Hard and expensive lesson to learn, hope you'll learn from

When I first brought home my puppy ,I was told by the breeder that they had been feeding the dogs purina puppy chow.After three days she was in the hospital with an IV,on the verge of dying. She was hospitalized at eight weeks old with severe diarrhea and vomiting and dehydrated which was serious for a pup that age. They had done various tests on her for parvo, giardia ,among other things. The vet had to do these tests because there was no shot record or anything that documented worming or any kind of prior treatment(first mistake, be suspicious of any breeder that gives you foggy details and doesn't give you these records)MIRACULOUSLY,the puppy recovered and we took her home, and kept her on a diet of lamb meal , which she did ok on , but still had mushy pudding bowel movements and peed alot. Concerned , I put her on another premium dog food which was a high quality chicken product, she was squirting out watery diarrhea. ( she'd been to the vet and was given a shot for a bacterial infection, the day before) Finally I took her of all treats, food and went back to lamb and rice, Nutro formula. I checked ingredients on puppy treats, and previous food, including puppy chow. They had things in common as chicken ingredients and corn(corn gluten, corn meal, corn syrup.) I have just kept her on her present lamb formula, and wa la firm stools. My suspicion is she is allergic to the corn in these products although possibly the chicken. I intend to test these on her in small amounts to see what she is reacting to.What I want to say to you is that if you suspect a food allergen, like corn, wheat or chicken....whatever, be sure to read all labels carefully on treats, bones and the dog food.If the dog is allergic to corn for example, check the food for any and all corn products and byproducts , even if they are in small amounts. For example, corn meal, corn gluten ,corn oil,corn starch. Once you remove the suspect allergen(s) your dog should start to recover. I suspect that many of you had tried food after food having the same results or problems because of this. I also have my dog on nupro supplement which is highly recommended for dogs with ailments such as allergies,arthritis,skin problems such as hotspots.... I suspect many of these symptoms may manifest themselves because of allergies. I hope this info will help you who have been searching for answers with no luck and expensive vet bills. Also I'd recommend nupro as a supplement for those of you who can't afford the expensive dog foods. I am looking into Diamond , they have a premium lamb and rice food with no artificial additives, wheat or corn. It's cheaper than nupro with similar ingredients and the feeding goes a long way, since you have to feed less of the formula. I wish you luck and all the best.HOPE THIS HELPS.

 

I had the same experience with my dog Brute. He had problems with diarrhea and loose stools for four months before I discovered on my own that he was allergic to corn. That was after expensive vet bills and lots of heartache over wondering what was wrong with him. We were on the verge of doing tests that were going to run $600-$800 when I did research on the internet and thought of food allergies. I looked at the ingredients of the three different dog foods I had tried and treats he had been given and thought of corn as the culprit. I have heard corn is a common allergy in dogs so I found a food that didn't have it -Nutro lamb and rice. Within a week he was doing great and within a couple of months he had gained weight and his coat looked healthy. I now have him on Royal Canin Natural Blend holistic dog food with no problems. I screen all of his treats to make sure there is no corn. I am glad to hear your dog is doing well and is getting healthy. I completely understand what you have been through. Thanks for posting your story. I bet it helps other people with similar situations. Good luck with your dog.

 

This is a topic that pops up at least once a month if not more. We all agree that whats in the food is usually the culprit of an allergie. Vets hardly ever tell you that and are so willing to do the blood tests, fecal tests and dish out allergie meds and shots. We as pet owners have to go one step further and not just trust what they say, and to listen to those that have been there and done that. Glad your pup is doing well.

 

Well said, Puttin510!

 

:bow_now: This is just ANOTHER reason why this board is so great!!

Thank God I never had problems like this with Bailey (altho he's been on the Nutro since I brought him home).... cuz I wouldn't have had a CLUE!!! I wish all new owners came here!

 

Puttin ...Well said !
Food allergies can cause alot of problems and I for one will not use any purina brand .Goes right through them .I like the lamb and rice .keep us updated on how your baby does .Glad it wasn't parvo and yes if a breeder does not have a vet and can suppply no records ,you are in trouble usually from day one .

 

I'm glad you found the problem! I hope your pup continues to feel well and thrive.

Another source of misinformation is what, exactly, is a "premium" food? For instance, someone recommends that you put your dog on a a "premium" food, so you go to the pet store and see Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, etc. These are more expensive than something like Dog Chow or Friskies, so they must be premium, right? Wrong.

Most of the truly "premium" kibbles cannot be found in regular pet stores. There are a very few that are decent - Natural Balance at PetCo and Blue Buffalo at PetsMart being the only two that come to mind at the moment. The rest can be found at specialty shops or groomers - Innova, Canidae, California Natural, etc. Most people, if you tell them the names of these foods, will stare at you blankly - they have never heard of them. Even more telling, a lot of VETS have not heard of them either.

Most (not all) truly "premium" kibbles do not have corn in them. You may have more of a choice than you think for your pup. If you want to try him on a food that is based on chicken and not lamb (for whatever reason), you should look for a premium food that does not contain corn. They do exist - a place to start would be Innova's comparison feature on their website: http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=comp-wiz There you can choose different foods and get a list of their ingredients. You can also click on each ingredient and get more info about what they are. If you see an interesting food, then you can find their website and hopefully find a local distributor.

