Which one should I choose?

[CLV]

We have had our Eskie pup for about a month now. He came to us on Purina Pro Plan and had tear stains and was refusing his food so we switched him to Wellness Puppy and he was okay for a few weeks. He started to have bad gas and eventually last week he had awful diarrhea. I am not sure what made him sick- I had started to add a little bit of new kibble in his diet but it was such a small amount i figured it couldn't have been that. I tried to cut back his treats and identify what it was but it continued so we thought it had to be the Wellness Puppy that was causing it??

Anyway, he had to go to the vet and was given Metronidazole and I/D kibble to eat for a week. He now is back to having somewhat solid poop and I want to stop the I/D. I am trying to decide what food to put him on. He is 8mo old so I don't want to have him on a very high protein diet right now. (My other dog is on Wellness Core Ocean (34% protein) but he is 4 yrs old.) I contacted the company and they said not to start until 1 yr old because of the calcium. I also am not sure if the gas he was having on the Wellness Puppy was due to the 28% protein level being too high for him? Both the options I am looking at are lower.

My choices right now are Fromm Salmon a la Veg or California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. I have both and want to start his change tonight. I know both are good foods and I am having a hard time deciding which one I should start his very slow transition with today. I also have a bag of the Chicken and Pearl Millet Canine Caviar. I had heard this is a great food too. The only thing I was worried about was the very high calorie count and also the chicken fat and dried beet pulp. Any thoughts?? Which one would you choose??

[SnowDancer]

I missed your first post in which you said you have 2 American Eskies. I also have an Eskie - 4 1/2 year old male - 22 lbs. He has been on Fromms Salmon A La Veg since the age of 9 months and about 6 months ago we decided to be adventurous and try him on the Duck and Sweet Potato (which he also LOVES) - the Duck has a slightly different shape to it, so he noticed. And now, he has a bag of the new Pork & Apple Sauce which we will be opening probably tomorow. We buy the food from our Groomer whose dogs also eat it and I did check with Fromms re switching foods within the Four Star Group and they said it would be fine - unless my Eskie had an extremely sensitive stomach, as the grains are the same in all Four Star varieties. No problems so far, so we still alternate. We have not gone with the Surf N Turf (I think it is grain free) as the fat content is too high and keeping him at 22 lbs. is hard enough. By the way, he also loves the Whitefish - lowest fat, but we know this only because he opened the super giant bag while at the groomer's so it became "his". Had to freeze a ton of it in 2 cup baggies. It has a much stronger odour than the Salmon. I do not intend to switch him from this food as long as I can buy it in Toronto. Eskies do have sensitive tummies to a degree - before we started him on the Fromms we were considering digestive enzymes, but the Fromms has worked well for us, so no need for the enzymes. He has been extremely healthy for which I am very grateful. He did start to get yellowing about his eyes at 7 months - so searched the Eskie specific site and many people were giving their Eskies bottled water which solved the problem for them - and for our guy as well. The yellowing disappeared within a week and no sign of it since. I wish I could post pictures, heck I wish he would sit for a picture - he absolutely hates the camera and manages to flatten his fur and pinch up his face to the point that in a picture he doesn't even look like the very hot-looking boy that he is (he is one of the Eskie boys that absolutely everyone insists is a girl). I buy the small bag of Fromms and give him just 1 cup a day, split between breakfast and dinner. Of course he has hit low fat, wheat and egg free Salmon Snap cookies (sometimes he gets lamb and sweet potato) as his treat during the day and at supper he gets some vegetables with Daddy (I am now seriously monitoring this since the unfortunate gaining of 6 extra pounds at age 2 - Daddy gives way too much when a little taste will do - and Eskies do gain weight so easily and those legs are so long and thin, so a worry. He loves absolutely everything, except raw parsnip as it turns out - cooked is fine - he spit out the raw he picked up from the floor. This from a dog who loved the watercress my husband bought instead of my arugula. I did try him on The Missing Link to help with the itchy skin 3 times, but each time as the size of the dose was increased to eventually reach the ideal dose at the 2 week mark, his stomach became upset. Too bad because it really helped with this skin. Seems dogs can either tolerate it or they can't. And Eskies do have very sensitive skin under that very cat like hair. I hope you manage to get your pups' food under control.

[CLV]

Thanks for your reply. I am glad to hear your Eskie does well on all the Fromm foods. I decided to try the Fromm this evening. I did only a small layer of kibble over his cup measure and will slowly increase. I am really hoping he does well on this food.

