[Taylor C]

Hi! I have a boxer/pit mix with severe skin allergies. About 6 weeks ago, we switched her over to Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance food and within a week saw a difference in her skin condition. While we’ve been very happy with the food and results, our dog has been pooping a lot more (3 – 6x/day, very soft) and has lost some weight as a result. And feeding her larger amounts only seems to make her poop that much more. She’s also had a lot more gas than usual. We’ve tried so many different foods, raw diet, countless rounds of steroids and antibiotics prior to discovering Grandma Lucy’s and nothing has worked. We love Grandma Lucy’s and really don’t want to switch foods again, so I’m wondering if anyone knows of a supplement or food we could add to her meals that may help her absorb the nutrients better and reduce the number of poops. I’ve recently begun adding chia seeds and apple cider vinegar, along with a little plain Greek yogurt here and there. Thanks in advance!

[Susan]

Hi, that’s happened with my boy, I finally found a food & his itch & hive like lumps all went away but he was pooing about 5-6 poos a day, big & soft & had bad gas, he has IBD so when he starts his farting, I know something is wrong, so I stopped the food, his bowel was working over time, I was scared he may have blood streaks thru his poo again, so I looked for another food with similar ingredients minus the barley & less fiber…Dogs don’t need fiber in their diets, dogs have a smaller gastrointestinal track then humans…
I just had a look & the fiber % all the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance foods & the fiber is high at 6-8% in all the Pureformance flavours… Have you tried the Valor fish or another flavour, the fiber is 5% in all flavours & has Quoina instead of the chickpeas …there’s also Artisan, in the Artisan Pork the fiber is 3.9% so less poos, but the Pork has potatoes & sweet potatoes, so no good if you have a yeasty dog problems….write done all the ingredients & maybe look for another brand there has to be another brand with similar ingredients minus the chickpeas & a lower fiber%..

There may be an ingredient in the Pureformance that is causing the poo problem, I’d say its the chick peas, chick peas are high in lectins, lectins can cause leaky gut, here’s a few links about Lectins & leaky gut…. also I wouldn’t be adding things that are high in fiber…
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/5-things-all-dog-owners-should-know-about-lectins/
http://trulyglutenfree.co.uk/2013/01/15/gluten-grains-and-lectins-why-remove-all-three/

[Pitlove]

My dog had the same thing happen on Sojo’s freeze dried. Very very weird. He normally poops 2 times a day MAYBE 3 if he ate something that is causing loose poop or diaherra, but normally 2. All the sudden on Sojo’s he’s pooping 3-4 times a day. They were small compact solid poops, but he was going way more frequently. Another poster on here, Dori, mentioned that her dog did the same thing. It’s got to be something with freeze dried raw. Personally I’m stopping the Sojo’s to see if there is an improvement. I know you don’t want to change foods again, but you might need to look into something else for his diet.

[Taylor C]

Thanks for the responses! I searched and searched and searched for a food that was free of anything she is allergic to, as well as brands that weren’t loaded with potatoes, because, like you said, Susan, I do want to stay away from that because she is highly allergic to yeast. I also wanted to find a variety with a “cooling protein” and the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit is the ONLY thing I can find!! Duck and fish are considered cooling meats as well, but, of course, she’s allergic to duck and mixed fish! Beef and pork are considered neutral meats – she hasn’t done well on beef in the past; I guess I could try pork. Her skin just looks so much better on the Rabbit that it’s killing me to think of switching again!!
What do you think about adding pumpkin? I’ve heard that can firm up stools…?

[Anonymous]

You didn’t mention the age of the dog? Has the dog been tested by a dermatologist for environmental allergies? Because, environmental allergies are more common than food allergies/intolerances and tend to wax and wane.
If this has been going on for more than a year (4 seasons) without significant improvement I would take the dog to a specialist. The food/diet may only be a small part of it….that has been my experience with an allergic dog that is now stable.

My allergic dog does best on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea (no potato, no grains) but since receiving immunotherapy for 2 years, she can eat a variety of foods, chicken included.

[Pitlove]

I really don’t know a whole lot about this “warm, cool and neutral” protein stuff and I don’t have a clue what the ideology is behind it, but if you are looking for something starch free and are willing to feed a kibble, look at Wysong Epigen. They make a Vension. Yes it has potatoe protein, however potatoe protein comes from the starch being removed. Also look at diets with Millet as the carb source.

[Taylor C]

Hi Red,
My dog is 5 yrs old, and yes, we had her tested about a year ago. She has both food and environmental allergies. We’ve had her on allergy shots the past year, but honestly, switching to the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit has made the biggest difference by far!! That’s why I hate to have to change 🙁 I’m beginning to think my dog may be in that small % the vet warns about that doesn’t respond to the allergy shots.

PitLove,
The idea of warming, cooling, and neutral meats comes from Chinese Medicine. It sounds kinda crazy at first, but if you read up on it, it makes total sense. Basically, if you have a “hot dog” (red undertone to skin, red eyes, skin allergies, panting, always seeking cool places to sleep, etc) you want to feed them a protein with cooling qualities that won’t cause inflammation, like rabbit, duck, and fish. But anyways, I’ll look into the kibble you suggested. I’m not typically a fan of kibble but I’m willing to try anything! Ill look into Millet as well…thanks!!

[Anonymous]

I noticed only a subtle improvement with the desensitization treatment at first, but at about 1 and 1/2 years we saw a dramatic improvement, she is doing so well that she only needs the shot about every 25 days! They can still have flareups…it is what it is.
I’m glad I stuck it out. The dermatologist worked closely with us, sometimes the solution needs to be tweaked a little. Best of luck.

[Susan]

Hi Taylor, there is pumkin in the Grandma Lucy’s Rabbit & Pumkin is high in fiber, so I’d say it will make the poos worse, you can try pumkin, you only add 1 teaspoon of boiled pumkin but I think she is getting too much fiber with the Grandma Lucy’s food…sounds like your girl has more food sensitivities then environment allergies, can you cook for her? look at the ingredients in the Grandma Lucy’s & make the food minus a few ingredients like the pumkin, chickpeas & spinach & add rabbit, quoina or millet or add both to the food to fill her up more… greens are best to add in meals when they suffer from yeast problems, broccoli, Bok Choy, Zucchini, celery, Kale etc NO Peas..
Have you ever done a food elimination diet before, sometimes the foods that they reacted to at one time, sometimes when you re-introduce that food again they are fine & have no reactions….

In Australia scientist are testing kids with food sensitivities/intolerances, (not food allergies to peanuts) & they’re finding when they re-introduced small amounts of the food that they are sensitive/intolerant too over a 6month period the child can eat that certain food now.. also they are finding that kids that were introduced to food older then 6months seem to have all these food intolerances & now they are saying its best to introduce foods to babies at 4 months old of age not older…..
Patch has a problem with potatoes he gets diarrhea & rash all over stomach, well I think it was the potatoes in the kibble, the kibble just had potatoes & fish & he can eat fish, so I’ve been adding about 1 teaspoon of boiled mashed potatoes in with his cooked meal & he’s been OK so far, so next week I’m going to add 1 spoon mashed potatoes & see if his poos start to change & if he has any reactions….

[Author]

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