[mfulton7]

I am looking to find a new dog food that will work for all my babies. I am currently feeding them Zignature trout & salmon mixed with some samples of Fromm grainfree (food store gave me a bunch). The zignature seemed to fine BUT we recently brought a doberman puppy to come live with us she is is almost 8 weeks and is pooing like crazy on the zignature. Its not runny or anything like that she just poos constantly. 6-10 times a day. We are feeding her 3 times a day and I put 2 cups in her bowl. Recommended amount for 10lb dog is 1 cup. Now that Ive been mixing it with the Fromm she has pooed slightly less today maybe only 5 times today. I went to 4 local pet food stores and one highly recommended the Fromm for the doberman. Which brings me to my next question. My other pup is 7 months and we recently found out she has a autoimmune skin disorder called pemphigus. When all of her symptoms began we assumed it was a food allergy so weve tried different types of food so many times a change in food doesnt affect her or my chihuahua. She is doing well on the zignature and the mix of fromm. Weve tried diamond naturals and totw which made her vomit everywhere i will never try a diamond product again EVER! Weve tried natural balance the L.I.D. fish and sweet potato she seemed ok on that. Weve tried nutrisource fish grainfree also and that seemed ok too. Now the fromm, which seems really great BUT the price not so great! I want to find a good kibble that all of the dogs can do well on.
Ive been researching the different types fromm makes and am confused by the grainfree and the nutrionals. The nutritionals do not contain certain grains so does this mean this food could be good for skin type issues? Other brands Im considering are Merrick, Wellness Core, Fromm. Im hoping to get a 30lb bag for no more than $60. I also want to rotate bags around. Which type of food would work best for a dobie, a shihtzu poodle mix and a chihuahua?

[mfulton7]

other brands Im considering are whole earth, halo, avoderm, rotations, natures variety prairie, castor & pollux ultramix.

[rogerharris]

Hii .. The basic difference between Fromm Nutritionals and Fromm Grainfree is-
Fromm Nutritionals is formulated with multiple fresh protein sources including fresh duck, fresh chicken, fish, and fresh lamb. And, Fromm Grainfree formulated for all life stages and it is suitable for puppies, adults, and senior dogs. Because each recipe has a similar blend of fresh fruits, vegetables, brown rice, and potatoes it is encouraged to switch between each variety monthly, weekly, or even daily.
Others brands are: pollux ultramix, Halo, Avoderm, etc.

[somebodysme]

Honestly…I wish that a best food could be recommended but it will depend on each individual dog and I really hate to say that. Since Zig is just really not working for your puppy, I’d take him off. So how much are you feeding him, did you mean 2 cups for the entire day or 2 cups three times? If you are feeding 2 cups three times then that is entirely way too much food. My 50 lb dog only got 2 cups a day on zig. I’m assuming you meant that you feed three times with a total of 2 cups for the whole day…right? It seems like, my dog was going about 5 times a day on that food which is kind of a lot. I think it’s got too much “fluff”. HA!

I see Fromm being recommended a LOT! People really do like it. Honestly, it is trial and error. What I thought would be a wonderful after researching until I was blue in the face, ended up totally not working for my dog that turned out to be highly allergic to peas. She is on a potato and rabbit diet right now that’s doing pretty good. She will need to find a better food eventually though so the whole trial and error deal will begin yet again. Unfortunately the whole grain free diet isn’t the answer for her because of allergies.

I’d say that of the brands that you mentioned, they all have their fans and non-fans. They are all high rated foods.

Have you posted in the large breed puppy thread yet? Aren’t you the same poster from the review section that asked and I mentioned the large breed puppy thread? I seem to recognize your name now. That thread should keep you busy reading for a few days! HAHA! I think it’s 30 something pages by now!

[mfulton7]

So both of the fromm’s are grain free just not all stages?
Yes 2 cups a day is what I offer the puppy. I don’t think she ate quite that much yesterday though. So far this morning the puppy has pooed 4 times and she’s been up 2 hrs and ate a 3/4-1 cup of food already. That just seems like a lot for a puppy. I noticed zignature seems high in fiber its double what fromm is.
Yep somebodysme its me again HA HA. I did check out the large breed thread just wasn’t sure if I should post there or not but I am going to now.

[mfulton7]

Also is chicken a trigger for allergies?

[somebodysme]

Did you read through the thread to see if maybe some niggling questions get answered? Yeah a new post is really best so that >your< question will be answered. Just saying there may be some good info at that thread.

