# Recomend dry dog food?



## Wulf03 (Apr 19, 2010)

Hello, I just found this site while researching dog food brands for my 9 year old GSD. He has had stomach problems for almost his entire life. Recent sever case of pancreantitus last November and recently vet put him on Prilosec treatment for morning upset stomach. Vet also recomend I switch him to Purina Pro plan sensitive stomach. He has been on Purina one his entire life and until recently was free roamer who visitied with all neighbors and there scrap piles.
He has been on Flags antis for about 5 years and when he miss one dose his stomch will make a bad growling sound and he will not eat until he has a flag pill.
He has never been able to eat any grilled meats or most meat except boiled chicken.
So what does anyone recomend. His history with meat kinda rules out the raw diet.
Does anyone recomend Purina pro plan sensitive? Eukanuba German Shepherd plan or what.
I also have kept him on glucosmine tabs his entire life.
Are his problems common with any of your dogs?
Sorry for improper grammar or spelling but iam simply looking for GSD information?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Forget the eukanubas, the purinas, the pedigrees and all the other junk you can buy in grocery stores or petcos or petsmarts (except for a few exceptions).

Some of the top foods you can feed are orijen, EVO, Acana, Before Grains, wellness Core and really all of the other grain frees out there.

If your dog can tolerate grains and i guess he can since he's been on purina, i personally suggest Innova. I've been feeding it to Lucy since she was 4 months old and she loves it and does great on it. Another good one with grain is the wellness super5mix, but ive never fed it, just heard good things.

I think you need to just pick out something and go from there. It's trial and error until you find something that works. In the mean time, here's a good website you might want to check out...

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I highly recommend you read this webpage, it has a lot of information on GI problems in dogs:
DogAware.com Health: Digestive Disorders in Dogs


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

My boy is on Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness Duck Recipe, it's grainless, he loves it and has no problems on it, maybe your dog will do good on it too? I hope I helped


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## Wulf03 (Apr 19, 2010)

Should I try and switch to one of the non-grain foods? Since he has been on Purina this long will the switch hurt his digestive track?
Befor his Pancreinitus last year I noticed the only time his stool was loose was when he consumed table scraps. Since last November he has has no diarhea while on dogfood only diet. The only problem I have now is his nausea when he first gets up. While on Prilosec he is great otherwise he gets up and eats grass and usually throws up a small amount of green vile. After this he generally eats a dog bone or soem dry dog food and is great. Vet has also suggested I put him on pepcid ac once a day if problems continue?
I might try well ness core first unless anything else you recomend I try first? Seems most of the speciality foods run $50 a bag compared with the $25 for grocery store brands.If Iam going to try this I want to try something that has been proven effective by many gsd owners and not just something advertised as being good for him.


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## Wulf03 (Apr 19, 2010)

Actually after reading the review sites I believe the Innova brand seems like a better choice. My only question is with the high protein content of the red meat bites will this hurt his stomach? Has anyone had issues with this brand especially first time you give it?
Also with him being 9 years old should I go with senior formula or regular?


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

A lot of the higher end foods are good for GSDs and other dogs alike. They're just good all around foods. And while they may be more expensive, most of the time you feed less of them than cheapo crap food and you can save the money in vet bills, although you may be too late for that. 

Stop feeding him bones and table scraps of all sorts, and just put him on a good dog food. Personally, from research I've done, I would recommend Taste of the Wild. It's grain free, and I've heard and read nothing but great things about it. Wellness is also great, as is Orijen, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, and Solid Gold. It's really a matter of grain vs. grain free and preference. All of them have something great to offer. 

I don't think the switch will ruin his digestive tract, but don't make the switch cold turkey or he could get very upset. Gradually phase in the new food- 1/4 new food to 3/4 old food for a few days, then half and half for a few days, then less old and more new for a few days, then finally switch over to 100% new food to help his stomach along. If he gets diarhea, add some canned pumpking (not pie filling) to his kibble to help firm it up. Good luck!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would not feed Taste of the Wild, it is made by Diamond and I had a several of my dogs get sick when I tried to add just a little bit to their current kibble. 

