cant find right dog food

Question
QUESTION: My dog is a 2 year old pit bull coon hound mix and I am having a hard time finding a dog food that works for her. The only kind i have tried that causes her to have (how do i put this) well-formed, solid feces is hill's w/d but I hear that brand isn't the best for dogs and never understood why she was on a prescription food for weight loss when she doesn't need to lose weight. I have tried Avoderm, california natural, and now healthwise and none of them seem to produce healthy, solid feces. she has a hard time getting anything out at times like she has constant diarrhea. a lot of the time it is more liquid than solid. I was told by an animal communicator that she has an anxious stomach which is the cause of the problem.  I'm wondering if I should have her tested for allergies. I don't feed her anything besides her food - no bad treats or human food. how long should it take for a dog to "get used" to a new food. maybe I jumped the gun by switching from california natural after only one bag, and I am jumping the gun now that we are only halfway through her first bag of healthwise.  I am starting to think she should go back on w/d but need some advice. i can't seem to find anyone else with this problem. please help.  Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Danielle,

Well, first of all, this does sound like food allergy/intolerance, but honestly I wouldnt trust an "animal communicator" to give nutrition guidance. You have however come to the right place here. I'm assuming your vet has ruled out parasites, Giardia, anything other then intolerance? If yes, I might suggest looking at a novel protein like venison or duck, and grainfree is another option to consider. I've seen so many dogs stabilize on Fromm's Duck and Sweet potato (Fourstar line) I've been recommending it a lot. Acana is another line you might consider, their grainfree formulas are superb.

Ideally, however I'd like to see you do a home made diet. Is this an option for you?

Please let me know everything your vet has checked for - my suspicion is there may be something not right on that level. If it's all clear, we can talk about food. I'm not a fan of Healthwise or Avoderm, and the CaliNatural may just have a few ingredients not suited to your dog. But one step at a time.
All the best, Catherine


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your very helpful reply! I am not sure my vet ruled out parasites or Giardia. He never did any tests beyond the tests/vaccinations that take place during the yearly check up. I've since changed vets and the new vet didn't even inquire as to why my dog was getting w/d. I called my vet and will be bringing them a stool sample tomorrow to test for Giardia/ parasites. is there anything else I should have them test her for since neither vet has done any probing into the cause of her diarrhea?  I guess once I get the test results I can go from there as to what treatment/ diet she should be on.  No point in finding out what a homemade dog diet involves until I know she needs one.  Thanks again for your help! I really appreciate it. This has been bothering me for so long and I feel so bad for my dog. I'm glad I'm finally getting somewhere with figuring this out and I really wish I'd found this website and messaged you sooner.

Answer
hi Danielle,

You are most welcome! A GOOD vet (you know they range from the sublime to the ridiculous) will know what to look for and ruling out a parasite or something like Giardia should be standard. Other conditions do spring to mind, such as EPI, but I don't want to play vet here - unprofessional to step outside the boundaries of my training and experience. Get a thorough exam first and get back to me. I believe a home prepared diet is optimal for all dogs and since yours will be malnourished after all this time with diarrhea, I'd recommend at least a period of home cooked, to help the body recover and build strength. If  this isn't possible there are, as yu know, many excellent commercial foods available, so we can look for one that suits your dog's individual needs. But first, get the vet check. you can use a mixture of cooked brown rice (WELL cooked) with turkey (probably light meat/skinless) and a little cooked sweet potato for a few days following a bout of loose stool. Often people recommend white rice but I find brown, or half brown/half white, firms the stool more effectively. This diet is completely unbalanced and should only be fed therapeutically, to help diarrhea, but some people find adding a little cooked brown rice or canned pumpkin (I mean a Tablespoon of this) to the food helps firm stool as well.

But if fiber isn't the issue, if it's Giardia for example, you need medication - brown rice and pumpkin won't do much to help.

I'm happy to be of help. My yahoogroup can provide ongoing support for you as well; please consider joining us at http://groups.yahoo.com/ThePossibleCanine-Nutrition. we have a wealth of information on canine health and diet archived there, and we're very friendly. :)
Keep me posted, and good luck!
Catherine