Toy Poodle sensitive stomach

myles0

New member
My 10 month old toy poodle has been on canned Hills ID sensitive stomach for months. I want to transition her off this prescription food.

We recently tried Farmers Dog and she was ok but by day 8 (100% Farmers Dog) she got really bad diarrhea.

Back to Hills and she's solid again.

In the past I tried
1. Stella and Chewy freeze dried. After 4 days Diarrhea
2. Stella and Chewy raw kibble. - she wouldn't eat it

I'm considering:
1. Honest Kitchen small breed
2. Ollie
3. Merrick beef and sweet potatoe kibble

Any ideas for this sensitive toy poodle?
 
@myles0 Have you looked into the non-prescription hills diets? They are all usually lower fat and have an appropriate amount of protein for growing dogs.

Most boutique diets are far too rich and high fat for sensitive stomach dogs.
 
@myles0 As the easiest first step, I would try another hills chicken based puppy formula as close to 27% protein, 14% fat, 2.1% fiber (dry matter basis) ad you can find, since that's what I/d is. For a toy dog she'll be about grown at 10 months so you could try an adult food if your vet agrees. When in doubt stay with a food formulated for growth until you're 100% sure growth is finished.

E.g. hills science diet small & mini puppy is sort of close, at 29% protein, 19% fat, 2.3% fiber. Since it's higher in protein and fat than the I/d, it's a bit richer and needs a really slow, gradual transition.
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/sd-canine-puppy-small-breed-dry

E.g. science diet adult perfect digestion formula is a bit closer to I/D's percentages and might be a slightly easier transition, but only if your vet says your dog is fully grown now so adult food is okay, since it's not formulated for growth. 25% protein, 14%% fat, 2.1% fiber. I might start with this one if your vet okays it. https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/sd-canine-adult-perfect-digestion-chicken-brown-rice-oats-dry

If you want another brand, fwiw I've known multiple sensitive belly poodles who do best on Royal Canin. My own (standard) poodle eats Royal Canin.

E.g. their adult small breed food is 27.8% protein. 15.5% fat, 3.8% fiber. Protein and fat are close, but fiber is higher so still transition super slow. https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/retail-products/small-adult-3001 (rc small breed formulas recommend transitioning to adult food at 10 months old, but again only if your vet agrees)

If you want to aim for fresh food, the one my vet recommends is Just Food For Dogs. I wouldn't personally touch any other the other fresh cooked brands. I haven't checked macros of their recipes lately. If you're comparing numbers on your own, make sure you look at the dry matter basis percentages (i.e. how much protein, fat, and fiber there would be if the water were totally removed) in order to compare apples to apples, because the water in fresh foods will make the numbers look really different. Some foods like hills state the dry matter basis numbers openly but for some brands you have to calculate it (there are calculators online if you don't want to do the math).

Edit to add: exactly which i/d are you feeding now? I just noticed you mentioned canned. The I/d numbers I originally looked at were for the dry I/d. Are you aiming to stay on wet food? The options I mentioned were dry.
 
@myles0 None of the brands you’re considering are backed by science or research. Have you talked to your vet about transitioning off? Have the underlying issues been addressed?

Why not try Hills sensitive stomach — the non rx version?
 
@sevilodorf Thanks. She's been on the prescription id sensitive for 4 months with no issues. I just figured it was time to get her off prescription food and on to regular food.

You're right, I should speak to the vet about getting her off prescription.

Was just trying to find a premium brand. I don't mind spending that on her.
 
@myles0 Some dogs have chronic medical conditions that need to be managed with a controlled diet for life. Pancreatitis, allergies, etc. Even puppies. It's okay if she has to stay on prescription food for life if that's what's best for her. :) Think of it like wearing glasses.

My dog has been on Royal Canin Gastro Low Fat for 5 years and it was a complete game changer. I thought buying fancy retail foods (freeze dried raw, novel proteins, etc) meant I was treating him better, but the mountains of random diarrhea begged to differ lol. Eventually we ran bloodwork and his vial of blood spun out chunky white - his body wasn't capable of breaking down the high fats in these boutique diets! There is a ton of misinformation out there surrounding canine nutrition and how glamorous pet food should be. If you're ever curious about marketing trends, or facts about dog nutrition, Nutrition RVN is a great, free blog authored by a veterinary technician specialized in nutrition.
 
@myles0 Food is hard for us because eating and food are full of emotion and tradition for humans. It's a common way we show our love. However, for dogs food is food. Individuals will have some preferences but the bottom line is that they are happy they being fed. The best way you can show love to your dog is by giving her a diet that takes care of her GI issues so her stomach doesn't hurt and she doesn't have to have uncomfortable diarrhea. There's nothing wrong with keeping her on a Rx diet long term if that's what it takes. But, as others have said, the best thing you can do is talk to your vet :)
 
@myles0 And by the way my poodle puppy is eating Hills puppy food the one that is chicken/brown rice no wheat/corn/soy and is doing well with his sensitive belly. He came to me on royal canin with loose poo and he’s good now thankfully .
 
@myles0 I would go with the hills Science Diet Sensitive products. Another option is purina proplan Sensitive Skin and Stomach.

I don't think that your dog is going to do well on farmer's dog, stella and Ollie type foods.
 
@myles0 You could try Purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach? it's non prescription 'regular' dog food. As much as I dislike nestle it's what I use for my dog with sensitive skin due to chicken allergies
 
@myles0 Honest opinion: If your dog’s belly is settled and she is feeling well, why bother trying other things if it’s going to make her feel terrible? I have IBD myself and an angry belly feels really, really bad!
Don’t let the emotional advertisements and other people’s comments make you feel guilty about feeding a food your dog does well on!
I feed Hills small/mini sensitive skin/stomach dry and wet food with MUCH SUCCESS. Happy healthy dogs whose bloodwork all looks good for my 4 little dogs.

Hills has 50 years of scientific research behind it with dedicated full time board certified vet nutritionists on board. That makes me feel a lot better than a food that is ‘formulated to meet aafco guidelines’ with a ‘pretty ingredient list.’
It has controlled mineral levels and purposeful ingredients meant to help dogs with their sensitive stomachs.
If that still doesnt help you feel better about feeding a hills product, check out The Pet Food Puzzle Guy on youtube.
Hope that helps!
 
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