We recently adopted a lab (or mostly lab! :) from a local rescue, and are trying to figure out what to feed him. He came to us eating Purina EN (one of their vet "prescription" lines) because the rescue said he had a very sensitive stomach, but after some research online that seemed like a bad choice based on the ingredients. We have been transitioning him to Premium Edge salmon because he had a lot of skin irritation, but he has recently developed bad gas--wondering 1) if we should look at other foods, and 2) how long after a transition this would be normal--we *just* finished the transition this week. (His stool was extremely soft on the EN but that cleared right up when we started adding the Premium Edge!)

Here's what we'd like to find in a food:

1) Good for our pup--he's between one and two years, and seems to have some allergies (may not be to food, though--but itchy skin, ears, etc.)

2) Sustainable--organic would be ideal, but may be out of our price range. However, we're especially interested in foods where we know where the meat sources come from. (We liked the Premium Edge b/c the salmon is Alaskan wild-caught--though they do not state that it's ethoxyquin free, which is a concern.)

3) Affordable and available--we are willing to spend money on quality food, but ideally this is within reason. So we're cognizant of whether or not we can buy it locally (but we're in the Bay Area and have several great dog stores that stock a huge range of food) and how much it costs.

One of our local shops has recommended Canidae and we have a bag of that to try, but I'm a little hesitant because it has so many protein sources that, if he does have allergies, it could be difficult to discern to what.

Thoughts on this? Also, how many calories should a dog his age (relatively active young adult) be consuming? (We also noticed a wide range in calories per cup, and assume this affects how much of any given food we feed him--thus, a more expensive one with a much higher caloric content per pound might actually be cheaper over time....is this logic right?)

Thanks for any help on this!!
Diana

Diana, welcome to the board and thank you for rescuing! We love pictures.

The rescue said he had "a very sensitive stomach". Do you know what they meant by that? or do you know specifically what he is sensitive to? You also said he "seems to have some allergies", what kind of problems are you seeing besides soft stool as it could firm up some if you just made a change. Ears clean?

Rescue based "sensitive stomach" on the soft stool--though again, that cleared up immediately once we moved him off of the EN, and may also have had environmental factors (shelter to rescue to foster home to us, etc.) The allergies (our vet's diagnosis so based on only a few weeks) we see are: skin irritations (flaking, etc.) and itching; ear itching (but they're clean and no infections--he just paws them frequently); light eye discharge (clear and no indication of infection; vet says it's normal allergy symptom); and lots of sneezing and reverse sneezing (again, checked for kennel cough, infections, etc.--no sign). We expect some of this could be environmental (related either to the transition or to pollen) but know that food can be a factor as well.

Thanks for the welcome!

I would try for a food that your dog will process a little better (firm stool). There is a chance that you will see <<stool>> improvements with what you're feeding now if you give it a little more time. If your dog still has symptoms or gets worse then I would suggest a more simple, minimal ingredient food. California Naturals makes some. I think their L&R has only 4 ingredients.

I meant to add that there is a good chance that it is environmental (can't you hear what I'm thinking, lol) but your dog should have a firm stool or it's not suitable for him. If he's able to digest his food well and efficiently he will have a healthier condition overall.

Don't forget to post pictures :)

If you suspect food allergies, the best way is to undergo a vet supervised ellimination diet. When we were trying to figure out what was what with Scooby, that is the first thing we did - he gave us duck and potato or venison and potato type diet to rule out food allergies. Dogs often can have sensitivities to grains as well as protein too. We were hoping that it was a simple food allergy, but it turned out to be environmental (according to my vet, environmental than food allergies are more prevalent) - we did bloodwork to figure that out - that was the 2nd step.

Scooby's symptoms didn't involve soft stools or discharges. He was just frantically scratching everywhere.

Thanks--yes, I'm worried that it may well be environmental (my SO, who has mild dog allergies, jokes that maybe the feeling is mutual! ;) I should clarify that the soft stool *did* clear up once we switched him over to the Premium Edge salmon, but the itching/sneezing didn't, and we started to notice gas problems he didn't have before. Again, he's still pretty new so we're still sorting out what's "normal" for him--just wondered if others had thoughts on dealing with similar problems!

The gas problem may resolve itself as he gets used to the different carbohydrates in his new food.

My Pup is eating California Natural Lamb and Rice because his breeder uses it. I would have never thought to use it .
Only has Lamb Meal , brown rice, and rice, sunflower oil and Vitamins.

Very simple and easy to digest for a new pup and the stress of a new environment. Nice to have firm stool from a pup.

uplander, you might want to consider adding some Omega-3 (fish oil) to your pup's diet. CA Nat lamb/rice does not have any Omega-3 fatty acids and research has shown that Omega-3s are of benefit to the developing/growing puppy. A Google search on 'DHA puppies' provides lots of information.

I used Canidae ALS and my dog loves it, you could also use Canidae L&R, only protein source is lamb

I would give your new dog some time on the food you have already switched him too, it can take a few weeks up to a month or a bit longer to see big changes. Bear has a wheat allergy, so even once we switched his food it took a few weeks for his system to calm down and realize that there wasn't anymore wheat coming.

If you still have trouble with dry, itchy skin/ears it might indeed be food or environment.

I found one thing that really helped Bear when he was so itchy and dry skinned was a good cool water rinse. No soap or shampoo, just tepid water and a good massage, then a towel dry. Did wonders for his skin and helped soothe it.

Labs and lab crosses also seem to do best when they can get wet now and then, not bathed, just rinsed if you don't have a place to swim.