Boxer Breed Dog Forums banner

Grains?

2K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  cpudinski 
#1 ·
I know this might sound like a silly question but is brown rice, oatmeal, or rice bran considered grains? Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and garbanzo beans not?

Back in January my vet said my dog was more than likely allergic to chicken so I switched her to solid gold bison, brown rice and sweet potato. This food contained the above ingredients.

Now after going to a different vet because of the pancreatitis she has me on a new food to try on a food trial. Natural balance...she gave me choice of flavor so I went with rabbit. The bag states is grain free but does have potato and garbanzo beans. I know there are better ones out there but we need lower fat and protein.

I have noticed that in the week since we have transitioned and are now exclusively on the new food her stools are a different color. They are more chocolaty brown rather than the pumpkiny color they have been for the last year. They are consistently the same and smaller piles.

Is it possible my dog is allergic to grains and not necessarily chicken and or bison? I haven't seen the butt itching quite as much but it's still there.

What is your input.? Yes I know acana is an excellent food but for her at this time is too high protein and fat.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Regarding your questions about grains vs. not grains - yes to both. Every dog is different, but many boxers are indeed allergic to grains. Your dog could be allergic to both chicken and grains! Depending on the kibble, the stools will be different colors. My boxer, Jackson, has dark colored stools when on a fish based kibble, but has much lighter colored stools if on a chicken based kibble.

It may take awhile for your dog's itchiness to completely abate. The fact that it's already lessening is a good sign. If the itchiness never goes away completely, you may want to try a potato free kibble. NB makes a couple of them, I believe.
 
#3 ·
Not sure how low of a protein you need but we had our boy on wellness complete healthy whitefish and sweet potato when we thought he had carpal flexion. It's 22% protein and 12 % fat. But of course it has sweet potato so if you dog is allergic to potato then that doesn't help..
 
#5 ·
I really don't know for sure. All I know is when I changed from chicken based food to bison initially her shedding decreased 99% and her stools started firming up. Now that I've started her on rabbit grain free her stools are a more normal color and the itchiness is starting to decrease. I know it takes a couple months to really know. The vet had a suspicion that she had the chicken allergy.
 
#9 ·
Brown rice, oats, and rice are grains.

It is possible that the grain was making her itchy. She may even be allergic to them but it is impossible to know for sure without an allergy test.

If her bum is less itchy that's a great sign! It will take a while for whatever it was to clear out of her system. A couple of weeks at least. Hope it keeps getting better!

Yes Acana is an excellent kibble but that doesn't mean it's the best fit for ALL dogs. Especially ones like yours with pancreatitis. Do whatever works for you and your girl! Sounds like you're headed in the right direction!
 
#10 ·
There is also another allergy test that I saw mentioned on the holistic boxer group on fb that I belong to. It's glacier peaks holistic allergy test. Is much cheaper but don't know if it works as well. That one is 85 compared to the 280. I'm saving to try that one.
 
#12 ·
For me I would rather fork out the money than keep going to the vet. My vet does a blood test for allergies but it's only environmental and it's also in the 200 range. I read on the glacier peak website that their test does both food sensitivities and environmental allergens. I figured for 85 I would give it a shot. Shoot I spent that much at the vet just the other day and that was with a discount. She is on her 3rd round of ear meds. First one allergic reaction, 2nd apparently didn't work hopefully this one does. If not another ear swab.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top