Our other Eskie had terrible sensitivities to food from a young age and we had to keep him on I/D for several years. He still can't have treats with any preservatives ( I get bakery treats or freeze dried real meat etc for him.) I am so happy he has been doing well on the Wellness Core Ocean.

Do you think the yellowing of the eyes was related to the food? I have not seen that with either of my dogs.

[SnowDancer]

Definitely the Fromms is worth a shot. I know all about I/D food as well - the only sickness my Eskie had was nearly 3 years ago - sort of like a dog flu that was all over Toronto - our clinic had several cases - but how sick each dog got depended on how quickly pups were brought in. We were in very fast (used to have mini Dachshunds with major back/neck disc problems, so I am always there fast) - very worried because he was throwing up and well diarrhea. Since he was throwing up, he had to stay at the vets to be monitored. I rushed him over because I was afraid of a blockage - since he is such a hoover and grabs at everything I can't believe he hasn't been blocked as yet. When he came home after 3 days he was supplied with 6 cans of I/D - which he loves I would like to point out - isn't as fond of the kibble form though. I always keep 2 cans on hand just in case of a tummy upset, but so far have not needed to use them. But I do keep track of the expiry dates and have replaced as needed. When he gained the 6 lbs. that proved so hard to lose, our vet suggested trying the kibble I/D but that didn't work either - but for other Eskies it has. I think there are many reasons for the yellowing of the eyes - could be food, could also be the size of the dog. I have noticed that many of the smaller Eskies and white dogs in general have the yellowing. Since my guy is a small Standard, with no health issues, and the whole thing with the size of the eye and the eye socket (I read about this I think on the Eskie board) seems to help. But I do know that some people have successfully solved the problem with a change of food. My Eskie's treats are all preservative free as well and he is a cookie monster. When a new supplier tries to sell my dog's Groomer with new cookies, he is the taste tester. If he eats it just to be polite, it is a no go. If he inhales it, then a winner. The vet clinic - so conveniently located through the same extrance always has cookies on hand. They did try one that my pup ate - grudgingly - and I noticed that it is no longer offered either. I am very careful not to buy any cookies that have cranberry. As you know I am sure, Eskies are prone to stones - so am I - of the acidic variety and cranberry is a nightmare for those of us prone to acid based stones rather than alkaline. I did buy him, just once, the Turkey & Cranberry cookies and he did have to pee more often and in small amounts, so stopped that. I also do not buy anything with peanut butter or cheese and bacon. Have to watch the purines and oxalic acids. Our first Dachshund, my very special Dachshund was adopted with 4 stones that were removed during his back surgery - and then he had to eat the Hill's "stone" food for 6 months and then be checked for developing crystals or stones - none had developed so he was able to resume his normal gourmet diet. He hated the food, which says something about the food, but it worked. If my Eskie gets stones, I will put him on the appropriate food and hope for the best. One thing I will never get used to though are the very long legs and the jaws (teeth) and claws of death. At 22 lbs. he has the teeth of a 60 lb. dog. I am so used to the short legs of a Dachshund. They are funny dogs as well - very quick to alert me to possible danger - to him - it is all about him - and will hide behind me. My 2 Alpha 10 lb. Dachshunds would plant their feet in front of me to defend me to the death. And of course the Separation Anxiety - and the fact that Eskies seem to love their families and a few special people. I do not allow John Q Public to pet him. Just tell them he is in training and at 4 and 1/2 he still looks like a puppy - people think he is a baby Samoyed - and generally Eskies are puppies to the end - don't mind some of the cute puppy behaviours, but there are certain behaviours I could do without. He is of course a barking fool. A few weeks ago he brought tears of joy to a lady driving by. We were out for our walk and a woman stopped her car seeing my pup - apparently the image of her female who went to the Bridge 3 years ago - and stopped her car when she saw a big Lab coming one direction towards us and a Pit Bull coming the other - and correctly assumed that my guy would start dancing on his long legs and barking like a mad man - just like her girl did - the embarrassment of it all. You can always tell someone who has an Eskie because they know how to approach them. I can pretty much approach all of them - and it does help to have a cookie in hand. Please report back on how your pup does on the Fromms.

[CLV]

I started the Fromm and so far he has been doing well on the food- I was also curious how much to feed- the bag says to feed a certain amount but he is starving and wants more. He is skinny and the vet wants him to put on weight but I am not sure what amount i should feed him. Since the bag doesnt say a puppy amount I am just feeding what is recommended for the weight and I am assuming it isn't enough for a growing puppy.