# Still searching for a food....



## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

for Casper. My other dogs are pretty easy. They do well on the Nutrisource, Earthborn and Acana, but Casper is not. He does the best so far on Earthborn Meadows Feast and Acana Duck and Bartlett Pear. 

He gets intermittent loose stool on the Earthborn and coat got very dry on the Acana Duck, but both foods were good for his allergies. His tear stains cleared up and ears cleared up. 

I am feeding him Acana Grasslands and tear stains are horrid. They were were completely gone and after one day on the Grasslands, they started back and are now streaking down his face. I'm thinking it is the potatoes. 

He also does not do well on raw. 

So I know he can not eat chicken in any form- raw, cooked, can or kibble. Pork either. I'm pretty sure he has an issue with potatoes. 

So I need something chicken free, pork free, potato free, wheat/corn/soy free. He also does not like fish based kibbles, but will eat them occasionally. 

Foods he can not eat: Innova, Evo, Orijen, Canidae Pure Sea, Fromm (only one he did ok on was Salmon Al a veg) and Nutrisca

Foods he did ok on, but still had some issue: Nature's Variety Rabbit, Acana Duck, Earthborn Meadows Feast, Native Level 1, Nutrisource grain free lamb

Biggest issues: intermittent diarrhea, yeasty ears, tear stains, bad shedding

I was thinking of trying Tuscan Natural Lamb and rice. Petflow had a special on their cat food and grain free food and I have one dog eating their grain free and doing great on it, but it has chicken so won't work for Casper. But the lamb and rice is pretty simple and not a lot ingredients. 

Any suggestions?


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## soilsenasuil (Jan 15, 2009)

Hi, I am not an expert on diet but I find my dog does best on raw. For convenient alternative I am trying one called K9 Natural a freeze dried food(some do not like the high fat content though) there is also Ziwipeak.... I find these have the barest of ingredients which is probably what your dog needs. There is also one called NRG Maxim which I will probably be alternating with K9. My dog is a mostly white border collie who has sensitive skin and allergies (scratching, tear stains, biting paws, shedding)so raw or a pre-mixed raw is what helped her. Honest Kitchen has potatoes in their recipe as well as Addiction so those would not be good. 

Have you tried probiotics, digestive enzymes for Casper? There is a company called "dinovite" DINOVITE - Satisfaction 100% Guaranteed! that makes a range of digestive and allergy products that may be useful. This page provides what each product does. I have used some products but not these particular ones and they offer a satisfaction guarantee. Cost wise choosing a dry dog food Casper did well on and maybe using the Dinovite product or other probiotic might be the best way to go or trying him on raw again with a similar product.

Hope this helps.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Not a huge fan of Natura post takeover... but I'd take a look at the Cal Natural Grain free line. I just did a quick look a their ingredient lists and didn't see anything you mentioned. 

they also have some pretty unique protein sources...Kangaroo, Venison... and Lamb. 

Good luck.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

well, scrap what I just wrote... except for the kangaroo formula, they all have potatoes.

So take a look at the Kangaroo formula. Maybe it will work. 

Sorry.


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## domika (Jul 15, 2012)

What kind of raw have you tried? Ziwipeak is one that's a bit easier but expensive. 

Another one that MIGHT work is the brothers complete allergy formula. Potato free but has chicken liver, I don't know if he will do okay with that. 

Have you checked out homecooked meals? Im sure there are some potato free recipes you could find and then just add in whatever cooked protein you like. 

Man I wish I could help out more  good luck!


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## PatricksDanes2 (Feb 1, 2012)

Have you tried Natural Balance L.I.D. Lamb Meal & Brown Rice? One of my dogs does great on this and is also highly allergic to the foods you mentioned. They make a canned version and treats to match. I would highly recommend giving it a try since it worked for us.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

I don't like Natural Balance, I've tried multiple formulas over the years w/ different dogs and never had good results. 

I thought about the California Natural Kangaroo. I just don't want to buy a big bag and he can't eat it, so I may try a small one. He did ok years ago on California Natural Herring, but it seems the older he gets, the more issues he has. 

I fed Prey model raw for years. Casper can not eat chicken, duck, turkey, pork raw w/o vomiting or getting diarrhea. At first he was fine for almost a year and then he started having problems. He can eat beef, but beef bones are of course too hard and he can eat venison but we can only get some during deer season and it sporadic supply. He can eat lamb, but it too expensive around here and he can eat goat, but again, too expensive. There is no way in the world I could afford pre-made raw for 120lb dog unless I got rid of all my other dogs!


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Was looking at foods Petflow carries. I've never seen this one, called Zignature and they use: No Potatoes, No Grain, No Chicken, No Eggs, No Glutens, No Tapioca, No Corn & No Soy in any of their formulas. They have a lamb, a turkey and a fish formula. I'm wondering of one of them would work....... Why does this dog have to be so hard to feed!


