Need help w Food Recommendations

[ilcfbicaas]

Currently doing the chicken & rice thing (+probiotics) after a 24hr fast because my guy is dealing with digestion issues and diarrhea. It's been a real great weekend. /s

It coincides pretty perfectly with starting a fresh bag of dog food. The food in question (Acana Lamb & apple) looks different than normal, so I'm assuming formula change. He hasn't gotten into anything recently, and when he is outside it's always on-leash. Otherwise he's his usual happy self, eating & drinking normally.

My dog is a 9yr old 105lb male (neutered) Rottweiler, and we have always struggled with finding food he doesn't react to. We haven't gone through testing with the Vet. They said results can honestly be pretty unclear since part of the problem can be how the food is processed, not just the ingredients themselves.

I'm looking for recommendations for a high quality kibble for dogs with allergies/sensitivities. He consistently reacts to foods with poultry of any kind, some fish, wheat/grains, food dyes, etc. It can cause vomitting, diarrhea, gunky/smelly ears and skin (we call it "yeasty"), and breakouts on his face.

Acana was our ol' reliable for the past 5 years. I'm so stressed about going through the trial and error phase again. Price isn't a huge concern. Like, due to his size (and our location) raw isn't a viable option, but I spend $120 for a 20lb bag (lasts maybe 4 weeks) and if I have to pay a little more that's fine.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@ilcfbicaas Royal Canin! Family member who is a vet feeds his dogs RC, I got my dog RC Large Breed Adult years ago. He is 70 pounds and now 13 or 14 years old. At his last 2 annual exams his vet made comments about how great he looks for his size and age and whenever I tell anyone how old he is on walks they are shocked.

I did extensive research and was so frustrated by all the misleading ads online for grain free formulas and other diet fads...RC has been around for a long time, has a great reputation, and is worth a try. You can buy a 6 lb bag so you don't have to drop $90-$100 on a 30 lb bag just to try it out.

Edit to add - for the first 1.5 years I had him I struggled to find a food that agreed with his very sensitive digestive system and was buying a lot of chicken and rice. I remember the frustration and feelings of hopelessness when another bout of diarrhea and vomiting would begin...really hope you find a good food solution soon.

One more edit that I just remembered - I have kept my dog on the RC Large Breed food even though he is 13 or 14. At one point I switched him to the Large Breed 5+ or 8+ (can't remember which one I tried) and he got super itchy and chewed a hole in the skin on his tail. I switched him back to the regular Large Breed Adult formula when I realized that it was a food allergy to the 5+/8+ formula and he has been happy and healthy ever since.

 

[robinhdw]

@ilcfbicaas Acana hasn't had any formula changes recently, but they were bought out by Mars fairly recently, so I'm definitely not surprised that there's consistency issues.

Open farm has some great, high quality options. They're probably my favourite brand out there as far as kibble goes. Very transparent about where all of their ingredients come from and why they use them.

 

[ilcfbicaas]

@robinhdw Yeah I'm stuck between wondering if it was a formula change or quality control issue. It looks like two different kibble mixed in the bag. Either way I definitely don't want to continue with the company.

 

[abhishek]

@ilcfbicaas My dog has what we believe is a chicken allergy. We have tried multiple different types of food (Royal Canin, Hills, Diamond Naturals, Purina pro plan). Purina pro plan is the only one she can eat without having issues. We do the sensitive skin and stomach one (salmon flavor). I know purina gets a bad rep but this is the ONLY one that works with our dog