[theBCnut]

Orijen and Acana are very good foods, but you should definitely rotate to other brands too.

[Jackie T]

I am trying to find a grain-free food that both of my Papillons, 6 months and 3 yrs, will eat and maintain a good weight. One of my cats has grain allergies so all food must be grain-free. I have been switching from Orijen/Acana to Blue Wilderness to Wellness Core, trying to find a happy solution. The pup ate puppy formula until the last bag (last week which I mixed with the wilderness adult) at six months does she still need puppy food? It seems that the higher protein/fat content is more palatable for them, except the Core, they both ate around it. I have read the non-GMO list and found that the Orijen/Acana is one of the foods listed there. It is the food I used for my first Pap and the pup until recently, should I stick with it? my cats both eat Orijen/Acana too. Is switching between the different formulas in the Orijen/Acana line enough or should it be different brands of food? Thanks for your in-put.

[Bette W]

Acana has a new line called Acana Singles. This is a limited ingredient diet (one meat protein) that is grain free and does not contain any potato. You have a choice of Lamb and Okanagan Apple, Pork and Butternut Squash, or Duck and Bartlett Pear. It is a low glycemic, low carb diet with all natural ingredients (except for zinc).

[Carl L]

Thanks for the replies. So many angles to think of.

Not too many feed 100% canned I am gathering. The beauty of the Kirkland, I thought, was that it was 5-star and still within the budget even at 100%. But the point about food rotation is a good one. I could likely never feed another 5-star canned to work in the rotation and meet the budget, as the BCnut points out. I am trying to find out if I can get Whole Earth Farms canned here in SW Ontario (if it is truly a budget-friendly option).

By combining with kibble, however, I can accomplish food rotation easier. Most 5-star kibbles would fit the budget. So I like that.

Giddyupb, I just discovered Pulsar yesterday! I was at our local Pet Planet and the manager suggested Pulsar as a great food, even at least as a transition to Acana from the junk our guy is on now. I like the price!

I appreciate the responses.

[Carl L]

Hi all, I posted this in the Editor’s Choice forum as well, but realized it applies to any 5-star kibble:

We have a new dog (1 1/2 year Lab) and need to settle on a quality commercial food. Commercial raw and 5-star canned food is out of our price range. Most kibble is not.

I have been reading in many places that aside from cost and convenience, all things being equal, a quality canned food is probably slightly better for a dog than a quality kibble.

In Canada, there are not many 5-star canned foods in our range. Kirkland Cuts in Gravy is one. We can feed our 60 lb. Lab for under $100.

My question is, aside from convenience (not an issue in our case), does it make sense to go exclusive Kirkland canned versus a 5-star kibble since it is in our price range? What are the points against feeding this particular canned vs. any 5-star kibble? (We are leading towards Acana Regionals).

Of course we can go kibble and canned combined, but aside from price, I am not sure why we would do it?

Anyone willing to offer opinions?
Thanks in advance

[Carl L]

Hi all, this is my first post. Great place to hang out!

We have a new dog (1 1/2 year Lab) and need to settle on a quality commercial food. Commercial raw and 5-star canned food is out of our price range. Most kibble is not.

I have been reading in many places that aside from cost and convenience, all things being equal, a quality canned food is probably slightly better for a dog than a quality kibble.

In Canada, there are not many 5-star canned foods in our range. Kirkland Cuts in Gravy is one. We can feed our 60 lb. Lab for under $100.

My question is, aside from convenience (not an issue in our case), does it make sense to go exclusive Kirkland canned versus a 5-star kibble since it is in our price range? What are the points against feeding this particular canned vs. any 5-star kibble? (We are leading towards Acana Regionals).

Of course we can go kibble and canned combined, but aside from price, I am not sure why we would do it?

Anyone willing to offer opinions?

