# Food Suggestions not sure where to go from here...



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Finally convinced my mom to switch Tess from Iams weight management to higher quality food. She has shown some improvements, higher energy and much softer shinier coat, she also loves her food...

BUT..ever since the switch she has had chronic yeasty ears and has been particularly itchy...

So we've tried Orijen, Evo (fish version), and Instinct (also fish verison)...

Should we go back to a weight management? Could this be an allergy or perhaps its too much protein or carbs for Tess specifically to handle?

Please help! My mom wants to put her back Iams and will not put her on RAW (tried to convince her)..


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

My money would be on an allergy. It's amazing to me how the stuff in dry dog food can cause it - especially if she hadn't had it before. Maybe it's the fish??


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Have you tried Nutrisca, its one of the foods with low glycemic carb sources.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

xellil said:


> My money would be on an allergy. It's amazing to me how the stuff in dry dog food can cause it - especially if she hadn't had it before. Maybe it's the fish??


Duh! For whatever reason I forgot how much fish Orijen has in it, even in the regular brand...I can't believe that never crossed my mind. I kept changing the brand thinking I should keep the protein the same but she had never had fish before the food change so that might be it...

Could the high protein levels be a factor too, I wonder? 

I'm not sure if I should just try a different protein source or should I find a food with a different protien source and lower levels (Evo and Orijen have the highest protein level of almost all dog foods)...


----------



## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

High protein in and of itself doesn't cause yeasty ears.

Since all three formulas that didn't work have significant fish, I'd suggest going back to a more simple chicken based kibble.


----------



## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

I'd get on a limited ingredient food. Many of the manufacturers make them... Wellness just came out with their own line. Cal Natural is another... You gotta try and pin down what bothers her. Most of the LIF's have single protein sources and limited other ingredients so you can nail down the culprit. Its not easy but I'm not sure of any other method. Orijen and the other elite foods are great but they are really rich with lots of ingredients.

Either the above, or go on a real food diet but make sure you do your research/have someone out here help you.


----------



## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

I think Back to Basics is a good food. The brand not the Beowulf one. It has pork, duck, and turkey formulas and is very high in protein, has no fruit, grains, potato, or gluten.


----------



## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

If your looking for weight management I have the two of mine on wellness core weight management right now. Also wellness, has the ocean core and their adult grain free core. These you can get now at Petco and Petsmart!


----------



## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

lauren43 said:


> Finally convinced my mon to switch Tess from Iams weight management to higher quality food. She has shown some improvements, higher energy and much softer shinier coat, she also loves her food...
> 
> BUT..ever since the switch she has had chronic yeasty ears and has been particularly itchy...
> 
> ...


To clarify: She wasn't itchy on Iams but is itchy on everything else you've tried?


----------



## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

Instinct has a limited ingredient turkey formula, you could try that out since she's been on Instinct previously?


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Jack Monzon said:


> To clarify: She wasn't itchy on Iams but is itchy on everything else you've tried?


Yep. But you have to consider the fact she was put on Iams the first day we got her and was on weight management by 2 or 3 years old and then her food remained exactly the same until she was probably 7-7.5...


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I would try a good LID food. 
I have said it a million times, but of the LID foods I swear California Natural is awesome. 
And I should probably clarify that I do not work for them in any capacity, because as much as I recommend that kibble it probably seems like I do. lol


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> Have you tried Nutrisca, its one of the foods with low glycemic carb sources.


We are going to give this a try first. I know that yeast thrives on sugar and I'm hoping the lower carbs will help, I picked the chicken version (but it does still have a bit of fish in it, I didn't realize til after I bought it, yep I'm special)...

I just remembered she was on Wellness Healthy Weight for a while too, but I can not remember for the life of me if she had issues with it or not...I think Wellness was the food she wasn't a huge fan of and Tess is not a picky dog.

Here's the differences in her food:
Iam's Weight Management--20% min protein, 60% carbs
Wellness Healthy Weight--17% min protein, Can't find the carbs for this one.

Orijen--42% min protein, 18% carbs
Evo--40% min protein, 18% carbs
Instinct--38% min protein, 29% carbs

I probably should have went with a limited ingredient food, but I got excited about this one last night and jumped the gun a bit. Most likely its not so much the amount of carbs but the type that is affecting her. I wonder where all those carbs are coming from in the Iams, because Tess did not have any adverse reaction to that carb source.

If this doesn't help, we will definitely go with limited ingredient...Thanks to everyone! I will kept ya all posted on her progress.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but we've had no progress.

Her ears are still a mess, like really swollen and stinky. I wanted to try a limited ingredient formula but with the recall list growing I'm not sure where to go next. Looked at Fromm but they only have a few grain free versions and I don't like the mixed proteins. Nurtisource and Earthborn both have the same issues, I want to find a food with one protein source preferably chicken but I'm struggling to find one...


