Many on this site have had great success with CN Lamb and Rice. It seems like every third person feeds it or recommends it. Well we are well into the second bag of CN Lamb and Rice Puppy formula and I do not see the results that everyone is taking about.

Yes baxter's coat is AMAZING! Shiny and soft, BUT his paws are BLOOD RED. :eek: (no actucal blood, but that dark in color)

The licking and scrathing has not subsided. It seems as though the paw licking got worse. Also it's very hard for Baxter to poo. It seems like he is always struggling and they are small and dry. And we have had a few deep frosts here in Chicago and he is still licking his paws.

I like the fact that the food has a limited ingreident base, but something is not geling here. When I went to get the second bag of dog food at the holistic pet store the owner asked why I was getting this food and in the puppy formula, I gave the long story and she said that I was going down the wrong path, she tried to push me towards RAW feeding and that she had patties that were ready.

She gave me a few samples of some dog food that was fish based and told me to try it. We used it as treats and Baxter had the worst gas.:eek:

I posted a thread on the PP Selects fish food to get some opinions and it was mixed. It seems like an okay choice, No?

I am soo confused and don't know what to try.:confused:

Does it have to be this hard?:(

Maybe he is allergic to the lamb?? Has he been on lamb based food before?

Have you tried a chicken based food?

Also, just cause his feet are itching, doesn't mean it's food based allergy. Could also mean anything in the house, grass outside; etc. frost doesn't kill the grass, just turns it yellow.

Maybe he is allergic to the lamb?? Has he been on lamb based food before?

He has had lamb before, about a month's worth on the Kirkland brand. Gave him HORRIABLE GAS.

Have you tried a chicken based food?

Also, just cause his feet are itching, doesn't mean it's food based allergy. Could also mean anything in the house, grass outside; etc. frost doesn't kill the grass, just turns it yellow.

He has had chicken based food and seemed fine. The only reason I did not get the chicken version of the CN was because it had flax seed and I thought that was bad for a dog. When he was on Healthwise (also by Natura) he was on the chicken formula and seemed to chew is paws a bit less than now, but his coat was dry and dull.

He also is always biting or chewing at his tushie area.

Makes me think his problem is not food related. Have you considered cleaning products used on the floor, bedding, etc?

Makes me think his problem is not food related. Have you considered cleaning products used on the floor, bedding, etc?

No I didn't think about that. How can I tell if that is the problem?

I checked back on some of your posts and I think the breeder sent you home with a bag of something with chicken in it. I don't know what treats you feed but you might try stopping all treats. Also, I personally would dump the Cal. Natural if my dog was having a hard time going to the bathroom. It did not agree with my dog...duck poop and the girl at the pet shop just put her sheperd on it....same thing duck poop. Anyway....if you can...try to find a food that has ingredients that your dog has never eaten. If he had lamb and chicken....change to venison or fish. Remember bison is about the same as beef. If the foods had rice...change to sweet potatoes or potatoes. Watch out for chicken fat in the food if he was already on chicken and it didn't work. If the fish oil was salmon, change it to herring or menhaden (bunker), or pike, etc. Also watch the oils....if it was flaxseed, change to sunflower or salmon, etc. Just look closely at all the ingredients in all the foods you have given him and if possible...change all of them. It will take alot of time on your part researching, but it will be worth it in the long run if it is a food allergy. Check www.dogfoodanalysis.com (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com) for dog food ingredients but also go to the manufacturers sites because alot of new foods have hit the shelf lately. I am always looking for new foods....I told my petshop about the Herring Evo before the Evo rep even got there..lol. Also watch potatoes...potatoes and sweet potaoes are not the same....mine can tolerate sweet pot, but not potatoes..
And for the feet....I use monistat 7. I put a little on my finger and rubbed it underneath between mine's pads... I also put it between his toes. I did it at night when he was tired right before we went to bed. I distracted him for about 5 or 10 minutes after, then we went to bed. It does not smell, so he forgot about it and went to sleep. I did this for 4 nights and his paws were so much better. I still do it once in a while if he starts on his paws. If you are thinking about doing it....I tested it on one paw in one area the first time and checked it in the morning to make sure he did not have any kind of reaction to it. I tried dipping his paws in apple cider vinegar in the beginning....that made them worst...lol. I also tried neosporim. Nothing worked as good as the monistat 7. I also mentioned it to my vet one time that I had done that and I didn't get a negative statement about it fom him. By the way....if your dog doesn't like the food or the food doesn't agree with your dog, most pet shops will refund your money.
As far as raw....did you try raw ground "whatever" meat form the supermarket? I tried all the premade raws (Natures Variety, Bravo, and Primal) and mine either didn't like them or they made him sick. I've been using the raw ground supermarket meat as a topper for my dogs food for quite some time with no problems. Since it has no bones and stuff in it, it is not a complete diet....but for me it works well as a topper and mine loves it. I give mine 1/3 of a lb. at his evening feeding. Just wanted to let you know....alot of people say you feed raw and kibble at different feedings because they digest differently. I free feed dry all day and at night...I put a little dry with ground raw on top in a stainless steel bowl and pick up that bowl after meal. So far everythings been fine.