[BRT]

I’m just catching up with all of the replies. Thank you all so much. I’m really not feeling well these days. In constant pain daily and fatigue. I’m able to manage to get myself to work. I have endometriosis and was feeling fine for a couple of years after my surgery until my husband and I split up. Boy, does stress do a job on your body. I’m in worse shape now than before. Am exploring other treatment with my doctor that I’m not really looking forward to.

Anyway, I feel like I’m at the end of my rope. This morning I was getting ready for work and heard yorkie/shih tzu bark, came out of the bathroom, and maltese was tugging on my comforter! Tore a huge rip in it. I don’t know what compels him to do these things.

I just switched them to Wellness Simple Salmon and White Potato (couldn’t find the one with peas). As soon as I’m done with that bag I’m going to buy the Salmon and Peas formula.

So much has changed for us since we moved out. We’re in a small condo now in a much smaller neighborhood. We left all of his friends behind. My walks with him are definitely shorter. I have to find it within myself to really structure out some one on one time with him. It’s been so hard. For example, I took an Aleve about an hour ago and am still not getting any pain relief. My lower back is throbbing and I’m sitting at my desk fidgetng.

Thank you all so much for your support and continued advice.

[BRT]

Hi Dori! I knew you’d reply. 🙂 So, he was on Zignature Trout and Salmon and just a couple of days ago I started switching him over to Wellness Simple Salmon and Potato. They get a Wellness bar each night at bedtime (Yogurt, Apples, and Banana).

I come home for lunch everyday to take them out. Everything I do revolved around them. I do want to add that he doesn’t start this behavior until the evening/nighttime. When I come home for lunch I check his feet and bottom and they are dry, not even a little damp.

I don’t know if it’s me, if it’s my rescue boy, or what. I do know that my maltese tries to be the boss of everyone, including me. I’m working on being more alpha. I’m also working on spending more quality time with him. As I’m writing this they are both quietly dozing on the sofa, but I did something different this morning and crated my rescue boy, which gave the other one a break.

Let me know if you need more info.

[BRT]

I just wanted to post a quick update. Before switching foods again I thought I’d try adding pumpkin their kibble. It’s actually made a difference. I’m wondering if his poop was too firm and he was eating grass to soften it up(?). Just guessing here. But, I add a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to their kibble and he isn’t eating grass anymore. I’ll see how long this works. Thanks for all of the advice. If this bombs then off to Wellness Simple.

Oh, and I stopped the Pepcid.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by BRT.

[BRT]

Well, one month into the Zignature and my maltese boy is starting his obsessive grass eating again. (I started a thread in Canine Health). I thought he was doing so well. My vet suggested giving him 4mg Pepcid every morning; she said I could do this for the rest of his life. But, on my new thread I’ve learned that’s not a smart way to go either.

So, I’m back online looking at foods. Someone suggested that the fat content in Zignature might be too high. Now, I’m looking at Wellness Simple Salmon and Peas.

I want this cycle to end. I’m trying to do everything I can because I know the next thing is going to be the vet’s prescription diet, which I’m trying to avoid going that route.

[BRT]

Thank you so much for posting that. I had no idea. His vet basically told me I could give him 4mg of Pepcid every morning for the rest of his life (he’s 8 year’s old).

I guess I’m bad to the drawing board. This is been an ongoing struggle to find the right food and it’s getting worse the older he’s getting. I’m optimistic in the beginning then after about a month it goes downhill (and this is with almost every food I’ve tried).

The only one he had been on for years without problem was Natural Balance LID Venison, but I stopped feeding him that after the recalls.

[BRT]

So, the vet’s suggestion for now is to give him 4mg of Pepcid (famotidine) first thing in the morning to see if that helps. So far, so good. He didn’t eat grass at all this morning, but tried at lunchtime. I might also add a teaspoon of pumpkin to his food to see if that helps.

I continuously research food so I appreciate what you all are saying. Will definitely look into a lower fat food.

Thanks!

[BRT]

Right now they are on Zignature Trout and Salmon.

[BRT]

They’re just getting the kibble. They usually needed a teaspoon of canned or some kind of topper before they would eat their others kibble, but they are just gobbling down this one by itself, which is great for me.

