# Thinking about changing Westies food. . some help please!



## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

Hello All, 

Thanks in Advance for reading and responding. Maggie and I went for her yearly check up and shots today. Everything went well except he had a bit of concern about her chewing/sucking her paws. I told him I have her on Fromm four star which he agreed was a good food, he said "maybe its just not quite the right one for her" He also told me that her allergy could very possibly not even be related to diet could be environmental genetic etc. .

Anyways, Maggie isn't always the most excited about her food dish anyways which makes me think it really wouldn't hurt to try something else out, after spending all day in local pet boutiques and stores heres a list of foods that I am considering, price isn't really a factor, I am willing to pretty much go to the top if needed, as fromm is up there anyways. She doesn't eat too much goes through about 15 lbs in 3 months I'd say would be a guess anyways. 

Here Goes with my list:
Acana
Oriijen 
Merrick 
Halo
Avoderm (I currently can't find it in my city, but was told it was good. so this may not be an option. Still looking)
Before Grain

Let me know,  

Thanks from Maggie and Jess


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

So far I've tried 3 brands of food (not including the Iams he came with, which gave him terrible, itcy allergies), and those are Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, and EVO Small Bites. 

Basil did terrible on Blue Buffalo. Gas and runny poo everywhere. And after a short amount of time, he just plain refused to eat it. I'm not saying it's a BAD food, but Basil wasn't interested at all. 

Taste of the Wild was good. Basil was okay with it, but not terribly enthusiastic. He didn't have any more stomach problems which was good.

However, EVO Small Bites has been the best so far. We switched because after learning about the calories and the fact that we'd actually be feeding less than we were when feeding TotW, which made it cheaper, even though it looks more expensive at first glance. And Basil LOVES it. I even use his EVO kibble as training treats, and he likes them even better than cheese. Plus, the small kibble size makes it really easy to use as a training treat!

I haven't tried any of the brands you've listed, but as far as I know, EVO is a pretty good brand and Basil thinks it's very tasty! Hope this helps


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## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

Thanks, I will have to look for EVO, I don't recall seeing it anywhere today. I live in a pretty bad city for variety. I have a few stores, but its the usual science diet royal canin (which is what the breeder had maggie on when we got her) etc. 

I will go look for EVO website now!


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

I know Petsmart and Petco don't sell it, but I've seen it at every other pet store that's a little more "local." But if you're interested in ordering online then I'm sure you could get whatever food you want, lol!


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## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

LOL. I would order online, but living in canada I have to pay duty on most things etc and I'm convinced I *can* find something local to try, just not sure what yet.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

Here's a GREAT place to look for reviews on dog food if you aren't finding any of the brands that have been suggested to you.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

In general I pay little attention to ingredients. If you are changing food do to suspected allergies, look for one with a different protein and carbohydrate source. Replacing one lamb and rice food or whatever the Fromm is with another one is unlikely to help.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I recommend Orijen. Especially the fish formula. A dog I know has severe allergies which resulted in a check up every 3 months ($400) and $150 of special packaged food every month. When the owner switched to a new specialist vet, they recommended she try Orijen and it worked! No more allergies, at least not as bad. And they're spending less on dog food now although they're still doing the check ups.

EVO is a good food too I agree. The small bites are a much better size and great for small dogs. The only problem I had with it is that it makes my dog's urine too basic. Actually pH of 8+...which makes her very irritated and itchy because she ends up licking a lot after urinating. I add a little lemon to her water and everything is fine. Other than that it works just as well as Orijen to me. 

But if I had to feed one of those 2 for the rest of my dog's life, I'd definitely go with Orijen. Plus it's canadian so actually for me buying Orijen is cheaper than buying EVO.


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

If you think your dog may have allergies then the best thing to do is feed a limited ingredient food. I like Natural Balance because they have a lot of different formulas and in each of them there's a matching dry food, canned food and treats. It makes things so much easier, because for a diet trial you can't feed them ANYTHING else other than the limited ingredient food. Here's Natural Balance's website:

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/allergy.html


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## nico8 (Jul 16, 2009)

luvntzus said:


> If you think your dog may have allergies then the best thing to do is feed a limited ingredient food. I like Natural Balance because they have a lot of different formulas and in each of them there's a matching dry food, canned food and treats. It makes things so much easier, because for a diet trial you can't feed them ANYTHING else other than the limited ingredient food. Here's Natural Balance's website:
> 
> http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/allergy.html




That's some sound advice. You need to try to isolate the ingredient(s) that are causing the reaction(if in fact it is the food). Once you're able to pinpoint the root of the problem, then you should be able to focus on choosing a more long-term food for Maggie.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

Other foods that you may want to consider that have limited ingreds are Wellness simple and California Naturals. 

To figure out what my little was had issues with I completely changed the protien source in her food.


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## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

I went out looking at food again, unfortunatley its looking like nobody here has California naturals or natural balance.. I can get Wellness though.. I am really not sure what to do as of yet, maybe give Wellness a try I've read a lot saying there a good food, still on the fence about orijen too though, Thanks everyone for your input I really appreciate it!


