Food help
 

This isn't for me but for my mom. Her dog has yeast problems and itches with allergies. She is thinking a grain free food. Anyone with these issues have a food they recommend? She was looking at Natures Own Grain Free. Suggestions?

I have 2 w/yeast issues, confirmed w/skin cytology...Momo gets 'frito' paws & is an obsessive paw licker & Princess gets brown gunk in her ears & turns into an itchy mess. Absolutely no sugary foods or carbs as this is food for the yeast (i.e. potatoes, sweet potatoes, molasses- in some treats, grains- some are ok, like quinoa, millet, they're technically seeds).
Coconut oil is great, it's anti-fungal/ bacterial/ inflammatory!

Finding a grain free, potato free kibble is hard but not impossible. Good ones we've tried are Canine Caviar & now they're enjoying Nature's Logic. They also do great on the coconut oil & reg line of Party Animal canned food & Nature's Logic can too.

This is an excellent vid/ read about yeast & how to treat/ manage them.
Eating These Foods Can Cause Dog Yeast Infection

We feed Nutrisca Grain/potato free kibble. I have to order online, but maybe you would have a place close to you that carries it. Mine were very itchy, flaky and now are pretty much itch free! Teeka only had 1 yeast ear infection and I just really keep her ears clean and dry which has prevented any more. They used to bite at their feet, too but after almost 4 months on this food, they stopped completely. Best of luck finding the right food for her pup!

Definitely agree with Jenny that a white potato-free and grain-free food is the way to go. Toki used to have a very yeasty smell on her paws and in her ears. I switched her to this kind of food and it helped immensely. We fed her mostly wet food and supplemented with kibbles. Some of the ones we used were:

Earthborn Holistic Grain-free Moist Entrees (the turkey, duck, and lamb varieties did not have white potato)

Earthborn Holistic GF kibble--2 formulas are white potato-free; the Meadow Feast is lamb-based (Toki did really great on this one) and the Great Plains Feast is bison and pea-based (we have a bag of this in our pantry right now...I really like Earthborn products!).

TikiDog--these canned formulas have brown rice in them but it isn't very much and Toki did well on these...they are high in protein and very low in carbs.

Natural Balance--Legume and Duck meal; my parents' beagle is very sensitive and has a lot of allergies but does really well on this food. She doesn't itch or lick herself raw on this formula. She also does well on the other limited ingredient NB formulas although some of them contain white potato.

Nature's Variety Instinct and Orijen might also be good options if your mom's dog can tolerate higher protein. Also Nutrisca (we haven't used this one).

Hope your mom is able to find something that works.

I'm not sure that I've heard of the Natures Own Grain Free...sorry I can't offer more advice there.

Thank you! She picked up a Natural Balance LID to try. I need to tell her about the potatoes. Is sweet potato the same problem?

Never mind, here is my answer. :D.

I just started coconut oil myself for my hair caused by my thyroid. I will tell her about this!

I didn't cut out sweet potatoes with Toki and she still benefited with the diet change although I couldn't honestly say whether they would be an issue for another dog. The sweet potatoes she got were in the wet food and those foods didn't seem to have much of it and were high in protein which I'm sure makes a difference compared to a sweet potato based kibble. I'd imagine that they can still be a problem but not as bad as the white potatoes which rank higher on the glycemic index. The Natural Balance LID Legume and Duck Meal doesn't have either type so your mom might want to try that one to start with. The Earthborn kibbles I mentioned and the Nutrisca also don't have sweet potato if she decides she wants to try cutting those out as well.

It can be so tricky to find the perfect food! Which NB formula did she get?

Thank you!

I'm a little confused about sweet potato, but it's better than white potato.
I used to give them baked japanese sweet potato & it is very sweet. They get a tiny amount, maybe 1-2 teaspoons, they LOVE it. I think moderation is key & some dogs will do better than others.

Dr. Jean Dodds' Pet Health Resource Blog | Sweet Potatoes versus White Potatoes: What is the difference for your pet?

Also, no oatmeal shampoo for your Mom's dog.

How Often Should You Bathe Your Pet?

Also avoid shampoos that include oatmeal. Oatmeal has a great reputation as a soothing ingredient, but in animals that have a problem with grain (which is 80 percent plus of allergic dogs!) they are likely to have problems with oatmeal shampoos. Grain-based shampoos may also provide a carbohydrate food source for unwanted yeast and bacteria. The only pets that truly benefit from oatmeal shampoos are those that have poison oak or poison ivy reactions.

Thanks for letting me know this! Any info is very appreciated!

Has anyody here tried Zignature? We go back and forth but really like the ingredients list in that one, it is pea based and potatoe free. We are blessed so far to not seem to have any food allergies but I figured low glycemic index grain free was probably a good baseline. We are eating natural balance lid potatoe and duck right now (which is the less desirable white potato), I really love how teeny tiny the kibble size is, I feel like that makes a big difference in how well she eats her food. Any feedback on kibble size regarding food recommendations? Zignature is small breed bites but still larger than natural balance.

Here's a thread with pictures of different kibbles.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-thread-2.html

Most of Fromm's formulas are very small and even smaller than Zignature (except for the Whitefish and potato which is larger but also flatter like an arrowhead). Now Fresh Small Breed (the regular adult formula is not very large either), Halo, Nature's Logic, and Nature's Variety Instinct are also on the small side. But yeah, the small breed Halo and the Royal Canin XS are some of the tiniest kibbles I've ever seen. Toki used to cough a lot while eating them...I think because she eats so fast and they'd get stuck in her throat unless I added water or canned food to slow her down.

Thanks! What a great link :) I was hoping my girl would get a bit bigger but I took her to he weighed today and 4.6 was the grand total, lol, I think the smaller kibble fits her tiny little mouth :aimeeyork: