We adopted a 1 year old mixed breed (we think lab/beagle) in July. The rescue was feeding him Nutro Young Adult dry food with a tablespoon of Pedigree Chicken and Rice wet food mixed in so we started off with that and then transitioned over to Merrick Classic Chicken, Brown Rice, and Green Peas dry food and alternating Merrick Smothered Comfort and Cowboy Cookout wet foods can by can.
While it has helped with the health of his coat (it was very thin and flaky) and lessened his eye crusties, his anal glands have been filling up very quickly (the vet needed to express them twice in less than a month) and he's been itching and biting at his feet fairly frequently. He also developed a bacterial infection in his prepuce and possible UTI (we just finished a round of antibiotics and are awaiting results of a urinalysis to see if all is cleared).
We think there is a food allergy at play (the vet said poultry and beef are the most common culprits) and are looking to overhaul his diet....here is what I was thinking, any thoughts/feedback/suggestions appreciated....
Dry food: Fromm Four Star Lamb and Lentil. I've heard good things about the brand and like that it is chicken and grain free.
Wet food: Merrick Limited Ingredient Lamb. While I am hesitant to stick with them given their recent sale to Purina, my dog goes crazy for their wet food and I like the meat varieties in their limited ingredient line.
Treats (this is where I'm lost if we should make changes)....
Training treats: We are using Zukes Roast Chicken Training Treats, would likely switch to their PB or Rabbit varieties unless we find a better alternative.
Small treats: Currently use the Merrick Kitchen Bites or Candiae
Pure lines (tried different flavors). Would these be OK to keep using granted I stayed away from the poultry based varieties??
Larger treats: He gets one of these a day when I am leaving in the morning. I've been using the Nutro Chicken and Brown Rice Tartar Control Biscuits, which he loves, but I would like to replace while determining if going poultry free will help, but I haven't found anything of a similar size to use instead.
Any and all feedback is appreciated. Cost really isn't a factor here as anything is probably cheaper than the time/money spent in having the vet express his glands every two weeks.
While it has helped with the health of his coat (it was very thin and flaky) and lessened his eye crusties, his anal glands have been filling up very quickly (the vet needed to express them twice in less than a month) and he's been itching and biting at his feet fairly frequently. He also developed a bacterial infection in his prepuce and possible UTI (we just finished a round of antibiotics and are awaiting results of a urinalysis to see if all is cleared).
We think there is a food allergy at play (the vet said poultry and beef are the most common culprits) and are looking to overhaul his diet....here is what I was thinking, any thoughts/feedback/suggestions appreciated....
Dry food: Fromm Four Star Lamb and Lentil. I've heard good things about the brand and like that it is chicken and grain free.
Wet food: Merrick Limited Ingredient Lamb. While I am hesitant to stick with them given their recent sale to Purina, my dog goes crazy for their wet food and I like the meat varieties in their limited ingredient line.
Treats (this is where I'm lost if we should make changes)....
Training treats: We are using Zukes Roast Chicken Training Treats, would likely switch to their PB or Rabbit varieties unless we find a better alternative.
Small treats: Currently use the Merrick Kitchen Bites or Candiae
Pure lines (tried different flavors). Would these be OK to keep using granted I stayed away from the poultry based varieties??
Larger treats: He gets one of these a day when I am leaving in the morning. I've been using the Nutro Chicken and Brown Rice Tartar Control Biscuits, which he loves, but I would like to replace while determining if going poultry free will help, but I haven't found anything of a similar size to use instead.
Any and all feedback is appreciated. Cost really isn't a factor here as anything is probably cheaper than the time/money spent in having the vet express his glands every two weeks.