Help find food for pup's sensitive tummy

[1FlashyFan]

Can anyone recommend an holistic alternative to Eukanuba low-residue for my puppy's senstive tummy? I'm going to the tack/feed store today and taking a printout of Eukanuba low residue kibble ingredients/caloric distribution in to see if I can find a better substitute. From what I gather by low residue they mean low fat, highly digestible, low protein and high fiber. Breakdown as follows:

crude protein 22%
crude fat 9%
crude fiber 4%
calories 328/cup

However, I'm not happy with the ingredients of Eukanuba (not surprising):
corn grits, brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, chicken, fish meal, dried beet pulp.....(it doesn't get any better from here). There has to be a better alternative.

Any suggestions? I'm willing to try supplements, homecook or alternative feeding....

 

[lafsalot]

Have you thought about raw? You can read the countless testimonials in the BARF forum. Good luck ~ Cathy

 

[1FlashyFan]

I am considering raw.. just want him healthy

I have thought about raw (am reading the BARF forum for more info) and am expecting a book to arrive today so that I can understand it better. I am actually going to homecook him bland meals for the next couple of days (chicken w/rice is not working) and then was hoping to transition him over. Do I need to wait until my puppy's intestinal situation settles down or can I begin straight away?

 

[lafsalot]

Chicken and rice wasn't working for our boxer either, and my thirteen year old mastiff wouldn't eat his prescription food after a bout of enteritis, so I just skipped one morning meal, and have been feeding my three raw ever since. Never had a problem with "detox', and they all are thriving. I saw results almost immediately, and I hope your furbaby does too ~ Cathy

 

[kimbro]

alternative

I feel your pain. My boxer is 3 yrs old and was allergic to something but I didn't know what it was. I fed her real fish (whiting) and real white potatoes. It makes their coat very pretty and she loved it. People were saying that she's spoiled but she didn't have to eat the garbage they sell in the store. If you want to do this just boil the potatoes and the fish until it's a little tender and there you have it.

 

[mygirlrosie]

Mabel was diagnosed with IBD a few months ago. We experimented with all kinds of foods and diets and finally found the thing that works for us... Prairie Chicken and Rice formula. I occasionally substitute boiled chicken and white rice and a cut up apple for a meal and I also make sure she gets cottage cheese and plain yogurt a few times a week. For snacks I get her frozen buffalo bones (she LOVES these) and believe it or not, marshmallows in the Kong. (they're low in fat and not likely to trigger the IBD like higher fat foods can) And she gnaws on whole apples (cored, of course) a few times a week.

She's gaining weight now (she had been underweight because of the chronic messy poop issue...) and her fur is shiny and soft and gorgeous. Whew.

We did raw for a while, but either Mabel is the lone freak that it didn't work for or I was doing it wrong. She was worse on an all raw food diet.

Good luck!

 

[1FlashyFan]

Thank you for your great ideas...

I feel better just knowing that other people struggled with this and things worked out well in the end. I suppose it just comes down to learning your dog and what works for him or her... trial and error. I'd just like to keep the error part to a minimum if that's possible.

I've learned so much from so many of you and eventually, we'll find what works best for our baby Gunnar. Thanks so much for caring enough to share... it really does mean so much.

 

[kit02]

I fed her real fish (whiting) and real white potatoes.

This would be fine occasionally but cannot make up the whole diet as it is unbalanced.

 

[lucy'smommy]

Try Wellness Super 5 or any foods made by Old Mother Hubbard. You can also find it online to look at the ingredients. This has worked best for us, as we've had to try several different foods for Lucy who was always vomiting, and or had diarrhea.

Medi-Cal (gastro formula) is also excellent though it is very expensive and is only from your vet. Also it's Canadian, so this might not help you at all. Personally, we didn't like Nutro, Nutience, IAMS, Eukenuba, or anything unnatural.