Puppy excess gas

Question
Hello, I own a 4 month old male staffordshire Bull Terrier mix puppy. He is current on all of his shots and vet care. He is currently battling a minor case of demodex mange and slight eye and ear infections. I have had him since he was 8 weeks old and always had him on Science Diet Puppy food. However, I first feed him the original puppy formula, then switched to the lamb meal and rice puppy formula. Well, every few weeks he acts like his butt bothers him alot. He has regular bowel movements and is wormed but every once and a while he acts like he has alot of gas and discomfort. I feed him 4 times a day to make sure he does not eat too fast and swallow alot of air. When this happens he looks at his bottom area and hides, as in he will go into his crate and hide. I am not sure why but it seems to be very uncomfortable. Do you think the Science Diet Lamb Meal and Rice puppy food could be causing these problems? I have him on Science Diet because I thought that was the best commercial food. I also just bout a new 20 lb bag and emptied it into his air tight food holder. Before I got him the people I got him from said he was on basic purina puppy chow. I want him to get the best nutrients due to his mange and infections so I am not sure if I should change his diet or do something else. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I dont want him to be uncomfortable. Thanks.

Answer
Hi Rachel,,

I would first of all have another thorough veterinary exam to look at things like parasites and anal glands. You mention that your puppy is current on vet care; but this behaviour seems a little strange to me, insofar as dietary issues usually manifest as constant problems,not occasional. I suspect that the lower quality food is not helping and that you will see improvement with a better diet.  I'm sorry to say that Science Diet is not actually one of the better foods. For a Staffy of this age I'd suggest one of the following:

1) Fromm FourStar:  http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs-d.php

2)Innova Puppy:
http://www.innovapet.com/product_line.asp?id=502

3) Natural Balance:
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/UltDog.html

My feeling is that any of the above foods represent a very thoroughly researched and far healthier alternative to Science Diet. I am not a vet and can't assess other reasons why your puppy is gassy, but let's do a quick comparison of SciDi's ingredients and then Innova Puppy:

Science Diet Lamb and Rice Puppy:


"Ingredients

Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Fish Oil, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.
"
Okay - lamb meal IS a good forst ingredient, which they emphasize in their marketing. But then what? Let's look:

brewer's rice ( a waste product and notoriously a filler ingredient)
rice flour (not even whole rice)
Corn gluten meal?
WHEAT? ANIMAL FAT? SOybean oil?

The list starts off well and goes very rapidly downhill. :(

Now, Fromm FourStar Duck:


" Duck, Duck Meal, Pearled Barley, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite"

This contrast is self explanatory. And for a sensitive dog, it's good to use a few novel ingredients.

I would like to see you try one of these premium foods and see where you are in say 3 weeks time. Is this an option for you?
I know Science Diet is not cheap - these foods aren't either, but they are far superior in ingredient quality. A puppy should not have these kinds of issues at such a tender age. Some supplements such as fish body oil and probiotics may be very helpful too, but I prefer to get the diet straight and only then assess individual supplements.

All the best, Catherine