# Best Non-grain free dry dog food



## beckalexis (Jun 29, 2010)

I have been trying to figure out a dry dog food for my 5/6 month old BRT since he came home. I started with just raw, then TOTW and raw mixed, then just TOTW, then Orijen LBP, then Wellness Core... all in two-to-three week intervals and all resulting in diarrhea. The only time he did not have diarrhea was with a non-grain-free dry dog food (Wellness Super-Mix LBP)

I would stay with the Wellness Super-Mix LBP but he doesn't seem to like it. He never eats all of it and we don't even feed him the recommended amount because he leaves a ton of it. So, I am trying to find a food (1) he will eat,(2) non-grain-free, and (3) for large breed puppies.

I hope to throw some raw back into his diet once I figure out the best dry dog food but I have to have him on a dry dog food since he travels to shows and raw is just too difficult to feed on the road.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I have been beating my head against the wall with all the choices out there!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

What all did you feed when on raw? How did you transition? 

I know your trying to find a grain inclusive kibble....but I just wanted to find out a little bit more.

My BRT pup also had diarrhea when transitioning to raw. It was because I was feeding him way way too much. I cut back the amount I was feeding and was sure to start with chicken backs only. He did wonderful and still is....we are going on 2 months.

Come on over to the raw section if you want some more help in that area....otherwise I will let the kibble pros take over. :smile:

I hope you find something that works for you and your pup!


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## beckalexis (Jun 29, 2010)

Nice to see another BRT owner :smile:

I was feeding him chicken backs (about 1lb morning and 1lb night if I remember correctly) and still have about 20lbs of chicken backs still in my freezer. I would love to feed them to him. He never got over the diarrhea and I was worried he would not grow correctly and lose nutrients/be dehydrated. Hopefully I can someday get him to eat the dry while supplementing with raw.

my two other dogs are on TOTW and raw with no issues. For some reason, my BRT just doesn't have the stomach for it (or something!).


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I know with Duncan I had to feed WAY less then what was recommended in the beginning. After his bout of diarrhea I fasted him for 24 hours and then started back with one back in the AM and one back in the PM. I was sure to trim off any fat/skin/organs that were attached. After a couple days of solid poo I then added in a third back. I did three backs a day for a week. I then added in a chicken quarter (again made sure all organs were off and skin taken off). Adding in the quarter gave him diarrhea again. So, I did a quarter in the AM and a back in the PM. Did this for a week or so....

and so on.....

He was pretty thin during the transition because I had to take things really slow. Now he is filling out and just where he should be.

It was a really slow process, but I'm glad I kept with it. He is doing wonderful now and up to eating how much he needs. 

What if you added in a variety of canned food with the Wellness? Like a spoon full mixed in with each meal? This may add in some variety for him and keep him interested....? Just a thought. And, remember, you decide what he eats...not him! :biggrin:

I'd love to see a pic. of your boy!

ETA: SORRY to all the kibble feeders!!! I'm not trying to turn this into a raw thread! I won't say anything more!


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (May 19, 2009)

I have our springer on the Fromm 4 star line ( he likes the duck) and am very very pleased. He's been on it for about 2 years and has been thriving. Fromm Family Foods - Gourmet Pet Food, Naturally Holistic


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

Are you sure his diarrhea isn't from something else, like a parasite? Did you have him tested? Sometimes when you can't solve this issue through diet changes, you need to look at other possibilities.


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## beckalexis (Jun 29, 2010)

JayJayisme said:


> Are you sure his diarrhea isn't from something else, like a parasite? Did you have him tested? Sometimes when you can't solve this issue through diet changes, you need to look at other possibilities.


I had him tested for parasites and he was clean. I spoke with my vet about his diarrhea and she said it was most likely the food.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I would stick with just one food for at least a month until his stomach settles, then you can slowly start mixing it with Orijen or if its too rich, maybe Acana will work better. For now you can give him plain canned pumpkin to help with diarhea. Remember if you switch to grain free, dont overfeed it, especially if its something like Orijen, you wouldnt be feeding the same amount as Wellness, usually the guidelines on the bag are exaggerated and you may want to cut back, since too much can also result in runny stool. 

