Dog Community

A little insight please.....

Posted : 7/26/2006 6:08:01 PM

So some of you know that Rory has a pretty sensitive tummy and I've had her on Nutro Natural Balance for sensitive stomachs. She is 18 months so she is right in her maturity progression and for the past couple of moths it has been making her waste soft and light colored. Not runny but super soft. I also think the oatmeal in it was making her skiny dry and itchy but her hair felt nice since I started adding raw egg to her diet. So two weeks ago I bought a small bag of Nutro adult food that had most of the same ingredients except the oatmeal. It has made a huge improvement in her waste. The color and consistency is awesome BUT now her coat is shedding which is not regualr for her, however once every 4 months or so she goes through a small shedding cycle if that makes sense. Anyhoo my question is how long should I keep her on the regualr adult formula to see if the shedding subsides? I hear its not good to change their food unless its neccessary. She loves the new food.
Previously when we switched from puppy food to adult food we had tried a few. Blue Buffalo was WAY to rich for her.
california Gold gave her the worst gas EVER but its evident that she needs a high end type of food, the lil priss!
So whats up with the Eagle Pack or Royal Canin?

papillon806

Posted : 7/26/2006 6:12:35 PM

Do you mean California Natural or Solid Gold in the last part?

If your dog is doing well on the Nutro adult, then I wouldn't switch. Eagle Pack and Royal Canin are both great foods that would be worth a try if you really wanted to, I would just be careful b/c of your dog's sensitive stomach.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 7/26/2006 6:28:52 PM

Royal Canin makes a sensitive stomach food called Sensible Choice - very simple. Also, seeing as your member name is Sheprano, I'm assuming you own shepards. Royal Canin's Shepard food is meant to help with the sensitive stomachs that German Shepards tend to have. They are one of the most common breeds to get bloat. The kibble of RC Shepard formula is shaped like an X, so that the dog has to chew it and it contains chicory which will feed the heathy micro-organisms that help with digestion - keeps them healthy so they can do their job. It is also very good for the coat. I'm not all that impressed with Royal Canin Shepard's ingredients, but from working at a pet store, I've actually had people tell me that it save their dog's life as far as sensitive stomachs go. There are no by-products in it, but there is corn gluten.

My dog has problems with stools. I've found that Eagle Pack Lamb and Oatmeal works really well with my guy. But, I have also found that chicken tends to cause his problem.

papillon806

Posted : 7/26/2006 6:43:33 PM

contains chicory which will feed the heathy micro-organisms that help with digestion

Yes, that is a good point. Royal Canin's formulas (I think all of them, but I know most of them) have fructo-oligosaccharides which help ALOT with dogs who have digestion issues.

ron2

Posted : 7/27/2006 5:58:44 AM

I would have to agree with you, JoJo. Also, if the Nutro is not working out, Sheprano can try Eagle Pack Chicken and Rice.

As for the shedding, I'm not sure of the op's breed cycle. Shadow sheds consistently through the year but he blows major coat in spring, which is part of his breed cycle.

Luvntzus

Posted : 7/27/2006 6:43:14 AM

ORIGINAL: sheprano

So some of you know that Rory has a pretty sensitive tummy and I've had her on Nutro Natural Balance for sensitive stomachs. She is 18 months so she is right in her maturity progression and for the past couple of moths it has been making her waste soft and light colored. Not runny but super soft. I also think the oatmeal in it was making her skiny dry and itchy but her hair felt nice since I started adding raw egg to her diet. So two weeks ago I bought a small bag of Nutro adult food that had most of the same ingredients except the oatmeal. It has made a huge improvement in her waste. The color and consistency is awesome BUT now her coat is shedding which is not regualr for her, however once every 4 months or so she goes through a small shedding cycle if that makes sense. Anyhoo my question is how long should I keep her on the regualr adult formula to see if the shedding subsides? I hear its not good to change their food unless its neccessary. She loves the new food.
Previously when we switched from puppy food to adult food we had tried a few. Blue Buffalo was WAY to rich for her.
california Gold gave her the worst gas EVER but its evident that she needs a high end type of food, the lil priss!
So whats up with the Eagle Pack or Royal Canin?

Wait, you're combining dog food names and I'm confused! [

] lol There's no Nutro Natural Balance... there's Nutro Natural Choice and Natural Balance (two completely different brands). Also no California Gold... there's California Natural and Solid Gold, also very different brands with different ingredients.

I think the food you've been feeding is Nutro Natural Choice... I've heard really mixed reviews on that food. It seems like half the people have really bad results with their dogs and half the people have good results. My Cocker was one who had bad results. His coat got really dry and dandruffy and he was vomiting a lot. I personally think it's because of the ingredients:

Ingredients

Chicken Meal, Rice Flour, Ground Rice, Rice Bran, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Oatmeal, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Dried Kelp (source of Iodine), Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Niacin, Garlic Flavor, Manganese Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Chondroitin Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.

Basically, it seems to me that the food is mostly grains. I see very few healthy ingredients and I think the processed grains like rice flour and rice bran aren't good for most dogs.

Royal Canin also tends to be kind of grain heavy, so that may or may not work for her. I think Eagle Pack is really good and definitely worth a try. Is it California Natural or Solid Gold that you tried before?