Indy is a bit of a garbage hound, he pretty much loves everything, the problem is.. it doesn't always love him back. When I first got him, he was eating beneful and other than being constantly stinky and having dry dull coat, he didn't have major health issues.
I've tried several foods with him, but have continued to stumble into obstacles whether it was allergies, diarrhea or product unavailability. He did pretty well on Nature's logic, but I have not been able to find it locally and ordering online has become a hassle, especially with increasing shipping costs.
I then switched him over to Nutri-source grain free lamb, I was a bit hesitant about this food since he's never done well on grain free, but since it contains peas instead of potatoes, I figured more fiber would help with stool issues. He had no problem digestion wise, but I noticed that overtime his itching increased, he had red spots on the belly and would have a very strong yeasty/corn chip smell to his coat.
I'm guessing that it was either yeast or lamb that he had issues with. About 3 weeks ago I switched him to Holistic Select grain free, its a new formula which is primarily fish based, contains probiotics and has a relatively high fiber content. Based on that analysis, I thought it would work for him.
Salmon, Anchovy & Sardine Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Dried Ground Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal, Tomato Pomace, Flaxseed, Pea Fiber, Pumpkin, Natural Fish Flavor, Cranberries, Apples, Minerals [Zinc Polysaccharide Complex, Iron Polysaccharide Complex, Copper Polysaccharide Complex, Manganese Polysaccharide Complex, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodide], Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid], Choline Chloride, Papaya, Inulin, Salt, Blueberries, Pomegranate, Potassium Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (added to preserve freshness), DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Fennel, Ground Peppermint, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract. This is a naturally preserved product.
Overall, I think it has a decent ingredient list, it's a bit on a high end price wise, but I get a substantial discount at the store I work at, so it works out. I think the addition of peas, pomace, pumpkin and probiotics seem to help with loose stool and so far he's been doing really well on it.
One major difference I noticed is almost complete elimination of itching and yeasty smell, his coat is nice and shiny and his energy seems to be good. I only bought the 13 lb bag this time to try it out, but next time I'll get the big bag to last us longer. I will report back in a month or so to see if I still like this food.
Uno has been eating 1/2 raw and 1/2 Dr. Tims pursuit. He likes the dry food just fine and I haven't noticed any major negatives with the exception of his paws having a very strong cornchip odor which is a bit unusual.
I still have another unopened 40 lb bag which I will come back to, but I'm open to trying out different options for him. The main thing that changed is his metabolism. It seems to have slowed down as he's gotten older (he's almost 7), so it's becoming more difficult for him to retain that lean shape that I like. I decided that I will most likely stay with foods that are 28-32% protein and under 17% fat which should help with the weight issue. I also need to limit his consumption of treats, especially watch what he gets during training. He really seems to like the fruitables skinny minis and they are only 3 cal per treat.
One food I came across this week is Vet's choice holistic extension grain free. It is 18% fat (27% protein) which I can live with as long as he does well on it. Down side is that I have no found anyone locally that sells it and none of the distributors in the area carry it. I do like the ingredient list.
So that is our diet plan for 2013 and I hopefully I'll have the opportunity to post more useful things on here when I get some extra time.
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