OY VEY!!

hoochmamas · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 7:32 am Post subject: OY VEY!!

so Hooch has been eating wellness core and wellness super 5 mix.. he is doing pretty well.. but not as good as when he was on canidae..
he is kinda stinky.. he smells mostly like herbal tea.. but i don't think it was this strong on canidae. his coat is good, eyes clear, minimal gas, poops still fluctuate.. they aren't nearly as formed or large.. i might just cut out the super 5 mix and see how he does on straight core.. maybe the super 5 is too rich? if that doesn't help,
i am debating switching him to orijen, but hate to do the whole song and dance of changing again.. and i am one of those that feels like a little brown rice or oatmeal is good for him.. so i am not that attached to a grain free food.. just a high quality one.. and orijen is a 6 star like core, and comes highly recommended from the owner of the shop i get his food from..but i suppose i could always add in some grains myself.
i've also read that it is good to switch them up so they don't get allergies..
any one find a kibble very close to the original all stages canidae in their quest for the perfect food?

weimdawgs · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 8:38 am Post subject:

T, Jake is on Core Grain Free and does great on it, but it does have a bit more protein. Maybe Hooch just doesn't handle the higher protein well. Some dogs do, some don't. The three youngsters get a combo of Solid Gold or Canidae. Miss Silkie stopped eating the Canidae but I think that is just because she gets bored. If I am feeding something for any length of time, she will just turn her nose up one day until I give her something different....she is a bitch Laughing

Counting the days til Howl-O-weim......

hoochmamas · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:03 am Post subject:

he actually had a low protein count when he was sick as a pup and they did some routine blood work.. so i tend to give him the higher protein in defense of avoiding protein losing enteropathy.. he hasn't had repeat lab work, but maybe before he loses his nutter butters i will do one..

amazonstarlight · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:10 am Post subject:

simis · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:58 pm Post subject:

hoochmamas · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:35 pm Post subject:

i think that picture represents so many of us since the canidae downfall.. if they only knew what a good thing they had going..
i think i am going to give orijen a shot.. i'll start the transition mix this week.. he is doing okay, i just wonder if he could be doing better.. or if he is just a bit stinky.. Embarassed

scrbear11 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:55 am Post subject:

The wellness CORE is making my kids STIIIINNNKKKYYYYY. I think after this big bag I'll buy a smaller bag to try and if they don't get less gassy after that I'll have to find something new. I'm thinking I might try Natural Balance- one of the grain free, limited ingredient formulas. Those don't have the protein that canidae and others have, but the limited ingredients are good for GI and skin problems.

What about EVO for Hooch? Have you tried that?

hoochmamas · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:08 am Post subject:

no.. the orijen is the one that was next on my list.. innova evo large bites is a 6 star food as well.. so i will add it to my list of trial foods if the orijen doesn't fix it.
his overall doogie smell is just stronger than it used to be.. so i was wondering if the food was the contributing factor.. it's not a gas problem. weims tend to not be a stinky breed.. unless i just got a stinker..
oh the quest continues.. Cool

Wrench · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:09 am Post subject:

Well, I agree that most dogs have the issue of gas with a grain free due to the high protien....I also saw your issue about his protien levels...is this a health problem that could plague him his whole life? I am not too fmailir with it to tell the truth but since you are on a miz of those two wellness and wellness core it would be easier to stop feeding one...or the other and see how you go first before changing to another food altogether, less trouble on his tummy too. But though we carry wellness and core I am not the hugest fan of it...it's also manifactured by the same that Canidea is now ( Diamnond) and though they claim to have their own standards I kinda tend not to beleive that one place can produce 5 different entire foods that are not in the same line you know? ( like I understand Evo, Innova and California Natural but not this). That however is my own opinion.

The other thing is, I do beleive Wellness and core are good foods....but they tend to not do well on just about any dog I know them on when it comes to the gassy issue except maybe the neighbor I hae who uses the super 5. Wrench also does not do well even when I use a sample bag from our store as treats so he doens't even get much of it.

