I'm so frustrated, I've been trying to keep Foxy on a grain and chicken free diet in hopes to help with all her scratching and itching. It seemed to help when I got her the Pacifica which is fish based. So I decided I wanted to give her a variety and ordered some of the Grasslands as I read the ingredients on Dog Analysis to be this:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=2256&cat=3 and no where does it ever mention chicken so I had my pet store order me a bag and I picked it up the other day. I just began feeding it to her and for whatever reason checked the ingredients on the bag and low and behold there is Chicken Fat listed as well as deboned duck.
Lesson learned to always check the ingredients on the bag before leaving the store!!!
On the Acana website it lists chicken fat for the ingredients for grassland. I would have checked the actual manufacture's website before a third party. I wouldn't say this is an Acana blunder, but a dogfoodanaylysis blunder.
I'm on the Wild Praire right now for morning feedings and I think I'm going to try something else. Lucy itches quite a bit so I'm going to assume right now that it's the chicken. Was going to try the Pacifica or Ranchlands next.
My Shiba is allergic to chicken and grain so we used to keep him on fish formula (the Shikoku will eat anything) Finding Acana Ranchlands is a godsend because it fulfills most -- if not all -- of my Shiba's dietary requirements. Granted the bag is a little more expensive than the other varieties of Acana but he's worth it.
This might be a silly question, but is there artificial color in your dogs' food? I had a shepard that at one time we thought she was allergic to grain and chicken but come to find out she had a sensitivity to color. Artificial color is in almost everything from treats to canned foods.... Once that was eliminated from her diet the scratching slowly went away.
I've had issues with Signey on beef and bison foods, although not as much as chicken. She's fine on duck and turkey, but doesn't particularly like them. Same with rabbit. She loves lamb though, and does really well on it. She does the best when she gets a grain free, lamb and fish diet.
@ Crimson02 - did your shiba have any problems at first when you transitioned him to Ranchlands? I ask because I got a bag of it for Foxy yesterday and gave her a 1/4 of a 1/3 cup with the rest being the Pacifica and she got really bad diarhea from it. This is the worst experience I've had with her when trying different kibbles. Usually her stool might be a little soft when going after eating a new food or she'll have a little diarhea but this was explosive and several times last night not just going after she ate. Poor thing had a explosion in the living room around 11:30 last night and then again over night in her crate and I noticed she had vomited her night time treat (something she's had many times before with no issues) so I have to think that it's the Ranchlands that made her sick.
She hasn't eaten much today at all and I don't really blame her. She is still having diarhea the last couple of times she went out.
Hrm, the protein levels in the Pacifica is higher than Ranchlands. Did she get into anything else while you weren't looking? I know some dogs do not transition well with new food, but it doesn't seem like you gave her too much of the Ranchlands.
If her stools don't get better might have to take a sample to the vet to make sure she's okay.
No, the only other new thing I gave her was a plain white round bone to chew on. I was with her all day yesterday and she didn't get into or have anything else. Her diarhea was dark brown and smelled horrible compared to the other times I've delt with this. She's pretty gassy too.
I am on vet alert though especially since she is scheduled to go in next Thursday for her spay. Poor thing, it's always something.
I was excited to find the Ranchlands to be able to have another flavor for her to switch back/forth with since she is not eating chicken. The good thing is her itching really seems to have cut way down without the chicken in her diet. Now I don't know if I should continue trying to transition her to the Ranchlands by using even less kibble? She eats twice a day and also gets a scramble egg and cottage cheese both of which she loves!!
Well I got home and Foxy still had bad diarhea and had vomited again while I was at work. My son said that she was pretty lethargic all day and wouldn't eat anything. She was drinking water though. So to be on the safe side, I called my vet and after our conversation she asked that I bring her in. Now after the exam she wants to keep her over night on an IV to get back some of the fluid and also will be taking some x-rays to see if there is anything obstructing her stomach that's causing this. I really hope that it turns out to be nothing and I also hope that I wasn't just over reacting. She's been through so much since we've had her )0:
I just started giving her one a day for probably the last 4 days because she doesn't finish her meals. I only give her 1/3 of a cup of kibble 2 tx a day which she doesn't finish, then I add a little bit of cottage cheese to mix up with the kibble she doesn't eat and sh"lle nibble on that but she never finishes her meals. She's 13 lbs.
