Requesting a little help from P-F dog owners/lovers

[Jared]

My wife and I have a 3.5 year old small dog (like 8 pounds). Last year, he started having these "digestive incidents." Basically, it goes like this. He vomits twice, like clockwork always twice, then has diarrhea. This happened last year in January, March, and May. We took him to the vet each time, and they pretty much shrugged their shoulders, gave him some medicine, told me to give him a tablespoon of yogurt a night until he was better and sent us on our way. Finally, in May, I decided if the yogurt was supposed to help his digestion, I'd just give it to him every night permanently. That actually seemed to help, all the way until December, when it happened again.

This time we took him to a different vet (who my wife and I both wound up liking much better). He did blood work (all normal). Gave us some medicine, but suggested he may have a food allergy of some kind. So, he told us to feed him Purina EN Gastroenteric blend exclusively, and nothing else. We followed his advice. Late last week, it hit him again. They gave us some medicine, etc.

Throughout this, I've been hearing about these high protein, low grain (or no grain) dog foods. Specifically, I keep hearing and reading that they're a lot better for the dogs digestive system since they're supposed to be closer to what their wild cousins actually eat. I have to say, I like the sound of it. Today, while in town, I stopped by our local TSC, and looked at a few of them. I walked out with 3 cans of Taste of the Wild, the buffalo and venison blend. I'm seriously wondering if our dogs problems could be an intolerance of the grains in the other foods we've always fed him, including this prescription diet the vet gave us.

I intend to speak with our vet tomorrow about trying him on a diet like this. That said, I'd like to hear from you guys if you've either A. had a dog with problems like this, or B. feed your dog one of these high protein low grain foods.

I'd also like to be clear that this isn't about me trying to be smarter than our vet, I really like this guy, I just want my little buddy to be happy and healthy. Thanks!

ETA: I also realize that if we switch him over, we'll have to spend 7-10 days doing it gradually. I haven't opened any of this stuff yet, so if this is a bad idea, I can just take it back.

[orionz06]

Most dog food is bullshit. Not a vet, not a doctor, but we have one dog that exhibits similar behavior with crap food. We have a pug, boston terrier-pug mix, and a boston terrier. They currently eat Merrick grain free something or other. It's what currently works for all three without issues. First thing we noted years back was how their coats looked and how they acted. Anecdotal but if they ate garbage food they acted miserable.

[Jared]

Most dog food is bullshit. Not a vet, not a doctor, but we have one dog that exhibits similar behavior with crap food. We have a pug, boston terrier-pug mix, and a boston terrier. They currently eat Merrick grain free something or other. It's what currently works for all three without issues. First thing we noted years back was how their coats looked and how they acted. Anecdotal but if they ate garbage food they acted miserable.

If you don't mind expanding a bit, how did they "act miserable?" Ours sleeps a lot, but if my wife goes to the bedroom, he's right at her heels, tail wagging. The only time he really acts very lethargic and lousy is when he's in the early stages of one of his incidents.

[theJanitor]

Our dog is on Primal frozen, raw food. She's leaner and healthier since we converted about four years ago. We switched when our dog had a slipped disc and the vet recommended a diet change as part of the treatment.

[orionz06]

Less playful, noticeably less playful. More lethargic, sorta just being a lapdog. The same dog at 7 years old is still more playful than she was when we fed her Beneful as a puppy.

[Artemas]

This sounds like a pretty long amount of time to have not adjusted, but what about home life? Have any family members taken non-routine schedules out of the house, kid went to college or anything like that?

Is he able to sneak into trash cans?

Does his breed historically have any kind of issues?

[farscott]

Sounds like food allergies to me. Among other breeds, we have cocker spaniels, and if one of them has a bit of chicken, we get loose stool and/or vomiting.

I agree that most dog food is junk, and we make our own. We buy beef and lamb on sale, toss in freezer until needed, add frozen or canned veggies (no onion or garlic), and toss in crock pot. They love the food, there is less stool, and we know what is in it (the food, not the stool).

[idahojess]

I think you are right to talk to your vet about the food change -- I remember reading in old Bill Tarrant books (he was a hunting dog writer) to watch out for excessive protein, as it could lead to kidney and liver issues. Now you can find all sorts of other opinions on the interwebs-- but I don't know if any of it is accurate. I currently feed my dog Science Diet, which the vet recommended and sold to me -- it ain't cheap, but he (the dog, not the vet) seems to have a really good coat and build.
With regard to your question, (A) my last dog had a lot of digestive issues. I usually ascribed it to scrounging or me feeding him something I shouldn't have. Once his digestive system got off, it would take a while to get back on. I'd feed him a bland diet of rice, and maybe chicken until he got back on course. Dogs eat a lot of crap (sometimes literally). My current dog will occasionally have vomiting or diarrhea, but I usually can figure that he was eating something that I don't want to know about. Not to minimize your concerns (it's good that you've taken your dog to the vet to have it checked), but I wouldn't worry too much about what sounds like an occasional thing.
Good luck and enjoy your dog.

[UNK]

My dog has digestive issues based on corn. I switched to holistic select lamb and rice and the problems virtually disappeared.

[holygoat]

Mine is a pit mix. Intolerant to pretty much everything, even Taste of the Wild single protein foods. If someone feeds her a handful of kibble as a treat, the awful smell and the consistency of her stool lets me know.

She's been on Darwin's raw food for about seven years (she's about nine now).

Everyone who sees her asks if she's still a puppy. Glossy, alert, athletic.

She's super fit, with her only health problems being congenital hip issues and grass allergies.

If you can afford it, don't feed kibble. If you can't, feed a good grain-free single protein.