Grain-free dog food

[Xtina]

I'm struggling with out-of-control levels of year-round shedding from my dog. The cat isn't so great either, but the dog sheds enough for me to sweep up a pile twice a day. My house is disgusting and she stinks up the whole downstairs. I can't sit on my couches because they're too gross from her sitting on them for me to want to sit there. I've just been accepting this as the way this dog's coat is, but lately I've been hearing advice that her food might be part of the problem. So I'm considering trying a grain-free food, or some other possible solution. She's currently eating Canidae food, so it's not like she's getting Alpo, but it's not the highest priced food on the market either.

I've already tried one can of Show Stopper coat supplement, but after I used the whole container, it hasn't really made any difference.

Does anyone have any suggestions for dog coat quality? Things I'm hearing so far are that besides cutting grain out of her diet, I can supplement with coconut oil, flax oil, olive oil, eggs, and fish oil. I haven't tried any of these yet and I'm just weighing my options right now.

In looking at the cost of grain-free kibble brands, like Orijen, it makes me wonder: would it be cheaper to just make her food at home myself? I know it's a pain in the butt and I would have to be very careful about making sure she is getting a balanced diet and all the vitamins and minerals she needs, but I'm not exactly made of money and Orijen costs almost twice as much as what she's getting now (which is already too expensive for us) and the serving size recommendation is the same.

 

[cmb19]

I feed my lab Taste of the Wild and she does wonderfully on it. I always have people comment about how nice her coat is.

Now, they have had a couple recalls, so if you read dog websites, a lot of people say they will NEVER EVER use TOTW, but I think of it as all companies have recalls..dog and human products. My dog does so well on it that I will continue to use it. If I couldn't use TOTW, I would probably choose one of the Blue Buffalo grain free products, but TOTW is a couple dollars cheaper. There are plenty of other grain free foods that are probably better than TOTW, but I can handle $50 for a bag of food, $70 is too much.

By the way, the recalls were because one of the factories might have had a salmonella risk, there are a few different brands of food that are produced at this factory and the were all recalled for a bit. I had one of the bags of food and my dog never had an issue, I did throw it out and they gave me a free bag of food.

 

[hogster160]

I have a dog that is allergic to flea bites. Even though we treat for fleas, her problems of red itchy skin, shedding hasn't gone away. Many trip to the vet, and we have discovered she is allergic to corn, wheat, beef and chicken. Its a process of elimination on the food. My vet had us change foods gradually, over a 1 month period. Then up to 2 months on a food to see if there was a significant change. She is now on a Blue buffalo grain free product ($33.00 for a 17lb bag). It is also beef and chicken free. But the thing that got me was that my vet said I wouldn't see a significant change for possibly 2 months. Also the other big thing my vet said was no people food. Meaning those that she is allergic to. No crust from bread/sandwiches/pizza crust. He said a piece of toast crust could set her back 2 months.

She also gets an egg, and fish oil tables. The ones I myself use. She gets 3 1200 mg per day and an egg every other day. She will eat the gelcaps like a treat, right out of my hand.

Shes been on this food 2 weeks, plus steroids and antibiotics, I see a huge difference in her skin. She has fur growing, her skin hot spots are healing. But the biggest difference I see already is the itching. She has almost stopped that completely. And I believe that is because she is getting a smaller portion of the things she is allergic to. She is still on 50/50 mix. Tomorrow she goes to 25/75. 75 being the new food. Her coat is starting to get softer. She is relaxing more, not having to itch all the time. I am truly hoping that by going grain free she will now be a happy dog. She was happy before, but never could relax and enjoy. Just kick back. Always too itchy and always grooming herself. To the point of causing her pain. If by changing her foods to grain free and make it better for her, we will.

I would think if by using a whole container of show stopper supplement didn't do the job, then I would try changing to a grain free product. Per my vets instructions, we started with 75/25 old to new ratio. Each week that ratio changed 50/50, 25/75 then to the all new food. Changing feed to quickly can cause many tummy problems.

Which kind of Canidae is she getting? Their website says its grain free (corn/wheat). Maybe, you need to get rid of the beef/chicken. Their website has all the different types available, and their ingredients. Scroll down and check each one out. You might find one that is wheat/corn/beef/chicken free and it may be about the same cost. Not sure on that as no one in my area sells by me.

