Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - HELP...is my dog food is bad??????

Jack is giving me such a hard time eating these days. In the beginning when he first started the prednisone (100mg daily) his appetite was unbelievable. Now, after being on the pred for over 3 months his appetite is horrible. He is sooooo picky. His numbers are not horrible PCV 27.5 but they have never been less than mid 20's. (Thank goodess). My question is...Why is it bad for dogs to eat dog food with corn in it? Does anyone have a brand of dry food that is good for him. He currently eats Science Diet. I try to mix it with people food to get him to eat. He is 126 lbs and eats three times a day. (1 1/2 cups). Any one with suggestions, please let me know.

Robin NYS

Hi Robin, Sorry I can't recommend a good dry food, we only feed canned. In our case, Ethel has a definite allergy to both wheat and corn. If we feed her anything that contains wheat or corn, she'll have severe diarrhea and vomiting within a day or so. About two years before her IMHA diagnosis, we had to take her off the Science Diet as she suddenly began having a lot of digestive problems including bleeding. The vet put her on Hill's I/D Prescription Diet instead of Science Diet, and she did better on that food, with no illness. Every time we tried to move her back to the Science Diet, she would get sick again. After a year or so of trying a bunch of different foods and snacks for her, we eventually determined that she could eat pretty much anything that did not contain corn or wheat. I believe she is gluten-intolerant -- Celiac disease. We switched her from I/D to Canidae (grain-free), and she did very well on it. Then after her IMHA she refused to eat Canidae, and we switched her to California Naturals, which she has been eating happily for the past year. She also gets wheat/corn-free dog cookies. She seems to do fine with barley, which contains a gluten different from that in corn in wheat.

Brian Vermont

This is from a site and I couldnt have said it better. Corn is simply a cheap filler. There is pretty much 0 nutritional value in corn, it is the cause of allergies and obesity, and it is difficult for ALL dogs to digest. These companies add corn to the kibble to keep their costs down IMO Science diet is not a good food at all, but is pushed by vets, who hav elittle training in nutrition I would try mixing some canned food in with his food. Something like this. http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1489 Cottage cheese is really good for helping the liver process food, try seeing if he likes this. A little low sodium chicken broth mixed in What types of pet stores do you ahve near you? Can you get wellness? others here are feeding theri dogs. Also a great source of good dog food are feed stores, so if you live in a rural area that does nothave good access to pet stores Laurie

Laurie CA

I use Innova Senior for Dogs. Innova is good stuff and doesn't have filler/grains, etc. I have heard that Blue brand is good too. I think thats what it is called. Oliver gets 1 1/2 cups dry and 1/2 cup Wellness brand no grain wet added to it every morning. He gets spoon fulls of different stuff a couple of times a day to give him his different meds. I use cottage cheese, applesauce, and canned pumpkin mixed together to give his meds later in the day. He'll eat anything, so far so good. Good luck. The low salt/low fat chicken broth that doesn't contain onion powder, etc. is good too. It's hard to find around here as most brands have onion powder in it. Safeway has their own brand that does not. Jack is a big pup. How is he doing?

Mardi Northern Calif.

