# Need to change food for my standard puppy. Advice?



## rberry74 (Jun 28, 2017)

Hi everyone,

My Sheba, 11.5 month standard poodle, is currently on blue buffalo limited ingredient kibble and the recall(s) have me super concerned and I need to change her food. I have heard so many different opinions on what is good. She has a very sensitive stomach (gets the runs easily) so I am super strict with her food/treats. I have heard Acana Limited Ingredient is good as well as Orijen. Don't get me wrong, I love and trust my vet, but I also know the poodle experts here are always helpful.

Any advice? I shop on chewy.com and it gets to me quickly Thank you so much.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You can look on https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ if you haven't already. I might also suggest doing Nutriscan to make sure that you know the ingredients in whatever you switch to will really be tolerated by your pup. Since I have three dogs when I did Nutriscan I ended up with a very limited list of things that all three of them could eat so I decided to home cook for them because I didn't want to feed each of them something different. They love their home cooked food and the vets like how they are responding to the changes. For a single dog it should be easy enough to find an acceptable commercial diet, but also for one dog home cooking would not be nearly the undertaking it has been for me (my three dogs eat just over three pounds of chicken plus other ingredients every day.


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## rberry74 (Jun 28, 2017)

lily cd re said:


> You can look on https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ if you haven't already. I might also suggest doing Nutriscan to make sure that you know the ingredients in whatever you switch to will really be tolerated by your pup. Since I have three dogs when I did Nutriscan I ended up with a very limited list of things that all three of them could eat so I decided to home cook for them because I didn't want to feed each of them something different. They love their home cooked food and the vets like how they are responding to the changes. For a single dog it should be easy enough to find an acceptable commercial diet, but also for one dog home cooking would not be nearly the undertaking it has been for me (my three dogs eat just over three pounds of chicken plus other ingredients every day.


Thank you so much! That's so helpful, I am looking at the website now and it has a ton of good information. I am not much of a home cook for my human family but my fur babies might think I'm good. :curl-lip::eating:

I really appreciate the feedback!


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## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

Have you tried any other kibbles? Have you been able to identify any trends in her upset stomach? That might narrow down what kibbles would be worth trying if you choose to go the trial and error route. 

As Catherine mentioned, dogfoodadvisor.com is a great resource. I found that by narrowing down the 4.5 and 5 star options according to what is available to me locally, I had a short list of kibbles to try. We are on number 5 now and we seem to have a winner!


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## rberry74 (Jun 28, 2017)

rj16 said:


> Have you tried any other kibbles? Have you been able to identify any trends in her upset stomach? That might narrow down what kibbles would be worth trying if you choose to go the trial and error route.
> 
> As Catherine mentioned, dogfoodadvisor.com is a great resource. I found that by narrowing down the 4.5 and 5 star options according to what is available to me locally, I had a short list of kibbles to try. We are on number 5 now and we seem to have a winner!


Hi and thank you! Yes, when I first got Sheba, she was a blue buffalo puppy formula with chicken/rice. Then, I noticed she had runny bowels quite a bit so I took her the vet who recommended trying the limited ingredient version, which I did. She also recommend that any treats I give should be the same. So I have done this and it has worked beautifully but now with the recall, I am concerned. Any time I give her a treat that is not from her limited ingredient stockpile, she gets a little runny (where her fur sister terrier can eat the whole house with no issues). Yes, the website is so helpful!


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## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

rberry74 said:


> Hi and thank you! Yes, when I first got Sheba, she was a blue buffalo puppy formula with chicken/rice. Then, I noticed she had runny bowels quite a bit so I took her the vet who recommended trying the limited ingredient version, which I did. She also recommend that any treats I give should be the same. So I have done this and it has worked beautifully but now with the recall, I am concerned. Any time I give her a treat that is not from her limited ingredient stockpile, she gets a little runny (where her fur sister terrier can eat the whole house with no issues). Yes, the website is so helpful!


I've tried and liked Wellness Core and Fromm Four Stars Nutritionals (grain free), they just didn't suit Monty's system. I'm afraid I don't know much about LID options though, we didn't find it necessary to go that route once we identified his sensitivity to chicken. 