Thanks in advance

[InkedMarie]

I look at the food (except for ny allergy boy, grainfree for him always) because not all grainfrees are alike. I just went to the review side, chose a few popular grainfrees:

Earthborn Holistic: 4.5 stars, plant based, moderate amount of meat
TOTW: 4.5 stars, plant based, moderate amount of meat
Blue Buffalo Freedom: 4 stars, plant based, moderate amount of meat
Nutro: 3 stars, plant based, modest amount of meat.

There are grainfrees that are five stars and meat based with significant amounts of meat and 3 stars with modest meat.

Now, a few grain inclusives:

Acana : 5 stars, plant based, significant amount of meat
Dr Tim’s: 5 stars, meat based, significant meat
Natures Logic: plant based, notable amount of meat

There are grain inclusives that are 1 star up to 5 stars, lotsa meat to is there any meat.

This is why I go by the food. A lot of people think, grainfree is the best and pick up any grainfree. People think grain inclusive is bad & buy cheaper (pricewise) grainfree.

Me, I’d take any quality grain inclusives, including the three I mentioned above, over any of the grainfrees I mentioned above. It depends on your dog. No problems with grains & no problem with gf but buy a high quality food with a high amount of meat”

[Nancy C]

Interesting. I’m the one with the now 20 month old GSD with the afternoon loose stools who had been doing beautifully on TOW High Prairie (5 stars) until I transitioned to Origen and Acana. Simultaneous to that I was giving him some Bully Sticks from “BEST BULLY STICKS” (an internet site). I had studied Bully Sticks and the way these were made sounded the best. The small company in Virginia appears to be very conscientious about producing a quality and safe product. They are aware of potential problems re Bully Sticks and say they have implemented some techniques that ensure safety. I had ordered inch thick ones. Have been wondering if he got a particular bacteria from those sticks that contributed to this inflammatory bowel condition he is now in. Our weather was bad during Feb when this started and I gave him one every other day to help tide us all over until our bad weather cleared up. At first I had put them in my deep freeze bec I had read that that would kill any unknown bacteria. Then I stopped doing that. Nice weather is here and I do not plan to give him anymore of those. May freeze the remaining ones all summer in prep for winter. He DID enjoy chewing on them and I do not blame this company. I think they are very committed to producing a sound product. They have an interesting video on their web site.

[Shadow@01]

Thank you, issue resolved. Since on Acana Pacifica we have already seen HUGE improvement.

FYI All pups have been vet checked and tested for all sorts that could lead to the itchy skin, recommended that food be changed, could not find any other reason. I was just concerned about the all life stages as another veterinary leading food brand did not recommend that I feed a all life stage food.

Thanks again.

TOPIC CLOSED

[andy c]

Is Orijen too high in protein for older dogs? My lab is 10 now and has been doing really well on Orijen for the past few years. But she’s finally starting to slow down, so would it be better to switch to something with a little less protein (eg in 30’s instead of 40+) like Acana or Wellness Core?

[clynne s]

I see Merrick, Origen and Acana are recommended. D any of them test for pesticides? hormone antibiotic free? Even the orgsnix has non organic ingredients, therefore pesticides. As for MO free , are the animals fed Gmo, pesticide and hormone /antibiotic free food?

[Nancy C]

My 10 year old Golden Retriever eats anything. The vet says she is the picture of health and I have fed her always REGULAR food. Premium Edge (not for seniors), then Taste of Wild all flavors rotated. After that I have fed her the left over Origen and Acana that my German Shepherd puppy seemed to not be able to eat. Her dog friends are from ages 2 yrs old to 5 or 6 and she can outlast them some days. She keeps up with our 20 month old German Shepherd. I agree that they NEED the protein to keep them young and vibrant. It’ll be a long time before she eats senior food.

