Dog Food Help

Annemarie, I would not want to keep my dog on a Eukanuba product either!  When you went to the vet did they tell you what exactly they were treating Frodo for?
 
The Eukanuba website describes the formula you are currently feeding Frodo like this:
 
Product Information
Low-Residue formulas are designed to nutritionally aid in the management of gastrointestinal conditions. Your veterinarian may recommend these diets when your pet is experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, gas, or constipation. Low-Residue is also recommended for the management of conditions such as colitis (inflammation of the colon), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), dietary indiscretions, or inflammatory bowel disease. Low-Residue formulas feature:

• a special blend of fibers that benefit your pet#%92s intestinal tract by nourishing the "good" intestinal flora and enhancing large bowel health
  
• low fat level for those pets that may have problems digesting and absorbing fat
  
• adjusted omega-6mega-3 fatty acid ratio to promote a healthy skin and coat
  
• highly digestible for enhanced nutrient absorption,
  
• an extremely palatable for easy acceptance by your dog

Low-Residue Adult/Canine is also low in fat, for dogs that have problems with digesting and absorbing fat
Calories
3,978 kcal/kg, 328 kcal/cup, 2.90 oz./cup
Ingredients
Corn Grits, Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken, Fish Meal, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides,  Monosodium Phosphate, Fish Oil (preserved with Ethoxyquin), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Flax Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1213), Vitamin B14[size=1]15 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B16[color=#cc0000]17), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B18[color=#000000]19), Vitamin D2021 Supplelment, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate
 
I don't think that this food is any better than most non-prescription formula's by premium kibble companies.  The fact that the first ingredient is corn grits is pretty disturbing!
 
Did your vet prescribe this food to treat a specific condition or just to see what happens?  After trying the pumpkin was there any improvement?  What about adding a supplement such as Prozyme to a good quality kibble?
 
Zen my male has a very sensitive tummy and can get the runs quite easily.  He has done well on a few foods, including Eagle Pack, Innova and Solid Gold.  Currently he is eating Go Natural by Petcurean, which many feel is not a great food but he does extremely well on it, so we ut aside the companies past issues and the fact that it currently contains menidone (which they are in the process of eliminating).
 
Good Luck!!![] 

A food that's going to have the same makeup as the Eukanuba and better ingredients is Solid Gold Holistique Blendz. Another formula you might want to try is Eagle Pack Natural Formula. It doesn't seem that your dog is allergic to corn, so the combination of corn, brown rice, and oatmeal might firm it up.

I'm thinking that what probably firmed up Frodo's stool was the beet pulp in the Eukanuba formula. Eagle Pack's Natural formula also has beet pulp, and he'll get more, and better, meat that way. Eagle Pack Holistic Select Lamb & Rice also has beet pulp, and uses even better ingredients than the Natural formula, but will cost a little bit more. The Holistic Select formula is also a bit more easily digestable with the probiotics that Eagle adds to it.

Thank you both for your replies!  The vet prescribed the Eukanuba to see what would happen - not for anything specific.  I gave Frodo pumpkin for the first time at dinner last night.  Not sure how long it will take to firm his stools, I'll see how it is after work.  Thanks for the suggestion of a supplement such as Prozyme.  I will look into that.  As I was doing more research, I was considering both Eagle Pack and Solid Gold.
 
Thanks again for the help!
Annemarie

Morgand- Go Natural actually looks like a really decent food, aside from the meniadone, why don't people like it?
 
 
Annemarie- I think so far you're doing the right thing with the Pumpkin supplementing. A couple weeks ago my dog had some sort of reaction to a canned food that I gave him (they get no more than a tablespoon mixed in with their dry) and he had the absolute worst uncontrollable diarrhea for a few days and I finally gave him some pumpkin and  his stool firmed up overnight. Your dog could simply just be having a reaction to an ingredient in the Cal Natural that is just surfacing now. I'd reccomend some of the formulas schlep has already suggested.. Solid Gold Holistique, Eagle Natural or maybe Pinnacle Trout & Sweet Potato. That's a really good, simple ingedient food.
 
Good Luck!

Actually I saw an e-mail from them posted on another board that said they've removed menadione from their food - just using up old bags now. The e-mail was dated 5/5/06.