Vida is 4 months old.When we first got her at 8 weeks she was on Pedigree.My baby is allergic to corn and was getting severe hives from Vida licking him so we had to switch foods.We did it slowly over a course of 3 weeks to ACANA for large breed puppies.Since she has been on it she has had very loose stools and often strains.She has been dewormed by the vet twice and given antibiotics in hopes that would help the loose stools.Same problem now and the vet says he has had lots of dogs on Acana that have the same problem and we need to change her food.He would not recomend a food as he says there all processed and RAW is the way to go.I do not feel I know enough about feeding RAW so going to skip it for now...maybe in the future after researching more I will try :D

So looking for a good food,preferably low calcium ,no grains especially corn.Any advice

Also is it okay to change her food AGAIN?

Orijen Large Breed Puppy formula is the one grain-free kibble with acceptable levels of calcium for a puppy. It worked very well for our Luna who is almost 18 months old now. It's made in Canada by Champion Pet Foods who also manufactures Acana. It is more costly than Acana (which has grains) because it has a greater percentage of meat sources. Acana recently came out with another line called Acana Provincial which is grain-free, but I don't believe the calcium levels are low enough for puppies. The company has a very good web site with information you might find useful. I personally don't see a problem in slowly switching to a new food.

At that age, you would do just as well to switch to an adult chow. Just stay below the 1.5% max actual calcium. Don'tgo by the minimum listed on the bag.

Raw? http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jan05/050115ww.asp

If her food is making her sick, then yes, I would be inclined to change it. I have no experience in feeding raw, but I have certainly heard testimony after testimony of how it improves the health of a food senstitive dog. I hope you can find the right food for her without too much trial and error.

At that age, you would do just as well to switch to an adult chow. Just stay below the 1.5% max actual calcium. Don'tgo by the minimum listed on the bag.

Raw? http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jan05/050115ww.asp

Wow! Seems like my Vet is behind the times! I am really starting to not trust him.He acts like RAW is the only way to go and I am doing a disservice to Vida by not giving it to her.I think I will look at the adult foods Instead of switching her and then switching to adult in a few months.

I don't know much about grain free or raw but I feed Lola California Naturals Chicken and Rice and it's very simple in ingredients. She has good stools on that. She's got a corn sensitivity so that's why I went with rice. I think Cal Nat has a Herring and Sweet Potato blend too so that's got no grains. She's 6.5 months and she gets the adult food because it's less rich for her tummy.

I know there are a lot of other great foods out there that people have good luck on too. That's just what worked for me and it's not overly expensive.

www.naturapet.com

Wow! Seems like my Vet is behind the times! I am really starting to not trust him.

Actually, I think a raw diet is a more progressive way of thinking when it comes to feeding our pets. A raw diet may be just the ticket for your girl if she is severly allergic to commercial dog food(s).

My first suggestion would be to go with raw. You can buy prepackaged raw and feed that while researching.. (Nature's Variety is what Maxwell was on while I was researching) myself and plenty of others are more than happy to guide you and answer any and all questions you may have about raw (check the Natural Diets section)

If raw simply isn't in the cards right now, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend Taste of The Wild. It's a grain free, high quality food that is perfect for growing large and giant breeds alike. I can't say enough about TOTW... when raw isn't possible, it's what I feed my own dog.

I would be on grain free Orijen

Wow! Seems like my Vet is behind the times! ....

It is not so much the times, but how much proof you demand. I am disturbed by the current trend away from science in many areas. It is like Aristotle and Galileo. Aristotle though about it, and declared heavier objects fall faster then light ones. For most of the next 2000 years, educated people knew that. Then at the dawn of modern science, Galileo lugged the large and small balls up the the tower of Pisa, and dropped them off. They hadn't read Aristotle, and both hit the ground at the same time.

Okay Tried TOTW---She would not eat it.She picked out all the acana it was mixed with and left the other(I of course bought the biggest bag,anyone know if shelters take opened bags?)

So then tried Orijen(puppy though as they didnt have adult in stock) and she ate it no probelms.She has had it mixed in for the past 3 days and her stools are already firming up!

I think were on the right track!

Thanks Everyone!

For what it is worth- Angel is on a limited ingredient diet ( Natural Balance) due to allergies and it has done wonders for her. For the most part poos are great. I do add yogurt and coconut oil to it for her skin issues and she loves it.

You do not want to feed the Orijen Adult to a growing pup. It is too high in calcium.

You should feed the "large breed" pup for the proper calcium.

Glad her stools are firming up. My dogs do great on Orijen