A bit of background - Hunter has been on Nutro Adult (http://www.nutroproducts.com/ncdoglbadult.asp) for the last few years, and I think he may be starting to develop an intolerance of some sort to it. His breath is intolerable and his coat's been looking kind of dry and crappy. So...all signs point to diet.

However, in the past, I have tried switching his food twice, and both times, after a few weeks he has experienced an adverse reaction. The first time I switched his food, it was to Nutro Ultra (http://www.ultraholistic.com/wm.shtml), and within two weeks he had a terrible allergic reaction of some sort, splotchy belly, itchy face, etc. So I immediately took him to the vet, who advised switching him back to the regular old Nutro, which I did. After some time went by, and after doing some reading on the board and in other places, I switched him to Natural Balance Duck and Potato (http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/PandD.html). On the Natural Balance, he did fantastically on the first bag, his coat looked great, smaller, less stinky poops, he stopped smelling "doggy", and I was very happy...until I got the third bag of D&P. It looked a little different, but I didn't think anything of it, just fed it to him. About a week into that third bag, he had the same type of reaction that he had when I switched him to the Nutro Ultra. Itchy, splotchy, swollen face, etc. Back to the vet, who prescribed Science Diet :rolleyes: and sent me on my way. I put him back on the Nutro regular, of course, and that's where we've been ever since.

Now I'm not convinced it was the food, because the ingredients of what I switched him to were so different, but he had the same reaction both times. Is this detox? It is possible, I assume, that he got bug bites both times that I didn't see, but I don't want to put him through it again if it's going to be a problem.

Does anyone have any tips/pointers/suggestions on what I should do? His breath smells like something died in there, and Hunter's a kissy puppy. It keeps me away from him...

Actually, I was thinking of starting a thread about doggy bad breath. Loki's is horrible. He's on Purina One Large breed and Dr. Foster and Smith Lamb and Rice 1/2 and 1/2. But his breath can just about knock you down. This morning I put some fresh parsley in his food and it helped, a little. I also have some tartar control liquid (it goes in their water) coming Fedex tomorrow that I ordered. I'm tempted to peek in his mouth and make sure all of his teeth are alright. Good luck with the food switch.

Have you considered a very simple diet?

California Natural is a very good choice if want only one protein source and very simple ingredients.

They make a Lamb formula and a Chicken formula.
www.naturapet.com

Try adding Salmon oil to his food as well, this is excellent for healthy skin and coat.

This has me stumped. While the food you use now has corn gluten meal which can be a culprit to itching the other 2 foods don't have any, although they do have beet pulp (also a filler).

All three forumulas are quite different.

How old is Hunter? While California Natural is a very simple excellent dog food, the adult formula is not high enough in protein for a growing dog at only 21% in my opinion.

You could try a detox diet for 10+ days and slowly add in the food you decide to go with after that. It would consist of raw meat and homemade fermented veggies with probiotics. If he truly needs this you should see black stools as his body detoxes. The veggies are real easy to make if you want the recipee let me know.

I did this for my girl who was itching after whelping but her stools remained normal so I don't feel she needed detoxing afterall. Just a hormonal thing or liver enzyme issue -as her problems are all on the left side of her body(which I'm getting checked next week-for the 3rd. time)

I tried the Duck and Potato, Lily. My main question was in the consistency of the allergic reactions, and whether that was something I should be concerned about?

I don't know, usually owning Hunter is stress-free, but I'm really bothered by this and want to fix it.

Patty - Hunter will be 5 in April, so he's not growing anymore.

My problem with trying your suggestion is that my wife is totally 100% completely against feeding him raw meat of any kind, or I'd be feeding Raw. That's what I'd like to do, but she's against it.

Patty - Hunter will be 5 in April, so he's not growing anymore.

My problem with trying your suggestion is that my wife is totally 100% completely against feeding him raw meat of any kind, or I'd be feeding Raw. That's what I'd like to do, but she's against it.

Not a problem. You can cook the meat if you prefer and will still have a detox diet. I too was against the raw for fear of diarrhea. So, I started the 10 day detox with cooked meat and then changed to raw and my girl did fine. I only used beef (actually london broil as it was on sale).

Since Hunter is 5 I would go with the California Natural. I used it years ago with great results. Stopped because my senior girl developed kidney failure and I need a low phosphorous dog food. I fed the chicken and rice. My mom has fed the lamb and rice for years and her dogs do great on it.

Nowadays, I do prefer a food with a little more protein and the only reason I haven't gone back to it. I am feeding Royal Canine (Sensible Choice) Natural blend now with great results (26% protein)-the only thing in it I'm not crazy about is Brewers Rice and beat pulp(low on the list) but the good (chicken meal 1st ingred.,. chicken 4th ingred, lots of accidophilus, etc.) outweighs the bad.

Let us know what you decide to do and what results you get. Best of luck for your baby.

Well, I ended up going and buying a bag of NB Fish and Sweet Potato. The only place around here to buy most of the premium brands like Innova, California Natural, etc. is a pet store that sells puppies, and I just can't ethically bring myself to buy there. My choices are Petco and PetsMart, and Petco sells NB.

We started the switch this morning according to the guidelines that are stickied at the top of the forum, and all fingers are crossed that this time works. He won't be getting anything but the F&SP and the treats of the same variety, so keep us in your thoughts for improvement.

Good luck! I hope it works for him.

How about taking a look at Nature's Variety food. They offer kibble, canned and raw and my dogs have been getting it mixed in with their Nutro and they are devouring it. It's based on a raw principle so I think they make their "processed" food differently...