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## EchoEcho (Feb 22, 2012)

Have you looked into the brand Great Life? I work in a pet store and we carry it, though it's fairly new still. They have a grain free buffalo line that may work for him? It is a potato free food also with some freeze dried meat and veggies I believe. I don't have any personal experience with it (I feed raw) and I think it's a bit pricey for the area of this store so unfortunately I don't have any feedback from customers either. I've never seen anyone mention it here, so I just thought I'd throw it out there.  

Even if anyone has any thoughts on it I'd love to hear to be able to pass on to customers.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Rid,

I will say this... the Cal Natural Line as a whole has been a godsend to many people I know that have Dogs with real tough issues. Not saying it will work for you but maybe???

I was thinking...I'd also try the new Wellness "Simple" line. The Lamb and oatmeal doesn't have any potato in it. Personally, I'm a fan of Wellness as a company.

Lamb, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Peas, Ground Rice, Millet, Ground Flaxseed, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Natural Lamb Flavor, Chicory Root Extract, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Taurine, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Great Life looks interesting, just wondering how much meat is really in it though. But I am considering California Natural Kangaroo and it doesn't appear to have much meat either. 

Wellness I will never feed, long story short, I hate the food, even the name after it almost killed my heart dog. I wouldn't feed it if it were free. Nothing they make ever will be purchased by me. 

Also looking at Nature's Logic again. I like the beef and venison formulas, but not sure on the yeast. I don't know if it would cause a problem or not. But I guess trying it would be the only way to really know, but I hate to keep switching him around. He is still eating the Acana Grasslands for now. Tear stains are so far the only issue.


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## odettemayers (Aug 31, 2012)

You have to pick the right choice of food for Casper since he is not allowed to eat any of those. I guess you have to bring him to the vet and let the vet tells you what would be the best food for your pet.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I am currently feeding Tuscan Natural Simply Pure Lamb/Rice to 2 of my 3 dogs and they are doing well. My PWD has a VERY sensitive stomach and really the only other foods besides this one that she tolerates is Fromm 4-start beef or salmon grain free formulas.
She gets IBD like symptoms, poor thing. But on this food she seems much better.

The other one is a bichon who has had lifelong tear staining, yeastiness issues. I have finally given up on the tear stains. She was food allergy tested and not allergic to the most common food ingredients. 

Can you try the California Natural grain free lines? The lower glycemic foods help with the yeasties. It helped Darby immensely but I ended up switching because it made her poop extremely hard and painful to pass. 

Good luck!


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

I have a similar dog. Maddie has a potato sensitivity, and they send her over the edge itching. We think she's also allergic to grass (great, right?), so we give her benedryl twice daily. She's better on Evo Herring and Salmon. It has a simple list of ingredients, and is potato free. Another thing some dogs are sensitive to is rosemary, of all things (in a lot of dog foods). Rosemary is not in this Evo formula either.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

On another forum, we came up with a list of grainfree/white potato free foods. You may want to take a look at some of these.

Darford Zero-both
Nature's Variety Instinct limited ingredient-all including raw boost
Canine Caviar-all grainfree's
Nutrisca-all grainfree's
Brothers Complete-all (available only on their website, Brothers Complete)
Back to Basics-all grainfree
Nutrisource grainfree-all except for large breed chicken & large breed lamb
The Honest Kitchen-Zeal only
Earthborn-Meadow Feast & Great Plains
Great Life-all
Epigen-fish
Nature's Select-all grainfree
Precise grainfree-both
Avoderm-revolving menu only
Spring Meadows-all
Zignature-all
Nutripe-all
Victor-all grainfree
Evo weight management
Evo herring & salmon
Innova Prime-all
California Natural grainfree-salmon, kangaroo and chicken
Horizon Legacy-all
Horizon Pulsar-both
Horizon Amicus-all
Grandma Lucy's Pureformance-all
Evangers grainfree-both
Sojo's grainfree-all
NRG-Maxim only
Ziwi Peak-all air dried
DNA-all
Freehand-Energize only
Great Life Pioneer Naturals-all grainfree
Red Moon-high protein chicken and moderate protein chicken only
Grandma Mae's Country Natural-grainfree only
Pet Botanics-Healthy Omega only


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

riddick4811 said:


> I don't like Natural Balance, I've tried multiple formulas over the years w/ different dogs and never had good results.
> 
> I thought about the California Natural Kangaroo. I just don't want to buy a big bag and he can't eat it, so I may try a small one. He did ok years ago on California Natural Herring, but it seems the older he gets, the more issues he has.
> 
> I fed Prey model raw for years. Casper can not eat chicken, duck, turkey, pork raw w/o vomiting or getting diarrhea. At first he was fine for almost a year and then he started having problems. He can eat beef, but beef bones are of course too hard and he can eat venison but we can only get some during deer season and it sporadic supply. He can eat lamb, but it too expensive around here and he can eat goat, but again, too expensive. There is no way in the world I could afford pre-made raw for 120lb dog unless I got rid of all my other dogs!



