Sensitive stomach
I'm hoping to get some recommendations on a good grain free food for a sensitive stomach. Maya has been vomiting more than usual, and the vet recommended a change. She is currently on Orijen Angus beef. I'm having a hard time finding a good one that is also grain free. Hoping someone else out there has a Bullie with tummy issues.
Comments
place of Potato or Sweet Potato, because I find it helps to combat yeast
if you leave out the starch. But it may be something other than food that causing the bad tummy... what medication is she on... including any flea/ tick and heartworm meds? Or some other bad stuff she can get access too?... Lawn spray pesticide/ fertilzer??
For a pretty quick relief regarding an upset stomach (diarrhea or vomiting) many people recommend to first fast them for 12 hrs and then feed small portions of
cooked brown rice, cooked chicken or turkey breast and banana.
Also is is said to be better to feed 3-4 small meals over the day rather than one or two big meals a day during recovery.
I know that all of those ingredients are good, but never had to deal with upset stomach so far. So I can't tell, if this remedy works in every case.
What I can tell is that after having the vomiting under control this should not stay the only diet your dog eats. It's a remedy to calm the stomach, but not balanced enough without any additions to be a complete longterm diet.
During my own research about dog foods a while ago and now again I had stumbled over several people not being able to transition their dogs to high protein foods, such as Orijen is one. Maybe it's a good idea to look for something with a little less protein (while staying grain free).
There are a LOT of good grain free foods on the market.
If you want to look around, you can start your search here:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/5-star/
These are dry foods. If you are looking for wet food, find the appropriate link on dogfoodadvisor. Look for the grain-free brands and after picking a few from this site you can start to dig a little deeper on the Internet regarding the price-quality ratio and reviews.
Many of the reviews on AMAZON are pretty informative. It is always good to also read the ones from three stars down to one in order to identify possible problems.
I’ve switched from Merrick - which was excellent so far - I have only switched, because the brand has been taken over by Nestle (the manufacturer of Purina etc.) and I don’t trust that the quality will stay the same.
Besides fresh I am feeding Sammy Snacks Ancestry Venison and Pea kibble right now. A high quality food with 31% protein. But I am not able make any statements so far, because we are currently experiencing some issues, too.
So I am currently also looking to balance Djamila’s nutrition again, because the new food gives her very hard stools.
I don’t know yet, if it’s the new raw meat with bone or the kibble causing it.
The kibble has a pretty high fiber content, which in our case could be the reason for the hard stools.
Originally the fiber is included to aid digestion. So there’s really no telling, if this food would help your dog or not.
But I’m afraid this is going to be some trial and error anyways for you, as it is for all of us - so, better buy the small packages first.
Although there is no such thing as ONE “BEST” food for EVERY dog, because every dog has different needs and problems, in your case the food philsergeant has recommended may actually be worth giving a try.
It is a plant-based food, which is also visible in the protein content of “only” 26%.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pure-vita-grain-free-dog-food/
@philsergant
I think you are probably only talking about potato or corn starch not being present in the food, right?
Because peas - and legumes in general - actually contain pretty much starch. So should the food, if it contains legumes. If carbs are present, it is close to impossible to avoid starches (the other popular carbs are sugars) as far as I know.
Starch in general is not a bad thing, not even in a dog’s nutrition, if limited to certain amounts … only just as sugars it doesn’t pair very well with yeast overgrowth.
Not trying to lecture you here. Really sorry, if it sounds like that. Just wanted to make sure that you have the information you need. Your success with the food is self-evident.
I myself am so overwhelmed by all the information that’s important to know in order to choose the proper nutrition. And right now because of the switch away from Merrick we are far away from being balanced, which is why at the moment I am reading an awful lot again.
It can be frustrating at times.
I am happy that you look at it that way.
It's so funny. Yesterday my fingers "started bleeding" from looking for a comparison of starch contents in grains, tubers and legumes. Nothing useful in the results that popped up.
This morning the first thing I found was exactly the comparison I've been looking for:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/grain-free-dog-foods-solving-yeast-and-skin-issues/
Btw. the entire article is pretty interesting.
To me it explains why there IS a huge difference between the source of starches in the food, because the resulting starch content will be largely different. That's exactly the answer I've been looking for yesterday.
Not surprising: The starch content seems to affect the yeast growth. The photo is pretty self-explanatory regarding why you are absolutely right with avoiding potato in cases of yeast overgrowth.
I have already given it a try to follow your advice to skip potato, before I knew all this, in order to maybe get Djamila's brown nails managed by our current switch to the Sammy snacks food (it's venison and pea, no potato, sweet potato, corn rice or other grains).
But now we have to resolve different problems, first. That's what I meant when I said yesterday, it can be frustrating.
Every dog is different and so many different things can go wrong. It's less my thirst for knowledge than my fear of doing it wrong again that makes me read so much.
I'll keep sharing my findings, trusting in you not feeling lectured by me.