HELP!! Does Jack Need to go to the Em. Vet?!!!

[MaxBooBooBear]

@sharronhurlbut:

I wonder if someone who doesn't like dogs threw something in your yard.
I think you mentioned that Jack was outside when this happened and you were gone???
If so, I wouldn't leave him out without you being home and I would walk the yard checking for "things" that shouldn't be there.

That hadn't even occurred to me, Sharron–but you may be right. It just seems so strange that Jack would flare up with something he's never had before so suddenly. I am so paranoid--I would probably check in with the local authorities too (police, animal welfare) to see if they're aware of anything..... years ago, my german shepherd got really, really sick all of a sudden--I checked the backyard (she had free access to the backyard all day through a dog door) and found one of those animal cookies--with the pink coating on it. It turns out, my neighbors grandkids were throwing them over the fence to "make friends" with my dog......apparently, she ate so many that she was too full (or too sick) to eat them all--thank goodness because at least I found out what was going on and was able to put a stop to it.

[sharronhurlbut]

I hope I am wrong…its awful when folks hurt dogs.
I hope you find nothing and it all ends soon.
Hugs

[Capt_Jack_our_Basenji]

thanks for the info!! She said its probably a food allergy from the new food brand we tried for him this past month. (kibble) she said it could be from the dye in the food and that i should switch back to the olroys (even tho she said she doesnt like that brand) We just went with kibble bc the commisary didnt have our normal brand! so out with the kibble i guess!! @@

[youngandtired]

Poor Jack, he can't get a break! Things are going better with the family and along comes this dumb allergic reaction. It is apparent that Jack got into something or like you said is allergic to the new food. The vet probably said she didn't like OlRoy b/c I was told it is the worst one on the market. It is made with the worst ingredients. Good Luck finding something Jack can eat and is not allergic to.

[Quercus]

Yeah, you should really try to find a better food. Not only are food that are high in filler (corn, soy, etc) not great for digestion…they aren't screened as well for 'mistakes'. And there is some evidence that connects behavior problems, particularly aggression, to low quality food ingredients.

You can find some info at Whole Dog Journal...and I am sure if google 'dog food aggressive behavior' you can find more.

[Capt_Jack_our_Basenji]

ok good to kno…i just bought it bc Jack LOVES it...are there any other "gravy" type foods i can buy for him thats cheap? I dont want to but him canned food...any ideas?

[Quercus]

Cheap is the problem. Cheap foods are filled with cheap ingredients. A better inexpensive food is Purina One (I think you can get that at the grocery store?). I know of no 'gravy type food' that I would consider a healthy food.

you might check into Pedigree? Look for something that has whole meat as the first ingredient. And no soy, and if you can manage it, no corn. Read the labels…if there is four or five forms of grain, that is too much.

Good food isn't cheap....just like for us....you can eat McDonalds every day REAL cheap, but you will pay for it in doctor's bills sooner rather than later.

[JazzysMom]

@Capt_Jack_our_Basenji:

ok good to kno…i just bought it bc Jack LOVES it...are there any other "gravy" type foods i can buy for him thats cheap? I dont want to but him canned food...any ideas?

If you want "gravy" just for the flavor, buy the Purina One that Andrea suggested{which is relatively inexpensive and available at WallyWorld}, and
sprinkle a little seasoning {just a little} on it {garlic powder, sage, whatever smells good} and add a bit of warm water. Let it sit a minute before you give it to him.

He'll love it…..I almost guarantee!

[renaultf1]

I would also say, Purina One for a cheaper food and JazzysMom idea for gravy. If you want a better food that makes gravy, I've read a lot about Merricks making gravy when you add water. I think it was Wilderness Blend, but it might be all of Merricks foods.

How much does Jack eat? I guess the reason I ask is that once I stopped to figure out just how little Ruby really eats (1 - 1.25 cups per day), the cost vs. the benefit of good food (switched her from Eukanuba, which the breeder had her on, to Innova Evo - Red Meat, no grain) kind of made my decision. Even with a small bag, it takes over a month to finish the whole bag.

Another benefit was Ruby was never a great eater and I have to make sure she eats enough to keep weight on as she is super active. Once I switched to better food, she gets super excited when dinner is getting ready and she gobbles it down…and I've actually trained her to sing for her dinner (which she would have never done with her old food).

[MaxBooBooBear]

ohhhh–it might be a food allergy.....if you don't want to use canned--you could give mostly dry (good quality--not wheat, corn, etc) with just a little bit of canned, mix with warm water. That's what Tyler and Zoey get, and they love it. I use Nutro for dry and Nature's Recipe canned--I don't think these are expensive. It's what they were on in the shelter; and since they weren't having any problems with it, I just stuck with those brands. Also--it's not good to switch foods quickly--except for allergic reaction.