[Nancy C]

Oh My do I need to ask YOU a question — to the Pet Nutritionist who just responded to “HELP! Dog Eating Hills…”
MY DOG IS ON HILLS AND I AM MISERABLE ABOUT IT.
He is the GSD who the kind people on this website have helped me with. 18 mos old in Jan when I got him. Great Dog. Was fine then and doing great on TOW High Prairie. I suddenly discovered the recall hx of Diamond & immediately started transitioning him to Origen, very slowly– starting w 1/8 cup Origen to 2 cups TOW morning and night. At 50/50 he started loose afternoon stools. Morning stools normal. Moved to Acana slowly. At 50/50 same thing. Afternoon stool like custard. Morning fine. Vet said she thought it could be bec he had so much exercise in the mornings which made PM stools so soft. But said it could also be that the Champion food is too rich. This had gone on for several weeks so the vet gave him Metronidazol and sent us home with a bag of HILLS RX W/D. The loose stools were replaced by dry sawdust clumps of poop which he worked hard to push out. He did fine on that for a week so the vet said at the check up to start slowly transitioning him to Hills Sensitive Stomach. She said we would not keep him on this but she had seen a lot of dogs improve with a bag of this. Loose stools started within a day – He pooped custard all weekend in my house and out, uncontrollable, and I was up three times last Sunday night with him running outside to poop. Back to the vet on Monday. Lab work negative – no worms. She said not to feed him until Monday afternoon and gave me canned W/D HILLS. Said give 1/2 can Monday afternoon and 1/2 can MOnday night. Tuesday we finished up the HIlls CAnned Crap at lunch and started HILLS W/D dry. His poops are now all dry solid sawdusty. He sometimes groans as he strains. Vet said to keep him on this for a MONTH but I cannot bear watching this and Whole Grain CORN is the first ingredient. I bought more cans but Water, Egg Particles and Whole Grain Corn are the first ingredients. I know this is wrong. He has lost 2 pounds. He now has a quiet period for 2 hours after all meals to support digestion and plays afterward. I bought a Slow Eating Bowl and it REALLY slows him down.
Surely there is a better way than HILLS to help this dog.
I bought a bag of Dr. Tims, planning to try that next. In a way I am scared but I am also scared to face 3 more weeks on HILLS W/D DRY.
Advice? Thank you.

[PetNutritionist]

Hello,
First off I would like to say that the Food that you are feeding your dog, is contributing to the bladder stones and gaining weight.
Diets high in grain and vegetables produce alkaline urine, which allows certain stones to form.
1. thing to get changed right off the bat, is the food. Vets are very helpful with figuring out and helping to remedy problems that your dogs are facing. But many of them are uneducated with dog food nutrition. I have studied Dog and Cat nutrition very intensely due to my dog almost dying because our vet recommended Pedigree dog food.
Science diet, Hills food from the vet and even in pet stores are CRAP. Any food that you can buy in a grocery store is CRAP. What you feed is what you get out of your dog. and I have helped MANY MANY pet parents learn how to better their dogs lives by just changing what they eat.
Your dog needs to avoid food with Grains. If a dog food ingredients has Rice, Brown Rice, Barley, Corn, Grain, Whole Grain, or such grains in the first 5-10 ingredients, its not food your dog is suppose to be eating.
GRAIN FREE FOOD is what your dog should be eating in order to loose weight and avoid bladder stones.
I suggest Acana because they are Grain Free, First Mate because again they are Grain Free and have always been grain free (My dogs are on this) and other foods that are grain free!
Your dog should also be eating twice a day only. As well needing to give it to her at a reduced amount till He/She looses weight.
Once in the morning and once at night, food should be measured so you know how much your dog is eating.
To help with arthritis, I would look into giving your dog some glucosamine and chondroitin.
You can actually give the ones you get at your drug store and mix it in with wet food and give it to her one a spoon. Make sure to get the pill capsule ones so you can open it and mix in with wet food.
As well, try and start giving Cranberry supplements to help with the unitary tract. You can as well use the ones you get at the drug stores or go with this brand for animals specifically
http://cranimal.com/products.html

You wouldn’t eat Macdonalds every day if you were trying to loose weight and care for your health would you? That is what you are giving your dog if you feed it Science diet, Hills or any food with Grains.