Hope this helps!
Jamiya

 

Premium means NO iams no eukanuba no science diet no purina etc etc etc. Corn is crappy and is hard on a dog. Most dogs can digest it okay but in general it is difficult to digest and often leads to skin conditions and dull flaky coats...and in more severe cases like yours...a lot worse. I wont feed my dogs anything with corn. Glad to hear that your pup is doing much better =)

 

First, let me say that I am so happy your puppy is doing better

On the flip side, I am now worried for my puppies! When we met w/the breeder last weekend we asked what she would have them eating so that we could get that brand before gradually switching them over to Back to Basics (which is a type of human grade food) ~ she starts her puppies on Iams. I'm a worrier by nature.. and I hope that my pups will do okay on it until we can switch them over!

 

I'm sure they will be fine. It's not ideal, but if there's no choice then there no choice! Just get them off it and onto a better food as soon as you can. A lot of pups need to transition to a new food slowly, but some can go cold turkey. You will need to determine that in your situation.


Jamiya

 

Just the other day walking into where I work there was a man with a min pin pup at least 4 months old. at first glance I thought the head was brindle. It was not. The dog had hair loss. I could not talk but a few sentances. He fed science diet. I told him more than likeley its an allergie. Many ar allergic to corn. I told him to go to the pet supply store I go to and that Science diet is not on the top of the list of good foods. He seemed interested in finding a cure. I think I may ask my sister if she knows him. She works in the corner store, so she knows anyone that goes thru there. Then I am going to se if I can get him to come here and learn more.

 

Interesting and sad story, Puttin!

I'm new to all this, so I've been researching dog food a lot lately.

One of the breeders my husband and I visited SWORE by Back to Basics, and told us that regardless of whether or not we bought our pups from her she hoped we would consider feeding them Back to Basics.. She told us that one man called her inquiring on a puppy and had mentioned on the phone that his older dog was having all sorts of problems.. anyway, she set up an appt. to meet with him & had when he came, she gave him some of the B to B to take home for the other dog.. she just wanted him to try it to see if it made a difference.. well, the man called back about a month later to report that his dog was doing incredibly well, had energy again and was acting like his normal self again. The only change that was made was the food he fed his dog.

I'm hoping that my puppies will take to the Back to Basics!

Some of you have mentioned what you feed your dogs, but I'm curious as to what the rest of you use?

 

Back to Basics is a good food. You'll have to keep us posted on how your pups do on it. If it was available here I probably would have given it a try on mine.
My dogs are eating Timberwolf Organics.

 

Hi i am glad to hear your pup is doing well.

My litter of puppies which are now 6weeks old are fed on bakers complete puppy food as its the only food they will eat and they are thriving on it that contains cereals vegtables meats and other things along with vitamin and minerals.

My adult dogs will eat any food given to them especially mitzy who has always been a very fussy eater since she was a puppt so changing her food all the time is a must with her again i have had no problems with allergies the only problem i have ever had with her is after she had her pups she was drinking puppy substitute milk and this caused her to have on overdose of calcium.

I think it depends on the animals digestive system to what there bodies can tolerate this is my theory.

Most vets are only in the job for the money and there is very few who will tell you that some dogs are allergic to certain ingredients in food.

Again i am so glad your pup is doing so well good luck and hope he gives you years of fun.

mike

 

Nern ~ I'm happy to hear Back to Basics is a good food! I really hope my girls like it. Have you checked out the web site? I'm in NY too and there are a couple of places here that carry it (I wouldn't have known if I hadn't checked the site).. but, if there wasn't, I was going to have it shipped to me. I'm sure your dogs are happy with what there on but I just wanted to let you know

The site is: http://www.backtobasicspetfood.com/

 

Back to Basics is a good food .I just can't find it here .I am going to check inot ordering it from the makers ,hopfully I can do a large enough order they will let me ..

 

Back to Basics website

from the Back to Basic's website on corn

Why feed corn?


Corn is 91% digestible
Corn is one of the best sources of linoleic acid
Corn oil is one of the best sources of Omega 6 fatty acid (great for skin and coat)
Corn provides essential amino acids and fiber.
"Corn is nutritionally superior grain compared with others used in pet foods because it contains a balance of nutrients not found in other grains." - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 4th edition

http://www.backtobasicspetfood.com/

:?: :?: :?: :?:

 

Yes, the closest store to me that carries it is over an hour away which is actually a lot closer than any of the dealers were the last time I checked their site.

 

I know deb ...I read all that too .I just know it is a good food from all I have heard and wanted to try it .But likeyou say ...It has corn ...most dog foods do that is prem....
At least all i have found in an area where I live are anyway .

 

Re: Back to Basics website

Personally, I don't have a problem with corn as an ingredient in high quality pet foods ( as long as its not the main ingredient and as long as its not included as a primary source of protein). There are not many high quality pet foods that contain corn but there are a few and Back to Basics is one of them. :wink: