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Rice free dog food, does it exist in a grain friendly option?

My dog had allergy testing done by his vet and is allergic to rice (level 1 on 1-6 scale) :face_with_symbols_over_mouth: I know grain free is not healthy for dogs and in desperation I have him on it but give him oats with his food daily. I would really like to not have to do this for multiple reasons, the least of this is weight gain.

He is a 75lb who knows what mix. We know mom has some German Shephard and lab (my parents own her and confirmed parentage), dad likely has some type of herding breed but we have not done genetic testing.

My biggest issue is I have to avoid rice, beef, lamb, turkey and venison as he is allergic to those ingredients. Grain free allows me to easily avoid rice but man is it pricey to feed a dog his size and it’s a hassle to add in oats at a guessing rate. Has anyone found a grain inclusive food that doesn’t have rice and won’t cost me $3+/lb? It may not exist and I may need to continue doing what I am doing but I figured I would ask you guys in hopes someone else has an allergic dog.

He can have: chicken, egg, wheat, barley, pork, salmon, corn, yeast, soy, potato and peas.

Diamond makes a naturals skin and coat formula that doesn’t have rice. Chewy has it. It does have peas however and I seem to recall that their could be an issue with peas?

What do you mean by “issue with peas”? A health issue with feeding dogs peas?

Thank you!

I seem to recall there may be a connection with diets with peas as a major ingredient contributing to heart issues. A friend had a young terrier develope congestive heart failure and it was something she said in passing . I would just check with your vet as they may have ruled it out. I didn’t research it myself since it’s not a concern for my dogs.

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I think pro plan has been expanding their sensitive formulas. Might be worth contacting them to see if they have anything in the works that might be available soon?

Pea / legume protein can be an issue if there is not enough animal protein. This is due to the protein % being met by AAFCO standards but not Taurine. Taurine is what is needed for heart health. (same thing with cats)

Why are you feeding your dog oats? as a filler?

I would feed a raw or freeze dried diet to your dog if he were mine or do half kibble half freeze dried raw to keep costs down.

My Riley is allergic to: grass, trees (oak and pine) chicken, lamb, venison, and proteins that are considered “hot foods” by Traditional Chinese Med.

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Eukanuba Medium and Large Breed Adult chicken kibble don’t have rice.
Neither does Iams Chicken & Whole Grains Adult.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive formulas all contain rice, sadly.

I mention those three specifically because you mentioned the oats, and those (except maybe Eukanuba? I’m not positive on it, but I think it is) are brands/companies that follow the WSAVA guidelines for formulating their feeds. Iams for sure anyway.

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I am feeding oats so he gets grain as grain free foods have been linked to heart problems in dogs and UTIs in male dogs.

Freeze dried is definitely out of my budget for a dog his size, sadly. I wish I could afford to feed him that but I simply can’t with my senior dog on $200/mo meds, my hard keeper TB and a new baby…just am not that wealthy (yet, HA!).

Thank you!!! I will look at these and hopefully one of them can work for us! They should also be well within my budget especial IAMS, my other dog is on their weight management food and doing fabulous.

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Ah, I think I saw that too when I scanning for rice free foods. At least I saw mention of pea protein being lower in a couple of the grain free foods I came across.

Yes. Natural Balance brand has Sweet Potato versions that are rice and pea free.

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The link to grain free food and heart problems has been debunked. The lack of Taurine and not enough animal protein is what is liked to heart issues.

Please read the below article.

The UTI statement. Never heard of that and I have been feeding all of my dogs on grain free diet for 15+ yrs. I would need to see the data.

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The UTI statement came from my vet a few years ago when grain free took off…not sure if it was based on clients at their practice (8 vets total), or off research. I personally never looked into it so it could just be based off their numbers without confirming direct cause.

Thank you for the information!

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First I’ll say what I’m feeding, then I’ll tell the saga of my dog and why I’m very in favor of the two brands (so far) that I’m about to extol. The first is Orijen’s Amazing Grains Six Fish dry kibble. The second is Essence’s Limited Ingredient Ocean Recipe dry kibble (haven’t tried canned yet, but have some coming). Right now I’m also feeding Essence’s Ocean & Freshwater canned.

Okay. So, how I got to these particular brands and foods:

My dog is 8 years old. From the time he was a little fella, I fed him TSC’s 4Health brand. Over the years I have moved around to different lines and products within that brand, mostly searching for something that would help him with some pretty bad skin allergies. Finally landed on the Sensitive Skin and Coat (or whatever it’s called…white package with husky on it) and his scratching and itching and hair loss, etc. stopped. Hallelujah! He ate that for a few years.

Last summer, I started noticing him having issues breathing, his energy level dropping a lot, and some weight loss. I watched him closely for a few weeks, and soon noticed that he was breathing from his abdomen, seemed to be uncomfortable and out of breath most of the time, and he wasn’t eating or drinking (or pooping or peeing as a result) very much at all. Time for the vet.