[BRT]

Thanks Dori. You actually pointed that out a couple of posts prior and sure enough…

I stopped feeding them Natural Balance after the recalls and never went back because they got bought out and I heard the food was not the same. After that it’s been quite the struggle.

So far, so good on Zignature. 🙂

[BRT]

Thought I’d post an update. So, the NV Instinct Boost Venison kibble was a huge fail. My boy was itching like mad. He was only on it a few days. I don’t know what it was about the food because he used to to eat Natural Balance Venison without any problem years ago. Anyway, I went back to the pet store and under the recommendation of a salesperson I left with Zignature Trout and Salmon. I read some reviews on here about that food and got a little scared because some people were saying it caused diarrhea in their dogs. But, I took a chance and fed it to them and on top of that had to switch cold turkey.

So, now a week later, they are both doing great on it. My itchy boy isn’t itching. He doesn’t wake up in the morning and immediately start licking his bottom. At first the quantity of their stools were huge, but it’s gotten much better. I’m so happy and I hope this works for us for a while. Now, the plan is to get them acclimated to this food for a couple of months and then incorporate Vital Essentials Fish Entree as one meal. That was also recommended to me by the salesperson. I feel like I’m on a good path. I’m not sure if his tear staining will clear up, but I’ll take what I can get.

[BRT]

Plan B: I went out last night and bought the NV Instinct Raw Boost Venison kibble. So, kibble for breakfast and raw for dinner. They gobbled up the kibble and you’re right it has very little of the freeze dried raw in it. I was going to go with NV’s regular kibble, but they didn’t have the venison formula. They had salmon, which will be my fall back if all else fails.

Thanks!

[BRT]

Thanks everyone. I researched everything except the cost!

I feel like I’m going to mess them up with going back and forth. What a learning process.

Was just on the NV website and was looking at the Venison Raw Boost kibble or the Salmon Grain Free Instinct kibble.

[BRT]

Thanks for the replies. Everyone has been so helpful and supportive here.

Almost two weeks in and stools are still soft. Plus, I’m feeling like I might not be able to afford this route. I’m going to stick it out as long as I can, though.

The 4 lb bag of instinct raw bites lasted a couple of days short of two weeks. I’m having the hardest time finding the venison in local stores, but was able to find a bag of medallions yesterday.

I used the food calculator on the NV website and put both dogs weight and activity level (not active and I want to maintain weight) and it said to feed 8 medallions/day each! There are only 48 medallions in a bag. That seemed like a lot so I went with 6 medallions each today (3 in the AM and 3 in the PM). My maltese/poodle acts like he’s starving. I know he’s not though.

Would I be a terrible mom if I had to add kibble back along with raw? Do people feed both? One meal kibble, one meal raw? Maybe it’s too soon to decide. I also think I need to definitely buy more than one bag when I go out. I’ve already spend $62 on food in less than two weeks and I’m really feeling it.

Thanks!

[BRT]

The boys just inhaled their dinner and one of them goes into the bedroom (carpeted) and regurgitates his food and by the time I know it is eating it. Ugh! Anyway, now I’m worried about how to disinfect the carpeted area. I cleaned it with Nature’s Miracle, but is there anything else I can or should do?

Also, what would cause him to bring the food back up that quickly? Eating too fast?

Thanks!

[BRT]

Dori, thanks for all of the info. They are steadily gobbling down their food and their poop has gone from three times a day to one small stool a day. I didn’t realize from the picture how small your little ones are. I bet mine would look like monsters next to them.

Unfortunately, the kibble he’s been on for the last year has been duck (Lotus grain free).

Will continue to keep you all posted.

Thanks!

[BRT]

Just an update and a couple of questions:

The slow transition didn’t happen because once these two got a taste of the raw they didn’t even want to touch the kibble. So, for three days now it’s been just raw for their meals.

Dori, your dogs look about the same size as mine. Just curious how much you feed them per day.

Lastly, how long does it take to see if the food is working or not? My maltese/toy poodle boy is still itching like mad. I can’t believe it’s the new food since we just started, but I’m not sure.

Thanks!

[BRT]

Need help please….

I thought I was transitioning slow enough, but this morning both had diarrhea and then when I went home at lunch today my shih tzu/yorkie had a massive mucousy stool. I clearly need to tone it back. How long should the switch completely over take?

I called two pet food stores where I live who a totally for raw and got two different answers. One told me the switch can take up to a month. The other said go cold turkey and give them just raw for dinner tonight.