Also, I think that with the pancreatitis, you might want to not have so much protein in your dog's diet. I am not an expert, but I have read the correlation between diets with mostly meat and pancreatitis. 

Natural Balance is another that is made by Diamond, but they have a couple of decent foods that might be good for an older dog with issues. It has fewer ingredients and is generally well tolerated. We switched Pip, my parents' old dog onto it and he thrived. I am not sure of the protein levels, and we used duck and potato and duck is rather fatty. 

If I am not mistaken, you should probably avoid a lot of fat. Your dog is used to grains. Brown rice is better than white rice, rice is generally better than corn, I would avoid wheat all together, and I am not a fan of barley either. 

Any dog given a free rein in the garbage piles of the neighbors is likely to come up with digestive issues here and there. If you just keep the dog out of the garbage and feed him the purina sensitive stomach you will probably be just fine. My parents' shepherd mix lived 14 full years on purina, dads, and alpo come n get it. 

Whatever you chose to do I would do slow -- save shutting off his excursions into doggy heaven.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

That's very strange, Selzer. You're the ONLY person I've ever heard of whose dogs did not do well with Taste of the Wild.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Hmmm. No, TOTW has had a LOT of issues around here--inconsistency in kibble sizes, dogs going off it, etc.. Being a Diamond golden child has its downs. It's only a matter of time. 

I really think for a dog with stomach problems, something "limited ingredient" is best. Natural Balance is also made by Diamond, but they market themselves as specifically that, and boy does it do wonders. Their food is all SINGLE SOURCE protein. The fat and protein are fairly low for grain free foods (I think flax seed is the only "grainy" thing in NB).

Our girl has been on a mix of Natural Balance and EVO for about 8 months and it's worked wonders on her.

Also, do you have your dog on enzymes?


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## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

I have been feeding TOTW pacific stream for the past year and a half with no issues. It contains no flax and it's first two ingredients are protiens, though the first is not a meal, but the second is a meal. The only thing that disappoints me is that it added white potatoes (listed as "potatoes") to its formula instead of sticking strictly to sweet potatoes. But Phoenix IS doing really well on the food.

I was rotating Acana grasslands up until they changed the formula and added chicken fat. I have a dog allergic very allergic to chicken and I have found that chicken fat caused runny stools. 

I know folks love to knock Diamond and I'm not 100% thrilled to be purchasing a food produced by them, but I have a dog that was puking and had off and on runny poops until I switched to this food. I now lots of folks have had success with NB. I am not thrilled that the first ingredient in the food is a carbohydrate, especially its duck based food which has white potatoes as it's first ingredient. The other issue is that if you have a dog allergic to flaxseed, then it's not a food you want to feed.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Wulf, how many meals per day do you feed? You may eliminate the need for meds and the morning urping of bile if you feed two or three meals per day, even maybe just giving a small amount right before bedtime.

~Kristin


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

GSDElsa said:


> Hmmm. No, TOTW has had a LOT of issues around here--inconsistency in kibble sizes, dogs going off it, etc.. Being a Diamond golden child has its downs. It's only a matter of time.
> 
> I really think for a dog with stomach problems, something "limited ingredient" is best. Natural Balance is also made by Diamond, but they market themselves as specifically that, and boy does it do wonders. Their food is all SINGLE SOURCE protein. The fat and protein are fairly low for grain free foods (I think flax seed is the only "grainy" thing in NB).
> 
> ...


I'm sorry, I don't frequent the food section here as often as another forum, which is where I've never seen a problem, even in GSDs from there. Strange.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

It does totally vary for what does well for each dog. I wouldn't be able to feed it even if it was the best food out there because of the ingredients.

Anyhoo. I can't remember what month exactly, but I think it was late summer/early fall-ish there seemed to be a rash of people on this website that were noting sudden changes in kibble shape, size, etc and it seemed like a lot of dogs developed problems. Since I don't feed it, I never followed up as to if anyone found out about a formula change, etc or got to the bottom of what was going on.