Never mix raw and kibble, they digest at different rates which can cause issues.


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## beckalexis (Jun 29, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> I would stick with just one food for at least a month until his stomach settles, then you can slowly start mixing it with Orijen or if its too rich, maybe Acana will work better. For now you can give him plain canned pumpkin to help with diarhea. Remember if you switch to grain free, dont overfeed it, especially if its something like Orijen, you wouldnt be feeding the same amount as Wellness, usually the guidelines on the bag are exaggerated and you may want to cut back, since too much can also result in runny stool.
> 
> Never mix raw and kibble, they digest at different rates which can cause issues.


He has been on Wellness Super-Mix LBP for over a month with no issues. I want to go to another non-grain free which he will enjoy more. The Orijen exacerbated his diarrhea. At the moment I am convinced he can't stomach the high protein and needs some sort of grain/fiber to keep everything together.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

Why would you change if there are no problems with the current food?


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

When my pup had loose stools on a certain kibble, our local feed store recommended moving to a food with more fiber and less protein. They put us on Premium Edge (by Diamond, I think). She did better. I then tried Fromm LBP, which she's done really well on.

A good feed store will give you samples so that you aren't buying whole bags.


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## northdog (Jun 26, 2010)

*What about a kibble/raw combo?*



saraj2878 said:


> I know with Duncan I had to feed WAY less then what was recommended in the beginning. After his bout of diarrhea I fasted him for 24 hours and then started back with one back in the AM and one back in the PM. I was sure to trim off any fat/skin/organs that were attached. After a couple days of solid poo I then added in a third back. I did three backs a day for a week. I then added in a chicken quarter (again made sure all organs were off and skin taken off). Adding in the quarter gave him diarrhea again. So, I did a quarter in the AM and a back in the PM. Did this for a week or so....
> 
> and so on.....
> 
> ...



Thanks for this info. I have a kibble fed medium-large 1 year old and I have started to add raw chicken backs and necks. Is there something bad about having a combination diet for my dog? ie. raw in the morning and kibble at night. Also, when raw feeding, you answered one of my questions about to remove or not to remove the skin, but what about frozen or thawed?


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

northdog said:


> Thanks for this info. I have a kibble fed medium-large 1 year old and I have started to add raw chicken backs and necks. Is there something bad about having a combination diet for my dog? ie. raw in the morning and kibble at night. Also, when raw feeding, you answered one of my questions about to remove or not to remove the skin, but what about frozen or thawed?


It is normally not recommended to mix kibble and raw. They both digest at different rates. Kibble taking much longer to digest, raw taking less. Due to the different digestion rates, this can cause digestive upset. Now, with that being said, there are some dogs that do just fine with mixing. I think it will depend on how your dog does. Each dog is different.

You can feed it both frozen or thawed. I feed my meats thawed. However, there have been a few times where the meat has not been totally thawed...the dogs didn't seem to mind.

That's awesome that your wanting to add in some fresh foods for your dog! :smile:


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I just wonder if it's something out of the norm that's causing his problems.
Most of the time it is your grains or protein that give you problems. So naturally those are the first things we tend to look at and change.
In our case, it was Flax/Flaxseed. This was in almost every kibble we tried. We changed up the protein, we did grain, grain free, with pretty much the same results. Look down your list of ingredients and see if you find anything in common. Don't forget to look at treats also. Flax is in almost every treat too.
Maybe what you are feeding now doesn't have a common ingredient as all the others? Which is why you are seeing an improvement.

Sometimes you really need to be a detective. 

As for him being bored with the current food. I would continue giving him that. If he quits eating, take it away and just offer it for his next meal. 
I know what you mean about not wanting him to lose nutrients since he's growing. Khan had malabsorption syndrome until we figured out all the food issues. Once we did, he gained 10+ lbs every month from the time he was 5-6mo, till he reached about a 11mo. 
Not to also hijack this thread; but what did the trick was going raw.


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