Allergies, Sensitive Stomach, Picky Eater...

[danniko]

Sophie is 2 years old and it has been an ongoing battle trying to find a food for her to eat that makes her happy and keeps her healthy.

When we first got her, the lady we got her from was feeding her Beneful (grr) and it was constantly making Sophie itchy to the point she wouldn't even eat the food. We obviously switched her food immediately.

The problem we are having is if the food doesn't make her itchy, it makes her gassy/bloated....if it doesn't upset her stomach or make her itchy, she doesn't like the food and refuses to eat it.

Normally, I would leave the food out and assume she won't starve herself...well, Sophie is stubborn and a few months ago she did just that. She wouldn't eat it at all and ended up at the vet.

We have her on Canidae pure land right now and it is working alright for her, but it has lamb so it makes her fairly gassy.

I need help finding something finally works for her. We have been through so many different foods and have had so many problems and vet visits. I am getting so frustrated and feel like I am failing her miserably. I would never want to be forced to eat a food I don't like or get sick from every meal I eat.

I am going to list the stuff we know she is allergic to, the stuff that upsets her stomach and the stuff she doesn't like.

Allergic: corn, wheat, rice (? the vet put her on a bland diet of softened kibble, rice and steamed carrots for a few days to settle her tummy and that is all she has eaten and she has been scratching and chewing her feet constantly since eating that), eggs

Sensitivities: all poultry - mainly chicken, beef, dairy, lamb, venison

Doesn't like: fish - mainly salmon



So...we have no idea what to do. I have no idea how to feed raw or home-cooked to make sure all the proper nutrients are there. I find we will find a perfect food for her and then it will have eggs in it and then we can't use it.

Sorry this is so long but would someone please help us find a food for her or suggest something other than what the vet said.

The vet suggested a prescriptive diet either hypoallergenic or vegetarian...because it seems most meats bother her stomach. But I want to use that food as a last resort.

[Ellie May]

Your pup needs a homecooked diet balanced by a veterinary nutritionist or a prescription diet.

There is no reason not to feed an rx diet. It's worth a try if she isn't feeling well on tall this stuff.

My dog can't process meat, poultry, or fish very well, so we had to go to an rx diet and she is doing fairly well.

But have you looked at the venison or duck Natural Balance foods? All this changing around probably isn't good for you pup. I would take your vet's advice.

Also remember if you start homecooked and then want to go back to kibble, it could make her even pickier later.

[nychelse]

poor baby, she is just so sensitive. I hope you find a good alternative

[spr377]

My Leo, has a sensitive stomach.....he does very well on Innova small breed food. (dry)

[danniko]

We just talked to the vet again and she recommended maybe trying Natural Balance Bison and Sweet Potato L.I.D. formula because it is like her food now minus the lamb.

She suggested maybe trying the vegetarian formula as her kibble and supplement her food with some canned food containing meat.

We are going to search around this weekend for something so that we can make the gradual change over because she still has half a bag of her Canidae left.

[tem_sat]

I would go with Honest Kitchen Preference and add in fresh meat. That way you have total control and know exactly what you are feeding, where it came from, and can make adjustments, if needed. I don't feed kibble, commercial raw, dehydrated raw, or HK, but, if I had to, I would be fine w/HK.

Grain-Free Dog Food | All Natural Dog Food | Dehydrated Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen

[choyt81]

My little one has the she problem. She is very gassy so the vet told me to give her a half a tablet of pepcid everyday. I just started and it seems to help her out. She still has gas but not nearly as much.

[LuvTaycieGirl]

A prescription diet has done wonders for Taycie. If she wasn't gassy/bloated/diarrhea, she had super runny itchy eyes, and hot red ears.

I tried so many numerous foods trying to eliminate the problem. RX diets have made the world of difference for her. All her symptoms have subsided and the best part is she is obviously more comfortable.

Good luck! I know how rough if can be.

[GypsyVille]

If that doesn't work and you would like some pointers on a raw diet let me know. I have been doing raw now for two and a half years. I promise it sounds more complicated than it really is.

My rottweiler also has allergies and she does wonderful on a raw diet.

[yorkiefans]

What is the raw diet? Just found out yesterday that one of our yorkies has diabetes & cushings disease. I want to cook her food (not buy it) so I know what's in it. Was thinking chicken, brown rice and veggies, so that it won't adversely affect her insulin injections. She won't eat kibble and is wasting away, so I don't have time to lose. Will feed both the same diet....any ideas?

[chandracz]

Bailey is on NB fish and sweet potato too, love this food. I use this nutritionist Holistic Pet Care Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist she is amazing and I highly reccommend her! She was able to get Bailey's chronic Pancreatitis and IBD under control!

[Sweet Girls]

Originally Posted by yorkiefans

What is the raw diet? Just found out yesterday that one of our yorkies has diabetes & cushings disease. I want to cook her food (not buy it) so I know what's in it. Was thinking chicken, brown rice and veggies, so that it won't adversely affect her insulin injections. She won't eat kibble and is wasting away, so I don't have time to lose. Will feed both the same diet....any ideas?

I did raw for a while, and ended up switching to home-cooked because for me it was more convenient...basically easier for me to prepare ahead of time and store. I was just at my Holistic vets yesterday, and everyone there was talking about the way they home-cooked. You can do just what you said. Chicken, brown rice, veggies. A "general" idea is that it is 1/3 meat, 1/3 starch (rice), and 1/3 veggie...but that can be adjusted to your individual dog...is your vet supportive of home-cooked?? It would be a good idea to make this type of diet change with support from your vet esp. since your dog has underlying medical conditions. But I personally feel really good about home-cooking and I won't ever go back to feeding my dogs food prepared by "some company".

[GypsyVille]

A raw diet is basically raw meat and bones. For my dogs, I feel they are healthier on the raw diet because they are carnivores. Their bodies can't handle grain, the preservatives, and alot of the fillers etc. that our bodies can. I also like that i don't have to worry about pet food recalls. For my Rottweilers I found a supplier that I buy some food from on yahoo groups. We also get alot of meat, tripe, bones, etc. from family that raise cows, chicken, sheep, etc. For Delilah alot of the time I just buy her food at the grocery store and then make a week's worth of meals from what I buy. Some people buy from a website called mypetcarnivore.com. They premake everything into a ground meat and sell it in a container at 2 lbs. a container.

I do balance over time (a week). Delilah gets mostly meat with some soft bone (Chicken wings, bone in canned fish such as sardines, etc.), muscle meat, organs, and a small amount of veggies over a weeks time. I also add a daily immune blend (Berte's Immune Blend) and a salmon oil to her food once a day.

Delilah is 4.5 pounds and she eats about 3 ozs. a day (1 oz in per meal).

I recommend a book called "Raw & Natural Nutrition for dogs" by Lew Olson for anyone thinking of switching to raw. Lew Olson also has a facebook page named after the book, designed to help owners whom are doing a raw diet.

This is another great website for learning Jane Anderson's Raw Learning Site

It takes several weeks to completly switch a dog over to raw. The schedule I am following for Delilah takes about 2 months to complete. It also takes a good three months on raw to see the results of a raw diet.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Rosie has tummy issues and I am home cooking for her. I had her on the rx diet before I started the home cooking. I don't have a problem with the rx diet at all. She has just done better on the home cooking. She is very sensitive tummy and very picky eater. She does have allergies but not food allergies. I think home cooking has been the best thing for her.

With that said, I would advice consulting veterinary nutritionist to get a recipe if you decide to home cook. There are many recipes out there but really if you want whats best get one from a nutritionist. I would suggest trying the home cooking. In my opinion, it is less expensive than what I was paying for the RX diet.