[michynyc]

I switched Gizmo to this food about 2 months ago in my search for a non-poultry food without Rosemary extract. In the past 3-4 weeks he's been vomiting approximately every other day. The vet put him on Pepcid & a bland diet for a week. The day I took him off the bland diet & pepcid, he vomited again. I'm going back to the pepcid & mixing the bland diet with this food again to see what happens. I'm wondering if it's the food and if there's maybe an ingredient that doesn't agree with Gizmo. Or maybe it's just too rich for him? Poor thing...he loves it far more than he did the Natural Balance (which he just stopped eating one day). Wanted to see if anyone else had any experience with this food. Thanks!

 

[sheila's malt]

I don't know anything about that food sorry. I feed Sugar Pro Plan with turkey and Barley. She seems to really like that. I think this is a good brand of Food. If not someone correct me please.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

I'm sorry, Pro Plan is really not a quality food. It is filled with carbs and poor quality proteins.

OP, is the bland diet plain chicken and rice? That's a very good bland diet for dogs.

If it were me, I wouldn't continue to feed the same food after my dog had tummy problems like that. Do you know if this Earthborn Holistic Food has Ethoxyquin in it? Many fish-based pet foods contain this ingredient which isn't safe. It also contains canola oi. Sometimes oils in dog foods can be rancid and cause issues. It is also high in grains, which can sometimes cause issues in dogs. "Holistic," doesn't mean much anymore. Acana Pacifica is a better fish-based dog food, imo.

 

[maltlovereileen]

I don't know anything about that food sorry. I feed Sugar Pro Plan with turkey and Barley. She seems to really like that. I think this is a good brand of Food. If not someone correct me please.

I really like this site...it breaks them down nutritionally...you don't have to necessarily be feeding the 5 star kibble but you can see where they consider it nutritionally/whether or not they recommend feeding it : Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

 

[michynyc]

Thanks all for your responses. I emailed the company and found they are ethoxyquin free so that isn't the source of this issue. The bland diet my vet put him on temporarily is Hill's i/d. When Gizmo was a puppy, I used to feed him Wellness (and a few others) but he used to bite his paws a lot, so once I removed poultry from his diet, I found this went away. He did well on the NB Sweet Pot & Venison until they changed their formula. I don't know if it's the fish, the conaola oil or something else all together! So hard to determine the cause of this.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

Bison is a good novel protein, and although it is a red meat, it is quite mild and lean. You might look into that. It is very difficult to find the right food sometimes. That is one of the reasons I home cook.

 

[michynyc]

Bison is a good novel protein, and although it is a red meat, it is quite mild and lean. You might look into that. It is very difficult to find the right food sometimes. That is one of the reasons I home cook.

I give you lots of credit! I hardly home cook for myself! Do you know of a high quality food off hand that contains bison? It's all so overwhelming. He did well with the venison before he just stopped eating it one day!

 

[Nikki's Mom]

I give you lots of credit! I hardly home cook for myself! Do you know of a high quality food off hand that contains bison? It's all so overwhelming. He did well with the venison before he just stopped eating it one day!

I'm sorry, I couldn't personally recommend any bison kibble. I have used Paw Naturaw's raw, organic bison. I could recommend it, but it is raw food, and some folks don't like feeding raw.

Acana Grasslands contains lamb, duck, fish and eggs, but no bison. I have tried all the Acana choices, and they appear to be excellent quality, imo.

Another option is to try Dr. Harvey's pre-mix. (dehydrated veggies and vitamins) and then add your own store bought ground bison or other protein. It's easier than home cooking from scratch, and it is a way to better control the quality of the food, especially for a sensitive dog.

 

[michynyc]

Thanks Suzan! I might give the Acana Grasslands a try, but I want to check with my vet about the high protein content since that has me slightly concerned. I really don't know if I'll be able to keep up with the maintenance required for Dr. Harvey's so do I don't want to start on that. He never used to be sensitive and he's only 3 and a half years old. Poor thing! Thanks for your advice.

 

[BellaWella]

I just started Dr Harvey's and there really isn't any maintenance involved... pour hot water into Dr Harvey mix, cook the meat, mix together with oil and you're done!! takes about 15 minutes. And you usually make about 3 days worth. Refridge what you are not feeding, so every 3 days all you need is about 15 mins out of your day.

I believe it was a healthy investment, and she is eating ground bison right now. It might want to be something you should look into if your dog is having tummy problems. Dr Harvey's is a really easy alternative to home cooking from scratch. A few websites sell a 20 oz bag for about $10-12. Thats will last you about a month depending on size of your dog, so it's really not expensive either.

It could be just a mental thing on my part, but since Dr H. her itching has stopped totally and her hair is softer then ever. She just looks great. Like I said it could be just a mental thing in my mind b/c I love the food so far?!??

Also you can try Artisan. All you do is add warm water, meat is already included in bag. There was a thread just started on that brand of food a few days ago. I hear great things about it, but haven't personally tried it.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

Protein should only be a concern if the dog does not drink enough water (you could moisten the kibble) and if the quality of the protein is poor.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

I just started Dr Harvey's and there really isn't any maintenance involved... pour hot water into Dr Harvey mix, cook the meat, mix together with oil and you're done!! takes about 15 minutes. And you usually make about 3 days worth. Refridge what you are not feeding, so every 3 days all you need is about 15 mins out of your day.

I believe it was a healthy investment, and she is eating ground bison right now. It might want to be something you should look into if your dog is having tummy problems. Dr Harvey's is a really easy alternative to home cooking from scratch. A few websites sell a 20 oz bag for about $10-12. Thats will last you about a month depending on size of your dog, so it's really not expensive either.

It could be just a mental thing on my part, but since Dr H. her itching has stopped totally and her hair is softer then ever. She just looks great. Like I said it could be just a mental thing in my mind b/c I love the food so far?!??

Also you can try Artisan. All you do is add warm water, meat is already included in bag. There was a thread just started on that brand of food a few days ago. I hear great things about it, but haven't personally tried it.

Thanks! Grandma Lucy's Artisan Dehydrated food comes in Bison

Grandma Lucy's :: Dog Menu :: ARTISAN Grain-Free Dog Food

Haven't tried it, but others like it.

 

[BellaWella]

Grandma Lucy's isn't really that expensive either if you consider the amount of food a 3lb bag will make when you rehydrate it. I believe a 3lb bag will make 17lbs of finished food. That is around the same price of so called quality kibble.

 

[tamizami]

if your dog is continuing to have vomiting issues, it might be good to see your vet and get bloodwork and a stool check?

 

[michynyc]

if your dog is continuing to have vomiting issues, it might be good to see your vet and get bloodwork and a stool check?

Giz has seen the vet and I've been speaking with her regularly. They did a stool check and full exam...all clear and no weight loss. She seems to think it's gastrointestinal since he did well on the bland diet and pepcid. I'm starting to think more and more that it's the food. Just seemed too coincidental that the day we went back to the regular food he vomited. I'd be so pleased if that's the problem. She doesn't feel the need to do bloodwork or xrays yet, but said I can do them if I want. I'll see how he does but he's acting totally normal!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They are so helpful and I'm looking into all of them.