knox2alex
New member
Hello,
My bulldog Birdie is 7 months old, she started from the breeder with Taste of the Wild Pacific formula - which was fine for a long time, except that she started getting itchy and was pooping slightly loose stools and pooping several times a day. I decided at about 5 months to switch her to a raw diet - mostly using BRAVO or Stella & Chewy's with some fish oil added and some fresh vegetables, pumpkin, and probiotics. Poops got better - twice a day and firm, the itching stopped and she loved it. Problem was she was gaining weight too quickly, and always thought she was starving - even with the max recommended food and extra veggies for bulk. She was mostly eating the rabbit or venison varieties. But, she developed tear stains and had never had them before.
A couple of weeks ago, she started getting really itchy after eating this... she would scratch violently at her eyes, or rub her face on the carpet or furniture right after eating. So, we tried another protien choice (still raw). Chicken... she had explosive diarrhea and itchy face. Thinking it might be the chicken, I did a few days of rice cooked with beef stock to calm her stomach and it did. Also, in those two days of just rice with beef stock, her tear stains faded almost completely, her eyes stopped gooping, and her poop was normal.
So, with all of this.. I kind of got freaked out with the raw, and thought that since her stomach was having issues anyway and she had been on rice, maybe now was a good time to switch back to kibble. I did tons of research and came up with Fromm's 4-star grain free (Wild Game and Beef Fritatta). ITCHY FACE, very red eyes, and diarrhea with one variety and itchy face, very red eyes, and vomitting with the other.
I put down the Fromm's today and she won't eat it. I thought maybe we were just having problems with the switch, but she is refusing to eat it. I had a can of Nature's Instinct single protein food - turkey, so I tried that. She ate it, and loved it... but had itchy face again and super red eyes.
I don't know what to do! I know that it's not good to switch things around so much - but I am at a loss at the best and healthful way to feed her without stomach issues, too much weight gain, and allergic reactions (like itchy face and red eyes).
I am considering Nature's Logic or Pure Performance... I am thinking chicken and/or beef could be an issue for her. I also have always gone grain free.
If anyone has suggestions or thoughts on this, I would appreciate it. I want to do the best thing for her.
Thanks,
D (& Birdie)
My bulldog Birdie is 7 months old, she started from the breeder with Taste of the Wild Pacific formula - which was fine for a long time, except that she started getting itchy and was pooping slightly loose stools and pooping several times a day. I decided at about 5 months to switch her to a raw diet - mostly using BRAVO or Stella & Chewy's with some fish oil added and some fresh vegetables, pumpkin, and probiotics. Poops got better - twice a day and firm, the itching stopped and she loved it. Problem was she was gaining weight too quickly, and always thought she was starving - even with the max recommended food and extra veggies for bulk. She was mostly eating the rabbit or venison varieties. But, she developed tear stains and had never had them before.
A couple of weeks ago, she started getting really itchy after eating this... she would scratch violently at her eyes, or rub her face on the carpet or furniture right after eating. So, we tried another protien choice (still raw). Chicken... she had explosive diarrhea and itchy face. Thinking it might be the chicken, I did a few days of rice cooked with beef stock to calm her stomach and it did. Also, in those two days of just rice with beef stock, her tear stains faded almost completely, her eyes stopped gooping, and her poop was normal.
So, with all of this.. I kind of got freaked out with the raw, and thought that since her stomach was having issues anyway and she had been on rice, maybe now was a good time to switch back to kibble. I did tons of research and came up with Fromm's 4-star grain free (Wild Game and Beef Fritatta). ITCHY FACE, very red eyes, and diarrhea with one variety and itchy face, very red eyes, and vomitting with the other.
I put down the Fromm's today and she won't eat it. I thought maybe we were just having problems with the switch, but she is refusing to eat it. I had a can of Nature's Instinct single protein food - turkey, so I tried that. She ate it, and loved it... but had itchy face again and super red eyes.
I don't know what to do! I know that it's not good to switch things around so much - but I am at a loss at the best and healthful way to feed her without stomach issues, too much weight gain, and allergic reactions (like itchy face and red eyes).
I am considering Nature's Logic or Pure Performance... I am thinking chicken and/or beef could be an issue for her. I also have always gone grain free.
If anyone has suggestions or thoughts on this, I would appreciate it. I want to do the best thing for her.
Thanks,
D (& Birdie)