# On to the Hydrolyzed protein food for Kali…



## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

So Kali appears to have either yeast & scratching issues or GI issues with almost every food this far. Tonight I picked up almost $100 of prescription food from the vet, vet this isn’t quite 1 month worth. I thought about the “poodles are symbols of wealth” thread. 🤣😅 Not quite sure this is what Renaissance painters had in mind…


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

I hope she'll eat it. 🤞


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## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

94Magna_Tom said:


> I hope she'll eat it. 🤞


She eats everything, gobbled this right up. Definitely not a picky eater!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

My vet put Galen on hydrolyzed kibble after a bout of gastric issues when he was about a year old. Galen loves the food. Of course Ritter, who doesn't even need it, also loves it. I started ordering it from Chewy, as my vet had trouble keeping it in stock.


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## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

cowpony said:


> My vet put Galen on hydrolyzed kibble after a bout of gastric issues when he was about a year old. Galen loves the food. Of course Ritter, who doesn't even need it, also loves it. I started ordering it from Chewy, as my vet had trouble keeping it in stock.


Hopefully we can get to the point where I can mix with another food, maybe the Purina a sensitive Skin & Stomach. Since Purina is the maker in both brands, I feel a bit hopeful?


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

I don't know if this will help stretch the budget or work with her food, but what if you gave a human food for breakfast, and then let Kali freefeed or have kibble in the evening for dinner?

This was my thinking. Basil's kibble is $2.72/lb, and chicken thighs/legs (cooked, meat only) and hardboiled eggs w/ carrots is a lot cheaper per pound. So, she gets a special breakfast. Then, kibble the rest of the day.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

The idea behind the HP food is that the proteins are cooked down to the point where the dog's immune system no longer recognizes them as allergens. When Galen was ill his immune system was in a complete uproar, like a beehive that had been thumped. It overreacted to anything he ate. Nope to turkey, chicken, duck, or hamburger. His habit of counter surfing caused us a few setbacks, as my husband is terrible about keeping dirty plates away from him. A few months of staying on the HP formula helped him immensely.

A year later he is now able to eat small amounts of most meats and proteins with no issues. He doesn't get sick when he gets into Ritter's Royal Canin puppy food, even though the formula contains chicken. (His vet was convinced he was allergic to chicken.) He went through a couple weeks of eating canned limited ingredient lamb and fish formulations over the summer due to other issues. He still seems to have some issue with Purina foods; I'm wondering if it's because of the chicory root inulin found in some of the Purina formulations. At this point I'm keeping him on the HP formula because it's not that much more expensive than a high quality limited ingredient food.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

I used Purina's Sensitive Skin and Stomach for years on our whippet/border collie cross. Before I changed to it, he had really soft stools and his coat did not look all that good.

Right now I am feeding the fat Labrador the Purina brand for weight control. The mini poodle and the Chihuahua get Purina's kibble for small dogs. They are all doing quite well.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> I don't know if this will help stretch the budget or work with her food, but what if you gave a human food for breakfast, and then let Kali freefeed or have kibble in the evening for dinner?
> 
> This was my thinking. Basil's kibble is $2.72/lb, and chicken thighs/legs (cooked, meat only) and hardboiled eggs w/ carrots is a lot cheaper per pound. So, she gets a special breakfast. Then, kibble the rest of the day.


Careful about this. If something exceeds about 15-20% of a dog's calorie intake, it should be nutritionally balanced, particularly for calcium. If it's only a small meal, that may be as easy as calculating how much eggshell to include, but organ meat might also be appropriate (chicken organs are pretty easy to find and cheap). Also remember to calculate cost on a per calorie basis rather than a per pound, since there is a lot more water in chicken than in kibble. No judgements about cooking for Basil at all, I homecook about half of Annie's food due to her many dietary issues. It's far cheaper than the prescription kibble that was the other option.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Careful about this. If something exceeds about 15-20% of a dog's calorie intake, it should be nutritionally balanced, particularly for calcium. If it's only a small meal, that may be as easy as calculating how much eggshell to include, but organ meat might also be appropriate (chicken organs are pretty easy to find and cheap). Also remember to calculate cost on a per calorie basis rather than a per pound, since there is a lot more water in chicken than in kibble. No judgements about cooking for Basil at all, I homecook about half of Annie's food due to her many dietary issues. It's far cheaper than the prescription kibble that was the other option.


I appreciate your input. Thank you.


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## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

Cow pony & Johanna, I think that is what might be going on. I believe poultry has caused licking & yeast infections in ears. Trying other high quality limited ingredient foods isn’t getting me anywhere, almost making the GI flare up but the skin issues are settling. I think I’m going to stay on this diet a while, then try the skin & sensitive stomach as a 1/2 mix. Even if I am just able to supplement the hydrolyzed kibble, that will help a lot.
Vet suggested just continued diet trials, did not think any testing would be particularly accurate.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I've found Natural Balance LID to work quite well for both our sensitive dogs. Annie can't handle chicken, fish, or duck.


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## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

For Want of Poodle said:


> I've found Natural Balance LID to work quite well for both our sensitive dogs. Annie can't handle chicken, fish, or duck.


Ive never heard of this brand. Where do you get it?


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

kuriooo said:


> Ive never heard of this brand. Where do you get it?


Pretty much all the stores here carry it, (Ren's, Pet Valu, Global, etc) but I am in Canada.

Here's what Annie eats, it is on Chewy. I think that is what a lot of American members use?
NATURAL BALANCE L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Lamb & Brown Rice Formula Large Breed Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag - Chewy.com

They make several other LID formulas too, so it's a decent line to play with small bags to try and diagnose a particular intolerance. Yes, there can be cross contamination, but my dogs haven't been that sensitive.

My suggestion would be to try the hydrolyzed protein to see if that is working for a bag or two, and then try switching once she is stable and see how she does. If the hydrolyzed food doesn't work, it might not be a food issue.

Ingredients wise, Natural Balance isn't my favourite food, and I probably wouldn't feed it to a dog without sensitivities, but Annie doesn't throw it up or get gassy, and it is reasonably priced. I supplement fish oil, as she can handle oil but not a fish based food and I think it's a bit low on Omega 3s.

I do homecook half her food to keep her fat levels really low due to a bout of pancreatitis, so that gives her some variety since she can also handle beef, pork, and small amounts of turkey. (I also had the sticker shock at a potential $100+ bag of veterinary food that wouldn't last her a month).


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