Dog Food without legumes - recommendations

[LauraKY]

I’m having a heck of a time finding a dog food for my senior collie. She was doing well on Wellness Simple Turkey and Potato but now that the issues with legumes and cardiomyopathy have been uncovered, I’ve tried to find a new food that 1) doesn’t upset her stomach and 2) doesn’t cause crazy itching and scratching.

So far I’ve tried Purina Beyond Limited Ingredient (vomiting), Purina ProPlan Bright Mind (diarrhea) and now Purina ProPlan Sensitive after a bout of vomiting/diarrhea and 5 days on metronidazole and prescription I/D dogfood. For years she was on Taste of Wild then 4Heath Grain free until I switched to the Wellness 3 years ago.

Any suggestions? She likes turkey and chicken, not duck, not beef. Fish seems to make scratching worse. Corn seems to be an allergen.

[Simkie]

Screen her for DCM and, barring interesting results, keep her on the food that works and supplement taurine.

The research is not at all clear at this time. It is not unreasonable to keep her on the kibble that works for her when so many other options don’t.

[Sswor]

Cook real food for her. Add to it what you want, leave out what you don’t. Ultimate control and peace of mind. Healthy dog. It’s not rocket science. Do you eat out of a can or bag?

[S1969]

@Simkie

Screen her for DCM and, barring interesting results, keep her on the food that works and supplement taurine.

The research is not at all clear at this time. It is not unreasonable to keep her on the kibble that works for her when so many other options don’t.

This.

DCM is not a simple cause/effect situation. How long has your dog been eating the food she is on? If it has been a while, and if she is not affected, I wouldn’t switch.

That said, isn’t there any other Wellness food that is similar without being as high in legumes?

[Saskatoonian]

Have you looked at SportDog Food? I know they have kibble without legumes, and it’s great stuff.

[rubles]

Legume free? As in lentils. That’s interesting about the cardiomyopathy link. recently my vet referred to an article in the journals linking cardiac problems with with grain free that I was feeding. So because my puppy is a breed known to have cardiac problems vet recommended Royal Canin for her not the very good quality food I usually fed. Losing two dogs last summer was enough. Lentils are the suspect ingredient in this case. Hope you, too, find an appropriate food.

[LauraKY]

@S1969

This.

DCM is not a simple cause/effect situation. How long has your dog been eating the food she is on? If it has been a while, and if she is not affected, I wouldn’t switch.

That said, isn’t there any other Wellness food that is similar without being as high in legumes?

The Wellness so far hasn’t been implicated, however I wonder if they’re phasing it out. The only size available is the largest bag which goes stale before I can feed it all. My last collie died of DCM and she was on Taste of the Wild grain-free for years.

It sounds great to “cook for your dog” but many homemade diets are deficient in needed nutrients.

@Saskatoonian I’m looking at the SportDog food right now.

[CanteringCarrot]

Does it have to be dry food?

My younger dog eats canned food, and I find that there are way less ingredients involved and it is easier to feed a dog with food allergies or a sensitive stomach. There are some good quality ones out there (in my neck of the woods anyway).

[snowblaze]

If you do need to change her food, my dogs did very well for years on this plain and simple legume-free variety of Fromm food:
https://frommfamily.com/products/dog/classic/dry/#adult

[LauraKY]

@snowblaze

If you do need to change her food, my dogs did very well for years on this plain and simple legume-free variety of Fromm food:
https://frommfamily.com/products/dog/classic/dry/#adult

That might work! She needs a fairly limited ingredient kibble. I’m going to give it a try.

[Saskatoonian]

I had the same concern about cooking for my dog until I found this site - https://secure.balanceit.com/recipegenerator_ver4/index.php?rotator=EZ . It’s actually really easy and kind of fun.

[LauraKY]

Temporary hold - she’s back to explosive diarrhea, so it’s metronidazole, anti-diarrheal and probiotics and prescription food for a while. The vet wants to keep her on the prescription food for at least 2 to 3 weeks, then we’ll try other food. She did say absolutely NO to grain-free with legumes.

[clipper]

When you find a food to try with your dog buy some doggie probiotics. You can feed the new food with the probiotics and this should help the sensitivity. My vet sells me proplan fortiflora and it works so well. It is pricey at almost $1.00 a day but I use it for two weeks and then usually it is not needed for months. Probiotics are not meant to be given continuously, just until you have the digestive tract repopulated.

