New Food Suggestions

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Hey!

So our little guy turned 1 this past weekend and were switching him over to adult food. We have him on Science Diet puppy small bites and I am wanting to try another brand of food. I took him to the vet a month ago because he has a brownish spot around his belly button as well as around his guy part. The vet informed me he had a yeast infection as well as a bacterial infection. He was on medicine for 3 weeks and was retested with clear result but the vet informed me that I should use unscented plain baby wipes to clean the area as well as his tear stains/face folds once to twice a day indefinitely.

He still has the brownish color but it is better. I want to try a different food for a couple of reasons. He still has the brownish color on his stomach, his tear stains are pretty heavy, he licks his paws and the inside of his thighs, which I've read can be a sign of irritation, and he sheds a TON! as well as scratches and rubs his face/eyes often. All of this leads me to believe he is allergic to something. The vet strongly suggests Science Diet but I think it's due to they may be sponsored or supported by them or something because they suggest that or prescription food... like is there not one other choice?!

Anyways, I have been reading about different types and am considering Fromms. A few members have said their Frenchies love the pork and peas with great results but it is grain free and the FDA is saying grain free can potentially lead to a heart disease called DCM but hasn't been confirmed so I am weary to try it. They offer other flavors that contain grain so that may be an option. I am open to suggestions!!

Thanks for any advice!
 

2bullymama

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Messages
8,039
Reaction score
288
Hey!

So our little guy turned 1 this past weekend and were switching him over to adult food. We have him on Science Diet puppy small bites and I am wanting to try another brand of food. I took him to the vet a month ago because he has a brownish spot around his belly button as well as around his guy part. The vet informed me he had a yeast infection as well as a bacterial infection. He was on medicine for 3 weeks and was retested with clear result but the vet informed me that I should use unscented plain baby wipes to clean the area as well as his tear stains/face folds once to twice a day indefinitely.

He still has the brownish color but it is better. I want to try a different food for a couple of reasons. He still has the brownish color on his stomach, his tear stains are pretty heavy, he licks his paws and the inside of his thighs, which I've read can be a sign of irritation, and he sheds a TON! as well as scratches and rubs his face/eyes often. All of this leads me to believe he is allergic to something. The vet strongly suggests Science Diet but I think it's due to they may be sponsored or supported by them or something because they suggest that or prescription food... like is there not one other choice?!

Anyways, I have been reading about different types and am considering Fromms. A few members have said their Frenchies love the pork and peas with great results but it is grain free and the FDA is saying grain free can potentially lead to a heart disease called DCM but hasn't been confirmed so I am weary to try it. They offer other flavors that contain grain so that may be an option. I am open to suggestions!!

Thanks for any advice!

Welcome!! You are correct, vet gets kick back from selling the science diet, which is a crap food full of grains and low quality ingredients.

Fromm is a fantastic food, high quality but as with any food, you have to find the one that works best for you baby.

As for the grain free debate, these are VERY early studies and it is due to low taurine in the food, which there is no concern of if you buy higher quality kibble, such as Fromm, Zingnature, Orijen, Acana... as they add the needed taurine ... you can even just add a water/ no salt can of sardines once a week to cover the taurine.

Stay away from science diet, Hill’s, royal canine... grains and fillers.

Now, let’s see your baby

Two good articles about prescription food and grain free diets

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sit...n=20190610Z1&et_cid=DM293771&et_rid=635549390

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sit...09/19/food-related-heart-disease-in-dogs.aspx


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I knew something was up! Thanks for the input I will be swinging by the store on my way home. Here is our little guy Milo, I attached another picture to show his heavy tear stains. Hopefully, the new food will improve them



dog2.jpgdog.jpg
 

2bullymama

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Messages
8,039
Reaction score
288
I knew something was up! Thanks for the input I will be swinging by the store on my way home. Here is our little guy Milo, I attached another picture to show his heavy tear stains. Hopefully, the new food will improve them



View attachment 13165View attachment 13166

Another thing, keep in mind vets focus on mediocre while in school not nutrition, so thy really don’t know unless they teach themselves like we do. Not knocking them, just not enough time in a day

Your boy is handsome... add a probiotic too, refrigerated sauerkraut, raw goats milk or milk keifer that will help too.

Tears stains... witch hazel on a cotton pads helps some for us, I use that on belly too


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

2bullymama

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Messages
8,039
Reaction score
288
I knew something was up! Thanks for the input I will be swinging by the store on my way home. Here is our little guy Milo, I attached another picture to show his heavy tear stains. Hopefully, the new food will improve them



View attachment 13165View attachment 13166

also, since he has yeast issues... tear stains, etc... avoid white potatoes


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Thanks for the suggestions! What probiotic do people use? And where can we get them?
 

2bullymama

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Messages
8,039
Reaction score
288
Thanks for the suggestions! What probiotic do people use? And where can we get them?

I listed some suggestions.. refrigerated sauerkraut, raw goats milk, milk keifer or you can use Herbsmiths Microflora


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I listed some suggestions.. refrigerated sauerkraut, raw goats milk, milk keifer or you can use Herbsmiths Microflora


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ohh gotcha, I didn't know if there was one from a pet store people used. Thanks!
 

Mechadogzilla

New member
Joined
Oct 13, 2018
Messages
170
Reaction score
0
As a probiotic, I use benebac. It was recommended by a breeder that I trust, and you can find it on Amazon.
 

