Bubba is having some issues with Canidae

[Lyn]

Bubba has been having some issues with just the last 2 bags of Canidae. As gross as this may sound his poops are orange!! and soft. He doesn't get any treats anymore since they were contributing to his loose stool problem. All he gets are ice cubes instead now.

I'm wondering since he's been itchy.. ended up with a hot spot and this poop issue if he's not having some allergy associated with the Canidae? It just seems odd. He was doing great on this fooduntil now.

I'm tempted to switch him to Solid Gold MMillenia and see if it helps. Problem is hubby doesn't want to switch his food again. And the MMillenia is an adult food and Bubba is only 8 months old. We tried to Solid Gold Wolfcub and it was too rich for his tummy. The MMillenia is really my only other option.

What do you all think? Does it sound like a possible food allergy to you guys. This is the 5th 40 pound bag of Canidae. And he's had problems since the last 2 bags.

[DixieSugarBear]

I am having some of the same issues with Sugar Bear no matter what food I try we have soft-runny stool.  It is getting a little better with the use of Slippery Elm.  I keep thinking it may be a grain issue. 

[BabsT]

Canidae is an all life stage food and is safe to feed to pups and/or adults...but you really shouldnt be feeding your Saint a puppy food at 8months old...You can absolutely switch foods but stick to an adult  food with lower protein...

[Lyn]

We had the soft runny stool problem for quite awhile. But everything firmed up with the Canidae until those last couple bags. I think what startled me more was the sudden change in the color of the poop.

The more I think about it and try to remember when the itching began I do believe it was around the time I first started seeing the orange poops. Then he got the hot spot last week. I just assumed it was the fleas and I never thought about it possibly being his food.

I know the Solid Gold MMillenia doesn't contain wheat, corn or soy which are major contributors to allergies.. It's 22% protein.. I think I'll try it anyway and just put up with hubby's bitching. LOL

[Kiahpyr]

We just switched Kiah over to Canidae. This is her first bag and seems to be doing well. I'll keep an eye out for anything strange in her poop. I also use slippery elm and it works for us. Maybe you could try that also.

[Lyn]

I have to see if I can find slippery elm..

In the meantime I think I'm going to switch Bubba to Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Potato & Duck Formula. It's rather expensive though at $75 for a 30 pound bag. But if it helps in the long run it will save on vet bills. It's an allergy formula with a single source protein and single source carbohydrate.

Here's the ingredient list...
Potatoes, Duck, Duck Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Potato Fiber, DL-methionine, L-Lysine, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Rosemary Extract, Natural Flavor, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin K Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

And the guaranteed analysis
Crude Protein 21.0% minimum
Crude Fat 10.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% maximum
Moisture 10.0% maximum
Ash  7.5% maximum
Calcium 1.0% minimum
Phosphorus 0.9% minimum 
Omega 3 Fatty Acids  0.5% minimum
Omega 6 Fatty Acids  3.0% minimum

The only part that confuses me is the feeding guidelines.. for puppies 80-100 pounds it says 8.5-9.5 cups a day. That seems like alot to me. Or do I go by the adult feeding guidelines instead. It lists adults 80-100 pound at 4.25 to 4.75 cups a day.

Here's a link on for the kibble... http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/allergy/PandD.html

[BabsT]

Ouch, that is one expensive bag of dog food...

Have you ever considered a raw diet...?  I feed my two all raw and it is pretty cheap

[shangrila]

$75 a bag? Wow, that's the most expensive I've ever heard for one bag.

Have you looked at Wellness simple solutions? It's a like half the price and is also an allergy formula with one protein and one carb. Check it out at  http://www.omhpet.com/dogs/simple_food_overview.html

[tonyc]

lyn,
if you want a single source animal protein food, try various formula of Cal Natural from Natura instead. I read on dog nutrition group that ppl have had very good success in combating hotspots w/ California Natural. Personally Cody LOVED to eat Cal Natural (in a triple blind taste test). Cal Nat's also a LOT cheaper than $75/30 lb bag. (i believe it's about $40-45 at our local Pet Supplies Plus).

There was some issue w/ Dick's Natural Balance duck & potato, tho i can't remember what it was . Also, Petco? carries Natural Balance at a LOT less than $75/30#

g'luck and let us know how the hotspot goes...

[Lyn]

Oh that $75 canadian with tax. US money would cost half that.. We were paying $68 for a 40 pound bag of Canidae. So 7 bucks more and it's 10 pounds less. Solid Gold Wolfcub was $73 with tax for a 33 pound bag. All the decent foods are around the same price.. give or take $10.

[Lyn]

tonyc, I'll do some searching and see if I can find any problems with the duck & potato. My Vet actually recommended it.. but you know how that goes.. they also push their medical foods.. So I take his word when it comes to everything BUT food.

[shangrila]

Oh that $75 canadian with tax. US money would cost half that.

Aha! It makes so much more sense now. Those currency conversions are trickery 

[Lyn]

I keep forgetting to mention the currency. Sorry for the confusion.. my bad. 

Well I did dig up something on Natural Balance.. apparently they had some quality control issues and they denied it.. The kibble had a different look but smelled the same. And Natural balance is manufactured by Diamond. I didn't find any info that people had any issues with the food even though it looked different. I'll keep searching though...

[Anakalia]

I'm sorry Bubba's having issues, we've had issues with Koby's digestive tract too.  I hate to say it but the best way for us was to keep switching till we found a food that worked for him.  For awhile there it was a new food every other month and it was getting frustrating!  You may want to try some different proteins and look for foods with less grain.  Some off the top of my head are Premium Edge Salmon and Potato, or Pinnacle Fish and Sweet Potato, Eagle now has a Anchovie Salmon mix I think.  I've heard fish and potato is more gentle on the stomach.  If you look up different brands of dog food there websites usually have a Dealer Locator button so you can find a store nearest you that sells the food you want!  Good luck I hope you find something that works for Bubba!

Andi

[tonyc]

also, isn't: Crude Fiber 3.0% maximum 
a wee bit low? low fiber % yields runnier poopie...