It really does seem like that your puppy isn’t digesting the zig food. That’s too much pooping!

[somebodysme]

OH, chicken could be a trigger for some dogs. My dog that seems like she’s allergic to everything does not seem to be allergic to chicken but beef seems to have a horrible reaction.

[mfulton7]

I read through it the other day but will read it again. I’ve been reading so much about different foods I’m having trouble remembering all the info.

[mfulton7]

That’s what’s my husband and I are thinking. None if our puppies ever pooed this much. Its insane! I was always leary about the chicken but I will have to remember that. Weve been sticking to fish based foods because I thought those were better for allergies. Also when can I start rotating bags of food? My 2 other dogs are used to it but with the puppy being so young will it hurt her tummy if I start now? Also how often is it recommeded to rotate? Weekly, monthly? Should I mix foods? I’ve read about people doing that too.

[InkedMarie]

How long has the dobie pup been on Zignature?

[mfulton7]

A day short of one week

[InkedMarie]

What was he eating at the breeders? How long have you had him?

[mfulton7]

I think pedigree can’t remember though. We got her on Tuesday. Maybe she hasn’t had enough time to adjust?

[somebodysme]

I know that it can be a pain, but you may just have to have different foods for different dogs. If the zig and fromm work for the dog with allergies then consider yourself extremely lucky and now find a food, maybe the fromm by itself for the dobbie pup to reduce the poo. I wouldn’t worry too much about the pooing a lot other than if it continues then change to something else. When I worry is vomiting and runs and rashes. Most likely it just has too much indigestible vegetables and fruits for his system. Be glad he’s not getting sick!

I can’t help on the rotating as I’m doing good to find only one food that my dog has not been allergic to so far…besides Purina Pro Plan which I really don’t want to go back to! But I can use the Purina as a base of operation and since she was not allergic to it I can safely assume that chicken is fine for her!

[InkedMarie]

You’ve had her a week….ideally, unless you know your dog can handle quick food switches, you should take 5-7 days. I’m thinking you didn’t, the dog has stool issues which I’d expect with a quick switch.

Has nothing to do with food but why did you bring home a 6 or 7 week old pup?

[mfulton7]

Not sure why my husband did that. Maybe because the breeder said she was already weened and ready to go???

[somebodysme]

Good point about sudden switches, that is probably what is the deal so just give it a bit longer and just stop feeding it if he begins to vomit or has the runs. More poo than normal really isn’t a health issue at least. Hopefully it was settle down after another week.

Being young is pretty much a moot point, he’s at his new home now. Back some years ago, 6 weeks was the normal age to go to a new home. I imagine some of the old folks are still in the mind set as not everyone spends hours on the internet researching especially older folks!

[InkedMarie]

It’s not a matter of “old folks”, it’s knowing the proper age to bring home puppies and in some states, mine included, it’s against the law to transfer ownership before 8 weeks of age.

[somebodysme]

Like I said, at this point it is MOOT! They have the dog so let it go….

[mfulton7]

Yeah the couple were country folk and older so they probably didn’t know about the laws. Yes we do already have her not much I can change about that…..I do appreciate the concern though….I myself thought she was a little too young but hubby felt it was fine since the pup had been weaned and she checked out health wise with the breeders vet and with ours. I did call the vets office this afternoon to ask their opinion about the pooping they said it depends how she’s eating her food and how much. So they recommended purina pro plan, go figure ha!
My whole point in posting this was to find out if the fromm nutritionals are the same as the grain free version. Theres quite a bit of price difference there so I just wasnt sure. All the dog foods/reviews/opinions have me confused.

[valh]

Did you every find out which Fromm dog food worked best for your dobie pup? I have been looking to make a change from purina pro plan to Fromm for my 16 week old dobie.

[mfulton7]

Vahl- we actually went with Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch because it was better for our budget. She seemed to be okay with it until 2 weeks ago and she started having bad gas and loose stools again. Now I’m not sure what we will try. I ordered the big bag of earthborn holistic through wag.com and got a really good deal. Maybe try that if you haven’t found a food yet.

[Mom2Cavs]

mfulton7…..maybe you could just try to add some probiotics and/or enzymes before switching to a new food to see if that helps. However, rotating foods is something I think can be advantageous, too, so it would be fine if you found another food you could interchange with the Earthborn. Some people add plain, natural organic yogurt to the kibble for probiotics but I use a powdered supplement since I also feed canned food. Also, plain pumpkin in a can (not pie filling) can be added to help with loose stool, if you didn’t already know that.

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