Good luck,

Deb

 

[Camp Julsby]

Hi There,
I actually work for CANIDAE. We have several food options including foods with grains (Our Life Stages Line) and a grain free line (PURE Line). It really is up to you what you choose for your dog. I do know from my own dogs, my co-workers dogs, and several breeder friends this has been a tough year for shedding period. The weather can't seem to make up it's mind. I have Labradors and a mixed small dog all are on CANIDAE PURE Sky (Duck and Turkey Grain Free) with a little bit of CANIDAE PURE Sea (Salmon Grain free) added. Which CANIDAE formula are you currently using? If you are using our CANIDAE ALS, CANIDAE PURE Elements is the grain free verision of what you are currently feeding. Please do remember when switching to our grain free you will increase the amount of calories per volume and you will need to decrease the amount of food you feed accordingly to not experience weight gain.
If you have any specific questions our Customer Service Team would be very happy to speak with you 1-800-398-1600.
Best of luck, Julie

 

[dainerra]

it could be the food - not just grain/corn allergies but the specific protein you are feeding. It could be flea/pest allergies. It could be environmental. www.dogfoodadvisor.com lets you search by brand name and gives a good rundown on the ingredients and what they mean. It's a good place to start.

And as said above, when you go to a higher calorie food, be sure to cut the amount you feed. And be careful for diarrhea - some dogs get it from a high protein diet. For example, my dogs did horrible on Taste of the Wild but are find on other grain frees.
You can also try supplementing with coconut oil

 

[naturalfeddogs]

Very well could be the food. Canidae isn't the best at all, but it's not the worst either. Kibble just has so many ingredients that are potential culprits for allergies etc....and it's all cooked. Have you considered raw? I had the same issues you do until I started prey model raw, five years ago. Not a problem since. Heres some good info to read, to see if you may be interested in giving it a try. http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/

 

[kbh82310]

I feed my boys taste of the wild (cats included) and It seemed to help my boxer with his shedding. I use to feed Evo by Innova for years but when I moved out of my parents I couldn't afford it anymore so I had to switch but I swear that stuff could prob cure cancer! About 4 years later we were able to afford it again but it's been recalled twice in a matter of months and I honestly don't see them coming back from it. They sold the company to P&G and it went down hill since then. If Evo would ever get things straight I would highly recommend them! It's pretty pricey about $60 for a 30 Lb bag and sadly that's the biggest size they have. Good luck with everything!

Btw my dad got me the furminator (sp) and I loved it, worked great with our cockers and my friends chow/shepherd mix!

 

[gunnarwordon]

Dick van patterns rabbit and sweet potato formula, twenty bucks for five pound bag her in new York, but it's worth it.

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

We use Taste of The Wild mixed with Merrick's Whole Earth puppy food for our Great Pyrenees pup. When we brought him home he was skinny to the point I was very concerned and his coat was awful. My daughter had purchased him as a birthday present for me. Anyway a trip to the vet and found out he had a staph infection on his skin and was full of worms. Had all those issues taken care of and some good food inside him and three weeks out he is a totally different dog. He has put on weight so that his hips are not so pronounced and his coat is becoming soft and shiny.

There is a really good site that rates the dog foods and lets you know if there are any recalls on them. I tend to take some of what a read there with a grain of salt as if you read the reviews, ever single dog food out there has caused some kind of medical issue with peoples dogs. For me, TOTW is not super expensive, is carried by TSC, so I don't have to go to Lexington to purchase dog food. And my puppy is doing great on it. I get the Merrick's Whole Earth that we use is the canned type (they do make a dry as well). Costs about $20 for 12 cans purchased thru Wag.com. And if I buy more than $35 worth of stuff, shipping is free, much better than the $15 some sites want, and it comes in 2 days via UPS. With the better food I have to feed alot less than the cheaper brands. With 6 dogs to feed I have to watch my pennies to make sure they are getting good food, not garbage.

http://petfoodtalk.com/dogfoodreviews/ is the site with the dog food reviews.

 

[kimb]

I feed my dogs raw and although I hate meat myself, it's so much better for them! (and cut my food bill in half with 4 dogs! )

Quality grain-free products in order of my preference...

Orijen
Earthborn
Fromm
Wellness
Blue Buffalo
EVO

What I don't like ab out Orijen is that all the products have chicken (I have one dog allergic to chicken)...
What I don't like about Blue Buffalo is the rate at which their lines have multiplied. They've erratically changed and added products and it worries me.
I tried feeding ToTW twice... made my dogs sick and and my mom's dog was on it for a year, her coat was horrific. Honestly hate the stuff (and anything Diamond manufactures - they're quality control is sub par IMO). Depending on the dog EVO is pretty high protein.