13 lbs and she's 6 months? I think she is at a good weight. At 5 or 6 months ish when Mika got spayed she was barely over 10 lbs.
What kind of white bone was she chewing on? I wonder if she might have bit off a bit too much and it can be causing the problem? I hope everything turns out okay. Keep us posted with Foxy.
Jujee it was one of these bones:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh295/Rondeschic/Foxy/whitebone.jpg
She didn't get anything off of it. I got a call from my vet tonight and the x-ray was clear so that's good! The bloodwork has been sent to the lab so she'll call me in the morning with the results. For now, she was given a anti-nausea med and is on a IV. I hate that she's not here!!! It really makes me realize how attached I am after only 4 months. Think I'll get to bed so tomorrow will get here soon. Thanks for the support!!
If they can't find anything else, you may want to ask about the possibility for an ultrasound, some times things dont show up in x-rays. Also it might be possible for pancreatitus (sp?) but the blood work will show more info for that.
We're sending positive thoughts and hope she gets back home soon. I can understand how you must feel!!
FoxyLover: Hope she gets better. Question for you? We've been doing the Wild Praire for morning feedings and she's been extremely itchy. I'm guessing maybe the chicken? I just got a bag of Pacifica. How does you're do on that?
Lucy, she does fine on the Pacifica. I just wanted to give her another flavor to alternate with as it seems like she gets bored with it. Her scratching has cut down dramitcally since I took her off Chicken and grain.
Thanks everyone! Foxy is doing much better. Her blood work was good and only her urine was really concentrated which the vet was glad she had her on the iv as she hadn't been drinking much. She thinks that Foxy just had a really bad reaction to the Ranchlands food and doesn't suggest I try it again until she's older. So the hunt for a chicken/grain free kibble other than fish is still on.... They diagnosed her with Gastroentenitis and gave her some meds to take plus a bland diet.
She was very playful this morning. She hasn't pooped yet today but I'm hoping for no further diarrhea. I'll have to wait and see. I'm so glad it's the weekend!!!!
I don't know if you have it near you, or if you are just looking for a different food that is not fish based, but Sakura is on Pure Vita grain free salmon. It is grain and poultry free and does not have rediculously high protein levels. 24% protein
Otherwise they have this one as well, it is duck based. No chicken or turkey, but it does have barley, oatmeal and flaxseed, so not grain free. 24% protein
Canine Caviar. They recently moved their manufacturing place out to Riverside. They are a bit pricey, but they don't have chicken or grains in their venison formula. http://www.caninecaviar.com/Venision And Split Pea.aspx
There's also Great Life. They make grain free and their buffalo formula doesn't have chicken in it (at least I don't think it does). They also have sprinkles of freeze dried raw on the kibble, so a lot of dogs go crazy for Great Life. Also it is a bit pricey as well. http://www.doctorsfinest.com/Grain_and_Potato_Free_Buffalo_Dog_Food_p/gfbd.htm
If you need more help finding a kibble that is grain free & chicken free stop by the Organic Paw in Tustin (they carry both the kibbles I listed above). I go there quite often and Pat & Carrie (the owners) are very helpful! They aren't always there though, but if you do go when they are there these ladies are amazing! :)
Oh! Wanted to also add that they will give you free samples of the different kibbles they have as well. :) So you can try the kibble for Foxy before making a purchase.
Thank you both for the suggestions. Yes, I was just looking to give her a different flavor from Fish. She was on Taste of the Wild fish flavor then we switched her over to Acana fish flavor and she seemed to like both so neither was really an issue just something different. Then I thought I should stick with one brand and tried the Grasslands till I found out that it had chicken fat in it. Took that back and then tried the Ranchlands. She didn't have an issue with the Grasslands other than the itching.
I will check out the Organic Paw, it's not too far from me at all and I'm always looking for new places. Thanks again for the tip!!
Wow!!! Jujee, I just have to thank you! Foxy LOVES the Great Life Buffalo flavor kibble. I don't have to put it in a Kong Wobbler or anything special. In fact while mixing it with her Acana Pacifica, she ate all around it and didn't eat the Acana. That really made me worry about her getting diarrhea since she had had all those other problems from Orijen and Acana. But so far nothing out of the ordinary. Good solid poops and she loves it. I couldn't be happier!!!!