I’m so confused and am coming here for some definitive advice. I don’t want to give up this quickly, but I don’t want to cause them any additional tummy issues.

Thank you!

[BRT]

Dori,

Thanks so much for your post. Yes, I’m learning certain things about his vet. She would have him on Prescription Hill’s Canned W/D forever if I would allow it, which is nothing but corn! I absolutely agree about the antibiotics for the staining. That’s why I’ve never done Angel Eyes.

Do you actually feed yours NV Raw? I just bought the 4 lb bag of the Venison bites and once I get them switched over completely I might move to the medallions. Just curious how long a bag lasts you with your three.

I’ve been one of those people who always thought the vet knew best because they are doctors. However, I am learning that’s not the case and I need to do what’s best for my boys. You’re right, I’m the one who takes care of them and knows them the best.

Thanks so much!

[BRT]

So, I decided to go with the NV Raw Venison Bites. I started them on it this evening. The person who sold me the food also feeds her dog raw and she recommended I don’t mix the kibble and the raw together while transitioning the foods. She said I should start with dinner and give them less kibble and then an hour later feed them a bit of the raw bites. Slowly do that until their dinner is completely raw. Then work on transitioning breakfast.

I took her suggestion and someone is a little gassy. I think it’s my maltese/toy poodle boy (the one with the allergy issues).

This food smells, too. They loved it, but I found the smell awful.

My other concern is that little rescue baby (shih tzu/yorkie) likes to bring his kibble into the living room and eat off of the carpet. He’ll bring a mouthfull at a time and drop it on the carpet. Obviously, I can’t have him doing that if I’m feeding him raw.

I also don’t want to get too paranoid about cross contamination. Like if they eat and then go play with a toy. Do I need to religiously wash the toy daily?

In addition to food allergies/intoleranc he also definitely has environmental allergies, as well.

I’ve never tried the food elimination diet. I’m not even sure I’d know where to start.

I also didn’t realize how expensive this food is. I guess I’ll be eating Ramen noodles for a while. Just kidding…. Anything to keep my boys healthy.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by BRT.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by BRT.

[BRT]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I hadn’t even considered Wellness. No, I hadn’t even thought about looking at other ingredients. I knew I was on the right path of grain free and then I’ve just only focused on the protein.

I have been reading a lot about NV Instinct Raw Venison and have not read or heard one negative thing about it. I had my heart set on switching him to that and my gut is telling me I have to at least try it before I shut it down. He had his annual exam on Sat and I mentioned it to his vet. She was visibly upset that I would even consider feeding him raw food and how so many raw foods have feces and other disgusting things in them. I love his vet and I was so shocked by her harsh response.

Plus, his staining is just terrible. He used to be so white and his whole face, feet, tummy, and bottom are stained.

They did all of his baseline bloodwork and he’s completely healthy and I want him to stay that way.

Dori, I see from your profile pic you have little dogs as well. How long have you been feeding them raw? They’re all doing well on it?

Thanks!

[BRT]

I just wanted to post an update that I back in early Dec I switched dog foods again to Lotus Duck Grain Free and my boy is doing great! No tummy issues, and no tear (yeast) staining issues. Lotus is a little $$$ for me, but so far it’s been well worth it. Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[BRT]

The stool issues are fine now and I’m adding pure pumpkin. However, it’s the yeast issues I need advice about.

[BRT]

The mysterious thing is that I switched them over to this formula over the summer. Now, he cannot tolerate chicken at all, so I try to stay away from that. He was doing well on the Fromm Game Bird until exactly one month ago.

I’m looking at the Regal Venison Bites. It’s not grain free, but I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to give him the Fromm again.

[BRT]

Thanks for the tips. Looking to switch to Regal Venison. Will pick up some kefir this weekend. How much should I give them? They are both around 18 lbs.

My dog that’s currently having the issues has always had tummy issues and skin allergies. I feel like there’s something going on with him at least once a year. He’s 8 years old.

My other little guy is our 2 year old rescue. Healthy as can be. 🙂

Thanks!

[BRT]

I did so much research and ultimately ended up with Fromm. Now, I don’t know what to do because it seems like I need to switch them yet again. I was so hopeful with Fromm….

