# Zignature Duck - Allergies better but seems to be gaining more weight?



## lizzy25 (Aug 11, 2015)

I was feeding my dog Earthborn Coastal Catch Grain Free however his allergies were not improving. I've switched to Zignature Duck Limited Ingredient Formula and after a month he has significantly less itching, etc. Below are the ingredients:

http://www.zignature.com/zignature_duck.html

He is 6 months, around 35 pounds or so and gets 2 cups/day. I have noticed and other reviews mentioned as well about a little weight gain. I was going to lower to about 1.5 or 1.75 cup/day to see if it makes a difference.

They also have a Zssential formula which contains multiple meats: turkey, salmon, lamb and duck which we don't suspect he is allergic to any of these meats so wasn't sure if this might be a good next option or better?

Just wondering what your thoughts were on the ingredients or any other suggestions on food? Hate to change it if it's a good food as both my dogs seem to love it.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Zignature is ok, but it is heavy on the plant protein, which can cause some dogs to gain weight. This is what I feed: www.holisticselect.com it has less fat and more protein. I feed the turkey and lentils formula, since both of our dogs are sensitive to potatoes.


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## lizzy25 (Aug 11, 2015)

Those look good but I'm trying to stick with chicken, potato, grain free formulas as those are the suspected allergies...


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

My guess is that his growth rate is starting to slow down as he matures so the 2 cups he is getting may be more than he needs. Most bag guidelines are overly generous for the average pet dog (as in, they just aren't active enough to burn the calories compared to working or hunting dogs for example). They are also for intact dogs, neutered dogs generally need a bit less.

If you like how he is doing on the food as far as his allergies, I would just cut back a bit. Start at 1.75 cups for a few weeks and see how it goes.

I would not suggest the multi-protein formula if you suspect several allergies because it can complicate figuring out what the offending ingredient is if allergies crop up.


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## doodlebug124 (Oct 31, 2015)

I second everything Shell said.


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## lizzy25 (Aug 11, 2015)

I agree, I always find it's best to look at the dog's condition/weight than go by what's suggested on the bag. I will lessen the portion a bit, I'm sure that would help. I rather keep him on it if it's a pretty decent food for the most part as it's helped his allergies tremendously after a couple trials of different foods. Thanks!


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## Kritter (Jan 28, 2015)

Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Lamb and Lentil might be one to look at. 

I feed the Zignature line in my rotation. Neither of my dogs have a weight issue with it but they only eat kibble 2 times per week. My 30 lb dog would get a rounded half cup of food per serving. My 25 lb gets 1 full cup per serving. I base the portion on the dog.

Personally, I would not feed multiple proteins in one meal, but my dogs eat a different protein at each meal. If I was feeding solely kibble I would rotate the protein with each bag. I've used the Zig Lamb, Duck, now on the Fromm Lamb, then will go to Zig Turkey, then probably try some of the Acana singles. 

Have you tried adding any oil or fat to his diet?


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