Help Needed! Endless Food Roller Coaster, and scared of vet recommendations!

[Momma2Bullies]

Hi everyone...
I think there was a post about this before, but I can't find it!
I have been on quite the food rollercoaster with my babies, and at this point I am nervous of the next step. I am in week 6 of Wellness Simple limited ingredient duck and oatmeal. My female is pretty good - main issue for her are tear stains, but my male isn't doing as well as I hoped. His chin acne and raw tear stains are getting worse, and his little feet are quite red. I am at the point where I am going to have to get antibiotics for him (AGAIN). Last time, my vet was ok with me trying this new food on my own to see the results. But I know what is going to happen - she will recommend a strict food trial with (ulp) Hill's z/d. I have read horror stories about this food.... but at the same time I am not a vet and I don't want to keep going through this antibiotic mess with them.

I am thinking I should try a grain free fish food (they were on Fromm whitefish and potato in the summer and did NOT do well.... I suspect the potatoes?), or another variety of limited ingredient food (I've done nature's variety instinct turkey LID also) .... ugh.

Has anyone had any good come out of Hill's z/d? Is it something I should even entertain as a means to get a baseline and slowly reintroduce food so I can see what the specific allergies are?

Thanks, as always, for any advice!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I think we need [MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION] to chime in here. She knows so much about Dog Food. She helped me immensely with finding a good food for Jake.

 

[Annie1991]

I've had my bully on royal canin since she was a pup - she is 3 now. I had no problems with tear stains or other skin issues. I've recently tried several grain free and simple recipes after joining this forum. Well, my bully just picked out the royal canin and left the other food, she also did not have as much spunk as she usually does. The same with my other 2 dogs. They all eat the same food. So, I'm going to stay with the RC for now since she doesn't have any issues with it.

 

[bullmama]

I would do either one of two things. Either get a blood allergy test done, or try home cooking for a few weeks and see if that helps. With kibble, there is so many ingredients added into the food that it is hard to pinpoint what ingredient is doing the damage. When you home cook, you know exactly what ingredients are being given. I do the first 2 weeks of just the home cooking- 4 ingredients. Then you can start mixing it up and adding a supplement like Nuvet.

My basic home cooked is hamburger, beans, 15% veggies, 10% rice. Then later you can experiment with other proteins, salmon oil, eggs, pasta instead of rice, potatoes, ect


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[linwhite]

I had a bully who was allergic to the grass in the yard and pretty much anything resembling a grass, herb or grain. The only thing that worked for her was taste of the Wild Pacific Stream since TOTW doesn't have any grasses or grains. She still had itchy feet since she had to walk in the grass but her other allergy symptoms pretty much went away. It's not doing anything for the tear stains my new pup has though. Other than that, my 4 current bullys haven't had health issue # 1. they are 5 years, 2 years and the pup is 4 months. It's too soon to know if he'll develop any though.

 

[RiiSi]

I'm with [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] in this one. Home cooking is the way to go (or raw). Start with limited ingredients, preferably with new ones that wasn't in any of the kibbles that you've tried. And later add one ingredient at the time and wait to see if he reacts to it. That way you know what's good and what's not.

 

[linwhite]

I'm with @desertskybulldogs in this one. Home cooking is the way to go (or raw). Start with limited ingredients, preferably with new ones that wasn't in any of the kibbles that you've tried. And later add one ingredient at the time and wait to see if he reacts to it. That way you know what's good and what's not.

Do you folks who home cook or feed raw have full time jobs and no one else to help with anything around the house? I don't have the time or energy to cook for myself, no less my dog. Of course I'm an official Senior Citizen now so maybe that's it.

 

[RiiSi]

Do you folks who home cook or feed raw have full time jobs and no one else to help with anything around the house? I don't have the time or energy to cook for myself, no less my dog. Of course I'm an official Senior Citizen now so maybe that's it.

I consider my dogs well being to be worth using the energy and this way I don't have spend time worrying and switching foods. I work full time and still have time left to take food out of the freezer twice a day.

 

[bullmama]

I don't have a full time job but I do have a million things to... I just pop the dry beans in the crock pot (thanks to dalmantia38) in the morning, fry up 5 lbs of hamburger in water, drain the fat, add 1/2 c of dry rice or pasta, 2 cups of veggies, cook in the crock until dinner. Lasts for 3 days.


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[loveabully]

I hope you can find the right food I know how you feel now I'm on blue wilderness salmon even though his tear stains got worse he stopped scratching an he twice a day instead of 5-6 times a day just hang in you will find something soon good luck

 

[cowsmom]

Do you folks who home cook or feed raw have full time jobs and no one else to help with anything around the house? I don't have the time or energy to cook for myself, no less my dog. Of course I'm an official Senior Citizen now so maybe that's it.

you know lots of people with full time jobs home cook for their dogs and thats ok and its ok if you dont have time for it and use kibble either way its ok. they are just making suggestions like everyone else no need to be like that. frankly i think totw is not a food i would recommend anymore of havent you noticed all of the recalls that diamond manufacturing has had for salmonella. frankly id rather home cook or feed raw than use a food that is made in a plant that cant keep salmonella out of it.

 

[kazzy220]

Hi everyone...
I think there was a post about this before, but I can't find it!
I have been on quite the food rollercoaster with my babies, and at this point I am nervous of the next step. I am in week 6 of Wellness Simple limited ingredient duck and oatmeal. My female is pretty good - main issue for her are tear stains, but my male isn't doing as well as I hoped. His chin acne and raw tear stains are getting worse, and his little feet are quite red. I am at the point where I am going to have to get antibiotics for him (AGAIN). Last time, my vet was ok with me trying this new food on my own to see the results. But I know what is going to happen - she will recommend a strict food trial with (ulp) Hill's z/d. I have read horror stories about this food.... but at the same time I am not a vet and I don't want to keep going through this antibiotic mess with them.

I am thinking I should try a grain free fish food (they were on Fromm whitefish and potato in the summer and did NOT do well.... I suspect the potatoes?), or another variety of limited ingredient food (I've done nature's variety instinct turkey LID also) .... ugh.

Has anyone had any good come out of Hill's z/d? Is it something I should even entertain as a means to get a baseline and slowly reintroduce food so I can see what the specific allergies are?

Thanks, as always, for any advice!

Well the good news is that one of your bullies is doing so well on the current food, so looks as if you may have to buy two separate foods for the foreseeable future. So keep her on the Wellness.

What other foods have you already tried ... you mention the Fromm whitefish and potato ... any other foods?? Just want to try and narrow it down a little to see what you've already done!!

 

[cowsmom]

now for the original poster @Momma2Bullies there is a little known food called pure vita that has a salmon one and its pretty basic and ive fed it to my dogs and they did ok and i think its a pretty good food. acana has a lamb and apple and duck and bartlett potato that is not grain free but it only has oats which is pretty low glycemic. there is another food called go that has a salmon and oat and thats all thats in it so its very limited and i had sarah on it. does have potatoes i see but might not be the potatoes that were the problem. lots have had success with homecooking and i feed sarah freeze dried raw. the honest kitchen is liked by many who have tried it also. if i can help you anymore please let me know.

 

[linwhite]

you know lots of people with full time jobs home cook for their dogs and thats ok and its ok if you dont have time for it and use kibble either way its ok. they are just making suggestions like everyone else no need to be like that. frankly i think totw is not a food i would recommend anymore of havent you noticed all of the recalls that diamond manufacturing has had for salmonella. frankly id rather home cook or feed raw than use a food that is made in a plant that cant keep salmonella out of it.

 

[cowsmom]