ETA: USUSALLY dogs with sensitive stomachs do best on limited ingredient diets....but again, every dog is different!


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## Wulf03 (Apr 19, 2010)

I feed him small meals usually 3 times daily. He eats up to three milk bones 3 times also. I talked with my vet again today and she still recomends Purina or other sensitive stomach diet. She said she did not believe any of the high end dog food would help due to his age and what he been use to.
Granted the Purina runs about $50 just like the other high end brands. Guess I will try it and find out.


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## emusdad (Apr 14, 2010)

i've heard nothing but great reviews about taste of the wild. I guess I wouldnt be worried about size of the kibble. If your looking for a factory product that is uniform in size and shape go buy Purina.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

JMO, but I think you should at least try something else. There are plenty of different kibbles out there that are for those with sensitive tummies. If you only try out one kind, I would look into California Naturals. It is marketed towards those dogs with allergies and sensitive tummies. They have simple ingredients and are low in fat and moderate in the protein. They are also price the same as what you are feeding now. the Chicken and rice would be a good one to try. 

Also, most vets get very little education regarding nutrition, and what they do get comes from dog food reps from companies like hills. 

And my parting remark from Albert Eistein... "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"

If it's if not broke, don't fix it. works to. But in this case it sounds like everything is not going great, so to continue on the same path and expect improvement isn't really practical. Good Luck with your kibble Quest!


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

emusdad said:


> i've heard nothing but great reviews about taste of the wild. I guess I wouldnt be worried about size of the kibble. If your looking for a factory product that is uniform in size and shape go buy Purina.


When the size and color change....that means that something in the 'recipe' for the food has changed. While certain foods in our world can change size and color and still be normal (like chocolate chip cookies), If you open a box of Cheerios and instead of the light color they were brown, and they were smaller.

Might not seem that big of a deal, but something changed in the recipe. The cheerios are brown now because they reduced the oats and added wheat. (well what if I am allergic to wheat, now i will have a reaction to the cheerios). And because they are smaller I will get more into a cup. So when I measure out my cereal, I'm getting 180 calories, instead of 140. (This hasn't happened with Cheerios in real life...just making sure)

When you translate that into kibble, you have dogs, especially dogs with sensitive tummies (like a lot of GSDs) reacting to it. There is a thread on here that was posted about a month or maybe 2 months ago that was about TOTW. They had just changed their recipe and had increased one kind of meat substantially while lowering the most expensive one to cut costs. Since the exact amounts aren't listed, then who knows what other ingredients and their amounts were changed. 

When GM makes their Cheerios, they use the same recipe and get the same Cheerio every time. Kibble should be the same.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

I think you have to take your vet's advice and combine it with what works for you. I feed only dry food, as all of my girls have gastric issues (diarrhea) when I try to add canned food to the mix. My GSD had a hard time maintaining weight until she was about 3 years old; my vet recommended Eukanuba Sporting (now relabeled as "premium"). We switched and within 2 weeks she looked better and had more energy and attentiveness than before. She's very active but has maintained her weight at 79-81 pounds for well over a year now. My rottie and my sheltie don't have the metabolism that the GSD has, I feed them a mix of Canidae lamb & rice (better stools with that, for some reason...) and the Eukanuba. All three are thriving, in excellent coat, and full of energy. Funny, we tried Iams with probiotics (or is it prebiotics...), and although it seems on the surface to be the same basic ingredients as in the Eukanuba, all three dogs had skin and digestive issues while on the Iams. All three dogs cleared up when taken off the Iams. Go figure...


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

GSDSunshine said:


> Also, most vets get very little education regarding nutrition, and what they do get comes from dog food reps from companies like hills.
> 
> !


