Grain free food

BDub

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https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news...nk-between-dog-diets-and-deadly-heart-disease

I am not a big fan of grain free dog food. After almost losing Pepper for an unknown reason I put her on Purina Pro Plan Sport. She looks great for a 12 plus year old dog. Before that she was eating an expensive grain free food. She refused to eat that food as she recovered. Although there is no proof that the dog food made her sick there is no doubt that she looks and feels better on the Purina food.
 


DirtyMike

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We've been feeding them Whole Earth grain free since we got both dogs. They have never been real excited about food so I'm thinking I need to make a switch. I've heard good things about purina pro plan. Might need to get a small bag.
 

BRK

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What food were you feeding them Bdub? I used to have my dogs on Blue Buffalo a long time ago. They liked the food but my male always had the shits and my female ended up with a bladder full of stones, requiring surgery. Had them on science diet since and it's been good.
 

BDub

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Merrick. Never again.

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I get the food delivered from Chewy.com

I was told long ago that Pepper had allergies so I was feeding her grain free for a while. After she rose from near death I switched. Her hair is growing back and longer than its been in years. The dark orange is not faded. The redness caused by allergies is gone. The redness never really left with the grain free food.

I have been suspicious for a while about all the new dog foods. Dogs evolved on meat. Big money in dog food without science behind it.

We've been feeding them Whole Earth grain free since we got both dogs. They have never been real excited about food so I'm thinking I need to make a switch. I've heard good things about purina pro plan. Might need to get a small bag.
 

Duckslayer100

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I think Pro Plan is a good food, but my oldest was getting constant ear infections and the vet said it was likely a food allergy due to something in the process. Heard really good things about Nutri Source and made the switch. He maybe gets two ear infections a year now, compared to 7-8 times a year. Roughly same price and actually made right in Perham, MN. No wonder that town stinks!
 


guywhofishes

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Royce gets ear infections and puddly eyes when we use the wrong food - and that's most of them.

So far Blue Buffalo Duck and Potatoes works best. I suppose the duck thing is because he's french.
Cpglx8Bo4FuWBKszwPvrGy9gxmAAAA==
 

Kurtr

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switched to diamond naturals and it got rid of dogs ear infection was feeding purina pro plan.
 

pointer

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My wiemerimer had severe anxiety issues nasty ear infections, was chewing on her feet, pads. Was told by a friend might be food allergies made the switch to grain free and have not had a problem since. I get the venison stuff for a nice shiney coat and get compliments as to how healthy my dogs look
 

3Roosters

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We have used Native Performance for all 3 of the dogs we have had. Level 1 for most of the year and kick it up a notch to Level 2 during hunting season. Menards now carries it so that is a plus! www.nativedogfood.com
 

DirtyMike

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our new pup chews on his feet a lot. Mostly just when he's in his bed. I think he's just a little slow. He would be the dog that is allergic to grass or something.
 


2400

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When Max (my yellow Lab) eats something with grain in it his ears, his nose and around his eyes get red, his pads, belly and balls get red and he scratches himself to death. Turns out in addition to grain he's allergic to anything with processed chicken, I switched him to Taste of the Wild ocean and he's a lot better. Who would have thought a garbage can on feet would be allergic to food?
 

guywhofishes

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Royce reacts bad to chicken too

something is screwy about these allergies of both people and dogs in recent decades
 

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Royce gets ear infections and puddly eyes when we use the wrong food - and that's most of them.

So far Blue Buffalo Duck and Potatoes works best. I suppose the duck thing is because he's french.
Cpglx8Bo4FuWBKszwPvrGy9gxmAAAA==
Foix Graise?

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No allergies here, but our spaniel had a bit more anal gland trouble than previous dogs, so the vet said get some dog food with SWEET POTATO (of all things!?) to add non absorbable bulk, so when the dog poops the added bulk squeezes the anal glands and drains them better. Solved the problem though her butt still needs an occasional squeeze! Yuk! No fun for me OR the mutt!
Nature’s Recipe - comes with all kinds of meat, but we use chicken.
So many kinds of dog food these days - none of it very cheap. Off topic but FWIW I read last nite that the average cost of a dog is around $2000.00 a year.
 

