Any dog-wise people here?

[seeksanctuary]

So... my dog has always been sensitive.

He used to be on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Duck, I think. :/ But he had mange at the time we got him and apparently allergies, and something in it was aggravating his skin. I tried to feed him home-cooked meals, but I was... 17? 18?... at the time and I didn't know much about dog nutrition. The vet put him on some Science Diet crap... but he hated it. A couple years ago, I tried giving him some of that FreshPet crap. Bad idea. He got the runs so bad that he was pooping blood. I tried putting him on Blue Buffalo and he was okay on that for a while, but then he got a different flavor of it and... again, bloody runs. I have no idea if it was the brand or the flavor but I am so scared to try it again.

The vet... I have no idea what is going on with my dog. They said he has IBS, that he needs a "low to no protein diet", and put him on this Science Diet ZD canned and dry food. But look at the ingredients:

DRY
Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid, Taurine, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

CANNED
Water, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Corn Starch, Powdered Cellulose, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Citrate, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), L-Threonine, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, L-Tryptophan, Beta-Carotene, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid.

... That just doesn't look right to me. Corn? Chicken? Soybean oil? :/

I really need some help figuring out what to feed my poor dog. We fed him rice (and nothing but rice) for a couple days, but then we gave him some of the dry food to see if it would be okay and he got bad gas and the runs again this morning.

Can someone help me figure out... something? Anything? I think my best bet is to just feed him home cooked foods again. I've read up on what NOT to feed a dog, but I need help figuring out what exactly a dog's needs are. He's so itchy and chews all the time, and so gassy and... :[ it's just terrible. The vet isn't helping much, and we don't have any other vet we can go see nearby. "Oh, he's got allergies and has IBS... feed him this. Oh, it made his tummy upset? Pancreatitis. Here, feed him rice." The hell.

*sigh*

I'm thinking rice, sweet potato and oatmeal for grains. Steamed and pureed veggies like green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and squash. Protein? What the hell can I do about that? I have been giving him small bits of nutritional yeast, since he loves that and it seems to treat him okay. But that isn't good enough is it? :/ Beef is a no, chicken and turkey is a no, pork is a no, fish is a no... maybe elk? I could get elk, but I am so worried about hurting his tummy...

Thanks for any advice.

[alex1170]

My dad and his girlfriend feed their dog rice all of the time. The dog hardly ever eats dogfood anymore. He just eats little scraps of what they eat plus some rice mixed with some meats sometimes. Then again he is a small dog. And the meat would not be good for a low protein diet

I would say you should try whatever the vet says and monitor how he reacts to it. Worst case it doesn't sit well with him and you learn to never use that brand of dogfood again. Then tell the vet and see what he suggests next. He was not able to become a vet without knowing things about animals, trust me. And between trial and error dogfood episodes you can just feed him rice and whatever else you think will give him the healthiest diet without making him sick. If you really don't want to go to the vet again you can just trial and error on your own. And remember low protein does not mean no protein. I would think he needs at least some protein. Just my thoughts. I hope he feels better, good luck. I am an animal lover so I can empathize.

[Bibliophile]

I am guessing your dog is a lab? For the itching one or two benadryl will help his skin. As for his stomach well people foods is a bad idea if its greasy or even fatty. Lean meats and rice are good. My lab is ok with things like chicken broth and rice. Experiment with different dry dog foods to find one he is ok with and until you do if he gets sick give him rice and chicken broth. I will check with my mother tomorrow to find out what other advice she might have as she has our lab and has dealt with most of what you are talking about.

[Tracker57]

Dogs are carnivores by nature. In the wild, wolves (dog ancestors) just eat meat. Dogs can live on vegetables, I'm not sure that's the healthiest, natural thing you can feed them. The gas is coming from foods he can't digest naturally and the bacteria in his intestines are having to help out. The downside of meat only are the loose stools my dogs have. We go with a good dry dog food for convenience and ease of clean up. Our puppy isn't house broken yet but the other 2 are.
I'd find something that sits well on his stomach and NEVER change it up. It's hard to see a family member suffer like that. Good luck!

[Foxywolf]

I read that CORE wellness is a good brand and it's grain free, which is what some dogs need because some dogs are allergic to grains.
There are a lot of good dog foods out there for sensitve dogs. I don't know what would work for you though, because every dog is different.
Check out this website
Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost
And if all else fails, then you could try feeding your dog cottage cheese and rice, thats what we feed our dogs when they get the runs.