^^this^^

it seems counterintuitive to disregard a vets advice on dog food, but in a vast majority of cases, the are so woefully uninformed on what options are out there and/or what type of nutrition dogs thrive on its downright scary.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Wulf03 said:


> I feed him small meals usually 3 times daily. He eats up to three milk bones 3 times also. I talked with my vet again today and she still recomends Purina or other sensitive stomach diet. She said she did not believe any of the high end dog food would help due to his age and what he been use to.
> Granted the Purina runs about $50 just like the other high end brands. Guess I will try it and find out.


does Purina really cost $50? if so, Purina might as well have some reps in the store holding up cutomers with a gun, 'cause that's robbery. 

they cant justify those prices. for that price, you can easily buy a 30 lb bag of a grain free food (and likely will feed less of it than the purina)


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

When I got my GSD he was 11 weeks old and his BYB had him on Purina and told us to keep him on it. When I got home I did alot of research on that brand and read numerous reviews and decided that my boy deserved better than that crap.

When we took him to the Vet and told her that we were switching him off Purina and trying to find a new brand she told me to go with Science Diet and gave me a free bag, as soon as I got home I threw it away, that stuff is complete garbage.

After that we decided to go with Solid Gold Wolf Cub (puppy) and he did fantastic on it!!! He loved his food and he looked great on it. When he turned a year old we switched him over to Solid Gold Wolf King (adult). He was missing some hair around his eye so we took him to the Vet and she said he must be allergic to grain so we switched him off of that and over to Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness Duck Recipe because it is grainless. Later we found out that the Vet was wrong and he was not allergic to grain but had Demodex Mange. 

Solid Gold is a great brand and I recommend it to everyone.
Blue Wilderness is even better


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Amazon.com: Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Formula: Kitchen & Dining

sadly its true


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

GSDSunshine said:


> Amazon.com: Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Formula: Kitchen & Dining
> 
> sadly its true


OMG!!!!!! O.M.G.

PLEASE try something else! Natural Balance. California Natural. About 90% of the foods will be better than this! Go lower protein. Lower fat. And maybe supplement with some good probiotics. YIKES! That is highway robbery!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Am I the only one more worried about the dog scarfing food from all the neighbor's garbage piles. My guess is that you will not win a court case against purina if the dog roots through garbage and eats purina and gets pancreatitis. 

Purina isn't the best stuff in town, but I know people who have fed Fromm and Innova and some of the other big brands, but keep coming back to Pro Plan. I do not know whether some dogs do not do as well with highly concentrated kibble, or what, but some dogs do best on middle of the road foods. 

Be that as it may, the dog has to stop getting into extras, and then you can worry about upgrading the quality of what he is allowed to eat.

ETA: reread first post, I see "until recently, he was a free roamer visiting the neighbors and their scrap piles." So that is no longer the case. Ok.


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Am not a doctor so discuss with your vet: Just want to add a word of caution about pancreatitus and fat content... had a boston terrier recently go through an attack... have had to cut out as much fat out of his diet as possible and the grainfree EVO which I fed all my dogs including this one is very high in fat content. From a quick look at the store I think that is symptomatic of most grainfree... so I would check the fat content and try to find as lean a food as possible... have tried a Wellness lowfat/diet version that is around 6% that I like.. I feed that and plain skinless cooked chicken. My little guy has gotten over his pain and is doing well. Good luck... it is really what works for YOUR dog...these are all just tips to help you find that


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

I just read over some other posts and want to add that the age of your dog is NOT extreme... once I finally shifted to grainfree food my 9 yr old had a major improvement in his quality of life improving his skin and coat and eliminating summer hot spots... what a difference. He is still with us today at 12.