I know this will help a lot because I’ve done it personally myself. But I hope you try it and see for yourself.
Cheers

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Boerboel Daddy –

You do not want to put mom onto a low calcium food. Growth of the fetuses during gestation and providing the pups with milk during lactation requires massive amounts of calcium. During the final 35 days of gestation, requirements for calcium and phosphorus increase by around 60%. During lactation, depending on litter size, bitches may require between 2-5 times as much calcium as is required for adult maintenance. When you wean the pups you can place them on an appropriate large breed puppy formula. So I’d say it would be fine to stick with Acana for now.

[anne a]

How about Nutrisca dry Salmon & chickpea? I do a rotation of Acana Pacifica/Orijen 6 fish & Nutrisca -great ingredients dont know about the manufacturing?

[Shadow@01]

Hi there

I have a 8 month old Australian Shepherd bitch which I bred myself. Sire & dam has no skin allergies, neither any dogs I trace back to in the line. 4 puppies out of 7 in the litter seem to be having a bit of a skin allergy so I am thinking the reason for the allergy might be genetic, rather than just be a seasonal thing.

All this time I have been feeding Royal Canin Junior, supplementing with Salmon oil capsules. I am thinking of switching over to ACANA PACIFICA ( 60% Fish / 40% Veg / 0% Grain). This being a all life stages food, would this be highly recommended for a growing active working puppy? I would like to see if the no grain, chicken & beef makes any difference to her itchy skin.

I have received feedback from another source that all lifestage feeding is not recommended for a growing puppy, especially a working puppy.

Any thoughts on this???

[Boerboel Daddy]

Hi Hound Dog Mom.

My Vet shop recently stopped stocking Earthborn in favor of Acana. I loved the Earthborn but how good is the Acana grainfree formula? and is it suitable for Large breed pups?

I am currently feeding Earthborn Primitive natural. can i keep feeding my pregnant female this formula (2.4% calcium) until the pups are born and then switch to one of the low calcium varieties. What i asking is When do i switch to the lower calcium formula? she is Three weeks into her pregnancy

• This reply was modified 11 years ago by Boerboel Daddy.

[aquariangt]

Acana is covered under champion foods

[Nancy D]

Acana?

[FreeholdHound]

Hi Ann- yeah I’m in the same boat- most of this list is off the table here too. But it’s going to keep expanding so I’ll keep searching. Right now we can use Earthborn GPF & Natures Logic Beef or Sardine only. I’m hoping the new Acana Singles recipes may work when they come out but I don’t think they’ll be good in your case.

[Shasta220]

So sorry you got ripped off with BB… Some of their foods are great, but others? Well, you’re just paying for the fancy packaging.

Personally, almost anything on here that’s 4-5 stars is good. I wouldn’t be too picky about getting food for seniors. As crazy4cats said, they’re often lower in the good proteins and fats, and higher in empty fillers. I know a couple dogs on NutriSource GF, they’re both 55-65lb seniors (I think they’re around 13), and they still go on an hour walk/run into the fields every morning. One of them is even known to sometimes jump over a 4ft fence!

I know home made diets with premixes (like the honest kitchen, and See Spot Live Longer) are the favorite around these parts. Orijen and Acana are two of the most beloved dry foods as well. I’d love to have my dogs on either of those, but the price is waaaay out of my personal budget.

Also bumping this so others can see 😉 best wishes!

[Jetster]

Thanks everyone for bringing to my attention that Evanger packed. I have written Wild Calling to confirm this since I was led to believe by their sales reps they did their own dry food. I absolutely would not give this to my dog if by them either. I will probably just stick to my $74 a bag Orijen and Acana and quit looking to save $20 a month!

[Shawna]

I agree with the others about feeding a rotational diet over just one food. Three of my eight dogs get a rotational kibble diet with canned and raw toppers. I use Orijen, Acana, Earthborn Primitive Naturals, Nature’s Variety, Nature’s Logic and many others off and on (Wellness, Fromm, Merrick, Back to Basics etc).