Have you tried taking him to a Holistic vet who does NAET testing? I found out exactly what has not been working in her system for her feet, although she would happily eat any food I put in front of her. I suggest you try one because there may other issues going on. Good Luck!


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

InkedMarie said:


> On another forum, we came up with a list of grainfree/white potato free foods. You may want to take a look at some of these.
> 
> Darford Zero-both
> Nature's Variety Instinct limited ingredient-all including raw boost
> ...


Most of them I have either tried or they have chicken or I can not afford them. There are a few that I have considered like Zignature and Darford (fish) that we have not tried, but the rest will not work for him.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

whiteleo said:


> Have you tried taking him to a Holistic vet who does NAET testing? I found out exactly what has not been working in her system for her feet, although she would happily eat any food I put in front of her. I suggest you try one because there may other issues going on. Good Luck!


I can not afford a holistic vet and there are none in my area w/o traveling and my work schedule doesn't make anything easy and day off I have, my Mother had a Doctor appt to go to. 

I am to the point I'm done dealing with it and I am considering euthanizing him.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

Might be a long shot, but what about a vegetarian food? I don't like the idea of it, but it may be something to try.


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## domika (Jul 15, 2012)

You said in the original post he did alright on Acana Duck but had dry skin. Did you try adding any Salmon oil or other omega supplements to try improving the skin? If the dry skin didn't seem to be extremely itchy I would go with that food and then try to fix the itchy skin.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I would consider going back to one of the foods he did well on with minor issues, like dry skin. Acana is a great food, and if dry skin were the only issue on it, adding some fish oil or a good skin and coat supplement could easily fix that. I saw improvement in skin and coat once starting my pack on NuVet Plus and they are even fed PMR! I think having dry skin and coat is a very small issue when you're considering euthanizing over it... I really hope you were not serious about that.... 

I have no personal experience with California Natural Grain Free Kangaroo but I do special order it for a lady with a Border Collie that seems to be allergic to everything under the sun and he is doing really well on it. It is a bit expensive, but Natura does have frequent buyer cards for a free bag after 10 bags so that helps offset the price as well. 

Also, California Natural lamb is potato and chicken free. 

The whole cal Nat line has really been great for a lot of people, and I've seen so many positive stories and great results with it I personally think its the best limited ingredient option on the market.


PLEASE do not euthanize your dog over dry skin.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

CorgiPaws said:


> I would consider going back to one of the foods he did well on with minor issues, like dry skin. Acana is a great food, and if dry skin were the only issue on it, adding some fish oil or a good skin and coat supplement could easily fix that. I saw improvement in skin and coat once starting my pack on NuVet Plus and they are even fed PMR! I think having dry skin and coat is a very small issue when you're considering euthanizing over it... I really hope you were not serious about that....
> 
> I have no personal experience with California Natural Grain Free Kangaroo but I do special order it for a lady with a Border Collie that seems to be allergic to everything under the sun and he is doing really well on it. It is a bit expensive, but Natura does have frequent buyer cards for a free bag after 10 bags so that helps offset the price as well.
> 
> ...


He has a gorgeous skin/coat except for tear stains, yeasty ears when he eats certain foods and the tumors. Vomiting and diarrhea are his main issues with certain foods. I would not euthanize for dry skin (which is he does not have), but he does have severe hip dysplasia, a knee cap that slips in and out of place, mast cell cancer, and new tumors appearing daily and it getting the point, it really isn't fair to keep surgically removing them. He is on pain meds 3xs a day and some days he still can not walk well. He is a senior dog for his breed as well and with is size, my back can not take carrying him up and down the stairs on the days he can not walk. And having diarrhea makes it all the more difficult. He has trouble even getting the "pooping position" due to his hips and sometimes will fall over or his knee pops out when he is trying to go potty.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> Might be a long shot, but what about a vegetarian food? I don't like the idea of it, but it may be something to try.


I would never feed a vegetarian food, especially since he needs lower carb due to having cancer.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

domika said:


> You said in the original post he did alright on Acana Duck but had dry skin. Did you try adding any Salmon oil or other omega supplements to try improving the skin? If the dry skin didn't seem to be extremely itchy I would go with that food and then try to fix the itchy skin.


