At A Loss... What Should I Feed Her?

[harveyspecter]

I used to feed Fromm - all kinds of the four star nutritional variety (beef frittata, salmon tunalini, gamebird, lamb and lentil, etc.) I have tried every single one flavor. My dog eventually have always had the itches on every single one, relentlessly scratching himself that we had to resort to apoquel and cytopoint. While they worked, i figured there has got to be a better option.

My dog is also on a daily regimen of Nutavet and cosequin for his joints. I figured, the kibble is one of the non natural thing that he consumes so it must be the source of his itches. We decided to feed him boiled chicken breast, with a side of veggies, a mix of boiled kale, celeries, carrots, beans and so on. We also serve him a side of fruits, apples, watermelon, persimmons, cantaloupe. Whatever is available. Eversince, his most of his itches disappeared or reduced to a minimum.

Or the most important thing, he is no longer on either apoquel or cytopoint. Those drugs are not cheap either.

 

[Cbrugs]

Two of my dogs are full raw. My youngest is getting Open Farm kibble and has been doing good on it. I tried Acana as well before with Louie and it was too rich for him.

Sorry if you’ve already said but how much are you feeding? Too much food can cause loose stool. There can also be a certain ingredient that just isn’t tolerable.

For kibble, I always look for a limited ingredient, single protein formula.

Are you giving any probiotics at all?


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[GracefulLily]

I feed her about 2 - 3 cups of food a day because of her activity level, she burns more calories. I tried cutting back because I know too much food can give them a runny stool but when I did, she started losing too much weight and appeared abnormally skinny. Wellness Core Six only has 6 main ingredients and one protein so I thought she would tolerate it but she's been on it for about 2 weeks now and she's pooping more often and uncontrollably which is abnormal for her.

Right now, she isn't on any probiotics. The most I give her is an omega-3 gel tablet with every meal and that hasn't affect her negatively. I was thinking about getting goat milk for her. Any brands of probiotics you'd recommend?

Has anyone who cooks for their dog tried this website? Balanceit.com

 

[Cbrugs]

I feed her about 2 - 3 cups of food a day because of her activity level, she burns more calories. I tried cutting back because I know too much food can give them a runny stool but when I did, she started losing too much weight and appeared abnormally skinny. Wellness Core Six only has 6 main ingredients and one protein so I thought she would tolerate it but she's been on it for about 2 weeks now and she's pooping more often and uncontrollably which is abnormal for her.

Right now, she isn't on any probiotics. The most I give her is an omega-3 gel tablet with every meal and that hasn't affect her negatively. I was thinking about getting goat milk for her. Any brands of probiotics you'd recommend?

Has anyone who cooks for their dog tried this website? Balanceit.com

I wonder if she could have leaky gut or IBD.

For probiotics, I normally rotate between goat’s milk, fermented fish stock, fresh sauerkraut (found in the refrigerated section of store) and unbleached green tripe. If you want a dog specific one, [MENTION=16884]Dollys Owner[/MENTION] can tell you some name.


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[Dollys Owner]

I wonder if she could have leaky gut or IBD.

For probiotics, I normally rotate between goat’s milk, fermented fish stock, fresh sauerkraut (found in the refrigerated section of store) and unbleached green tripe. If you want a dog specific one, [MENTION=16884]Dollys Owner[/MENTION] can tell you some name.


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I like to give my dog water kefir grains, but I used to give her Probiotic Miracle. That's [MENTION=15364]oscarmayer[/MENTION] 's favourite one too. I've also made my own sauerkraut, it's very easy to make if you want to save some money and don't mind cutting up some cabbage.

 

[GracefulLily]

What test would have to be done to determine if she has leaky gut or IBD? She was at the vet not too long ago when the diarrhea got really bad. They gave her medication, did blood work, and took an x-ray. The vet recommended bland food until the diarrhea subsided because they couldn't find anything unusual and said she appeared to be in really good health otherwise. It went away completely when we started her on chicken and rice (with fruits and vegetables on the side) but as soon as she went back on the dry food, it started back up again so we threw it out. Thank you [MENTION=16619]Cbrugs[/MENTION] and [MENTION=16884]Dollys Owner[/MENTION]. I will do some more research into the probiotics you have mentioned. The goat milk and tripe would be easier to get because my local grocery store sells organic goat milk and I can get tripe from a pet store not too far from here.

 

[Cbrugs]

What test would have to be done to determine if she has leaky gut or IBD? She was at the vet not too long ago when the diarrhea got really bad. They gave her medication, did blood work, and took an x-ray. The vet recommended bland food until the diarrhea subsided because they couldn't find anything unusual and said she appeared to be in really good health otherwise. It went away completely when we started her on chicken and rice (with fruits and vegetables on the side) but as soon as she went back on the dry food, it started back up again so we threw it out. Thank you [MENTION=16619]Cbrugs[/MENTION] and [MENTION=16884]Dollys Owner[/MENTION]. I will do some more research into the probiotics you have mentioned. The goat milk and tripe would be easier to get because my local grocery store sells organic goat milk and I can get tripe from a pet store not too far from here.

Here are a couple articles:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/leaky-gut-syndrome-in-dogs/

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/canine-allergies-and-your-dogs-health/

https://bluepearlvet.com/medical-ar.../inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-dogs-and-cats/

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-dogs

 

[oscarmayer]

Not wanting to dismiss any of the suggestions made by other members...but has she been checked for worms?

 

[GracefulLily]

She hasn't been checked for worms but she's been dewormed a few times.

Could worms be causing this?

 

[Cbrugs]

Not wanting to dismiss any of the suggestions made by other members...but has she been checked for worms?

Duh!!! How did I forget that!

She hasn't been checked for worms but she's been dewormed a few times.

Could worms be causing this?

I would definitely have a fecal test done. Bring in a fresh stool sample to your vet (less than 24 hours old) and ask them to check for parasites and sometimes you have to specifically ask to test for giardia.

 

[GracefulLily]

I dropped off the sample a few hours ago. They said they'll have the results by tomorrow.

 

[2BullyMama]

I dropped off the sample a few hours ago. They said they'll have the results by tomorrow.

any update?

 

[GracefulLily]

She tested positive for giardia but they couldn't find any active ones in her sample, just traces of an enzyme that usually appear when they've had giardia. I think that is that the vet said.

 

[handsomedan]

I feed my three Doctor Harveys with a rotation of lightly cooked protein. We've tried several of the doctor harveys mixes and they've loved them all! They also get raw fermented goats milk from answers. Hope things start getting better for her!

 

[GracefulLily]

I don't have access to Doctor Harveys unfortunately. I'm in Canada.

Update: I've contacted a canine/feline nutritionalist in the city and they are going to help me create a meal plan to balance Izellah's diet and improve/resolve her digestive issues.