Raw egg with the shell is a really good and inexpensive topper. Another is beef, deer or chicken heart mixed with Steve’s Real Food premix. Heart is usually inexpensive to begin with but a friend gets free beef hearts from her butcher for me… And a hunter friend gives me the parts of the deer he doesn’t use himself.

[Naturella]

Steven A, I would definitely advise you to try all of the above suggestions. Rotational diet is good anyway. 🙂

Also, I have fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness for about 4 months or so just fine. Acana and Orijen I have not tried yet. A good one, and pretty affordable, is Dr. Tim’s, as well as Victor. I usually look for deals both in stores and online and was able to snatch a 4-lb bag of Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea for $5 on Petflow, no kidding! 🙂

Other foods I’ve fed that are good are Holistic Health Extensions, Earthborn Holistic – currently on the fish one, Nature’s Variety Instinct + Raw Boost and Now Fresh (on samples), and I will be feeding some of Victor, Back to Basics, Wellness Core, AvoDerm, Merrick, Nature’s Variety, and more in the near future. ALL grain-free too.

Of those, I think Wellness Core and Blue Buffalo Wilderness are moderately affordable; Victor, Dr. Tim’s, and Earthborn Holistic seem to be very affordable; the rest I have coupons for/will scout deals for, lol.

[Melissaandcrew]

Big fan of the Acana and Orijen products here : ) What price range are you looking for? I rotate a bunch of brands and feed with kibble-which may be an option for you due to time constraints. for example, tonight is a 50-50 mix of Acana Lamb/Apple singles, and Grainfree Holistic Select sardine/anchovy/something or other, lol. It was on sale, so figured I would give it a try(they did not do well on the grain inclusive version) To top it off, will be a big old dollop of ground chicken quarters, veg, beef heart and turkey gizzard. They would have skipped the dry, but Mom was slacking and did not take out the raw to thaw long enough.

[Zanes Mom]

I love Acana Grasslands and so does my young Bullmastiff. Recently I ordered Natures Logic Duck and Salmon to try as part of his rotation. He seems to be doing well on it but— the kibble size is TINY and I think that will be a problem. However it is the perfect choice for a small dog.

[Shasta220]

Many people love Orijen and Acana. Agreed with kvee about the legumes. Wellness Core is a good one, too.

[Ronald T]

I would like to know about that also. I have been feeding the Acana Singles to my two guys with good results, and am really annoyed about the switch to Lentils and beans.

I e-mailed Acana CS about this and got what I considered a non-answer, a repeat of their mantra about biologically appropriate food.

Can anyone give us some information on this?

[anita c]

What information exhists as to consumption of lentils as in the new Acana Singles for canine nutrition?

[theBCnut]

In the wild, dogs would eat some of the hairs from their prey and this would act as fiber. Some dogs do not need fiber, but some do. If your dog strains to defecate or has anal gland issue, then your dog needs fiber. If you are feeding kibble then you are definitely feeding fiber. Some fibers are even very beneficial because probiotics feed off of them. However, if the kibble is made up of mostly plant matter, your dog is likely getting way more fiber than it could possibly need. I think Acana has a pretty good balance of ingredients, however they are about to change up their formulas and add more peas, beans, and lentils, which are all high fiber foods, so you may see an increase in gas and stool volume.

[skotta]

I´ve heard that dogs don´t need fibre in their food. In almost every dog food there is fibre of some kind. Do you know if that´s true. I feed my dogs with Acana, and they are healty and their coat is shiny.
Thanks

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Anna –

Acana Grasslands is included as an Editor’s Choice selection. Glad you’re having such good luck with it!