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## Wulf03 (Apr 19, 2010)

After his Pancrentitus my dog is no longer allowed to roam. During this time I kept him on chicken and rice and gradually got him back to Purina. He also still takes flagg antis when he needs them.
He has had no loose stool and doesnot seem like he has any stomach pain. Occasional maybe once a month his stomach will make a loud rumbling sound and he will not eat until he takes one of his flag pills. After this stomach settles down and he is fine.
The morning nausea started bac k in January of this year. After his first cycle of prilosec the nausea stopped for almost one month. Recently started it again and all is well. Vet belives possibly the senseitive stomach food will eliminate it all togather.
It is possible the nausea is still an effect from his pancrentitus. I have also got to get him off his standard milkbones and start on Purina snacks.
Other than this he is fine and showing very little signs of hip problems.
He is the first dog out of all my pack to have these problems. Had another shep to make it 12 years with no problems other than late hip pain.
All dogs ate either Pedigree or Purina and table scraps. I believe perhaps alot is the breed itself that is responsible for such problems. My six beagles seem to be bullet proof as with my lab.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I will give table scraps on occasion, and have never had a problem with feeding human food, but the difference is that when I let them lick my plate or save a bit of something, or even cook for them potato soup, beef stew, or chicken and rice, I am in control of the portions. 

When dogs roam freely, if they find the remains of, say, a rib roast, there is a huge amount of pure fat and cooked bone. The dog says YUM and scarfs it ALL. But his system then rebels.


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## Petrarch (Apr 13, 2010)

I tried Eukanuba and the dogs liked it. Where would you find some of the good brands that are mentioned in previous posts? I don't think Petsmart carries them.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Petrarch said:


> I tried Eukanuba and the dogs liked it. Where would you find some of the good brands that are mentioned in previous posts? I don't think Petsmart carries them.


all those manufacturer websites will have store locators on them. as far as petsmart, i know they carry Blue Buffalo and Blue Wilderness. Petco carries Wellness and Solid Gold. if there is a Pets Supplies Plus anywhere near you, they carry quite a few different foods. Innova seems to be carried at quite a few of the mor independent type shops.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

We have been mixing a small amount of TOTW with the 7.5 month old's Orijen and he's had constant diarrhea for 48 hours now. We're gonna try it in the adult's food now.


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## klgraf (May 2, 2010)

I'm switching my 7 mo GSD female off of Science Diet Puppy Healthy Development. We adopted Lilly from our local shelter about 1.5 mos ago. Since she was on Science Diet, we left her on it. Her poop has been soft to loose since we got her. We've added pumpkin, and are now transitioning her to new food. 

So...I am going to start keeping a diligent food log, but cannot find anywhere how long it takes food to pass through the GSD digestive system. I want to know, for example, if she has a soft stool at 6:30 p.m., what should I tie it to - what was fed 24 hours ago, 8 hours ago, 1 hour ago?


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I believe the normal time it takes is about 6-8 hours. Unless that's only for puppies.


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## Asche-zu-Staub (Apr 25, 2010)

Wulf03 said:


> Actually after reading the review sites I believe the Innova brand seems like a better choice. My only question is with the high protein content of the red meat bites will this hurt his stomach? Has anyone had issues with this brand especially first time you give it?
> Also with him being 9 years old should I go with senior formula or regular?



the breeder i got stauba from only feeds her dogs innova. she says its the only food all of them (she has 7 dogs on site for shuzhund training and usually one litter at a time) can have and not have any issues with. aschen is being switched over and hes not having a problem. i used to give him california natural but he had bad gas from it. gas is going away!!!!


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## MSU Born (May 6, 2010)

*Recommend dry dog food.*

I have had several German Shepards, and a lot of them seem to have digestive issues. Suspect not only what you are feeding them, but everything they eat. My last Shepard's worst enemy was Milkbone brand dog biscuits. It threw off her PH terrible and could have caused kidney stones.


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## Sharbel (Apr 30, 2010)

German Shepherd Dog Food | Royal Canin

I just want to know if someone has used this brand ROYAL CANIN GERMAN SHEPHERD 24 and IF there is anything that makes it unsuitable for GSD feeding.

I ask this because despite being one of the most expensive brands in the Cyprus market ( Euros 66 for 14 Kg bag) nobody in this thread has mentioned it.

I have been using it since Richie became 1 year old that is for the last 5 1/2 years without apparently any health side effects to him.