[LauraKY]

@clipper

When you find a food to try with your dog buy some doggie probiotics. You can feed the new food with the probiotics and this should help the sensitivity. My vet sells me proplan fortiflora and it works so well. It is pricey at almost $1.00 a day but I use it for two weeks and then usually it is not needed for months. Probiotics are not meant to be given continuously, just until you have the digestive tract repopulated.

I do. I feed Forte Flora when changing food. It works great! Chewy has it for a little less than $1/ a piece.

[MustangSavvy]

How slow of a transition period did you do?

Secondly, just supplement taurine and keeping a dog on a non-compliment food is not safe. The current thinking is that foods high in legumes in the grain free/boutique types are blocking the absorption of taurine and leading to DCM. We do need a lot more research but I think you wise to be switching. There is basically zero reason to feed a grain free diet. If you are worried I would recommend getting a echocardiogram done to screen for DCM.

There a lot of WSAVA compliment foods for you to look into. My dogs are on Purina Pro Plan sensitive systems. But not all foods work for all dogs - Royal Canin, Hills/Science Diet, etc are all options.

[TatteredDaydreamer]

I second looking into SportDog food. My senior mutt is doing fabulously on it and their customer service is incredible!

[Sswor]

@LauraKY

It sounds great to “cook for your dog” but many homemade diets are deficient in needed nutrients.

It is great because yes, you’re correct–and it’s easier to supplement the diet with pro/prebiotics, enzymes, omega fatty acids then to quality control the junk ingredients they put into commercial dog food. It is literally bottom of the barrel food stuffs they put in dog food and you don’t know where it comes from nor what quality it started as.

From what you describe, your dog needs all of the above (pro/prebiotics, enzymes, omega fatty acids) supplemented asap. The digestive enzymes are where it’s at for GI health. Pro and prebiotics maintain gut health. Get her on an immune booster while you are at it. Browse your local feed store’s selection of GI health products for dogs. Look for USA products. Target digestive plant enzymes and a probiotic at minimum.

Good luck because what you describe is no fun for either of you and she needs it corrected asap.

Ps, they are now selling Taurine booster for dogs. You can buy Taurine straight human grade from GNC or equivalent health food stores, just buy the lowest concentration available (under 100) and pill the dog, but honestly the Taurine booster dog product is easier (though certainly NOT cheaper, holy moly) as it is powdered, palatable, and top dressed on the meal.

15 years ago I had a dog diagnosed with CHF and his cardiologist recommended supplementing with CoQ10 and Taurine. She sent me to GNC. This was long before any announced link so clearly it’s been strongly suspected in veterinary circles for years.

[LauraKY]

@MustangSavvy

How slow of a transition period did you do?

Secondly, just supplement taurine and keeping a dog on a non-compliment food is not safe. The current thinking is that foods high in legumes in the grain free/boutique types are blocking the absorption of taurine and leading to DCM. We do need a lot more research but I think you wise to be switching. There is basically zero reason to feed a grain free diet. If you are worried I would recommend getting a echocardiogram done to screen for DCM.

There a lot of WSAVA compliment foods for you to look into. My dogs are on Purina Pro Plan sensitive systems. But not all foods work for all dogs - Royal Canin, Hills/Science Diet, etc are all options.

Yes, my vet consulted with the OSU Veterinary Nutritiionist. Her advice is no, absolutely not, to grain free foods.

[Amar]

Try Stella & Chewy’s Freeze Dried Raw Dinner Patties Dog Food it contains 95% animal protein. This is a high protein food, rich in superfoods like spinach, carrots, and blueberries. Definitely you will find the difference.

[LauraKY]

@Amar

Try Stella & Chewy’s Freeze Dried Raw Dinner Patties Dog Food it contains 95% animal protein. This is a high protein food, rich in superfoods like spinach, carrots, and blueberries. Definitely you will find the difference.

Thanks. She doesn’t do well on high protein, high fat food and it’s 48% protein and 28% fat. She does better on 20-25% protein and 10 - 14% fat.

I found one to try though - Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Duck and Potato. No legumes or peas. Fingers crossed she likes it.