Canidae Lamb & Rice

Question
QUESTION: Hello! I have two 7 pound Pomeranians and a 50 pound Collie mix. They are presently on Canidae Lamb & Rice, but I am unhappy about the change in formula and the fact that the product is now being made by Diamond.

Before the big dog food recall in March of '07 I was using Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice. All was well, but I decided to upgrade to a better quality food. At that point I switched to Innova Adult Dog. Several months later I noticed the Collie mix had scabs and was itching like crazy. All three dogs had a decline in coat. So, I suspected the Collie mix might be allergic to the chicken in the Innova. I wanted to go back to a lamb and rice, so I chose Canidae. The Collie's scabs and itching is better, but the coats on two of the dogs still don't look great. Also, the male Pom developed calcium oxalate bladder stones while on the Innova and has had surgery to remove them.

What do I do now? Could you recommend some very good quality foods that would be good for an allergy prone dog like my collie mix? Also, I would not be opposed to feeding the little ones a different food than the bigger dog. Thank you for any help you can give me.

ANSWER: Hi Linda,

Sorry about the delayed reply, I get very busy from time to time and it's not always easy for me to get here, but I try.

First of all, have you considered a home made diet at least for the collie mix? It does take a lot of work but with a sensitive dog sometimes it's the only way to relief. Pending a home made diet though, here are a few foods I feel would be worth you looking into for this dog. All have limited ingredients and/or novel proteins. As you know, with itchy dogs it's often a matter of trial and error.
Here's a list for the collie:

1) http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/allergy.html
Several good formulas here, lower in protein, but you can augment that a little with home made food if you wish. Check out the options and see what might work for you.

2)http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_index.html
Not lamb-based foods, but could be helpful for you

3) http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=3
Lamb and rice formula

Additionally, some fish body oil with a little Vitamin E could be helpful for your itchy dog.



And for the smaller dogs:

1) http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/SmallBreeds.html

2)http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=68&code=140
High protein, very palatable

3) http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=1671
Small bite version of the Lamb and Rice

These are a few of my favourite products for itchy dogs and for toy breeds - if however you don't find relief in a kibble, consider a home made diet for the collie mix. I work with a lot of allergy and usually this is the way to go.

Good luck and I hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask anything that wasn't clear or just let me know how you're doing.

All the best,
Catherine

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

QUESTION: Thank you for your reply. I forgot to mention a few things in my first post.

First, I am giving all three dogs a fish oil supplement called "Grizzly Salmon Oil". Coat has not improved on the female pom. Her coat is thin on the back under the tail. She has two bald spots on the backs of her hind legs. I did have her thyroid checked and it is OK. Do you think the coat problem might be food related?

Second, the same Pom I just mentioned used to have seizures when we were feeding Nutro Natural Lamb & Rice. She was on phenobarb, but still had some seizures. Since we took her off that food she has not had any seizures. I strongly suspect the preservatives in the Nutro might have been the cause of her seizures. She still takes Phenobarb.

I worry about the male Pom who had bladder stones. He does not want to drink, so I float his kibble in water. That way he has no choice. His stones were calcium oxalate and I don't know if they were food-related. Since I've been floating the kibble I've noticed his urine is much lighter in color. So I guess that's a good thing.


Finally, the collie mix is almost 10 years old, and the two poms are 6 years old.


I don't know if any of these points I mentioned would cause a change in your recommendations. Thanks again.

ANSWER: Many things can cause the sort of coat problem you're describing here - low zinc (or malabsorption), excess of one mineral blocking uptake of another, low Omega6 - fish oil is just one strategy to try. I'd like to hear how she does with the new food you select! With uroliths, eseically oxalate, I very much prefer a home made diet. Is that an option for you? And your collie being a senior, well, I would still work with the limited-ingredient or novel protein foods for now, once you have him stabilized you can increase the protein somewhat in keeping with his age. You might want to start running nnual or bi-annual geriatric screenings to help you make nutrition decisions. I'd have him on a joint supplement, fish oils with E(always add supplemental natural Vitamin E when increasing dietary fats like fish oils) possibly digestive enzymes, a bioflavonoid called Quercetone (helps with allergy) and possibly others. but I don't like to suggest supplements without a full profile - these are all very safe and likely to be supportive both of his allergies and just in general, as he ages.

All the best,
Catherine


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

QUESTION: Thanks again. Yes, I could possibly do a home cooked diet for the little guy with the bladder stones. Do you have any recipes?

Answer
Hi Linda,

Well, the bad news is, I don't believe in generic "recipes" as each dog is an individual and should be evaluated as such. Feeding for things like oxalate prevention is a prescription for healing as powerful as any drug and needs to be formualted individually.  I do offer services, I would refer you to my site www.thepossiblecanne.com to see what I do. The good news is, I do understand that sometimes  it's not possible to hire a consultant, and so, my yahoogroup offers a lot of information and support free of charge. You might drop by and check out the Files, introduce yourself, ask questions there. I would of course be happy to work with you privately to develop a home made diet for your dog.

The Yahoogroup is located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePossibleCanine-Nutrition.

I have a tutorial set up there to help people leanr how to formualte a home made diet for a healthy dog, I don't feel you necessarily need professional help for this, but with a tricky condition, the diet is as individual as other aspects of their care, so I  don't want to just send out a recipe that inadvertantly could be wrong for a dog. That's why I work primarily with health conditions, professionally, and focus on teaching with regard to healthy dogs.

We can certainly give you some pointers about feeding for oxalates, or I can do that here, if you prefer not to join yahoo. It's just simpler for me - and my time is really at a premium right now - if you work with the group.

All the best, Catherine