[Liz O]

I have been reading all the posts about LB puppies and even though I’ve looked at the list of reccomended foods I still have some questions. Why are some foods on the list but not others of seemingly equivalent quality and highly rated? I’m wondering about Simply Nourish Chicken & Brown Rice Puppy with 5 stars, calcium min 1% not on the list as compared to Innova Puppy with 5 stars on the list but from a company with recalls. I could give more examples as well. Blue Life Protection LB Puppy seems pretty good as far as ingredients or even other Blue formulas but they aren’t on the list. Is Wellness Core Puppy better than just Wellness LB puppy? I’m trying to find the best possible food for a Lab puppy currently on Acana LB puppy. With so many choices it’s getting a little overwhelming knowing what’s the best option. Thanks for any advice.

[Anna S]

Acana Grasslands. I have been feeding this for about a year and have been very pleased with my hairless dogs skin.

[Mary M]

I am very happy to see this section finally published…thank you for all the hard work. I was happy to see my choice of dog food (Acana!) on the list, and appreciate the extra information about the company in this section. I was confused about the lengthy video that plays before you’re allowed to register for this. I’m afraid it might deter people who are new to the site…I know I got impatient waiting for it to complete. Any reason for this long intro and the inability to register until a portion has played?

[scooter]

I use acana pacifica grasslands. I also use glandex (sprinkle it on food). He has gone from needing to go the the vet from three weeks to between five and six weeks now. He never had any smell but his name says it all.

[Strike12]

We used to feed Acana but had to stop when they started adding so many peas, lentils, etc. That seems to be the new trend here to keep the protein high.

[Dori]

Hi Mountainhound. Though I have no objection to any of the ingredients specifically, it does seem as though there are an awful lot of lentils, peas and garbanzo beans. Just thought I’d add my thoughts for anyone thinking about this food. I feed raw, but if I were to go back to feeding kibble I would not feed this change up. When I was feeding kibble Acana Pacifica was in my rotation, none of the dogs did particularly well on it. Not anything really bad other than my allergy prone sensitive stomach girl who couldn’t eat the Acana. I eventually switched to all raw because of her. They are doing fabulous now EXCEPT Spring has come to Atlanta and, of course, allergy girl also has environmental allergies. So bad that I’ve had to put her on Benadryl twice a day for the last couple of days. I hate it!!!!!

[shamrockmommy]

I absolutely LOVED the original formula of the Acana line. they keep “improving” the products. My dogs did poorly on the new formulation, and I”m not even going to bother trying the latest improvement.

[Barb D]

I have a nine month old Bichon shih tzu & I have tried Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance both wet & dry & cannot get him to eat dog food. I have tried adding chicken broth & broiled chicken & salmon. He will pick out the dog food & will eat the chicken & salmon. The vet checked him out & there is nothing wrong with his health. I am at my wits end so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[mountainhound]

Acana regionals is lower protein than orijen, so thats always worth a shot. they also have their singles line which is around 27% protein. It has oats now, but they are modifying it in the next couple months and changing it to grain free.

[mountainhound]

Just a heads up if you feed any of the Acana Singles (Chicken/potato, lamb/apple, duck/pear). They are removing oats from lamb and duck (chicken will stay the same), so it’ll be grain free. They are also adding another flavor, pork and butternut squash. Oats are being replaced with legumes which quite frankly I’m not sure is the best thing, but it may work better for dogs with sensitivities.

here are the pdf to the pork formula to give you an idea what it’ll look like, the protein level will be the same in all 3 formula.

http://www.acana.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ACA-SINGLES-WEB-PDF-2014-PORK.pdf

[kvee]

My dog has been thriving on Orijen Puppy. We did try a couple before Orijen, and she has been doing better on it.

It’s a bit pricey for some but because its rich, Susie doesn’t eat much. She’s a 20 lb. 9 m.o. chimix and eats aprox 1.5 cups a day. Sometimes not even that. She is in excellent shape and is very athletic.

Hope this helps. I printed a list of 5-star foods from this website and started researching it one by one. I settled for Orijen and Acana (I’ve heard it is good to rotate foods so dogs take advantages or the benefits and aren’t as prone to develop allergies to certain ingredients).

