# I need advice on dog food for constant dog scooting and licking



## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Hello,
My female chihuahua mix is always doing the butt scoot and I'm hoping to see if anyone here has any advice. We went to the vet last weekend and her stool came back clear and her anal sacs did not need to be expressed. The vet tried to just to see if it would make a difference but as soon as we got home she did the scoot! She suggested it might be allergy related since she also gets a lot of eye discharge. What would be a good dog food to try with her. She is currently eating The Honest Kitchen Keen formula with added fresh cooked ground turkey. Has anyone had a similar problem?


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## Ramie (Nov 16, 2010)

Did the vet check for tapeworms? They usually do not unless requested. Have you had any flea problems?


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

I'm not sure if she checked for tapeworms but I have fostered dogs in the past that had tapeworms and you can clearly see those in the poop. Her poop does not show anything. We don't have a problem with fleas - my other dog has flea allergies so we are very careful with that. She has been a butt scooter since the day I adopted her - about 3 years ago but recently it seems more often. I always thought it was her sacks so I would have them done monthly at the groomer but this time I asked the vet to check and she said they were not full so it's probably something else, most likely allergies. When we go back this weekend she will give her an antihystemine to see if that helps at all. I hate giving my pets medicine and would prefer to solve the problem naturally which is why I'm looking for some food advice. My other chihuahua has severe allergies - after several visits to the dermatologist, lots of steroids and other medicines I decided to stop everything and just try to solve it with natural food and it worked - he is not almost 100 percent allergy free


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

my girl is worm free and has scooted her butt since she was a baby.

we have finally come to the conclusion that she has an itchy butt.....not allergic, nothing wrong, but that's how she scratches herself...


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

She's always trying to lick too though, and sometimes she does seem to strain a little to poop.....


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

what do you feed her? and does she drink enough?

malia would lick, but she has bubba do to that for her, yuck.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Currently she is eating The Honest Kitchen Keen formula, and then I cook fresh ground turkey and add it to the food. Sometimes I also add cooked veggies like sweet potatoe, string beans, carrots and broccoli. She gets enough water, I have several bowls set up around the house for the cats and they all share. She does seem to poop more than normal as well : in the morning, right after dinner and then sometimes again before bed. 3-4 times a day - is that a lot?


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

this is only my opinion.....but i think you may fare better if you don't add veggies, like sweet potatoes, string beans and carrots and broccoli...it's too much fibre for her and they have sugar which is not good for any dog....

honest kitchen, to my understanding is a complete diet, is it not? just add protein, stir and serve?

Cage-free turkey, organic oats, potatoes, organic flax, carrots, cabbage, alfalfa, organic kelp, apples, honey, garlic, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.

this is the turkey version, so there are already vegetables and fruit added, which makes this a b.a.r.f. type diet....and is already complete.

you don't need to add anything, unless you want to up the protein, which you've been doing...which in my opinion is best.....

try leaving the extra veggies and fruits out and see what happens over a month's time.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Thanks, I will leave the veggies out. She does only get the added rarely like maybe once or twice a month though.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

TinyTails said:


> Thanks, I will leave the veggies out. She does only get the added rarely like maybe once or twice a month though.


that's good...let us know...

just as an aside, honest kitchen contains flax, which is a bowel irritant.....this too can be a contributing factor...


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I should try switching to the Honest Kitchen Thrive Formula:
Dehydrated free-range chicken, organic fair-trade quinoa, sweet potatoes, spinach, parsley, organic kelp, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.

My other dog doesn't seem to do well on grains but we could try this to see how he is with quinoa.

We were also looking at Canidae Pure Sky formula. Do you think THK is better than kibble Canidae?


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

TinyTails said:


> Thanks for the advice. Maybe I should try switching to the Honest Kitchen Thrive Formula:
> Dehydrated free-range chicken, organic fair-trade quinoa, sweet potatoes, spinach, parsley, organic kelp, rosemary, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, potassium iodide, potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.
> 
> My other dog doesn't seem to do well on grains but we could try this to see how he is with quinoa.
> ...


if not, then perhaps orijen or ziwipeak...

or primal grinds.....which are protein/organs/bone and that's it....they come in chubs and all you have to do is cut a piece off and feed. it's all done for you.

yes, i think THK is better than kibble. but i'm prejudiced. i'm a raw feeder, having fed kibble for many years....i've transitioned my dogs to raw and the differences are astounding. (not trying to convert you LOL)


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

We tried raw but they were not big fans of it. It's also hard for me to do raw because I am on the go a lot and my dogs always tag along - they come to work almost everyday and then sometimes go to grandma's after while I do bootcamp, etc so I needed something that is easy to always bring along without having to be kept refrigarated. But I do agree that raw is a great option.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

then i'd stay with THK.....you're already adding ground turkey or chicken to it.....just leave out the veggies and fruits, since thk already has veggies and fruits...

and if you're going to go the way of kibble, i'd look at ziwipeak air dried or orijen....both are very high quality kibbles......


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