Food Intolerance - Likely Culprits in EVO?

[tesster]

We've been battling chronic diarrhea with Conner since we first rescued him and have tried several different kibbles, with no luck.

He was on a raw diet for a long time, but when he ran out a few weeks and we couldn't get a hold of the distributer, we decided to try him on Innova Evo. Within a couple of days, his diarrhea was back. So, after a week, we switched him to the red meat variety. Still, no change.

I ordered Solid Gold Barking At The Moon which is dairy free, and I'm hoping maybe that will be the key. I can't imagine what else he's not tolerating well.

So - My two questions are:

1. How long should I give the Innova Evo Red Meat before I give up on it and try Solid Gold BATM or switch back to raw? Standard 2 weeks+? He's already losing weight, so I hate to wait if you don't expect it to get better.

2. Any ideas what he might be sensitive to? He didn't have any problems on raw, at all. We fed him Billinghurst mixed patties and then Bravo blends, turkey, chicken, beef, and lamb. (His food has to be ground because of bad teeth and scarfing.)

 

[gmacleod]

It's hard to say what the culprit might be - because it could just be the form of food (kibble). Whatever ingredients go into it, it simply is not an easy thing for dog to digest and some just cannot tolerate it - any of it. Part of the probelm is the carbs. OK, foods like EVO and BATM get rid of the worst offenders - the grains. But they're still more than 50% starchy carbs. They have to be - no choice, because you simply cannot make kibble without that. But dogs evolved eating no carbs at all. And whilst some who can't take grains will be OK with vegetable-based carbs instead, others won't be. In short, just eliminating grains doesn't guarantee the dog will ever be able to tolerate kibble. And you've got an individual who may be in that category.

Nonetheless, if feeding raw has become difficult for you, and EVO doesn't suit, then it's still worth trying alternatives. Conceivably Raw Instinct by Nature's Variety Prairie might be a decent choice for you to test - it uses tapioca as the starch source and could possibly be easier on Conner's tummy than other options.

 

[EAO76]

You probably already know this but just in case Natural Balance makes a ground up pre-made raw that they sell at some petcos. It comes in a chicken & red meat formula. It’s one of the only raw formulas that I have been able to easily find.

 

[dalefuller]

We've used Innova for several years (and still do) for our personal and kennel dogs and have no problems with the regular adult food. We can't feed any EVO kibble to our adults except our working bitch.

The others are all moderately active for play and exercise, but not nearly as active as she is (she competes in schutzhund trials). She does fine on EVO, the others throw up and get diarrhea. Don't know why, 'cause any of them do great on adult Innova (green bag). EVO canned is OK for all of them... no problems.

YMMV... HTH!

 

[BULLDOG8871]

I was feeding Rocco Canidae for a while and could not understand why he would constantly have loose stools. After a number of months, the vet suggested that he may have an allergy to the chicken or another ingrediant in the food. He advised that i switch to a fish and potatoe food to eliminate the allergy possibility. I have since switched to California Natural and have not had a single problem since. Rocco goes less and when he does there is less amounts. He seems to love the taste too.

Good Luck!

 

[Albie]

My dogs do really well on The Honest Kitchen food called Force. I add regular ground meat to their meals from the grocery store or the occassional RMB. I got severe burn out from feeding two dogs raw, and found this food to be a nice alternative to kibble. Lacy has a pretty sensitive stomach and has no loose stools on this food. There is a dealer locater on their website.