Jesse needs a new food

[jesse's mommy]

I'm sorry I haven't been around that much lately. I've been swamped with work. The holidays are the busy season for cookies and crackers.

Anyways, I need some help if anyone has some advice. Jesse hasn't been feeling that well lately. If you remember she had run into something and had a swollen eye that she had to take antibiotics and prednizone for. She developed REALLY bad poops after the medication that I thought was a coincidence, but I was wrong. She started have EXTREMELY loose poops and started having accidents in the house 1-2 times a week. It was bad enough to say diarrhea, but it was far from the norm. So I thought, maybe it was the medicines so I gave her some white rice and pure pumpkin for a few days and it hardened a little, but not nearly enough to call it normal. So, off to the vet we went. $270 later, we have more medicine for her tummy (basically doggie pepto and some pills) along with Science Diet for bad tummies. After all the medicine and the crappy food, her poops were back to normal and there haven't been any accidents in the house. So I've started transitioning her back to the Merrick and today she had another bad accident in the house. It was pretty gross and very smelly. So we have discovered that Jesse seems to have developed to Merrick. It sucks because she has been on this food for two years. We've been feeding her Grammy's Pot Pie dry food (she hates the Cowboy Cookout dry food). We are able to free feed her this because she only grabs a few at a time and brings them into the living room to munch on (she's weird). We also feed her a half a can of assorted Merrick's food in the morning and at night. The assortment is the same: Grammy's Pot Pie (Chicken), Cowboy Cookout (Beef), Thanksgiving Day Dinner (Turkey) and Mediterranean Banquet (Lamb). So, I'm up for some ideas. I was thinking of trying Canidae, but I'm not sure. Maybe it's the grains that is bothering her. Any ideas?

Oops, I forgot to add. Jesse has an extreme intolerance to duck. She throws up every time she has it.

[wdawson]

beathoven and george are on timberwolf organics(wilderness elk and salmon)...never a problem with this food for them.....i would cut the canned merricks out and stick to dry food for a bit.....solid gold (wolfking) is my back-up food.....i stopped the canned food along time ago for beathoven...loose stools.


hope jesse gets better soon

merry christmas jesse and family

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by jesse's mommy

I was thinking of trying Canidae, but I'm not sure. Maybe it's the grains that is bothering her. Any ideas?

My dogs have allergies and were on Canidae , didn't have any problems on it. You could give it a try ?

[jesse's mommy]

I sent an email to Canidae to ask if they offer any sample packs so we'll see.

I also just ordered a sample pack of 8 from Timberwolf Organics.

It's hard because there are so many different flavors. I don't want to buy a bag of something that she may not like. I'm not even kidding when I say Jesse refused to eat the Cowboy Cookout. Some people say dogs will eventually eat whent they are hungy right? Not Jesse. She was like a little kid refusing to eat their broccoli.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by jesse's mommy

Some people say dogs will eventually eat whent they are hungy right? Not Jesse. She was like a little kid refusing to eat their broccoli.

How long do you wait before changing her food when she refuses to eat ?

[jesse's mommy]

Oh I'm sorry I didn't clarify better. I only had to change the one time. After about three weeks of her refusing to eat it, we switched to the Grammy's Pot Pie and it was a hit. She has been eating it since, but now her tummy is funky.

[mika140]

I've heard of dogs (like people) associating certain foods with their feelings of sickness. If you're planning on trying something different, maybe consider a totally different protein source, in case during the sickness she developed a new intolerance? I've had good luck with Solid Gold products (my sensitive dog did well on Barking at the Moon - Beef and Salmon). Orijen also has a 6 Fresh Fish that I've heard good things about for sensitive dogs. California Natural is also nice because of fewer ingredients.Although Canidae is probably the best value...my dog just didn't do well on it for some reason.

As for Timberwolf (Organics) - just FYI in case you didn't see this thread:

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=47284

Not to say the kibble isn't still good, but especially in your case you might want to make sure you have an accurate listing of current ingredients.

[Frenchy]

3 weeks ? ok , I thought you were talking about 2-3 meals (because I know how Jesse is spoiled)

Maybe try putting some warm water in the kibble , to make a kind of gravy , next time she's fussy.

[jesse's mommy]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

3 weeks ? ok , I thought you were talking about 2-3 meals (because I know how Jesse is spoiled)

Maybe try putting some warm water in the kibble , to make a kind of gravy , next time she's fussy.

I tried that. She walked away from that as well.

Oh and her spoiled? NEVER!

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by jesse's mommy

I tried that. She walked away from that as well.

Fussy fussy Jesse !

Sardines ? crushing one sardine and mixt it up with the kibble ?

[jesse's mommy]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Fussy fussy Jesse !

Sardines ? crushing one sardine and mixt it up with the kibble ?

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by jesse's mommy

Well it's not for you oh oh , how about a raw egg ? huuummmm.....

[jesse's mommy]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Well it's not for you oh oh , how about a raw egg ? huuummmm.....

Now that's something I could work with.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by jesse's mommy

Now that's something I could work with.