Long story slightly less long…he wound up at an emergency vet clinic that has the resources to deal with a pretty severe case of pleural effusion (fluid in his chest). He was bad enough that he had to be put in an oxygen chamber for a little bit. They drained the fluid to get him more comfortable and did a lot of tests that came back okay, but said that cancer couldn’t be ruled out. I was devastated.

We came home with a dog that felt better but with no clear idea of whether the fluid would return, how much time he had left, etc. It took several weeks for him to return to even what he was before going to the emergency clinic. He still wasn’t eating much, so I tried everything including Ollie (which he’d eat sometimes, sometimes not), home-cooked, just canned, etc. He wouldn’t touch his 4Health kibble anymore, but would at least try to eat the canned and some Ollie’s. I knew this wasn’t going to be sustainable, so I went on the hunt for some kibble that might work. I bought Orijen’s Amazing Grains Six Fish. Brought it home and he refused to eat it…still very picky…still not quite himself.

Weeks passed and I just kept feeding him canned and Ollie’s and eventually he started having more of an appetite. His breathing was better, but still not exactly normal, so I watched him obsessively. He went to the vet for some routine stuff and she seemed to think he was okay, though he hadn’t really gained much weight back (but it wasn’t like he was starved).

Eventually I started just putting a little dry food out again to see if he’d try it, and he did! This was probably two to three months after being treated at the emergency clinic. I fed him the rest of his 4Health kibble, thinking that was what he was used to, and he ate it, but his weight still wasn’t where I wanted it, and he began scratching like mad…to the point he was chewing the hair off of his butt/tail, etc. He was miserable. I was perplexed as this was the one food that had helped cure him of his itchiness before.

On a whim, I decided one day to open the bag of Orijen back up and offer him some of that. He scarfed it down like it was filet mignon! I was thrilled and continued feeding him the Orijen kibble and the 4Health canned for the time being. In a week he was looking better than he had in a long time and had noticeably more energy. He was still a little itchy, but nothing like he’d been before.

I started doing more research about various dog foods and looking for something comparable to Orijen’s Amazing Grains Six Fish but not quite as expensive. I came up with Essence’s Limited Ingredient Ocean Recipe. I bought some from Chewy and have been mixing it with the Orijen that I have left. I also bought Essence’s Ocean & Freshwater canned that I mentioned above (by mistake, I thought I was getting the canned version of the kibble…getting that on the next shipment). My dog loves it all, eats it like it’s the best thing ever, and he has gained his weight back, is shiny and no longer itching/scratching, and has tons of energy!

The dog I thought didn’t have long to live is laying beside me right now, breathing easily, healthy as can be. He’s 8 years old and he wears me out with his energy and insistence on playing tug-o-war with his rope or chasing his frisbee, or wanting to go out to the barn.

Sorry for the novel. And while I’m sure there are plenty of options, I do know that the Orijen Amazing Grains Six Fish uses oats and the Essence Limited Ingredient Ocean Recipe uses quinoa and has taurine listed in the ingredients. Both are packed with animal protein from the fish. Neither has rice.

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If you have a BJ’s Club near you (or want to have it shipped), they have a salmon & sweet potato dog food for $1.38/pound. https://www.bjs.com/product/berkley-jensen-grain-free-salmon-and-sweet-potato-dry-dog-food-30-lbs/3000000000001453815

Below are the full list of ingredients. Deboned Salmon, Chicken Meal, Tapioca Starch, Sweet Potatoes, Garbanzo Beans, Turkey Meal, Peas, Pea Starch, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Ground Flaxseed, Beet Pulp, Dried Yeast, Dried Apples, Natural Chicken Flavor, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Menhaden Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Dried Chicory Root, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries, Avocado, Dried Carrots, Parsley, Papaya, Spinach, Kale Powder, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Dl-Methioine, Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantotherate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus, Reuteri Fermentation Product, Dried Bifdobacterium, Animalis Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product.

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Adding grain to grain free probably won’t help prevent the heart issues linked to grain free - the theory is that is what grain free uses instead of grain that causes the issues as those alternates haven’t been properly tested.

Can your vet connect you with a nutritionist who can help you find a suitable food? There are so many “boutique” dog foods now. Horizon Pet Food might have a recipe that works for you.

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All,

Thank you for the information and advice! I ended up getting the same Iams formula my older dog is on. I don’t know how I never realized it was grain friendly but rice free. The older dog has been doing great on it for over a year now. I will also look into doing allergy serum shots starting in 2023, I was on them prior to getting pregnant and they were making a difference for me.

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I will start by saying I don’t have a dog and no nothing about feeding them.

That said cat biscuits have grain free written on them as unlike ommnivore dogs, cats are carnivores and should not have grain.