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## sassykzt (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi Maggie! I have 3 Westies who are all 13 and in perfect health. But that was not the case-- when they were around 2 I went through allergy "hell"( Lots of paw licking and constant scratching & they behaved like monsters!!!). Every vet wanted to put them on steroids forever....this frightened me! I met a "doggie dermatologist" who suggested skin scrapings to find the culprit-- it was Malassezia pachydermatis a yeast infection. Our plan of action was to put them on Ketakonazole (an anti-fungal med.) for a month, bathe them 1x/wk with a ketakonazole shampoo- Nizarol ( available in any drug store-- seen it in Canada), and get them on a grain free diet ( grains feed yeast and aren't natural in a carnivore diet). Well,this worked wonders. In 6 wks. they turned into angels- and looked much better! I"ve been feeding them Orijen food- Senior or the 6 fish-- I swear by it! A lot of Westie owners swear by the grain free foods. Also, they have eaten EVO- small bites when we were in Europe and I ran out of the Origen. I think Origen is worth the $$$. Also, be cautious of fish in pet food being preserved w/Ethoxyquin ( Google it!) It's a cheap, unsafe preservative in some foods-- go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com.
Good luck to you & Jess!! Westies are the best!!!


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## brecken (Oct 25, 2009)

you need to put that dog on california natural i work at a pet store and this food is an allergy based food this food was made specially for dogs with allergys. this food is very healthy as well it has no fillers or bi-products. this food has fish oils in it and it will grow the fur back and sooth out the skin. evo doesnt help that is just a high high protein food let me know if u have any questions


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## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

Thanks Sassykzt, westies are the best for sure! I am going out to buy food today since Mags needs more in the next week and slowly introduce orijen. 

Brecken, as I mentioned before, nobody in my town sells california naturals. So, its pretty much impossible for me to get my hands on. Thanks anyways.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

brecken said:


> you need to put that dog on california natural i work at a pet store and this food is an allergy based food this food was made specially for dogs with allergys. this food is very healthy as well it has no fillers or bi-products. this food has fish oils in it and it will grow the fur back and sooth out the skin. evo doesnt help that is just a high high protein food let me know if u have any questions


Brecken, please know that I am not in any way trying to be a jerk, but you might want to be careful claiming to be an authority on canine nutrition just because you work in a pet food store. Just think about it. Would you be comfortable taking nutritional advice for your child from your grocery store clerk?


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## brecken (Oct 25, 2009)

Maggies_Mum said:


> Thanks Sassykzt, westies are the best for sure! I am going out to buy food today since Mags needs more in the next week and slowly introduce orijen.
> 
> Brecken, as I mentioned before, nobody in my town sells california naturals. So, its pretty much impossible for me to get my hands on. Thanks anyways.


ok what state do u live in i will look up what foods they sell and let u know whats good

o i wasnt trying to be like that i would never tell someone that a food is good or bad if it really wasnt i want everyones animals to be healthy


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I agree California Natural is a great food for dogs with allergies. So is Orijen and EVO though if the allergy is grain related.


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## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

Brecken, I don't live in the US I live in Ontario, Canada... We are also having a hard time getting some food accross the border because customs made changes to packaging laws.


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## brecken (Oct 25, 2009)

i see i know that canada carries wellness and that is also a very healthy food its kind of expensive but its a really good healthy food


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## Maggies_Mum (May 15, 2009)

yes, I was looking at wellness, its not really all that expensive only about 4 dollars more a bag than the Fromm that I am feeding already, although, I am really leaning towards Orijen and think I will try it out first, Thanks for your help though.


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## brecken (Oct 25, 2009)

we used to carry that at my store but they discontinued it b4 i started working there bc no one would buy it so im not really familiar with that one but i will look it up and read about it


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## bully (Sep 16, 2009)

brecken said:


> we used to carry that at my store but they discontinued it b4 i started working there bc no one would buy it so im not really familiar with that one but i will look it up and read about it


Wellness or Orijen?


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Maggies_Mum said:


> yes, I was looking at wellness, its not really all that expensive only about 4 dollars more a bag than the Fromm that I am feeding already, although, I am really leaning towards Orijen and think I will try it out first, Thanks for your help though.


If it's a food allergy, the best food to go for is one with a single source protein. Orijen is a good food but has multiple sources of protein. Try Natural Balance - they have a couple of formulas that are single source protein. Eagle Pack Holistic Selects has a Lamb and Rice formula - although the idea is to try a novel protein and lamb isn't that novel anymore. Proteins such as duck or venison are good ones to try. Rabbit is another one. This way, you can narrow it down. You can also try adding an omega 3 supplement - wild salmon oil to your dog's food. 

Wellness has the Simple Solutions line which is for allergies I believe. 

When you are doing a food trial, you have to feed only that food and nothing else, meaning treats as well. Just the food for 100 days. If Maggie is still itching, try another food. But always transition it over 10 days. 

Just a thought...or a couple I guess.


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