tear stains & chewing on paws

[korikelly]

So, Lola came with Nutro puppy Chicken and Rice from the breeder. She is almost 4 months old, and we feed her about 1 cup 3 times a day. I have looked at all the food recommendations, and it seems to be a 3 star food. She has solid , not a lot of itching or gas, but she does have goopy eyes sometimes, tear stains, and has started chewing on her paws. Do you think it is food allergies? She chews EVERYTHING, so I'm not sure. The food choices are overwhelming! I'm considering Fromm, but which one??

 

[KMARINO]

Sounds very familar with my Vegas, and yes it was food allergies. For the last year he is on a grain free diet and no more goopy eyes (unless it is seasonal allergies) no licking of the paws and no smell. At 4 months she is going to chew everything, she is teething. Food choice is so hard to figure out! Just when you think you got it, something else changes. Fromm is an excellent food, so it Nature's Variety Instinct, Grain free this is what Vegas is on. He also has an intolerance to chicken so he is strickly on the Salmon flavor. You might want to try a grain free and see if she improves. Vegas did. Also watch her snacks, most are pure crap and also will make them itch. I only give veggies, fruits, yogurt, pumpkin etc....Frozen green beans are probably his favorite.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

I definitely suggest you switch foods. Sounds exactly like what I would have said about Samson when he was that age, I had him on Nutro as a puppy too. It's not a TERRIBLE food but it isn't very good either and I didn't know that at the time. He too had bad tear stains and licked his paws alot. When I switched from Nutro to Natural Balance (one of their grain free formulas, the sweet potato and salmon) it got SOO much better. There are alot of good foods out there, some bullys do great on one and not on another so you may have to change around a bit. I find Samson does best on grain free and fish based foods. He's done great on the Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Salmon that I mentioned, the Fromm grain free formulas surf & turf and beef frittata (if you switch to Fromm I suggest those formulas) and the Natures Variety Instinct salmon formula which I currently have him on. Good luck! Oh and also I know we have been having a high pollen count here, not sure about where you are in Oregon, but that has been wrecking havoc on Samson's allergies and if you are having a high pollen count there too that may be making things worse for her too in which case I would suggest giving her some benedryl.

 

[bullmama]

Nutro is actually only a 2* food, unless it is the holistic formula.

I think if you go with Fromm to try Fromm Puppy first, and then if that does not show drastic improvement in 6 weeks then try one of the 4* grain free formulas.

 

[korikelly]

Thanks everyone! I went to our local feed store last night, and no Fromm. They do have Natural Balance, Taste of the Wild, and Orijen. I get in there and it is overwhelming! I think I will be trying petflow today! Our pollen counts have been off the charts (literally, at record levels), so that may be part of it. Do you give regular drug store benadryl? If so, how much? She's about 25 lbs now, I think. We'll see at her vet checkup on Friday. Last of the puppy shots, phew!

 

[BruceP]

One Benedryl for each 25 pounds.

 

[ABEBD]

Hi,
As others have posted, a quality dog food does not have to be the most expensive, but check ingredients for at least the minimum. There are lots of quality foods that are chicken and or grain free. Most dogs, but not all have some allergic reaction to chicken as well as grain products. Both of these can cause gas, GI problems as well as tear staining and itchy problems. The tear staining is an issue with the PH level on the tears and foods and allergens can cause this problem. SLOWLY chaning the food is the first approach, over the course of a week, mix 90% old/10% new and change a litlle each feeding time.
G'day~

 

[korikelly]

Ok, I took the plunge and ordered Fromm Gold Holistic Puppy Food. Amazing, even with shipping (I ordered the medium sized bag until I know it's going to work), it cost about the same as the Nutro I've been buying. I can't wait to see if it makes a difference! Thanks again for all the help, this is the best site ever!

 

[ABEBD]

Hi,
Remember to switch over slowly....patience. Your dogs stomach will thank you!
Also, consider what you are feeding as treats and snack. First off, just like humans, all food is calories. Watch how many "Scuby" snacks you give.
Frozen green beans are great treats and healthy also! Older (1 year old) can also have the small baby carrots.
NO human food (except those above).
G'day~

 

[GatorRay]

The comment on treats is VERY true..and important! We give fromm and Canidae treats. The Canidae are gluten free. Those are just for after the grooming to keep them from running from me when the wipes come out. lol. Other than that, I give green beans (frozen) which seem to be the favorite and carrots. Some like apples but I haven't offered those yet.

Good luck and I sure hope it works! If it doesn't clear her up all the way, don't give up on the fromm. We had issues with the Fromm pork and applesauce but when we switched to the chicken and grain free Beef Frittata, the change is amazing!

 

[NJBullyMommy]

We actually had Brutus on Nutro for a bit too because even the 5 and 6 star foods would upset his stomach. We noticed that the tear stains got really bad to the point he would lay his paws on his face and the tear stains would spread to his paws too. We switched from Nutro and within 1-2 weeks the tear stairs lightened up soooo much! They are barely there now on his white face Maybe its just the ingredients in it that make their eyes all goopy.

 

[NJBullyMommy]

One Benedryl for each 25 pounds.

This def works! Pollen counts all over are insane and Benedryl def helped my pup soooo much with the sneezing, runny nose and eyes!

 

[cowsmom]

the vet can give you some hydroxyzine also if you find you need something that lasts longer than the benadryl. also i believe you can use claritin although i havent tried that one and some use zyrtec but havent tried that one either. just some more choices in case you need it.

 

[1badchicken]

We just did the switch over from our food also. They seem to be doing a little better.
we are in Texas and allergies due to pollen is another source. let us know how the outcome goes.

 

[GatorRay]

Yeah, as everyone has said, it could be food or seasonal allergies. We have Gator on Fromm Beef Frittata and a lot of his issues cleared up. Then the weather changed and goopy eyes and tear stains are BACK. Blech. I have tried Benedryl. Gator is 50 lbs or so and I only gave him one 25mg a day and it knocked him out. I mean he almost looked doped up all day. I didn't give it to him today but I am going to try Zyrtec to see how that goes.

Good luck and hope you can figure it out so your baby can be more comfortable!