Okay guys... honest opinons needed.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Okay guys... honest opinons needed.

    Hubby has declared he has been woken up for the last time by Greta's gassiness...... change her food to whatever it takes to end the gas, no matter what the cost. (Which translates into something reasonable, we can't afford $50 for a 20 pound bag of food, that may be reasonable to some, but not really to us... you get the drift.....)

    So, here is what we're facing with Miss Greta... she was a rescue. We know nothing about her history. She's been with us 5 weeks. She's approximately 58 pounds, age estimated at four years..., gets daily exercise of at least a mile of walking.. usually more like 2 or 3 miles.

    And she has a horrible gas problem. If she just eats her dog food, it's not AS bad.. but it's still bad... if she gets anything outside of her normal food, even a tidbit,  it's HORRIBLE... like run you out of the room, make the kid gag, kind of horrible... the silent but deadly kind of horrible......

    We had some people over last Friday and she got some food that she shouldn't have (you can read my post related to that issue if you'd like)... and had some throwing up and diarrhea over Saturday, into Sunday... once back to her normal food,  the diarrhea and vomiting stopped but the gas is still lingering.... now, I know it will eventually calm back down. But the issue still remains that even on a steady, regular diet, she still has gas problems.

    So what do ya'll suggest?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Just from what little you've said about Gracie I'm already in love with her *grin*. 

    I've actually heard of some folks using Bean-o on dogs. 

    I don't feed "dog food" and haven't in many years, but honestly I don't think "people food" is really to blame.  I do think that the whole dogfood industry has done a HUGE disservice to dogs by making humans think that feeding a dog the exact same thing day in/day out is good.  What it really does is weaken their digestive process so any new thing causes problems.

    If it were me, I'd probably approach it from more of a "fixing the tummy" standpoint (but then, that IS *me*). 

    1.  Has any bloodwork been done on her at all to determine if she's functioining as she should?  Has a fecal been done?  (if she's living on the edge of major gut bacteria ALL the time then any tiny thing WOULD cause a flare up).  The fecal would be first.

    2.  The thing that immediately comes to my mind is Slippery Elm Cocktail -- usually gas occurs when digestion isn't being completed properly.  And you did have a ton of diarreha that went on last weekend after your MIL's not-so-stellar assessment of how strict you are (and of course she didn't have to clean any of it up).

    I've posted it a ton of times on here and I'm at work and don't have it under my hand.  But essentially it's chlorophyll, slippery elm bark powder, aloe juice and acidopholus.  For a dog with an ulcer, if you give it prior to the meal (about 15minutes to 1/2 hr) it will actually HEAL an ulcer (a human too, actually).

    But I've even added it TO the food simply to help soothe the way.  You have to make it about every 3 days (and altho the initial cost of the ingredients is about $40 it will last you danged near forever).  Chlorophyll helps dog digestion (which is why some of them eat grass) and the aloe and the slippery elm are anti-inflammatories for the gut and intestines, and the probiotic is just plain a good thing (and you can switch that one up now and then).

    If you can't find the recipe on here I can post it again tonight for you.

    3.  Charcoal -- you can get medicinal charcoal at a health store -- and often that will settle a gassy gut.

    4.  Depending on what you are feeding -- I've always found lamb to be a huge gas producer -- even if feeding it *daily* seems to be ok -- it can be one of those things that keeps them right on the edge of "toxic gas" so any additional thing may trigger problems.

    I'm sure someone who feeds kibble can help you more.

    • Gold Top Dog

    What kind of food is she on now, and what are the ingredients?

    I know Misha gets bad gas (for him) if there's chicken involved. It might be a main ingredient in her food or a minor one. She may be allergic to something, or just have a very sensitive stomach.

    ETA: Reading Callie's post I just want to say, that gut bacteria can be a major thing. From my own personal experience it can cause major problems when eating just about anything, and once it gets settled or cleared up, you can find that things that messed you up before no longer do.

    • Gold Top Dog

    She's on Wholesome Medley right now.. and while her gas has improved while on it, like I said, it's still pretty bad.

    So, lamb will cause gas? I always thought lamb was good for dogs with sensitive tummies and allergies.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I would maybe look into a limited ingredient formula - one without corn, wheat, etc.

    Yogurt also can help - it's a pro-biotic. plain, sugar free. Casey loves it, Benny...does not.