Skin wasn't dry, coat texture changed and was courser on this food and not as glossy. He has a beautiful coat despite all his health issues. He gets fish oil daily along with his joint supplements, vit E and vit C, organic coconut oil, and tumeric/bromelain for his skin tumors which also is suppose to help this arthritis and hip/knee issues.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

What about Nutri source lamb? it does have chicken fat, but I know that some dogs that have a chicken allergy can tolerate fat with no issues

Lamb meal, peas, salmon meal (a source of fish oil), pea starch, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea flour, natural flavors, tomato pomace, sunflower oil, dried egg product, potassium chloride, brewers yeast, salt, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate, selenium yeast), yeast culture (saccharomyces cerevisiae, enterococcus faecium, lactobacillus acidophilus, aspergillus niger, bacillus subtillis), choline chloride, taurine, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), glucosamine hydrochloride, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), chondroitin sulfate, yucca schidigera extract, calcium iodate, rosemary extract.

ETA: saw that you already mentioned it.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Also, what about natures variety instinct LID?
Ingredients
Lamb Meal, Tapioca, Peas, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Montmorillonite Clay, Coconut Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dyhydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Choline Chloride, Green Tea Extract, Rosemary Extract

they also have turkey formula:

Ingredients
Turkey Meal, Tapioca, Peas, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Montmorillonite Clay, Coconut Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Choline Chloride, Green Tea Extract, Rosemary Extract.


if you order online, they have a special on NV instinct now, $8 off, plus free shipping on orders over $49 and discount if you sign up for auto ship (which you can cancel at any time), so the total comes out to $55 for a 25 lb bag. 

http://petbest.com/products/Instinc...edient-Lamb-Meal-Formula/NaturesVariety-ILIDL


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> Also, what about natures variety instinct LID?
> Ingredients
> Lamb Meal, Tapioca, Peas, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Montmorillonite Clay, Coconut Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dyhydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Choline Chloride, Green Tea Extract, Rosemary Extract
> 
> ...


He can't eat those either. He did ok for about 6 months on the rabbit and then he started having issues. I've had issues their food being fresh at purchase or staying fresh too as it takes Casper about 6 weeks to go thru a bag.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> What about Nutri source lamb? it does have chicken fat, but I know that some dogs that have a chicken allergy can tolerate fat with no issues
> 
> Lamb meal, peas, salmon meal (a source of fish oil), pea starch, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea flour, natural flavors, tomato pomace, sunflower oil, dried egg product, potassium chloride, brewers yeast, salt, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate, selenium yeast), yeast culture (saccharomyces cerevisiae, enterococcus faecium, lactobacillus acidophilus, aspergillus niger, bacillus subtillis), choline chloride, taurine, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), glucosamine hydrochloride, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), chondroitin sulfate, yucca schidigera extract, calcium iodate, rosemary extract.
> 
> ETA: saw that you already mentioned it.


My other dogs were doing really good on this food for about 3 weeks, then I noticed they were losing weight (which some needed at first) but then I had to start uping the food. It had more kcal/cup than other foods they ate, but I had to feed a whole lot more to maintain their weight, especially for my Greyhound. He lost 6 lbs in a month on 3 1/2 cups a day and that is what he eats on most food (Earthborn, Victor, Acana, etc). I had him up to 5 cups a day to maintain his weight. He is on Acana now and eating 3 1/2 cups.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear about Casper's troubles. Sounds like you are doing an amazing job caring for him with all his issues. Can you try California Natural grain free diets? there are 5 different flavors- lamb, kangaroo, salmon, chicken... 
This one helped my yeasty beasty (bichon) but her skin issues come and go, as do the tear stains. On this one her stools were TOO firm, becoming rock hard and difficult to pass. YMMV.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Thanks. I am going to try Nature's Logic Beef formula. He has always done well on beef. I am considering trying the California Natural, but I don't like the fact they are so low in protein/fat and the carb amount has to be higher and I prefer lower carb diet for him. 

Also just found out I can get Victor's new grain free fish based food online. My other dogs did well on their other grain free foods and they are more affordable to feed multi dogs. So if the Nature's Logic doesn't work I may try it. It does have sweet potatoes, but not regular potatoes. 

3rd choice is Darford grain free fish formula. He just isn't big on fish sometimes, but some fish formulas he likes. Wish I could get samples!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Good luck, I would recommend getting a small bag of natures, logic, while its a good quality food, it has yeast pretty high up on the list which can cause issues in dog with allergies. Uno has a really bad reaction to it, while Indy my parents dog did really well on it, so it depends.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Thanks. I got plenty of dogs that are garbage disposals so someone can always eat whatever I buy until it is gone and I always buy a big bag as it normally cheaper per lb. 

Yeast has never seemed to bother him, but who knows. I've had several people say their food helped their white dogs with allergy problems.


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## riddick4811 (Nov 2, 2011)

Also his main issue is diarrhea on certain foods. Tear stains are just an annoyance to me. But I will settle for a food that he has firm poop on. 

This pic was taken at the end of July-his skin/coat is fine (minus skin tumors/growths)


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