Good ! But if you feed her twice a day , maybe 2 raw eggs per day is a bit much (maybe someone else could help with this info) maybe one egg and a pop tart for the other meal ? huuummm , pop tarts

[clm]

You could try a little beef or chicken broth to soften the kibble too. Those new packages it comes in makes it easy to cap and put in the fridge, then nuke what you need to warm up to put on the food.

I hope you can get her sorted out soon.

Cindy

[rainbow]

The assortment is the same: Grammy's Pot Pie (Chicken), Cowboy Cookout (Beef), Thanksgiving Day Dinner (Turkey) and Mediterranean Banquet (Lamb). So, I'm up for some ideas. I was thinking of trying Canidae, but I'm not sure. Maybe it's the grains that is bothering her. Any ideas?

If she has been subjected to all of these proteins I would try a fish based food. Orijen 6 Fish & Sea Vegetables is a grain-free kibble (www.championpetfoods.com) and would be my first choice.

I know alot of members here like to feed Merrick but I have reservations about it since I've heard that the company also operates a rendering plant next door.

[spottydog]

Am sorry to hear about the situation, jesse's mommy. I know its tough trying to find a suitable food for them. I was introduced to Addiction canned dog food some years ago when I was having problems with my dog's health, and he's never looked back. I've recently switched him to Addiction's raw dehydrated, perhaps you can look into trying the grain-free options from their range? They use interesting proteins like brushtail, kangeroo, venison, which I think really helped as my dog was allergic to the regular chicken/beef food. Good luck!
http://www.addictionfoods.com/splash.php?changeSel=yes

[want4rain]

you know ive been trying to rack my brain for a cheaper alternative to a home made with tons of meat diet....

we do the 'left overs' idea. Mister has allergies to science diet, some pink bag and canidae and he still had the itchies with it. as left overs, Mister gets between 20% and 50% of what we have balanced out (all by feel really) with a few things we keep around just for him. he gets the rest in meat or eggs or canned fish. as long as we keep the meat part at raw we dont have to add calcium because bones are cooked and thus have to be removed. we feed 2 to 5 eggs with left overs daily. 5 egg days he doesnt get meat, 2 egg days he gets like a chicken quarter and on no left over days he gets a full 3lbs of meat. you can make eggs (1 per 8-10lbs) the base for the meals, with once a week beign chicken and one a week being either ground pork or ground beef.

anyway, if what you eat is healthy, i wouldnt worry in the slightest about what he is eating as long as you arent excessive about any one thing. keep handy stuff thats inexpensive that can balance things out. frozen veggies, bread, oatmeal and a few apples, maybe some plain yogurt and some rice.

you will notice he has a little more energy after eating soem grains and that you should maybe feed an oatmeal mash an hour or so before hiking.

bottom line is home made food is quite intuitive AND it has the added bonus of making you reassess all you eat because if its not ok for the dog, its probably not up to par for you either. its also really nice to NOT throw food in the trash anymore. my poor compost only sees banana peels anymore!

-ashley

[rainbow]

How is Jesse doing?

[Purpledomino]

Have you tried Jesse on some green tripe? I swear by the stuff and add it to my dogs kibble at most every meal. It's excellent for their gastric health, and I haven't met a dog that didn't scarf it up. It does stink to high heaven....but you know the best things for doggies are stinky!

http://www.tripett.com/

[jesse's mommy]

Alright, I've found a few samples to try. I've got some Solid Gold packets that are fish based and Jesse doesn't like it. She picked up her bowl, tipped it over and walked away from it. :sad: But to answer how she is feeling? She is feeling fine, but extremely gassy. It's as if something crawled up inside here and died.

Next I'm going to try some TO samples and see how she does with it in the next few days.

But I did find this place that is about 10 minutes from the house. They seem to have a bunch of food to choose from so my options have opened up. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to try from here? I'm going to stop by there tomorrow.

http://pookiesbowwowbakery.com/shop/...age=1&sort=20a

[wdawson]

this one might be good.
http://pookiesbowwowbakery.com/shop/...ood-p-557.html

[jesse's mommy]

Thanks Wayne, but I'm not sure about that one. She turned her nose up to the fish based Solid Gold and in the past has also turned her nose up to the fish based Merrick. I don't think she likes the fishies.

[rainbow]

I would definitely try the Orijen. Go to their website ( http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/about/ ) and read the "white paper" information.

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by jesse's mommy

Thanks Wayne, but I'm not sure about that one. She turned her nose up to the fish based Solid Gold and in the past has also turned her nose up to the fish based Merrick. I don't think she likes the fishies.

Try the Orijen chicken based one.

[jesse's mommy]

Keep your fingers crossed. We'll give the Orijen a try.

[Winston]

My boy would never eat any brand of fish that I gave him but since Orijen came out with the fish based formula that is all he eats and he loves it....He liked the regular brand in the beginning but I changed to fish and no problem...and to top it off is has stopped all the problems he had with skin, tummy, gas etc etc..

Good Luck

Cindy

[rainbow]

Fingers crossed for Jesse.....let us know how she does.

[jesse's mommy]

Alright I picked up the small bag of Orijen original and she likes it. I just gave her some and she likes it, so we are over the first obstacle. Keep your fingers crossed that her tummy accepts it. Please no more explosive butt and room clearing gas!

[rainbow]

WOO HOO ....you're over the first hurdle. Hope Jesse does well on it.