I have Wrench on prairie and love it....not so sure about the instinct and I really don't want to go pure grain free on him as I beleive in a good whole proper grain, as long as it's not the bad kind or the first ingrediant listed.

It seems that finding an easy to read ingrediants list for orijen is kinda hard, at leats compared to other foods...also is it just listed as Fish or does it name the types of fish? Otherwise you are likely getting fish by-product and not true healthy good fish....just look into it.

How long have you been on the wellness and core?

_________________
"By the time we have real kids they will have to use our spoiled Weim's hand me downs."

Wrench · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:13 am Post subject:

I'm sorry I just read that it's not stinky gas but his BO......he isns't fixed? But he is "of age" this might be a factore in a way ( think stinky teenage boys bedrooms) yep...

Wrench went through like a month of bad BO and then just got over it....it was weird but no reason for it by foods or anything else like that.

One thing i did was clean his bedding more often...I also found he is drooling more as well as doing that sucking thing on the blankets and they got real smelly so then he would get smelly so then cleaning them helped...also skin so soft makes a dog smell great! haha
Bath him and then see how long it takes before he smells bad again...also clean the bedding and furniture and all( febreeze or something along the lines) so he;s not laying on fabrics that hold the smell.

But you said his poo's aren't too good yet right? If they are then really try to find another reason to his smell but if they are not good then go ahead and make a food change. ( depending on how long youve given this one a try as well)

hoochmamas · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:32 am Post subject:

thanks for the detailed answer.. he is NOT fixed yet.. holding off for awhile.. i do change his bedding 2x a week because of the cheesy stink.. not much of a drooler, use febreeze on the couch and carpet.. i will try just the core when my mix batch is done, and see.. right now it is 75% core/25%super 5.. i think we have been on wellness for about 5 weeks now..
his poops are pretty good.. as long as he doesn't get into something funky.. he's good at that..
hmm.. never thought about the teenage boy factor.. Laughing

the protein in his blood levels i never rechecked, because i didn't find it necessary to do another draw until he is pre-op.. as long as he was doing well.. it was after he fell ill as a puppy.. ate a prickly ball and was a hot mess for weeks.. thought i was going to lose him.. but he's fine now! just mischievous.. loves to ingest foreign stinky or sharp things..

peppernaei · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject:

After researching grain-free for a friend's bulldog with allergies and talking to my breeder about her recent experience at a Jean Dodds seminar I decided to try it.

It came down to Wellness Core or Orijen and I chose the WC because of the moderate protein. All is going well with the change. He isn't stinky (and he's now 16 months and intact), his coat is shiny and poops aren't bad (but not always firm). I'm still considering the Orijen and recently I found that it is actually cheaper here - $60.99 for 29.7lbs and a buy 12 get one free deal versus $65.99 for 26lbs with no loyalty program. Price isn't a huge issue but he is eating 6 cups of WC per day and Orijen has higher calories per cup too.

I haven't made a decision yet but I have a bunch of questions into Orijen and I am waiting for their response.

While I can't help with the stinky boy smell I would suggest making one change at a time. Either drop the super 5 or core and see if you find a difference. Sometimes it's hard to figure out the issue making multiple changes at the same time. Good luck.

hoochmamas · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:16 am Post subject:

6 cups?
Hooch gets a total of 4 1/2 cups (as of last night, just CORE).. with frozen fruit in a kong in the morning, kefir mixed with his kibble at lunch, a snack at 3 o clock, and veggies at night before his kibble dinner.. he looks great, but one bout of a bad belly and he is ribby.. should i up his kibble?
i thought the max at 80-95lbs was 3 3/4 cups per day on CORE.. but they are active weimies after all..
i think i will take everyones guidance and keep him on just CORE for a while longer and see how he does.. maybe add in some oatmeal here and there..
i am a libra and can't always make up my mind until i balance all of the facts.. can you tell?! Confused

peppernaei · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:24 am Post subject:

LunaBrown · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:46 am Post subject:

Wow, 6 cups?!

Luna is just shy of 60# and she eats 3 cups of CORE a day... It is AMAZING how different each dog is!