Ginger and my crew are feed EVO and it is grain free. Does Jack get 1 1/2 cups 3x a day or is that the total? Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Robin, I am sorry that you are having so much problem with Jack's diet. Dogs can get very suspicious of food when you are administering meds all day long. Simply, dogs are really evolved from their cousins, wolves. They have similar digestive tracts. There is a great deal of discussion about whether dogs are pure carnivores or have evolved into omnivores. So there is a lot of disagreement about the canine diet. But what is known for sure is that the dog's digestive tract is much shorter than the humans'. Food goes in and is processed by the stomach and the small intestine in about 1/4 the time it takes a human. When you and I eat foods that are of a grain or similar carbohydrate our small intestine spends a lot of time digesting it. You have heard of complex carbohydrates for humans and why they are so good for us? Well those same complex carbs are virtually indigestible by dogs. They quickly pass to the large intestine where bacteria have a field day creating gas. Corn is a commonly added ingredient to dog food because it is cheap. But the frequent exposure to it can cause some dogs to become very allergic to it. This creates havoc with the intestinal tract. The dog food industry is somewhat regulated, but not nearly to many folk's satisfaction. There are minimal standards, but since this isn't human food, there is a lot of sloppiness when it comes to manufacturers and what they put in the dog food (and are allowed to put in). I guess the best example would be the dog food recall with the Chinese melamine products. My nephew lost his little dog due to this tainted food so I have intimate knowledge of bad dog food. http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/RecallsWithdrawals/ucm129575.htm What can the average owner do? The first thing that generally upsets me is that substandard foods can remain on the shelf and unknowing buyers, in an attempt to save money, will purchase it. So if you want to feed your dog better, how do you do that? Many owners have gone to feeding a home made diet. I know the k9nutrition group at yahoo is extremely popular and there was a large increase in membership after the 2007 recall. But there can be some dangers feeding an improperly made home made diet. Imbalances can make matters even worse. The most often neglected part of these diets is a proper balance of calcium to phosphorus. They simply neglect the calcium aspect and a diet full of phosphorus containing foods robs the body of essential minerals like calcium. This is simple (or not so simple) organic chemistry. I feed and have fed a homemade raw diet for many years. I have modified it many times as my knowledge improves. I can tell you that there as many versions of homemade food as there are owners. The k9nutrition group at yahoo is the best place to go for information about dog food. I also think that Mary Straus's website Dogaware has the best information about how to feed your dog in a healthy way, whether that be with store bought dog food or some version of a home made diet. You could spend many hours reading all the information on this webpage and there are excellent sample diets: http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html Whole Dog Journal, http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/, is also an excellent reference. You can receive a monthly magazine. Each year it does a complete review of dog foods on the market and rates them. This is one of the harshest and strictest ratings you will see. You can purchase the most recent dog food review for $5. (?) at their website. I can tell you what I do. I feed a home made raw diet that consists of small quantities of veggies, mixed with meats like beef and turkey combined with omega 3 eggs. In addition each dog gets some kind of raw meaty bone with their meals. Raw bones are not dangerous, it's only cooked bones that are because they become brittle and sharp. Dogs certainly know how to handle these bones instinctively. But this isn't a diet for the weak of heart human owners! It takes a lot of work and study to do this correctly. I wouldn't advise anyone here to plop down a raw bone tonight for their dog without a lot of study. I also keep a bag of dog food around for emergency purposes and after a lot of research I decided on Fromm's duck and sweet potato. To Chance and Cassie, it's like junk food. When the bag gets near expiration, I dole it out a little at a time. But this isn't without some digestive problems. Switching a dog randomly from one food to another isn't always a smooth transition. That's why the k9nutrition group is so helpful. In the past year I have attended a total of 16 hours of workshops provided by one of the vets in charge of the Cornell nutrition program. I have learned a lot. One of them most important nutrients is clean water. Next, sometimes a home diet is good but sometimes a high quality food can do as much in an ill dog. So what to feed Jack? I would try to stay as close to what he has been used to in the past but with a higher quality kibble. Going to something that is advertised to have lower or no carbs would be a good choice. Higher protein, around 20-24% protein, moderate fat and low carbs. I would try to shop at a place that takes pride in their selection and keeps the use by dates uppermost in their minds. You might pay more, but some companies have a customer loyalty program to help. You may find some real experts on staff to help. I am trying to avoid suggesting a particular brand of food. I do like Fromms and they pass the Whole Dog Journal's tests. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Laurie - We have PetSmart or Petco here on the East coast. Cheryl & Ginger - He gets 1 1/2 cups 3X a day. Mardi - Yes, he is a huge boy. He started Atopica (400 mg) a day last Friday. We are going for bloodwork tomorrow evening at 7:30pm. Eating is the biggest problem. Sooooo fussy. He hind legs are really bad too.

