# Grain Free Food Problem



## shimmermama (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi all,

So after having Shimmer on some pretty decent food with grain (Prairie, Chicken Soup) without any issues, I switched her to grain free (Innova EVO Red Meat) and we LOVED it! Her coat, her energy, even her breath seemed better. Then I noticed a funny smell around her bum (no scooting though). The vet expressed her anal glands and I changed to regular Wellness. Grains brought back her dandruff and her poops got huge, so I switched her to the Wellness CORE (after the old stuff was gone). She's got the anal gland smell again!! It's been about a month on CORE food.

Is there a link between grain free food and anal gland problems? She loves the food and I love what it does for her, but I don't like the issues it's causing. Has anyone else ever had this problem??

I want to look into supplementing her food with fiber possibly, but worry that I"ll only be treating her symptom instead of some underlying issue....Any thoughts?


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## SFdoglovr (Feb 17, 2010)

Hi there,

I am not an expert, but my dog had this issue with a grain free food too! Its gross. Switched him to foods with grains - much better. I have no clue if it has anything to do with the fact that it was grain free or not, but now we have him on a food with grain, and another food with potato, and he's much better. On the grain free food our dog's poo was really, really hard and I wonder if that was the issue. We add an omega 3-6-9 oil to his food now and I think if you keep the supplements to a minimum, its fine to add something to improve their health. Fiber might be what he needs to get back to normal. I'm not sure what the best thing for fiber would be....but I'm sure someone on here knows!


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I highly suspect it's because grain free foods give very tiny poops that aren't big enough to naturally express the anal glands when they pass. A simple solution would be to add some fiber like pumpkin or yams. Or even veggies like green beans to bulk up the poop while feeding grain free so that they are big enough to press the glands.


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## DarkUncle (Feb 10, 2010)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> I highly suspect it's because grain free foods give very tiny poops that aren't big enough to naturally express the anal glands when they pass. A simple solution would be to add some fiber like pumpkin or yams. Or even veggies like green beans to bulk up the poop while feeding grain free so that they are big enough to press the glands.


Hmmm...not so sure about this either. If you follow that logic than raw feeders would be even worse off because the dogs poop even less. I honestly have no idea why a grain free might cause such a thing.

Chris


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

DarkUncle said:


> Hmmm...not so sure about this either. If you follow that logic than raw feeders would be even worse off because the dogs poop even less. I honestly have no idea why a grain free might cause such a thing.
> 
> Chris


Not necessarily. It could be just this particular dog's issue. 

I had Mandie on CORE but never had an issue with anal glands. In fact, only Melodie had bum issues and that was when she was on Blue Buffalo. I second Michiyo's suggestion of pumpkin or sweet potato. I give dried sweet potato as a treat to my RAW fed girls and it helps when they've had too much bone.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

DarkUncle said:


> Hmmm...not so sure about this either. If you follow that logic than raw feeders would be even worse off because the dogs poop even less. I honestly have no idea why a grain free might cause such a thing.
> 
> Chris


I'm wondering if the bone content of raw makes up for the "fiber" that grain free diets might lack in? (No expert opinion, just thinking aloud..)


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

DarkUncle said:


> Hmmm...not so sure about this either. If you follow that logic than raw feeders would be even worse off because the dogs poop even less. I honestly have no idea why a grain free might cause such a thing.
> 
> Chris


I remember having this conversation in a different thread where a raw feeder said her dog has anal gland issues when on raw and doesn't when on kibble. I think they said the vet recommended more fiber to bulk up the poop since it was so small and not pressing the glands.


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## shimmermama (Nov 5, 2009)

Nothing's changed in her life but the food, which I why I think it caused the problem. I'd really like to keep her on the CORE since she's doing so well, so I think I'm going to try to go the supplement route. Out of curiosity, would giving her some sort of raw bone help? If that's what bulks up poo for RAW fed dogs, it should work for kibble dogs, right? 

SFdoglover - Sounds like we're in the same boat. 

Michiyo-Fir - How much pumpkin or yams would you suggest adding? She's a 15lb dog. 

MrsLloyd09 - Where do you find dried sweet potato? She loves treats.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Try a tablespoon of pumpkin (make SURE you buy the plain kind. NOT pumpkin filling!) or yam.


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## amdeblaey (Jun 27, 2009)

Both my dogs are on TOTW, one doesn't have problems, the other does have anal gland problems-but he had it on every food I had him on. I tried the pumpkin, it didn't work for him-I just have to express his anal glands once in awhile. I heard carrots can help too. Loki doesn't quite understand that he can eat a carrot though-he just plays with it, and smashes it with his nose.


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## Donna5503 (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi..I feed Blue Wilderness by Blue Buffalo - it is Grain Free and he hasn't had any problems -- but I also give him peas/carrots/green beans & Boiled Chicken.


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

shimmermama said:


> MrsLloyd09 - Where do you find dried sweet potato? She loves treats.


Well now I make my own with my dehydrator. I know you can do them in the oven but I didn't want my oven to be out of commission for a long period of time. There is a commercial treat called Sam's Yams. I was going to get them from bestbullysticks.com but them found making them at home was cheaper.


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