[kellyamina]

Hi,
I recently posted on here asking about feeding puppies chappie, as it seems to be the only thing Ive found so far that agrees with him...but hes not perfect even on the chappie, so am now thinking perhaps a food allergy, as Ive noticed hes also biting himself quite alot, especially legs, and tail area.
Hes now 14 weeks, cocker spaniel. I got him when he was 10 weeks and slowly changed his food to puppy iams...he immediately got diarrhea..so did all the usual, chicken and rice...vets, etc etc.
To cut a long story short, the vet said colitis type thing, hes fine in himself, lots of energy, great appetite...over the weeks have tried very slowly adding several different biscuits, james well beloved, prescription diet from vets, but every time I try to add even the smallest amount of biscuits he gets bad again.
a week or 2 ago I put him on chappie....hes been pretty good, the odd very hard poo every now and then, but mainly a little stodgy...and he goes quite often. But as its nowhere near as bad as when he has biscuits Ive just stuck with it to hopefully get much better before trying some different wet food ( I have bought some Natures harvest to try at some point)
Sorry this long story cut short isnt turning out to be that short!
Anyway, this morning hes been straining a bit, and had a few drops of runny, with a little blood, so Im back on chicken and rice today.
What Id like help with is suggestions of how to deal with finding out if he has an allergy and what hes allergic to.....
Im thinking stick with the chicken and rice for a week or 2...then slowly add some of the wet food I have?
Anyone have experience with puppies with food allergies?
I worry so much that while Im keeping him on all this bland food that hes not getting all the nutrients he needs..is the chicken and rice ok to stay on for a couple weeks?

 

[Twiggy]

I've got a bitch with a food intolerance/allergy but she didn't start having problems until she was about three.

My bitch is currently fed the Natural Dog Food Company Sensitive and is doing very well. You could give them a ring and explain your problem. They supply puppy food. Here's their website:

www.naturaldogfoodcompany.com/

 

[dexter]

tbo if he's not improved since taking him to the vets i'd make another appointment. i for one am not keen on switching baby puppies feed. however he clearly has issues so i'd make a vets appointment. has he been wormed?

 

[kellyamina]

yes he was wormed 2 weeks ago

 

[kellyamina]

he has improved alot since putting him on the chappie, its just not perfect....with the odd blip

 

[Mum2Heidi]

For me, if he's fine in himself - and you sound quite sensible, I would hold the vets off for a bit longer and see if you can sort it yourself. I think you will know when it's out of your hands and act promptly. Wish someone had said that to me - when mine was a pup, I was at the vets every fortnight trying to clear up her tum and ended up doing it myself.

I learned a lot from Heidi's tum probs. One thing is that it tum health can be a base for everything and you may find once you've got his food right, the itching will stop so I would concentrate on that first.

Chappie original wet worked for her tum but it made Heidi itch. I found Wainwrights wet trays brilliant for settling upset tums. In fact she can get a bit constipated on them when she's well (sorry tmi) so when she's well, I rotate them with other wets but if she gets an upset tum - out comes the WW.They are high in fibre and contain chicory which is good for the gut. I'd be tempted to get some Bionic Biotic from [email protected] as well.
That combination really sorted Heidi and her upset kept coming back prior to using them. I keep both in the cupboard.

Stick with the chicken and rice until he's well, then I'd try the WW trays. If all goes well on them, you can start to introduce your NH and maybe a few other wets for variety. I found Heidi was never able to go back onto kibble.

Sorry, I've rambled too but hope it helps

 

[Twiggy]

he has improved alot since putting him on the chappie, its just not perfect....with the odd blip

Just thought of something else: You could get a tub of Dorwest Tree Bark Powder to sprinkle on his food and it's safe to use with puppies.

Last year a colleague of mine got a pup and stupidly changed his food immediately resulting in several visits to the vet and the poor pup being admitted and on a drip on two occasions. I suggest the tree bark powder and at the next show his wife came and found me and said I was their saviour....!!

 

[kellyamina]

Just thought of something else: You could get a tub of Dorwest Tree Bark Powder to sprinkle on his food and it's safe to use with puppies.

Last year a colleague of mine got a pup and stupidly changed his food immediately resulting in several visits to the vet and the poor pup being admitted and on a drip on two occasions. I suggest the tree bark powder and at the next show his wife came and found me and said I was their saviour....!!

where would I get that from pls?
Also MumtoHeidi... the bionic stuff...is that the same as the pro-kolin I get at silly price from the vets?

 

[Twiggy]

where would I get that from pls?
Also MumtoHeidi... the bionic stuff...is that the same as the pro-kolin I get at silly price from the vets?

Dorwest have a website but I got mine off Ebay and always keep a tub in the dog's medical cupboard.

 

[rona]

The poo needs testing before anything else

 

[CavalierOwner]

Fishmongers at pets at home have sensitive stomach wet trays! Might be worth a try when your pups well enough. Really hope that your pup is better soon.

 

[Mum2Heidi]

where would I get that from pls?
Also MumtoHeidi... the bionic stuff...is that the same as the pro-kolin I get at silly price from the vets?

Bionic Biotic isnt the same as Prokolin but works. Have a look Bionic Biotic: Supplement for digestion, skin, coat and condition » Pooch and Mutt: Dog Health Supplements | Pooch and Mutt. You could always send them an email. Guy has been ever so helpful to me and answers quickly.

I was back at the vets every fortnight for more prokolin but once I started BB, I didnt go back again.

I tried Treebarks powder but never found it as effective. (what works for one doesnt always for another so it's trial and error I'm afraid). I ended up using my Treebarks to simulate Prokolin. Bit of treebarks to soothe the gut, spoonful of natural yogurt to boost gut flora and a spoonful of kaolin to bind her up. Much easier using BB.

My vet never suggested pooh testing and I knew v little at the time. Perhaps you should suggest it to your vet if it hasnt been done already

 

[Helbo]

When Charlie had issues as a puppy I fed him small portions of chicken and rice 2-3 times a day, with VIT2000 powder (breeder reccommended this). Then a week or so later when his tummy settled, I mashed up some Wainwrights turkey and rice trays and added them into the mix. Then I slowly increased the wet and decreased the chicken and rice.

I was so pleased with how Well Charlie did on wainwrights I added their kibble to the wet and he's still on wainwrights with no problems.



No treats, small regular portions and stepbystep changes to their diet worked for me.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

Although its true it could be a food allegy, there is also a lot of other things that can cause loose and diarrhoea type poops especially in puppies. If he has always been like it since bringing him home especially. Parasites, worms and protozoan parasites like coccidia and giardia can cause loose motions. So can certain persistent bacterial infections like campylobacter. The only way to tell if there is anything like this present is a 3 day fecal sample, 3 samples on 3 consequetive days. Although some vets do only one sample, a three day fecal is often more accurate as less chance of missing anything.

Certain mite and skin infections can also cause skin problems also. So whilst it could be food related its true and is some form of allergy, it could also be other causes. If it were other causes like parasites a persistent bacterial, or skin mites then you could be going on changing food for ever and not make a difference.

 

[kellyamina]

The vet has taken a poo sample today...so should find out more soon.
Ive given him chicken and rice today all day, with just a teaspoon of natures diet puppy mixed in, and we have hard poo tonight...for now! Fingers crossed!