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Post by 3sweetboys on Feb 16, 2015 7:24:14 GMT -5
Hi! we have three boys, each of them turning 8 this year. We have tried different foods with them and have had the best success with Acana Ranchlands. We have one boy who seems to be like our 'canary in a coal mine', in that he is the first to develop diarrhea when our bag of food is a bit off, with the other two developing diarrhea shortly after.This has been happening with increasing frequency over the past few months and we wonder if it is time for a change of food.
We have read great things about Acana, Ranchlands in particular, so we wonder if our dogs have developed a sensitivity because they are used to it or because they are aging?
Does anyone have any suggestions on what we could switch to? I feel like I don't want to feed them anything from the current bag we have, so I am also looking for suggestions on adjusting them to the new food without mixing it with their current food.
Thank you,
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lanlove
Junior Grey Lover
Posts: 179
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Post by lanlove on Feb 16, 2015 14:28:50 GMT -5
I also use Acana foods. I started Lanny on the Chicken and Burbank potato and then switched to Pacifica, he is now on Lamb and Apple (Limited Ingredient Diet) and he is doing well on it. I was told that switching between the Acana varieties is not hard on their digestive system and so far have found the switches to be fine. Lanny is suspected to have irritable bowel (I had switched foods thinking he had a sensitivity but he would still have the odd episode) but he is doing very well on the Lamb. The limited ingredient diets also come in duck and pear as well as pork and squash (I haven't tried either of those with Lanny). He has a nice coat and is in good shape and his bowel movements are more consistent now. Of course if you are wanting to switch to an entirely different brand this info will be of little help to you but I am sure others will have some great ideas for you too. Good luck, I hope your pups are feeling better soon.
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daylight
Hound Nut
what's so funny Light?....Joker!
Posts: 1,275
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Post by daylight on Feb 17, 2015 11:51:02 GMT -5
Also using Acana Lamb and Apple. Have had consistency and no issues with digestion or elimination for either Joker or Light. (Also our 15 year old Beagle has been on this for years with no problems).
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aeiou
Grey Puppy
Posts: 82
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Post by aeiou on Feb 18, 2015 12:48:38 GMT -5
Having dealt with allergy and sensitivity issues in several of our greyhounds, here's what I've learned:
Restrict food changes to every 3-4 months. This gives their system time to adjust to the new food and will give you the best determination of whether that food will work. Change sooner if you're experiencing health issues from a food type.
Change a food over a period of time. Never cold switch as this can shock their GI system. I usually do so over 4 - 6 days depending on how drastic the change is.
For easy digestibility, use Lamb or Salmon. They're a novel protein and easy for their system to process.
Limited ingredient or single protein, single grain foods are best. The fewer things you're throwing at sensitive tummies, the better.
Expensive, "High" quality is not always best. Greyhounds cannot tolerate rich foods so the more you spend, does not equal a better "output". I tried all of the expensive brands on my allergy boy, only to end up on a high quality, but cheap food in the end.
My favourite foods and brands:
Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato - for less than $40 at Costco; a great food with great results. Proplan Lamb Meal and Rice or Proplan Beef - not the best food, but you can't argue with results. This is a great starter food that I tend to recommend to anyone bringing home their first.
Foods I don't recommend:
Any you buy at the grocery store (Purina Chow, PC, Alpo...). These are mostly sugar, corn and byproducts and can cause more issues than they're worth... not to mention accelerating tooth decay in a breed that already struggles with bad teeth.
Performatrin Lamb Meal and Rice = has added sodium. I tried this food on Beamish and it resulted in him having to urinate in the middle of the night and take extra potties in the middle of the day. Switched him to Nature's Domain (above) and this issue resolved.
When in doubt.. read the ingredients. The first 7 - 10 ingredients should be something you know.
Of course, there's always raw food. Uber eats raw (from Raw 4 Pets in Aylmer) and is in excellent health from it. I know exactly what he's eating.
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