Good luck!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

How much spare time do you have? Have you thought about a raw food diet? A prey model diet is what I feed and have had good results. I would also recommend a pro-biotic of some sort. I feed my dogs raw green tripe regularly and that is loaded with probiotics and digestive enzymes which are very helpful. Plus, it's about as balanced a food as you can get. This is raw, not from a human grocery store. I order mine from Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow, an online farm/store in Pa. It's the only place I've found that carries it pure and plain, unprocessed, not canned or ground. Anyhow, that added to their raw diet is very healthy. I know what they're getting...mostly organic, human food and the varied protein is of good quality, not the pea protein junk they put in commercial food. It would take some research first but if you have some time, that might be a way to go. I think dogs fed a species specific diet have fewer issues in a lot of areas...sensitivities, skin allergies, tooth and gum disease is almost non existent, arthritis seems to improve, general vitality is noticed by raw feeders. 

Anyhow, I understand those who simply don't have time to do all that is needed. It is definitely more labor intensive. But anyhow...that's an option for down the road. Right now... maybe some other limited ingredient food. (?) Nutri-scan might be a viable option...if it's for real. These recalls and all the rest of the junk that commercial food is made of is what caused me to research as thoroughly as possible and feed a pmr diet. Commercial pet food manufacturers do not have our dogs' best interest at heart. Let's face it. They do the minimum that they must to pass the very lax "regulations." The government over-seers are also useless according to what I've seen and read. The labeling is often incorrect, either by "mistakes" or out right lying. There was a thing about that too. I think it was Blue Buffalo also. So, getting flat out fed up with all that helped me to change my dogs' nutrition. 

I hope you find something that will work for your dog. It is a challenge, for sure.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Eliminating the ingredients that Nutriscan indicated were not good for our dogs has resulted in tremendous improvements with the problems that we were looking to deal with: excessive ear wax in Javelin, urinary crystals a bad urine pH in Lily, better tartar situation for Javelin and not perfect but better urinary tract issues for Peeves. My vet recommended Nutriscan and he is not one to spend his clients money for frivolous reasons. Additionally my colleagues who teach human nutritional science (biologists, not dieticians) feel that such testing for people can also be very valuable.


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## rberry74 (Jun 28, 2017)

Thank you so much to everyone that has replied...it sounds like the nutriscan is a good start for us. 

I wish I had more time to devote to trying all the options.

It just seems like there are so many choices and it's a matter of finding what works for us because it's not a one-size fits all approach.

I really appreciate all the feedback.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Well then...go for the nutriscan and see what, if anything is the culprit. I think processed food for humans or animals isn't the optimum diet. So maybe there will be something you'll come upon that you can trust and that doesn't cause problems for your dogs digestion. Some people go with a reputable, frozen raw food that may be fresher and more basic than these kibbles and canned diets. That might be easier, albeit fairly pricey. And perhaps an added pro-biotic of some sort. I used one from a jar for my now gone Chihuahua mix for some kid of stomach issue. It didn't do anything. I started feeding raw green tripe and his issue, among other issues cleared up within a couple weeks. Well, good luck. Keep us posted. I hope you find a food that agrees with your dog.


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## rberry74 (Jun 28, 2017)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> Well then...go for the nutriscan and see what, if anything is the culprit. I think processed food for humans or animals isn't the optimum diet. So maybe there will be something you'll come upon that you can trust and that doesn't cause problems for your dogs digestion. Some people go with a reputable, frozen raw food that may be fresher and more basic than these kibbles and canned diets. That might be easier, albeit fairly pricey. And perhaps an added pro-biotic of some sort. I used one from a jar for my now gone Chihuahua mix for some kid of stomach issue. It didn't do anything. I started feeding raw green tripe and his issue, among other issues cleared up within a couple weeks. Well, good luck. Keep us posted. I hope you find a food that agrees with your dog.


I agree that processed foods are not the best approach for all of us. I have heard good things about pro-biotics in some form--thanks for adding that. I will update as I know more...thank you again!


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

I've been contemplating a raw/some cooked/homemade diet for a while...but am just not ready to commit yet, so my dogs are on kibble. Every dog is different, just have to work with them and the food until it works for your dog.

My older mix has a very clear chicken intolerance, but seems to do well on pretty much anything that doesn't have chicken in it. However, I have him on the Acana Singles diets now and have been rotating through the proteins as each bag is finished. It's cleared up his hunger issues helping him to lose weight and his stools are healthy. He's certainly done the best on it so far.

