Looking for recommendations for a Poultry-Free and Grain-Free food for our 2 bullies

Heather18

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the forum.  We have 2 bullies (1 male, age 5  and 1 female, age 4.)  Both have had lots of allergy issues (mainly ears and paws but also some pollen too.)  After seeing some improvement after moving them off poultry, we are now moving them off all grain to see if that helps and also because we have read that it is much healthier for them.  Any suggestions for a poultry-free and grain-free high quality food?

Thanks so much,

Heather

apollosmama

We feed our 5 month old Taste of the wild. That brand comes in all sizes and flavors. The puppy food has bison as the first ingredient. No grains. I'm sure Steve will post the link he has to the best foods. Sorry for the glare on the photo.

BulliesofNC

@Heather18 - Welcome to the Forum. Here's a previous thread on the same subject which you may find informative: http://www.bulliesofnc.com/BTforum/discussion/10/skin-allergies-with-bull-terriers#Item_33

Here's a link on proper Nutrition for Bull Terriers: http://bulliesofnc.com/bull-terrier-nutrition

I'm confident you will see a huge improvement on the health of your dogs with the change in their diet especially going with a 5 star grain free food.

Heather18

Thank you both so much!  I am hoping to get them switched over as soon as possible.  Hoping to ward off the constant ear infections and stop the feet licking/chewing. Seems to be hard to figure out what the issue is when the food is full of so many different ingredients. 

Have you all heard anything about Honest Kitchen? They have 3 versions that are poultry and grain-free. Also, someone recommended Castor and Pullux Grain-free Ultramix.  I have heard some good things from friends but none have bullies.  

Thanks so much for the help! 

Heather 

philsergeant

I think that you'll find that the ones mentioned on this site are best for Bullies. Bully owners are pretty persistent in finding what suits the breed best... Those might be really good for other breeds... The foot licking ( and subsequent foot infection ) will probably clear up with diet, but a daily wash and weekly manicure will help. The ears need be cleaned at least twice a week, deep down... We do our kid's daily because they are in the water every day. Use a quality ear cleaner until, after a month or so, there is hardly any wax residue at all.... If outer ear yeast infection persists you can try home remedies ( see web) but best get good anti fungal ointment from vet.
Good luck... It's mostly in the food.

Heather18

Thanks Phil!

apollosmama

I have not heard of the foods you listed, but then again I never heard of Taste of the Wild until we got Apollo! Steve gave us this great website to check our dog food rating. Don't know the exact link but it's "Dog food Advisor". Great stuff! Welcome to the forum! (Sorry, I should have said that earlier)

Heather18

Thanks, I hadn't heard of them either and was worried about going with some of the brands who are owned by big corps because of the recall factor. We also had a long talk with our vet tonight and she said that she thinks the problem is most likely the poultry since we had already cut most grains (except oatmeal, barley and brown rice). So tonight we began a trial of salmon and fish based food (with no poultry ingredients at all)  and we will see how that works.   Keep your fingers crossed! 

Thanks Again! 

Heather

apollosmama

Fingers and toes crossed! [-O<

BulliesofNC

It's discouraging when a Vet that probably knows nothing about the breed tells you they "think" the problem is most likely poultry. A trustworthy and knowledgeable Vet would have said something like "It makes no sense to continue guessing what's causing the allergies that both your dogs are suffering from for many years. With this said I suggest we conduct an Intradermal allergy test to pinpoint the problem."

Another Vet may conclude that the chances of both your dogs having skin problems is most likely caused by their diet. With this said, the next step would be finding out what the leading causes of food allergies are within the specific breed. With Bull Terriers it happens to be grain. Switching from poultry to salmon may help and your Bullies will probably enjoy eating more but if you really wish to make a profound improvement and most likely solve the problem you've had for a long time I'd take heed to the advice provided in the link that I annotated in my first comment.
I've had several Bull Terriers rendered to us that were in bad shape with their skin. Some were even on medication. Others were thought to have localized mange. None were probably tested to provide authentic answers to the direct problem. Chances are your Vet doesn't have the proper test equipment to find out exactly what is causing the skin reactions so your left with her thinking it might be this and then thinking it might be that. That kind of medical diagnosis is unsatisfactory.
Do yourself and your beloved Bullies a favor and bump up their immune system with a good supplement and get them on a grain free diet. Give it about 2 months and then you can go back to your Vet and let her know you "think" you know what the problem was.
Please keep us posted on their progress.

philsergeant

Heather,
Our kids are 8 months. They have one cooked chicken breast each per day. They also have about 1/4 cup of raw chicken per day. ( Because we give them raw rabbit, raw beef, raw venison, raw turkey etc.) Additionally they have about 1/2 lb of chicken livers per week. So, with all due respect to your vet, I don't think it's the chicken. Our previous bullies lived very long lives on a diet of predominately...... Chicken. But NO, NO grains... The closest is very occasional rice ( which I think is a grain legume?) ..... ( damn, I think Steve beat me to this post by about a minute... He types faster that I ).... But I think we are saying essentially the same thing... Vets typically don't know Bull Terriers from shinola.

Stoeger

I learned of the importance of grain-free Bully food right here on this site.

Once we pick up our pup, we're gonna try Victors Grain-Free (Active Dog & Puppy For All Life-Stages) and see how he likes it.

Just like Phil we plan to mix in a variety of raw food as well.

Soapskid

I'm so happy my vet specializes in bully breeds. My vets actual favorite dog is bull terrier and any time Spud comes in for a visit of the two vets there she has to see him. I've even gotten bumped up to front of line because he's there but primarily cuz he's a puppy and I've gone there for a long time.

WhiteBull

I recommend Orijen, had been feeding my bullies that brand for almost a year now. Very happy with the results.