    ETA: if you can find it in a grocery store - DO NOT FEED IT.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Wholesome Medley Ingredient List

    Whole grain corn, poultry meal, soybean meal, beef fat*, brown rice, apples, peas, carrots, animal digest (source of chicken flavor), calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, choline chloride, potassium chloride, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), caramel color, yellow 5, yellow 6, red 40, blue 1, blue 2, rosemary extract.
    * naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols

     

     I think I will add some yogurt to her food....

    • Gold Top Dog

    From that ingredient list, it's not surprising she's having issues.  Dogs have a very difficult time digesting corn.  There's other inferior ingredients in there as well, but that is probably the source of the problem.

    There are some affordable, better quality foods you could try, that are available at Petco or Petsmart.  Blue Buffalo, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, Natural Balance...all are much better than Kibbles n Bits and not horribly expensive.

    Good luck!

    • Gold Top Dog

     One: Get her off that food... Poultry meal is just bits of the birds that no one in their right mind would eat..

    Two: Try a food like Healthwise. It's fairly cheap and you get it in the pet store. In BC it's like 30$ for a 20lb bag of food. It will last longer then what you're feeding now, as she'll be eating less of it.

    Add some yogurt until you can get her switched. It'll help but really I think she needs to get off that food. Good luck!

    • Gold Top Dog

     I couldn't find that exact formual - but here is a review of that brand -

    http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=161&cat=7

    use this website to evaluate the different brands/types of food - http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

     

     

    • Gold Top Dog

    Way too grainy.  The corn will cause gas but the soybeans can cause room clearing SBD's in dogs and people! 

    I don't feed kibble anymore (or I should say at the moment, I am well known for changing my mind!) but my favorite was PetGuard Lifespan. The dogs did great on it, no problems at all with it, but it might be out of your price range.

    Do you have a Tractor Supply store near you?  They carry Taste of the wild, blue buffalo and a new house brand that is really good looking.  Also  Costco carries "Kirkland" brand that I hear is good as well.

    Spoonful of yogurt won't hurt any. Callie has great advice.  When I switched Echo off her breeder's kibble I sprinkled slippery elm capsules over her food to help with the transition.  She was on Pinnacle and holy cow, she was not digesting that food very well at all!

    Anywho good luck with the switch!

    • Moderators
    • Gold Top Dog

     Check out the cost per serving of some of the more expensive foods.  You actually feed smaller amounts, and the daily cost of feeding a dog isn't that bad.  Also, less in=less out.   I rotate frequently, and have had good results with Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup, and am feeding Fromms right now. 

    • Moderators
    • Gold Top Dog

    mehpenn
    She's on Wholesome Medley right now.. and while her gas has improved while on it, like I said, it's still pretty bad.

    That's Kibbles n' Bits, right?  That stuff will undoubtedly give dogs gas - particularly w/soybeans as a main ingredient,.  Natural Balance is a decent price.  If you're really pressed for $$, then Costco sells their Kirkland brand foods and they're decent.  Although, we tried the Weight Management one and whew, that gave our dogs gas.  Good luck - you'll have good advice here.

    This gives a good how-to on evaluating food options: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=betterproducts

    To quote the site, clarifying the issue of "meal": "Contrary to what many people believe, meat sources in "meal" form (as long as they are from a specified type of animal, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, salmon meal etc.) are not inferior to whole, fresh meats. Meals consist of meat and skin, with or without the bones, but exclusive of feathers/hair, heads, feet, horns, entrails etc. and have the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio required for a balanced" diet.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Ditto what Doug said.   This is another good site for comparing products and understanding dog food labels.  dogfoodproject.com

    • Gold Top Dog

    HI I feed Tisha and Dijon Holistic Select we have no problems with gas $50.00 buys a 40lb bag lasts almost a month for both of them as they are not big eaters. I buy this for Dijon as he has food aligeries and this food does not have all the sugars and other bad fillers that ane in other dog foods. I found that some vet foods are not as good as Holistic Select. When we got Dijon he was 2 years old and only weighed about 45lb after changing his food to Holistic Select he is up to 65 - 70 pounds and he almost never has gas now either. Ther are many flavors to choose from. I hope this will help you as I am sure that other pet owners have thier own ideas also.

    Chris the poodle daddy.. all dogs make the best People..

     

    • Gold Top Dog

     I feed Precise. It's $40 for a 45 lb bag, when they have the bonus bags. Otherwise, it's $40 for a  40 lb bag. It has 450something calories per cup. Your Kibbles N Bits probably has about half as many, so you'll feed half as much. It is generally cheaper per serving to feed a more nutrient dense food, and you'll have less gas issues, because she's not trying to break down all that EXTRA stuff.