I am now thinking seriously to get a replacement as the fact that not anybody is mentioning it had let me to assume that something is wrong with it.

Is the reason that nearly nobody mentioned it that there is some problem with this brand kibble or it is just that you are not aware of this brand's existence?


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## klgraf (May 2, 2010)

*Royal Canin no good for my GSD*



Sharbel said:


> German Shepherd Dog Food | Royal Canin
> 
> I just want to know if someone has used this brand ROYAL CANIN GERMAN SHEPHERD 24 and IF there is anything that makes it unsuitable for GSD feeding.


I'm no expert, but if your dog is doing OK, it may be "suitable." Is it the best? Probably not as it has Corn Gluten as one of the "bad" ingredients.

We tried Royal Canin German Shepherd 30 (for puppies) w/ our 7 mo old GSD female that we got 1.5 mos ago. She has been having digestive issues...loose poops, lots of poop, smelly. She had been on Science Diet, so after reading reviews on Royal Canin by people using it I decided to try it. It didn't work for us. We ended up switching her to a grain-free diet: Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison and Taste of the Wild High Prairie. These brands may not be available in Cyprus, but perhaps you can find other grain-free alternatives if you want to switch.

She has been on all grain-free the last two days and is doing great. Good stool quality, no eye boogers, very small rash on underbelly going away.

Good luck.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I tried it. I am put off by the glutens. The big kibbles, I don't know my crowd were not overly impressed with it, and I did not buy it again.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

We went back to Kumpi - it works best for us even over RAW and Grain-Free. It is what I recommend - I actually spend less, feed less and my dogs and cats are doing so much better - I wish I had not ever switched but I learned my lesson - at least I can say I tried the RAW and Grain-Free....but we will not be going back.

Here is my "lesson learned"
http://angelesandfriends.com/2010/04/our-raw-feeding-journey-a-lesson-learned/


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## Toffifay (Feb 10, 2007)

Royal GSD 24 did not work out for my current GSD. She had pretty bad gas and loose stool, not to mention she didn't like it all that much. I have fed this formula to a past GSD with excellent results, however. I also feed Royal Canin cat food to my cat and he is in perfect health and looks beautiful. Royal Canin has a prescription line of pet foods, available through Veterinarians, and one of my dogs eats their Hypoallergenic dog food. She is doing excellent on this food.

I think if the food has been working for your dog for all these years, than it is a good match and there would be no reason to switch. Royal Canin is not the best brand out there, but it is far from horrible! If your dog is healthy than that is all you can ask of a pet food, I think!


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## Sharbel (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks. No reason to switch for sure. I got some other band Symba when we run out las week and when I mixed it with RC24 when we finally got it guess what. He was SELECTING the kibbles of C24 and left untouched the new formula!! No need top change Pedigree wet canned food either that I combine with RC24 as he won't it the kibble without topping with this particular one.


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## rebelsgirl (May 19, 2005)

I just switched Zoe and my Pom Rascal over to Prairie Lamb and oatmeal. Both dogs seem to love it. My last GSD was so allergic to everything he ate. He already had stomach problems from having infectious colitis and also a disease he got from a tick caused him to have flares every once in awhile. 

Rebel also had skin and joint problems, nothing we did helped. I'm hoping by using Prairie that we can by pass all these problems with her. Only time will tell.

She was eating Purina One and my pom was eating Iams. Since Prairie is for all live stages, she won't ever have to change foods again if she does well. And you can interchange the flavors without worryng about stomach upset.
Kim

Right now Zoe's coat is so healthy looking and so far no stomach problems.

http://www.naturesvariety.com/prairie_dog_kibble


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

rebelsgirl said:


> I just switched Zoe and my Pom Rascal over to Prairie Lamb and oatmeal...And you can interchange the flavors without worryng about stomach upset.
> Kim


Many dogs may be able to switch flavors within the same brand "cold turkey", but some are more sensitive and still may need a gradual switch.

~Kristin


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