef, duck, bison, buffalo, chicken, turkey, salmon, whitefish, trout, etc.). He did very well on coastal catch earthborn for about 2 years and then stopped eating it. We've encountered this issue since then: we'll transition him to something new which he loves for a few weeks, then stops eating it. He'll not eat for a day or so until we will break and stir in something new to make sure he's getting nutrients. Throughout it all, he has also suffered from some sensitivities with some of the foods that he never had issues with before--nothing real significant, but softer stools, an increase in fold yeast and a pinker face than usual. I haven't been able to discern which specific foods bother him, especially since his allergies are generally quite mild. Most recently, he has been on the Merrick backcountry raw infused, but he refuses to eat it by itself and will only do so with either chicken or cheese topping (loves his chicken and dairy). In the last two weeks I have tried the honest kitchen turkey and chicken grain free meals, which he will eat if I feed it to him but he doesn't seem to like the consistency in the bowl.

That being said, I'm at a loss for what to try next. I'd like to do raw, but can't commit to time/cost right now; plus I am worried I wouldn't be giving a balanced diet. Considering the honest kitchen base meal with the addition of my own protein, but was wondering what other options there are. One of the brands that I know is popular here is the Acana, which I am sure he'd like for a few weeks. But at this point he doesn't seem interested in staying on a food for more than a few weeks or months at a time. Any advice is appreciated!
 

helsonwheels

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Jan 10, 2016
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Hello there and welcome to the EBN. fIf raw is not feasible, why dont you home cook. I home cook and do batches ahead of time n freeze them. Or....whatever you're eat as supper time, make an extra plate for Kirby. Example if you're having hamburger, cook one for him and add veggies. One protein and a couple of veggies. In the morning you can do a scrabble egg with veggies. It sounds scary at first but it's like making a meal for a child. For Children we dont add salts, sugars etc etc...well same if you make an extra plate for Kirby. Never give cook fat to any dog. So your allergies issues will be gone.....Just a thought.
 
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satyr

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Feb 17, 2013
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Kirby
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Thanks for the response. I'm definitely leaning more towards that than anything. I worry about ensuring he gets balanced meals without the use of tons of supplements, but read this link from another thread (How and Why to Cook Your Dog?s Food | The Bark) and feel a little better about it. I usually have canned chicken, tuna and salmon on hand and eat lean meats most days, so it's not an issue to put an extra meal together. My major concern was not over or under feeding.

Additionally, I'm not sure which veggies to start off with. He has always liked carrots, peas, green beans--and pretty much all non-citruis fruits. He's not picky with real food, just kibble/dehydrated.

Edit: I wanted to add that I am also thinking about trying one of the Zignature limited-ingredient meals, or possibly Acana/Orijen.
 

helsonwheels

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Jan 10, 2016
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Alberta
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Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Thanks for the response. I'm definitely leaning more towards that than anything. I worry about ensuring he gets balanced meals without the use of tons of supplements, but read this link from another thread (How and Why to Cook Your Dog?s Food | The Bark) and feel a little better about it. I usually have canned chicken, tuna and salmon on hand and eat lean meats most days, so it's not an issue to put an extra meal together. My major concern was not over or under feeding.

Additionally, I'm not sure which veggies to start off with. He has always liked carrots, peas, green beans--and pretty much all non-citruis fruits. He's not picky with real food, just kibble/dehydrated.

Edit: I wanted to add that I am also thinking about trying one of the Zignature limited-ingredient meals, or possibly Acana/Orijen.

Probably was I that posted that link as I put it up a few times. Im a true believer in Orijen n ACANA. But the Acana in the US is not same quality as in Canada. US wanted their items/produce in and isnt working out for most dogs. Not sure where you live either. But orijen is fantastic. Got to watch as it high in calories. The bark.com she has great recipes and the link below too. I put approx one full cup of turkey in the bottom of the med ziploc freezer bag. Make it level. I add 3 cups of veggies. Usually its, sweet potatoes, long green n yellow string beans, lima beans, carrots and top the bag with the turkey I boiled for 4-5 hrs. All your minerals are in the bones. Do not over cook your veggies. For supplements you can give the same one as we humans take centrum. Then you give every other day coconut oil, salmon oil, turmeric, ginger... If I have to give kibbles to Nyala cause im gone in and out a few days, I top it with organs.