[wizard]

Another thing you could try is to mix some of the old stuff with new better food and gradually (takes only a few days) wean him off the old stuff. It's not as big a shock on his system then.

[nodakerdeb]

I have a lot of experience with finding the right dog food for a Basenji with problems. Our first Basenji not only had fanconi but was plagued with IBSID – talk about a trip trying to find something she could eat! Now Dan, with his thyroid problems is very sensitive to most foods. Had him on raw for a year (could NEVER get a good coat on him with BARF, but at least his skin didn't break out), then Eureka!! about a year ago I found a food which I can get at Petco (a major plus, although I'm not at all put off by ordering online). Anyway, this food causes absolutely no problems with Dan's skin (and it's looked like your Jack's on several occasions). Here is the poop on it, but you can get it at Petco.

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Castor-Pollux-Organix-Canine-Formula-Organic-Dog-Food/133001.aspx

Needless to say it is more expensive than the food you'll find in the commissary, but in the long run it is a LOT cheaper than vet bills!

[edit] I should also mention that you can get this same brand in canned and treats so if Jack should tolerate it fine you'll not have to worry about giving him something 'new' when you want to treat him.

[WBL]

Good Quality kibble is more expensive yes, but on average a dog needs less because he's get more nutrients from the good kibble.

Also a food with corn should NOT have water added in general, it can cause the corn in the food to expand.

Next I'd try something different for food, if money is really a big issue. I do the commissary and NEX do carry MUCH better food than Ol' Roy. Purina One is okay, Iams is a little better as with Nutro Natural Choice or Eukanuba Natural.

[ChristyRutherford]

OlRoy is a horrible food, but they do like it…think of it like eating snickers everyday -Id be happy, but not healthy.
My dog needs a high fat food, but he has some skin issues so I feed wellness, which is a bit more expensive...but a 20lb bag (at about $25) last me a long long time.
He is also finiky so I buy the Iams gravy and put a dab on top and mix it up just a bit. That way I know it is not mushy and still gets his teeth clean.
You could also switch to a better kibble and add some chicken broth.
I hope you dont take offense to anyone dissing olroy, it is nothing against you. And, unless you learn different, you arent born knowing which food to feed your dog.
Chicken soup for the dog lover is a good less expensive brand. Just remember that with the better brands, your dog will eat less because they will be using more of the food, you will also notice a HUGE difference in stool size.

***funny story about olroy, I once broke up with a guy for buying that for a stray I just got. She was skinny and sickly and I told him to get the best canned food and bring it right over...his idea of best was the cheapest. I fed it to her, because that is all I had and I had to feed her.
That really wasnt the only reason, there were lots, but this one was the funniest to tell my friends.

[Barklessdog]

our Tri has the same issue. He can only eat Wysong Allergin Lamb & Rice so far without breaking out in a rash. He has been on it for about 4 years.

He can't tolerate any wheat or corn or breaks out with the same rash.

All he can have is his food, no treats.

If he was fine on his old food why not go back to that?

[tanza]

@Barklessdog:

our Tri has the same issue. He can only eat Wysong Allergin Lamb & Rice so far without breaking out in a rash. He has been on it for about 4 years.

He can't tolerate any wheat or corn or breaks out with the same rash.

All he can have is his food, no treats.

If he was fine on his old food why not go back to that?

Have you ever tried the duck treats? I know that many with allergies do great on this….

[annandael]

Out of all of the cheap foods that have been listed. Purina One is the best. Try to go for the Chicken or Beef…avoid the Lamb...(I've heard of a lot of dogs allergic to it).

Also, here's a cheap idea for a "gravy" buy some vegetable oil and garlic powder. My dogs LOVE it and their coats have a wonderful sheen due to it!

Just make sure if you do go that route...use just enough of it to coat his food...it will also help him if he had any issues with being regular LOL!

[tanza]

That is true…. many dogs have problems with Lamb.... and also you can make your own gravy by making chicken stock... that way you can control the salt since many of the broths have way to much sodium...

[nomrbddgs]

I never had good luck with lamb. My dogs hated it because it was too hard.

[dmcarty]

actually I've fed Purina ONE for a long long time - matter of fact Purina had promised that they would never make a preium food commercially available in discount stores but they did with ONE - read the ingredients sometime - I do feed Lamb and rice I always make some quick oatmeal and mix it in with just a little bit of Pedigree canned - coats are great - stools are great - just goes to show you - there are a lot of options.

I found a new all meat dry food that I like (only know the bag color how bad is that) sometimes I'll mix in a 10 lb bag of this with the 20 lb bag of ONE to make a little 'buffet' of sorts.