[BRT]

Thank you so much for this link!!! The bacteria overgrowth is exactly what we’ve been going through with my maltese/toy poodle. The confusing part is that my other boy, a 2 year old shih Tzu/yorkie hasn’t had any problems at all.

I also saw your post on another thread about doing probiotics for two weeks after they finish the metrodanizole (sp?). I feeding him the canned W/D now and will continue to add Fortiflora once a day.

[BRT]

DogManDan: I actually use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. I make the drink that’s on the bottle.

I haven’t given it to the dogs yet. I think you have to start really slow with it if you’re going to try. Good luck!

[BRT]

Here’s an update: He’s finished his round of metronidazole yesterday. His poop is formed, but soft. I can picked it up, but some of it will stick to the grass. Now, he doesn’t want to eat his kibble by itself or even with a little pumpkin. He only wants the canned food that the vet gave us. He did eat breakfast this morning. This evening he vomited bile and when I took him out for a walk he just wanted to eat grass again. But, he didn’t poop.

For dinner I gave him some of the canned, which he gobbled up. He’s alert and is barking at everything as usual. He’s still chasing his brother around, but he just seems more tired than usual. Right now he’s just resting on my lap. I guess he just wants some extra TLC.

I’m taking him back to the vet on Fri. She might do bloodwork. They want me to continue with the canned food and Fortiflora until I get him into see his vet.

My poor boy. I hope he feels better soon.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by BRT.

[BRT]

Mom2Cavs – I’m going to check out the probiotics your recommended. I incorporated more of his kibble into the food this morning. My plan is to get them off of canned food and just use a teaspoon of pumpkin in their food daily as a topper. They love pumpkin!

I tried the Fromm Beef Frittata grain free with them and my maltese/toy poodle did not have a good reaction to the beef. His bottom was very itchy and his poops not so good, so that’s how ended up on the game bird.

I actually looked into Fresh Factors, but haven’t tried it. My older boy get a glucosamine supplement and they both get an Omega 3 vitamin. Will definitely look into a probiotic.

Have you tried apple cider vinegar with your dogs?

[BRT]

Hi there,

Here’s an update. I took him to the vet on Friday evening and they checked him out and did fecal cytology and found an overgrowth of bacteria. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the bacteria. The vet said that’s what’s causing the vicious cycle of diarrhea, but she was uncertain of what caused the overgrowth since his fecal was negative for parasites. It’s a bacteria that’s normally in their gut. So, he’s on metronidazole for 10 days along with Fortiflora. He was on a bland diet for a couple of days. I’m just now slowly switching him back to his normal food.

I’m going to stick with Fromm, but once he’s 100% better I’m going to switch him over to the regular Fromm. Hope that helps!

[BRT]

You dog sound just like mine. I have to take him to the vet to have his anals expressed monthly, plus he’s always licking/scratching his tummy, and has tear stain issues. I’ve used Angel Eyes for the tear staining and it helps tremendously.

I used to feed him Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato, which he did find on, but switched him over to Fromm over the summer after reading stuff on here. I’m seriously considering going back to NB. The only complaint I had with that is that he had really hard, small stools. I also use Wellness stew as a topper.

It’s funny that you mentioned coconut oil. I actually gave him a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil in his food three weeks ago and that when the diarrhea started. It’s been once a week since then. I haven’t given it to him since, but he gets his Omega 3 vitamin ever evening.

He already gets a biscuit before bed, so I don’t know what’s causing this issue. I’ll probably give him a teaspoon of pumpkin when I go home for lunch and buy him some rice.

What probiotic/enzyme do you use for the dogs?

Thanks!

[BRT]

Thanks for your post. Within a couple of days of me starting this thread their poop started to firm up. All is well in Fromm land. 🙂

[BRT]

Thank you so much for the excellent advice. I can’t wait to implement some of these changes in my dogs’ diets.

[BRT]

Wow! That was very helpful.

No, neither dog have any health conditions. My older dog just had his annual exam with complete bloodwork and he’s in perfect health. The only concern with him is his sensitive tummy.

I’m learning so much here. I wonder why the vet told me to keep them on a lower protein food because of their size/activity level. She also recommended Science Diet as a food. :/

I always thought that since I had found a food that agrees with my older one that I should just stick with it. Learning so much on here.

Thank you so much. Any more tips would be greatly appreciated. What brand(s) do you feed your dogs?

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