Honeys Owners

New member
Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Messages
985
Reaction score
6
Sounds like his allergies are really bad. First step is to try a limited ingredient dog kibble to see if that will get rid of them such as Zignature, Earthborne Holistics Venture line, or Acana Singles. If that doesn't work you can try a limited ingredient dehydrated raw like Honest Kitchen Spruce, and if that doesn't work, go to the ultimate, frozen raw.

Also it will help if you add coconut oil, fish oil, and turmeric powder with pepper to his food.

And he probably needs an antihistamine such as cetirizine 0.5mg/pound ( I wouldn't go more than 10 mg ) once daily.
 

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I gotcha. I ended up going with the Fromm Four Star Chicken flavor. I kept the changes to a minimum so we can see how this affects him and adjust from there. It is the purple bag from Fromm. I kept the grain in as well as the same flavor so if he still has symptoms I can take away individual ingredients. Thanks again for all the info!! I will post an update since we finish the small bag we have. :)
 

FroxerMom

Member
Joined
May 12, 2018
Messages
913
Reaction score
16
My former and current vet constantly recommend Science Diet and Royal Canin and guess what brands are on their shelves by the register?

I feed a commercial raw blend and my dog's food sensitivities greatly decreased. She seems to do best on duck and rabbit (colder proteins). I learned from this board, that many bulldogs are sensitive to chicken so if you don't see relief from the Fromm you purchased, maybe try switching to duck. Fromm, Acana, Orijen are all good and I agree about the probiotics. PRIMAL sells goat's milk (you can usually find it in higher end pet supply stores) and I recently switched over to goat's milk yogurt for a bit.

Your guy sure is a cutie...I hope he gets some relief from itching soon!
 

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
My former and current vet constantly recommend Science Diet and Royal Canin and guess what brands are on their shelves by the register?

I feed a commercial raw blend and my dog's food sensitivities greatly decreased. She seems to do best on duck and rabbit (colder proteins). I learned from this board, that many bulldogs are sensitive to chicken so if you don't see relief from the Fromm you purchased, maybe try switching to duck. Fromm, Acana, Orijen are all good and I agree about the probiotics. PRIMAL sells goat's milk (you can usually find it in higher-end pet supply stores) and I recently switched over to goat's milk yogurt for a bit.

Your guy sure is a cutie...I hope he gets some relief from itching soon!


That's good to know about the chicken sensitivity. I got the normal size bag of the chicken flavor. If he is still itching by the end of the bag would it be best to transition to a different flavor then or do I need to wait since I just switch brands? Also, do I need to do the same protocol when changing flavors as I did when I changed brands? I did 3 days 25% new 75% old, next 3 days 50% new 50% old, next 3 days 75% new 25% old, then 100% new food.
 

Honeys Owners

New member
Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Messages
985
Reaction score
6
That's good to know about the chicken sensitivity. I got the normal size bag of the chicken flavor. If he is still itching by the end of the bag would it be best to transition to a different flavor then or do I need to wait since I just switch brands? Also, do I need to do the same protocol when changing flavors as I did when I changed brands? I did 3 days 25% new 75% old, next 3 days 50% new 50% old, next 3 days 75% new 25% old, then 100% new food.
You should be safe to rotate between proteins made by Fromm all at once, but it depends on how sensitive your dog's gi system is.
 

2bullymama

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Messages
8,039
Reaction score
288
That's good to know about the chicken sensitivity. I got the normal size bag of the chicken flavor. If he is still itching by the end of the bag would it be best to transition to a different flavor then or do I need to wait since I just switch brands? Also, do I need to do the same protocol when changing flavors as I did when I changed brands? I did 3 days 25% new 75% old, next 3 days 50% new 50% old, next 3 days 75% new 25% old, then 100% new food.

If staying with Fromm, you can actually switch one meal to another as long as you stay in the four star line


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Baer Rios

New member
Joined
Jul 17, 2018
Messages
91
Reaction score
0
I just switched from Fromm to Farmita, and my frenchie loves it. From what i read its a lot better than fromm, human grade i believe, and aslo smells so fresh.i got the heiring one and Baer eats it up without me even sdding a topper. I used to have to add coconut oil to get him to eat the Fromm. Farmita is pricier and hard to find. Chewy started carring them as well, so you can have it delivererd for free. Its also free of plant and legume protein which is the worry for the DCM study. I think its worth the price. It also helped Baer reduce his poop size and qty per day. Im very impressed.
 

cmeyer9424

New member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Hey, so I have finished the first bag of Fromm and all is good so far. The transition went great, he loves the food. Still shedding a lot but his discolored area on his stomach has gotten a lot better. I went to Hollywood feed today and was going to try another flavor than chicken but in the 4 star line they don’t have flavors more like puppy, adult, small bite, and weight management. They had other flavors that still had grain but didn’t have the same four start bag, would these be okay to just try or should I do the same transition process?
 

Mitch

New member
Joined
Jul 5, 2019
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Hi all,
After reading this thread I thought I might jump in for some advice, because it sounds relevant to whats happening to my little guy.
We were told that Royal Cannin and Science Diet were also great brands, we used the Royal Cannin for the past 4 months and have slowly introduced the Science Diet Chicken blend. I had noticed he is constantly itching and licking his paws didnt think much of it in till I seen a little sore at the back of his ear, we took him to the vet and found he had a yeast infection in his both ears- hence why he was constantly itching his ears.
After reading this thread Im starting to think the Science Diet could be reason why, and I feel awful for it.
Were all new to Frenchies and so looking for other food alternatives. He currently eats brown rice, lots of vegetables and his favourite lamb hearts! We will now look into the Fromms as that seems to be the go too!
Any advice to whether the Science Diet is the culprit to the yeast infection?
 
Top