db-2

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May have been different when I was a kid on the farm but those dogs got a lot of cookies from us kids plus table leftover. Now and then some meat when we butcher.
First dog Sport, a lassie, that live for many years and finally could not move anymore so dad took care of it (it was old). Then a couple of German Shepherds with one ran over by a neighbor and the other shot by a neighbor.
Finally a gray and silver one which was to be a 1/2 German and 1/2 wolf that finally after many years got cancer and so dad again took care of it (those days they did it on their own and the last one was hard on dad). And then no more dogs.
Not sure over those 30 years or so if that handful of dogs every suffer from bad food but to my knowledge they were just fine. If they did they were expected to live through it.
Hell us kids back then were not taken in with just any problems. I think it was a week of my brother complaining they finally took him in to fix his broken arm after he fell off the B JD. DB
 

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May have been different when I was a kid on the farm but those dogs got a lot of cookies from us kids plus table leftover. Now and then some meat when we butcher.
First dog Sport, a lassie, that live for many years and finally could not move anymore so dad took care of it (it was old). Then a couple of German Shepherds with one ran over by a neighbor and the other shot by a neighbor.
Finally a gray and silver one which was to be a 1/2 German and 1/2 wolf that finally after many years got cancer and so dad again took care of it (those days they did it on their own and the last one was hard on dad). And then no more dogs.
Not sure over those 30 years or so if that handful of dogs every suffer from bad food but to my knowledge they were just fine. If they did they were expected to live through it.
Hell us kids back then were not taken in with just any problems. I think it was a week of my brother complaining they finally took him in to fix his broken arm after he fell off the B JD. DB

Hah! Yep, reminds me of when I was a kid, too. In those days dogs were fed only table scraps and leftovers, rarely vaccinated as there was no veterinarians within a couple hundred miles, almost no pure bred dogs, etc. A dog or cat got sick or injured and it was generally 12 gauge paper shell time. No speying or neutering but the natural reproduction of dogs and cats ensured ample replacement for lack of veterinary care and relatively short lifespans back then. Cats would regularly have kittens and the usual thing was to drown them in a laundry tub of water with another tub on top to hold them under water till it was all over. Some would euthanize them in a cardboard box, stand back and drill the box with a load of number 6’s! A sort of farmyard firing squad.
Now there is a veterinary clinic on every street corner, but back then people did what they had to do. Heck dB, even reminiscing this stuff nowadays is liable to result in someone burning your house down! Or get you tossed in the slammer! LOL
Heck, I’m so old I even remember when processed dog food, later cat food first came out. People said “What? Who would spend hard earned money for something like that?”
I love my dog and would defend her to the death, but when I walk into some of,the space age pet stores I still have to shake my head sometimes.
 


db-2

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bobcat it has change but I do not think the love of the animal has, its just as it was with the people, one did not have the monies or was spent on a bunch of kids before the pet and got by with what you had. Hopefully all made it but seen a lot of death over that time, be it animals or people (go back a hundred years at the grave yard and see the age on the markers). We are way more advance today with the medicine.
I guess the drowning I thought was kinda hard but putting in a sack and exhaust from vehicle was better. But for most part the dogs were loved, hated to see the need to kill but at times it had to happen. If a vet was around they were not pet vets.

Cats kept having kittens but then distemper came, cats were gone and then the mice and rats came and finally if no weasel around one would find a cat that would survive and away one went again. Had two dogs and two cats as a young adult and the damn things die on you before you die. Just hard to love and know you will lose that animal in a short period of time so no longer have an animal in my life. It is just easier that way. db
 

Ericb

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My old golden retriever got ear infections as soon as she saw water. Switched to grain free and never had another. When I bought our current short hair the warranty required her to be fed a high protein food like pro plan. Then she started to get ear infections. I started feeding her Nulo and the went away. $60 bucks a bag especially when I had 11 puppies to feed got a little out of hand. I found Sam's club has a high protein grain free food that has been great and $30 a bag isn't to bad. My buddy bought a lab that constantly had the shits until the vet sold them some special food $$$$. He switched to the Sam's club food as well and hasn't had any issues.
 

KDM

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My mutts get Bountiful with a healthy dose of fresh eggs and leftover meat from the table. The beasts tear the hell outta the house with their energy so I guess I'll stick with what's been working.
 

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FWIW, there’s a pretty good article a few days ago in the Lake Havasu Herald Newspaper in AZ ( where we winter) discussing dog allergies in their various forms and difficulties diagnosing andtreating. It’s an article written for the lay non veterinary person like me. I’m not computer literate enough to paste a link to it, though I’m sure someone could find it in some kind of search program.
Oops, just saw it was some kind of a press release from the HSUS though I don’t agree with those guys on a lot of their stuff, this article still is a worth while read for anyone with an allergic pooch. At least GST isn’t here to pummel me for posting this article, originating from HSUS and all! Kidding you GST, if you are still reading this.
 


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