I hope this helps.

[Melissaandcrew]

Just curious how/what every one is feeding these days. In other words, mainly all dry, all raw, 50-50 etc.

We have gone from about 75% dry/25% raw/toppers/canned etc to just the opposite. We feed more raw than dry now.

Favorite dry foods to rotate-Acana,Nature’s Variety, Hi Tek, Nutrisource, and a few others sporadically.

Whose next?

[FreeholdHound]

I can’t feed Acana but do use high protein kibbles. Normally I feed Earthborn or Natures Logic but recently tried a TOTW formula – my Greyhound loved it but after a few days I did notice a terrible change to the way his breath smelled. I assumed it was connected with digestion and won’t feed it again. Back on his regular food & breath is much improved.

[samlover]

After many trial and error attempts, we found a great food for our little sensitive mutt-but one issue: bad breath. Sammy loves his food, and I add a bit of flax seed powder to it for fiber (keeps his anal glands clear). I’ve always added flax to his food, so I can’t blame the flax seed…the only thing I can think of that’s different is medication he’s on (zonisamide and azathiaprine) which the vet said shouldn’t have anything to do with his breath, and the food switch almost a year ago now. Sam has a seizure disorder and he gets blood labs every 2 months, and his blood work is great. His checkups have been great, and the vet says his teeth look good. I brush his teeth, he has nylabones and chews a lot, and he has all natural dog breath tablets. NONE of this helps at all. Has anyone else noticed this with Acana (duck and pear) or with high protein food? His breath smells straight up like a fishing pier-like rotting fish.

[aquariangt]

Acana Regionals
Simply Nourish Source
Blue Buffalo Wilderness

Acana is great if you wanna spring for it, the other two are available at PetSmart and well priced for 5 stars

[andrew b]

So I have a Staffy who is almost 18 months. She has already been allergy tested, and on a scale of 0-4 scored a 2 on numerous things, different types of grasses/weeds, dust and so on, with yeast also registering. We have also done a food trial prior to intradermal testing with Royal Canin HP and her itching really never got better on it. The main issue is she scratches herself bloody. Her neck, under her arms, her face. It’s a sin. We use Temaril-P when needed and it does help, have tried Atopica which didn’t work at all, have tried a new medication called Apoquel that didn’t work at all. Usually when she’s extremely bad(she was at the vet Tuesday, she sees a dermatologist at UPenn), she comes back positive for a yeast infection on her skin. She also started immunotherapy 5 months ago.

The worst of foods(on a relative scale) she has eaten would be Taste of the Wild as a puppy, and when the itching started around 4 months, we have tried, all for nearly 2 month periods, Earthborn, Acana, Nature’s Variety LID and now back to Earthborn since it doesn’t seem to matter.

Where am I going with all of this? Before I fully delve into trying a raw or cooked diet and seeing if it helps, should I just try the lowest carbohydrate food I can find to try and cut down on the yeast issues? If this doesn’t work, I am going either raw, freeze dried or cooked at the end of May. I was going to try Brothers Complete Allergy Formula but I’ve read it’s fairly high in carbs. Would I be better going with something that is 25% or so carbohydrates based on this site’s calorie weighted analysis, perhaps Orijen or Nature’s Variety Raw Boost, or something else?

We’ve tried so much…supplements, oils, she gets Phytovet CK baths 2-3x a week, and it doesn’t improve unless she’s on Temaril and we obviously don’t want that, but when she’s bleeding and will scratch herself for minutes straight unless you stop her, you have no choice.

Any ideas welcome, especially food related. Thanks all, love the site, been lurkin forever.

[aquariangt]

I would try Blue Buffalo (Wilderness is my favorite of their blends, but its also pricey), Fromms, Precise, or Simply Nourish (Source is my favorite of those, still under 50$ a bag)

If you want to spend more, of course you have Acana, Orijen, Wellness…all things that are solid and not made by diamond