----------



## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

lauren43 said:


> Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but we've had no progress.
> 
> Her ears are still a mess, like really swollen and stinky. I wanted to try a limited ingredient formula but with the recall list growing I'm not sure where to go next. Looked at Fromm but they only have a few grain free versions and I don't like the mixed proteins. Nurtisource and Earthborn both have the same issues, I want to find a food with one protein source preferably chicken but I'm struggling to find one...


Horizon Pulsar or First Mate Chicken and Blueberries


----------



## 7766 (Sep 20, 2011)

Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato. Very few ingredients, but the protein is low at 29% It does have deboned flounder but it is down on the list and that is the only fish.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

nlboz said:


> Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato. Very few ingredients, but the protein is low at 29% It does have deboned flounder but it is down on the list and that is the only fish.


I'm trying to stay away from fish completely as that could in theory still be part of the issue.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

DaViking said:


> Horizon Pulsar or First Mate Chicken and Blueberries


The second one has potato as the first ingredient but says 84% of the protein comes from chicken...can you explain that to me? How does that work exactly?


----------



## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

lauren43 said:


> The second one has potato as the first ingredient but says 84% of the protein comes from chicken...can you explain that to me? How does that work exactly?


It means that of the 25% protein present 84% of that is from the chicken meal, the rest is potato protein. Most formulas are from 60% to 90% animal protein. 84% is good. This is a dead simple food which basically consist of 4 things, potato, chicken meal, chicken fat and blueberries. The rest is minerals, vitamins and trace nutrients. It's the kind of food I'd def give a try when figuring out sensitivities and allergies.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Ahh that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification!


----------



## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

Did you try California Natural?


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

I did not but I believe it's manufactureD by a large food company and I'm trying to stay away from those if I can.


----------



## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

lauren43 said:


> I did not but I believe it's manufactureD by a large food company and I'm trying to stay away from those if I can.


Yes your right P&G unfortunately, but so far they do not seem to have changed the formula.


----------



## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

If I'm reading you right -- she wasn't itching on Iams. She's itching on everything you've tried since. I'd switch back to what was working. The "higher quality foods" you've switched to have not been higher quality in your dog's opinion, I'd guess.


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

Jack Monzon said:


> If I'm reading you right -- she wasn't itching on Iams. She's itching on everything you've tried since. I'd switch back to what was working. The "higher quality foods" you've switched to have not been higher quality in your dog's opinion, I'd guess.


I think I agree.

If she's still having that big of an issue, I'd go with what works.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

She is having chronic ear infections. No more itching.


----------



## Sapphire-Light (Aug 8, 2010)

lauren43 said:


> She is having chronic ear infections. No more itching.


How many times per week are you cleaning her ears? are you using ear cleaning liquids for it?


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

She got this ointment from the vet (I'll have to check what it is) and my mom puts it in her ears daily when they get bad. Then she will be fine for a bit and then they will flare up again. Her ears get pretty gross, they are swollen, itchy, smelly...Perhaps its more of a yeast issue.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Jack Monzon said:


> If I'm reading you right -- she wasn't itching on Iams. She's itching on everything you've tried since. I'd switch back to what was working. The "higher quality foods" you've switched to have not been higher quality in your dog's opinion, I'd guess.


There have been positives. Her energy is amazing in comparison to what it was (she's driving my mom crazy) but its good energy just not what my parents are used too. Her fur is very soft and smooth. And her weight, finally after years of "weight management", is going down. So the only issue we are having now that we didn't have before is with her ears.


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

did you end up trying nutrisca? you might also want to check out horizon legacy since they also use peas instead of potatoes which are low glycemic.


----------



## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

That is definitely yeast infection. Duke used to have the same problem, but since switching to Wilderness he's been fine.


----------



## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Try to find out which ointment/drops your mom is using for her ears. When my dogs used to get bad we used ZYMOX OTIC, the stuff is magic in a bottle!


Edit: would your mom be interested in trying an all canned food diet? It's easier to find canned foods with low/no carbs...


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> did you end up trying nutrisca? you might also want to check out horizon legacy since they also use peas instead of potatoes which are low glycemic.


That is what she is currently on.


----------



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

catahoulamom said:


> Try to find out which ointment/drops your mom is using for her ears. When my dogs used to get bad we used ZYMOX OTIC, the stuff is magic in a bottle!
> 
> 
> Edit: would your mom be interested in trying an all canned food diet? It's easier to find canned foods with low/no carbs...


I'm not sure. I'll ask but knowing my mom it would probably gross her right out lol...


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I second zymox, I love that stuff. I would also add coconut oil to her diet since its a natural anti-fungal, depending on the size of the dog, I use a tablespoon every other day (uno is 60 lbs)


----------