Top 5 Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes | Heavy.com
 

helsonwheels

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2016
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Alberta
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Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Oh and if you need to add bulk so they feel full, use quinoa or lentils. Do not forget, both are protein source.

Rice causes insulin issues and makes dogs fat.

Great website below

Home Prepared Dog Food Recipes
 

1Chumly

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Feb 19, 2015
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Houston, TX
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Buster 2013-2023 Monty 6/2010 - 1/2020 Chumly 2002-2014
I had to switch Monty from Acana after they changed here in the US and he had a major yeast outbreak. I put him on Zignature. He is on his 4th bag now and so far doing very well on it. Fingers crossed it stays that way!!!
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Why not try the THK base and add chicken/cheese.. in a different bowl or plate see if he takes to it


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satyr

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Feb 17, 2013
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Kirby
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I stopped by the store today in hopes of finding the THK base mix, to no avail. I picked up a sample bag of the Orijen 6 fish and also the Acana lamb and apple. Gave the first feeding of the Orijen tonight and he took to it quite well. Will see how it goes over the next few weeks and go from there. THK is likely the next step.
 
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satyr

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Feb 17, 2013
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Bulldog(s) Names
Kirby
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Just as an update do this...the six fish was doing great until I got a bag of the new KY formula. Kirby definitely doesn't care for it and his stools have really softened on it. Acana and Orijen seem to have done away with salmon in their feed, which is a bummer as he seems to really like that fish particularly. I'm thinking about switching over to zignature so we can get back to the salmon.
 

Dollys Owner

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Feb 20, 2017
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Not sure where you live but there's a crunchy dehydrated raw food called "Smack" you can get here in Canada that you don't have to add water to, so you don't get the mushy consistency.It's only available in salmon and chicken, so not great variety if your dog can't eat chicken. There's also other dehydrated raw dog foods besides Honest Kitchen you can try like Grandma Lucy's, Sojos, etc. Another alternative is to buy the Honest Kitchen,Sojos,Urban Wolf, Balance IT, U-Stew etc in base mixes you add your own protein to.
 
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satyr

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Feb 17, 2013
8
0
Bulldog(s) Names
Kirby
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Thanks for the info. I spent a number of hours at the feed store yesterday after doing some research here and on the dogfoodadvisor, and ended up going with Acana grasslands for now. It has a number of proteins in it, which I generally don't try, but I read an interesting article on rotational feeding and was hoping the increased variety may diminish how many allergies Kirby encounters. Likewise, the protein sources in it include lamb, goat, quail, trout, catfish, so they aren't the typical sources that I've gotten in the past. I also got some canned wild salmon that I will give 3 days a week to keep it interesting and gain some additional omegas.

If this doesn't work, then I'm going with some type of base meal with the addition of my own protein, as you mentioned.
 

Hankster

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Aug 27, 2016
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good choice imho ;) that's what 'we' like when using kibble in our 'rotation'... I have been really happy so far with rotating (although Hank hasn't shown algery to anything yet.... oh yea, I thinka strawberry) so we're lucky so far... sometimes I think the rotation has kept him from them....
Thanks for the info. I spent a number of hours at the feed store yesterday after doing some research here and on the dogfoodadvisor, and ended up going with Acana grasslands for now. It has a number of proteins in it, which I generally don't try, but I read an interesting article on rotational feeding and was hoping the increased variety may diminish how many allergies Kirby encounters. Likewise, the protein sources in it include lamb, goat, quail, trout, catfish, so they aren't the typical sources that I've gotten in the past. I also got some canned wild salmon that I will give 3 days a week to keep it interesting and gain some additional omegas.

If this doesn't work, then I'm going with some type of base meal with the addition of my own protein, as you mentioned.
 

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