Robin NYS

I bought a bag of food from a feed store today. It is called Nurture Heaven Harvest. It is wheat and corn free. A lot of veggies, rice flour, poultry fat, dried egg products, canola oil, dried kelp, dried spinach. and chicken meal. No added artifical flavors, colors or perservatives or meat by products. It has omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, and glucosamine and chondroitin. However, it says it contains garlic powder. Is this okay??? Protein is 21% Fat 16% Fiber 3%

Robin NYS

We feed BLUE we get this from Petsmart, with a bit of wet food called Ultra. dogs seem to like it as its close to real food.

Pam USA

I feed my dogs Life's Abundance, which is purchased online through www.healthypetnet.com. It's a very high quality dry food. I also purchase the canned shrimp and crab food to occasionally mix with the dry food. I've been feeding this food to my dogs for two years, and they are doing very well on it. Sue

Sue PA

Life’s Abundance dog food is made using only fresh, human-quality ingredients such as premium all natural chicken and top quality catfish with the best fresh fruit such as tree ripened applies, vegetables like crisp fresh carrots, and select farm foods such as eggs. Life’s Abundance also contains a superior blend of vitamins, minerals, bacteria cultures that assist digestion, and antioxidants. There are no artificial flavors, colors, sugars, or chemical preservatives – common ingredients in most commercial dog foods. Dr Jane Bicks is responsible for product formulation and development of Life's Abundance pet food. Dr Bicks is a highly respected and nationally recognized holistic veterinarian. She is the author of three national books on pet care and nutrition and has served on professional boards including the Cornell Feline Health Center. February 2, 2008 Dog Food Review – Life's Abundance Dog Food Not all veterinarians have much idea on good nutrition for dogs, in fact most don't. Conventional vets get most of their information from commercial pet food manufacturers. But if you're fortunate enough to find a good holistic vet, you're much more likely to learn the truth about healthy dog food. Life’s Abundance pet food is a premium health food for your dog. Apart from the ingredients in the dog food you select, you should also be concerned about the cooking process used. Commercial pet foods are extruded at extremely high temperatures which effectively destroy any semblance of nutrition that may have been in the ingredients. Life's Abundance, on the other hand, is cooked in small batches using an exclusive “fast-cook” process that uses less heat to gently lock in more of the natural goodness and fresh taste of real food. And they even go a step further to ensure the nutritional quality of Life’s Abundance pet food with their revolutionary reclosable, oxygen resistant packaging that ensures all the flavor, vitamins and natural nutrients from Life’s Abundance remains. So no preservatives of any kind are necessary – natural dog food at its best. In fact, this food is said to be just as natural and deliciously wholesome as if you’d made it yourself.

Sue PA

Robin, I was googling the food and I cant find the name of that dog food anywhere, can you double check the name? I have read garlic can be good like for repelling fleas so I have seen it in some dog foods, Laurie

Laurie CA

Be sure you let us know how the blood work turns out. Jack started Atopica on Friday and Oliver started this Tuesday. It will be interesting, since they started close together, how each one of our pups will handle this. Please keep us/me posted. Can you give him anything to help with the hind legs? I know glucosamine and chondroitin is good for joints etc. (you noted it is in the food you just purchased) I wonder how long it would take to make a difference. Good luck and I hope Jack likes his new grub and his hind legs are feeling better. I have heard that massage for pets is just as good and beneficial as it is to humans. You never know.

Mardi Northern Calif

I would have to agree about Science Diet, they seem to subsidize many vet clinics, and the food is full of fillers. We did feed Hills A/D when Tiggs was very ill, only because it's easy to digest and has tons of calories in it. That being said, we don't use any Hills products regularly. We currently feed Nurto's California Naturals Herring and Sweet potato, and all three of the dogs seem to love it. Ocasionally, we mix in Honest Kitchen's dehydrated raw. All of these are human grade foods made in human grade kitchens/plants. When in doubt you can always home cook, although that is much easier said than done, but you can mix in little goodies like steamed sweet potatoes, steamed rice, or a little boiled chicken or fish. That always seems to do the trick :) Good luck Robin, you'll find something he loves, you might have to experiment a little. melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Sorry, that should be Nutro's, typing too quick :)

melissa slc

This thread was discussed between 02/09/2009 and 03/09/2009

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