[Carter S]

Members,

I’m hoping for some advice. I have a bulldog that I’m trying to find a food for and it’s been a challenge of late. Here’s what I’m facing –

Orijen and go fit and free: Likes and seems to respond well to but gives him terrible gas and loose stool (doesn’t firm up, irrespective of introduction, length on the food, etc).

NOW large grain free: His favourite food, firm stools, minimal gas, and I like the size of the kibbles but his ears build up gunk over time.

ACANA regionals: responds the best to it in all respects but doesn’t seem to like the taste – especially after a week of eating it.

I’ve looked at the ingredient lists but I’m unsure exactly what it is about orijen that leads to the super loose stools and what it is about NOW that leads to the ear gunk. Any insights?

Can anyone recommend something very similar to Acana? Or a suggestion of a daily additive to enrich the flavour and thus encourage him to continue to eat Acana? In particular any bulldog or bulldog-family owners go through anything similar?

I’m in Canada so I don’t have the full range of food options listed under the editor’s picks.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by Carter S.

[Pitlove]

Hi Carter- I don’t have a bulldog exactly, but I do have a pitbull, which are known for the same problems as bulldogs as they come from their lineage.

My first question is how old is your boy? Second, can you list me the order in which you tried these foods?

My pit did excellent on Orijen. No issues that you are having. My boy has always been gassy though. We aren’t really sure what it is. Our vet said it’s likely a food allergy, but I disagree.

The others I haven’t fed so I can’t really give you an opinion on them. Go! is a good food from what I’ve heard and I have not heard anything about NOW. Obviously Acana is an excellent food as it is still under Champion.

Are you able to order online? I’m not sure if chewy.com can ship outside the U.S, but if they can look at Nature’s Logic or Wysong Epigen 90. They are excellent for breeds prone to yeast (which is likely what that build up in his ears is). Also, you may need to clean his ears out a lot more than normal because of the breeds predisposition to yeast. Also being consistant about cleaning the folds on the muzzle.

[Carter S]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for sharing your thoughts!

Bamm-Bamm is 7 and has been on and off of Orijen a few times. It was the first food I fed him but when his stools failed to solidify (the best it got was something between diarrhea and soft serve ice cream), I switched him to a brand that I’m having difficulty remembering but it was much like Acana. Unfortunately, after a few years, it was bought out by one of the large companies (Hills or such) and some change occurred that I’m just vaguely remembering. I then had him on Acana for a couple years.

In the beginning he liked it. Then he’d eat it for 2 weeks and then start skipping meals. Then I’d change meats and he’d eat that for a week or two before sticking up his nose, until finally I switched him to NOW. It’s been great because the kibbles are big, the profile looks good and he loves it. Unfortunately, it is tied directly to the degree of build up in his ears.

I’ve tried a few others here and there over the last couple years but they’ve been worse insofar as the ear build up or GI distress to the point of liquid stools and constant audible stomach gaseousness prior to severe and ongoing flatulence.

As of right now, I’m thinking of going back to Acana and supplementing it with a raw frozen or freeze dried or canned equivalent for taste but will look into options you suggested.

Thanks again!

CS

[Pitlove]

Orijen is an excellent food, that being said, it is not for every dog. I know a few people who’s dogs have severe allergies (they are GSD’s not pitbulls but still) and their dogs can ONLY eat Acana. My pit was the same exact way about food. He was not interested in eating. He would eat for a few weeks then he would walk away from the food and I had to hand feed it to him. When I introduced canned food into his diet, he instantly starting eating again. Now he loves eating so much I can add just 3 spoonfuls of canned food on top of his dry and he eats no problem. I can make 1 can last for 4 meals that way! Whereas before, I was blowing through 2 cans a day.

As I highly recommend keeping him on a high protein food given that for a large breed he is considered a senior and they do have a higher protein requirement.

If your bulldog is not allergic to chicken I would highly recommend looking into the Wysong Epigen 90. It’s the only food on the market that is completely starch free which would help with the gunk build up in the ears which sounds like yeast.

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