Miyumi just started with the itching and scratching. We switched her to Blue Buffalo a week ago in a quest to get her grain and wheat free. I was searching the forum for allergies and saw this thread. The food she is eating now is Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe. But the fact that she is really itchy makes me think we should probably cut out the chicken as well besides the grain and wheat. I found a pet store near us that sells Acana. Should we start on Pacifica or Ranchlands first? The pet store doesn't sell Great Life ( Great Life Buffalo flavor kibble) so is it worth ordering online?
Also what sort of treats do you use that your shibas like that are grain and chicken free?
Heather, Logan, and two Shibas named Miyumi & Yoshiro
Sorry I didn't get back to you on this earlier Foxylover.
Ichi has gotten diarrhea like that before but not on Acana Ranchlands. It usually happens right after eating a bullystick. I am very glad that Julie was able to help you find an alternative. I may look into Great Life since my dogs don't have zeal for Taste of the Wild lamb or fish variants of kibble.
Sakura gets pure vita (nutri source) grain free salmon (it does not contain grain, corn or poultry) here is the link if you want to check it out. Their other flavor is chicken... so, it does contain poultry, but the salmon one does not.
The pet store did sell Great Life. The store owner seemed to think it was tastier so we went with great life Buffalo. It was harder to find poultry, grain, and wheat free treats.
Heather, Logan, and two Shibas named Miyumi & Yoshiro
Funny that this thread resurfaced again as I just spent the better part of the day running around returning the Nature's Variety I just purchased the other day thinking it didn't have any chicken in it. Wrong again, chicken fat. I was being rushed the other day and after looking all over the store for it and had to get help, I failed to look far into the list. Anyway, I was still trying to just find one other food that could be alternated and didn't want to drive far to get it. So I ended up returning that and then buying Great Live in both the Buffalo and the Salmon so I'll be good with food for awhile. It is worth the drive.
As far as treats go, one of Foxy's favorites are pure beef jerkey. She goes nuts for it. I also buy the Zukes cherry and carrot bones. She loves those and I give her one a day if she's finished all her food.
I have just started buying her sardines packed in water to add to her kibble also and she loves them! I cut up a couple of them and mix it all up. Since I'm giving her those, I'm not using the salmon oil.
Pet-Co has quite a few grain free/chicken free treats if you really look at the ingredients on everything.
I have noticed the itching is going on again so it may not be chicken/grain. I don't know... she also has goop in her eyes so it definitely seems she has an allergy of some sort going on. It could be the change in weather going on....
Hope she does better soon. Saya gets goopy eyes on and off seems to correlate with when the farmers cut the corn.
caned sardines are awesome Saya loves them I use them to mix with if I need to give her something she doesn't like the taste of.
She also likes caned salmon and caned mackerel. the mackerel has bone in it, but it's very delicate sardines have bone too. I can crush them with my fingers.
caned salmon can have skin and bones or it doesn't depends on the type you get. Saya likes both the kind with bone and kind without..
Along with itching and biting- Miyumi has been waking up with some goop in her eyes. Yesterday the vet gave us some antihistamine for temporary relief of her symptoms. He said at 6 months is was unlikely she had environmental allergies but Miyumi is his first Shiba he's had at his practice. He's not ruling it out but we need to start on changing her diet to see if it helps first. We did get beef jerky treats- do you think regular human jerky would be too salty or is it the same? The grain free, poultry free biscuits we bought seemed super rock hard. I need to find the Zukes cherry and carrot bones you mentioned.
My last dog had no allergies so this is all new to me.
Heather, Logan, and two Shibas named Miyumi & Yoshiro
I started feeding Tochi Acana Pacifica (he was on Wild Prairie before) and he's having some serious, stinky gas :) Has anyone else's shiba experienced that?
Sorry Miyumi, didn't see that you asked me about Foxy here. Yes, she is much better. She's doing great on the Great Life and sardine or salmon. Still gets little eye boogers every now and then but not much so I think that just has to do with the outside.
And cjcb - Foxy has terrible gas!!! I did buy Gentle Digest and at first I thought it was helping but then she still seems to blow out a room at night either on it or off it so I just recently stopped giving it to her. It took me so long to find a food that that would help with the itching that I'm willing to put up with it.