With our spoo puppy, we started her on Orijen Large Breed Puppy. She was loose and inconsistent quite a bit and then she had a complete diarrhea meltdown. I switched her to Acana Cobb Chicken thinking it was a too much protein issue. Better but still not normal. She's now on Fromm Four Star Duck & Sweet Potato (includes grain) and is doing well on it. I don't know if she can't handle the pulse content or if it's something else, but Fromm is working for now. 

My mom's one dog can't handle grains and the other can't handle potatoes. 

So you can see, they're all different and just have to work to figure it out.


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## Sara0810 (May 21, 2017)

I feed my mini raw ground human grade food from Tollden Farms. She's 6.5 lbs and eats what's recommended for ten lbs. But she's still tiny and seems to still be hungry so I give her canned sardines in spring water in addition. Does anyone know if that's ok? Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

My Molly has a tummy of iron so I can feed any brand of kibble. I do a diet of 50% raw 50% commercial dog food (kibble, dehydrated, canned,home cooked, etc) but you are dealing with a dog with food issues it seems and I think the NutriScan testing would be a great starting point rather than to keep assaulting her tummy! It'll probably make you both feel better LOL!


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

A friend has a dog with a funny tummy and was recommended Zignature Kangaroo Limited Ingredient Grain Free, available on Chewy. It has worked well so far. I don't know why she doesn't just order an allergy test.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Ideally, you would do Nutriscan first, then choose a diet. Raw is best, but some of us just can't do it for a number of reasons. Some kibbles that have been excellent for dogs with a sensitive stomach in my family include Nulo and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. Orijen and Acana are really high in protein and many dogs can't tolerate them.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I can_ totally_ see not doing this kind of raw diet forever and switching to something that is the next best thing hopefully. It is indeed a lot of work. I had to buy a whole, big freezer just for the dogs. lol. So I absolutely get it that it's not for everyone. And after all, I've had dogs all my life and these are the first to get a fresh, whole food diet. The other dogs survived...some quite a long life span and got along fine. I don't know if dog food has become worse or not over the years but I don't remember so many recalls in the past. Maybe they just didn't tell. :afraid:


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I switched my tpoo Pia off Blue limited ingredient Salmon and Sweet Potato to Health Extension Whitefish and Bison, anything with chicken, lamb or beef gives her the runs. 

I have tried fish, salmon and bison limited ingredient kibbles in Canidae, Merrick and Fromm

Canidae small batch kibble is really expensive $20 for 2 pounds, but was otherwise good 

Merrick and Fromm caused massive tearing in both my pups but caused no GI upset

Tried Natural Planet Kangaroo & Venison, Pia wouldn't eat it.


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## rberry74 (Jun 28, 2017)

It sounds like the nutriscan first is the right way to go! Can't wait to see the results...!!! Thank you to everyone.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

rberry74 said:


> It sounds like the nutriscan first is the right way to go! Can't wait to see the results...!!! Thank you to everyone.


I think you will be happy to invest in doing the Nutriscan since your pup seems to have some sensitivities. Having the results will give you information for making a good choice on food, rather than trying different things randomly. If you have insurance for your dog then the cost of it is likely to be covered since you are doing a medical analysis of what food is suitable for your dog.


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## Creek (Apr 6, 2018)

rj16 said:


> Have you tried any other kibbles? Have you been able to identify any trends in her upset stomach? That might narrow down what kibbles would be worth trying if you choose to go the trial and error route.
> 
> As Catherine mentioned, dogfoodadvisor.com is a great resource. I found that by narrowing down the 4.5 and 5 star options according to what is available to me locally, I had a short list of kibbles to try. We are on number 5 now and we seem to have a winner!


What ended up being the winner food?


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

Honestly, my dogs have had so much trouble with the (so-called) high-end foods like Acana, Orijen, and Fromm. Proplan and Royal Canin have worked the best for my two. 

Of course, all dogs are different.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Shamrockmommy said:


> Honestly, my dogs have had so much trouble with the (so-called) high-end foods like Acana, Orijen, and Fromm. Proplan and Royal Canin have worked the best for my two.


I totally agree. Most dogs cannot handle those high protein foods. Maizie's breeder has fed Proplan for 15+ years with excellent results.


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