[artbuc]

Have to give up. I am trying so hard to find a higher protein alternative to Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish and I had high hopes for Acana Pacifica. Rocky seemed to do fine on a small bag so I bought two big bags. Now I discover the Acana is making him itch/scratch. I've tried several times and it just isn't going to work.

If you live within driving distance of West Chester, PA and want to buy an unopened bag of Acana Pacifica, send me a PM. Thanks.

 

[Tahnee GR]

Sorry to hear that this food did not work for Rocky either. Did you ever get the results of his thyroid test back?

 

[artbuc]

Sorry to hear that this food did not work for Rocky either. Did you ever get the results of his thyroid test back?

Yes. The endocrinologist from MSU said everything was ok. I sent the results to Dr. Dodd for a second opinion and she also said everything looked good. I really hate to feed Rocky anything made in a Diamond Foods plant, not to mention the ethoxyquin preserved salmon meal.

 

[tintallie]

CHampion Petfoods also makes Acana Grasslands and Wild Prairie formulae which are lamb, duck, fish and egg based or chicken, duck, fish and egg based. Which proteins can he not handle?

 

[artbuc]

CHampion Petfoods also makes Acana Grasslands and Wild Prairie formulae which are lamb, duck, fish and egg based or chicken, duck, fish and egg based. Which proteins can he not handle?

Rocky is a rescue. We were told definitely beef and probably chicken. We have never fed beef but we know Rocky can't handle peanut butter, chicken, lamb, venison and oats. I say oats because he reacted violently to Iams Response KO (kangaroo & oats) prescribed by his dermatologist. I am assuming he wasn't allergic to kangaroo because he had never eaten it before. In addition to protein allergies, I believe Rocky has many intolerances. Looking at the Acana Pacifica, I am wondering about things like alfalfa, kelp, etc. He also flares with the least amount of stress or change in his routine. Rocky is a puppy mill dog and I'm sure his breeding and poor pre and post natal nutrition are problems. He was purchased from a pet store at only 7 weeks old and was raised in a dormitory for 15 months (Lord knows what he was fed and/or how much he was over exercised and traumatized) and then sold on Craig's list to a person who surrendered him to the rescue. Rocky has had a very difficult life and my number goal is to make him happy and give him a calm, predictable routine.

 

[Prov31]

Have you tried a blood test to discover which allergies are happening? We had a wonderful experience with one of our dogs. We tried many of the "best" foods, and tried eliminating many common allergens that people think of, such as corn or chicken, etc. The blood test (around $150 well spent dollars) showed exactly what the problems were--and none I would have ever expected. She is allergic/sensitive to egg, sweet potato, any type of berry, duck, beef and a few others. Corn is absolutely no problem.

It is almost impossible to figure out the culprits on your own. I was feeding the better foods (I thought), but they had sweet potato and blueberries/cranberries in it. I was making things worse, in my attempt to find the problem. I wouldn't hesitate to spend the money again to find the solution. I had spent so much money on different foods anyway. Once I finally found a food that she liked and didn't have any of the problems in it, all the issues stopped immediately.

Also, since he flares at stress or changes, you might consider adding a probiotic to his food to balance his intestinal flora. It can work wonders.

I hope that Rocky is doing better and that you can help him out. He sounds like a wonderful dog.

 

[tintallie]

A raw or homecooked diet might be a better alternative for Rocky if he has allergies or sensitivities to so many different foods. It would be best to get tested to know for sure.

 

[artbuc]

A raw or homecooked diet might be a better alternative for Rocky if he has allergies or sensitivities to so many different foods. It would be best to get tested to know for sure.

I'm not opposed to testing, that is for sure. However, Rocky's vet and dermatologist both said emphatically that serum testing for food allergies is worthless because it has so many false negatives and false positives. I assume they know what they are talking about although there are a couple folks here and Dogster who say their tests were accurate.

 

[Goldilocks]

EVO has a new fish formula out. It's grainfree with just herring, salmon, peas and some veggies. Would this work for his allergies?

 

[artbuc]

EVO has a new fish formula out. It's grainfree with just herring, salmon, peas and some veggies. Would this work for his allergies?

Funny you mention the new EVO formula. I bought a small bag. After I got home I realized how much egg and cottage cheese it has. Rocky was just coming off a flare and I was afraid to feed it to him. I was thinking I would try some egg and cottage cheese toppers first. If he does ok I will try the EVO.

My wife said "all you talk about is Rocky's food". I replied "yes, because that is all I think about".

 

[Bock]

You may look at Instinct. It does have a handful of minor ingredients, but the main ingredients are the protein(they have several formulas) and tapioca. They have a rabbit formula that may work.

 

[artbuc]

You may look at Instinct. It does have a handful of minor ingredients, but the main ingredients are the protein(they have several formulas) and tapioca. They have a rabbit formula that may work.

I fed Instinct Rabbit for 2 months over the summer and Rocky did well. I started a new bag the first week in October and all hell broke loose. This was the same time we spent a week at the beach and Rocky also ended up with a couple fleas. I wasn't sure what role the Instinct played but I retried a couple times after Rocky calmed down and pretty much confirmed it was the Instinct. Rocky is very allergic to chicken and Instinct has 22% chicken fat. I think this particular bag must have had some chicken protein which wasn't removed in the procesing.

 

[zeke11]

Depending on where you purchased the food, they make take it back. When I bought high end food at Petsmart, they let me know that if it didn't work out, I could return it for a refund (even opened).

Sorry your doggie is having problems. I had a rat terrier with allergies and know what you're going through.

Kris