Cajsa's new food.

[April]

Well, the last bag of food we got Cajsa was the Wellness Super5 mix and it seemed to be good at first, but after she'd been on it a few weeks she started not having good poops.  We finished that bag though since there was no blood or anything.  We found another food it's Newman's Own Organic adult dog food.  It is also chicken based and this is the ingredient list for it (from the website).  The problem with the other food was the tomato I think because she has recently gotten into (and eaten) two pints of grape tomatoes in as many weeks.  Her bowels have not been good as a result.  (This morning I woke up to really stinky, black/blood poops.  That's her trademark for a flare up with foods.)  She ate the last pint of tomatoes 2 days ago so I'm sure that's what caused it.  This new food has no tomato in it and she can have rice, oatmeal, chicken, carrots and potato which are the main ingredients.  I also liked that it had probiotics for the gut even if only a very small amount actually get there.  What do you all think about this food?  If it doesn't work for her I think we'll have to go back to the Science diet ZD formula and Cajsa was dull and not her normal bright self on it so I'd rather not.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken, Organic Barley, Organic Rice, Organic Milo, Organic Oats, Organic Ground Flax Seed, Chicken Meal, Organic Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (Naturally Stabilized with Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary), Organic Carrots, Organic Potatoes, Calcium Phosphate, Sea Salt, Potassium Chloride, Kelp, Parsley, Dehydrated Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Zinc Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Zinc), Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Iron), Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Manganese), Copper Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Copper), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Ascorbate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Cobalt Proteinate (Source of Chelated Cobalt), Potassium Iodide, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:

Crude Protein................21.0% (min)
Crude Fat......................12.0% (min)
Crude Fiber.....................4.5% (max)
Moisture........................10.0% (max)

[Krista]

April how in the world has she managed to eat 2 pints of tomatos?  Just curious.  Is she picking them off an indoor plant or something?

The only downside I noted to the food below is that it appears that it might be grain-heavy.  I say if it works for her - go for it though.

[April]

I had a pint of grape tomatoes on the kitchen table (away from the edge or so I thought) and she grabbed them the Friday before Christmas so she wasn't too good over the Holiday weekend, but nothing too bad.  This week she got another pint of grape tomatoes (that I didn't know was there) off the kitchen table and ate them.  This time she's not so lucky as she's got bad poops again.  I'm hoping that gets better by tomorrow morning or I'll have to call the vet.  She's done this so many times I know what to do for her, but still if it doesn't get better ASAP she'll be going in for meds.  Poor hound ADORES grape tomatoes and will eat any type of tomato sauce/dish, but unfortunately for her they don't like her too well. 
She never figured out how to pick them off our plants over the summer so we were safe then.  Hopefully she will continue to not figure it out as we eat quite a bit of them.

[Krista]

It sounds like Ms. Cajsa is one determined little girl.  I think if I were you, I'd start confining her to a safe area when you are not able to supervise her.  I know she likes the run of the house, but it sounds like she just gets into too many things for that to be safe for her.  Better to be confined to a safe area with only access to her bed, potty box and a few safe toys than to be rushed to the vet for something else she ate that she was not supposed to.

[April]

Well, The only place I'd have to confine her is the kitchen and that's where she's getting into things.  I am trying to keep the kitchen table and coutner tops cleared off so there's nothing she can get into.  She has started sleeping in her bed and crate (in the kitchen area) while we are gone instead of the couch so I will probably start locking the gate again every day.  I'm just a little scared she'll get bored in there and have nothing to entertain herself with (like barking out the front window) except to attempt to climb on the table and eat stuff.

[Jen]

You could always put her in the crate and close the door.. thats what i do when i cannot keep my eyes on them or if i need to go out somewhere.  I have small hard plastic coupe cups that attach to the wire crates for a bit of water... they usually just curl up and sleep  until i return.

Jen

[April]

She actually hasn't been confined to her crate with the door shut and locked in a long time.  It's her safe place where she goes to escape the Elf, so she goes there on her own.  She doesnt' always potty before I leave in the mornings so she'd have to hold it all day (not possible when she's having an episode - which is when she'd need it most).  I want her to be safe and I want her to be healthy.  I also don't want to be making excuses for me not doing something to keep her safe and healthy.  I'm just going to have to get everything out of reach and try to come up with something even if that means confining her to her actual crate while I'm gone.

[Krista]

I understand you would like her to have access to her litterbox, hence being hesitant to use a crate all day.  Might I suggest an x-pen though?  X-pens fold up easily for storage when not needed, and one could keep her confined to a safer area of the kitchen, away from acess to the table or countertops.

Mine stay in an X-pen all day, so I don't have to worry about what kind of food my husband left out while hurrying to pack his lunch or what kind of enticing things might be in the kitchen trash can. 

[Jen]

X-pen would be another awesome idea ... you can put her litterbox in there along with a comfy bed, a few safe toys and her water. I think you will find once you are able to keep her out of stuff around the house her episodes will resolve and she will do fine on her special food.  Also if you go with a crate you could get a larger one perhaps a size 300 or so that would give her enough room for a potty pad or litterbox at one end and her bed and toys at the other.

Good Luck  :thumb:

Jen

[April]

The trash is no longer in the kitchen but in the hall closet!  She finally figured out how to knock it over and get the lid off so that took care of that!  I have a hound who is a problem solver and a smart one at that.  She's dangerous to leave alone in any condition I think!  LOL 
I tried getting an ex-pen before we could find the gate for the kitchen and my hubby absolutely would not have it.  "she'd be too confined" was his arguement and he wouldn't budge.  I could possibly try again though if it comes to that. 

[Jen]

Well hopefully he will see that being able to confine her to a  SAFE area would be the BEST thing he could do for her not to mention probably seriously cut down on vet bills.  Dogs are just like little toddlers .. the moment you take your eyes off them thats when they find trouble.

Jen

[April]

I have a dog AND a toddler!  He has had the pleasure of caring for both of them at one time and knows how hard it is as they get into everything!  It may make for a better arguement now than it did 2 years ago, so I'll try it.

[Jen]

Good Luck :thumb:

Jen & the Crew