So confused about food

[JulieJay]

how's your baby doing?

Chrystel

What kind of flour can you use?? only Rye or could you use the whole wheat or white???

I cant wait to try and cook these.. sounds delicious!!!

 

[Samsonian]

Sam's doing well, thanks for asking! We slowly switched over to Canidae the past few days and his poop has firmed right up -so, so much better. He's still gassy, but I'm optimistic it will improve as he gets used to his new food.

I made my second batch of your homemade pb treats yesterday and I think they turned out even better than the first batch. I decided to cook them a couple minutes less and take them out after just about 5 hours, since the first batch seemed a little too hard. Every oven's different afterall Samson was very excited for the fresh batch. Also, thanks for the pointers about adding veggies, etc, in place of pb. I'll definitely try that once we've made a bit more progress.

One thing that has been worrying me is he's been eating the soil/compost out of fresh beds hubby has turned up in our yard. I'm wondering if he's just bored with the lack of variety in his treats, or if it's something else. Has anyone else had a mudd-eater like this?

 

[chrystel]

i wouldn't use white flour.
you can use rye, whole wheat, rice or barley flour


as far as the mudd... Ox and Snatch do sometimes... mainly Ox though.. just for play.... but i make him stop.. he's 8minth old, an di think he just quit doing that...

 

[Samsonian]

Well, it's been just under 5 weeks since we began Samson's back-to-basics diet to try to get him feeling better. I was really dreading eliminating all of his treats and add-ins. I felt like I was punishing him (and I think he may have too, at first :( ). But, we both soon got used to the simple feeding and treating schedule and it's actually been a really refreshing 5 weeks. We switched to Canidae ALS at the beginning of the 5 weeks and have been treating only with kibble, chrystel's organic treats, and peanut butter. His poop firmed up after just a few days and his gas is so, so much better - Yay!

I was planning to post an all-positive report. However, in the past week or so (maybe more, but especially the past week), he has been scratching his mouth with his paws - to the point where last night, his lip started bleeding. I know I've read this can be a sign of allergies. He doesn't have any bumps and isn't scratching anywhere else. Is there anyway this could be seasonal? I know allergy season is just revving up.

I'm obviously not going to add anything into our feeding schedule until we figure this out. I was thinking of trying one of the other Canidae formulas (either Lamb or Chicken) once our current bag runs out in the next week or so. I have a bad feeling about chicken, for some reason..

Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated! Thanks

 

[Samsonian]

Okay, so I think I may have lied...I got home yesterday and Sam started running around in circles trying to catch his tail, which at first I thought was a game, but maybe it's itching along with his mouth?

Also, I double-checked the bin and we actually have a good bit of Canidae ALS left, so I may need to switch before the bag runs out if it's determined this is not seasonal...

 

[lucasmum]

I definitely feel you pain. Luca is a nightmare with the food thing. Just when I think I've found a food that suits him, he gets the runs again. Trouble is, he's such a scavenger, I never know if it's the food or something else he's picked up and eaten.He also has some itchy skin problems and eye bogeys too. I tried canidae, he liked it, (he'll eat anything) But he was really loose, I think it's the lamb in it that causes it for him. By the way, I noticed you tried yoghurt for his gas. If he can't tolerate dairy, have you tried probiotics. You can get it specifically for dogs and probably contains more healthy bacteria than the yoghurt. Has Samson always had the gas problems? Have you tried home cooked?

 

[fyvie]

Have you tried a doggie nutritionist, Abigail had some very serious food issues that we eventually resolved by getting a nutritionist and making all of her food! It can be a lot of work but we have found it very worthwhile. No gas, no upset tummy, no loose stools, her skin is fantastic and she has been very healthy. Hope this helps. Joan

 

[Samsonian]

Thanks for your replies! I have so far shied away from homecooking and have not seen a nutritionist. Sam is not yet 11 months, afterall, so we haven't come to that quite yet! We have been very encouraged by how quickly he improved with our back-to-basics approach. He's had no tummy problems for the past month and minimal gas (I would say as good as it's going to get for a Boxer ). The only concern is the scratching and I'm not entirely sure it's not environmental. I'm honestly not really sure what all goes into home-cooking, but assume it's a lot more time-consuming and expensive (?). I just feel there are so many good foods out there to try and I'm just not a home-cooked kind of person...of course, if that's what my Sam ultimately needs, of course I'll do it!

 

[chrystel]

I am glad the poop and the gas are better...
Now for the itching... maybe try a different flour in the cookies? (hey, i'm making some today! tuna ones! )

Snatch and Ox get itchy with meat and gasy with chicken, venison or salmon.
the only portein source they're ok on is lamb - which sucks, because i wanted to switch protein sources in rotation.. but obviously, I can't :(

try different flour. I usually mix wheat and rye.

 

[Samsonian]

Chrystel, thank goodness for you! You've been so great in helping me figure this out It's amazing to me how you have Snatch and Ox's diet pinned down so clearly. Too bad you only have lamb to work with, but I guess you're at least lucky they are both the same in that way. I have been thinking of going with Canidae lamb and rice for our next bag, actually. Maybe I'll get another small bag of the ALS (which is what we're currently on) so we can test out wheat in our treats first. I'll make a batch this weekend and keep you posted...