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Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 09 Oct 2019, 09:35
by ValleyGirl
I have been a member since 2014 when my 4 yr old GSD was diagnosed with EPI but I have not posted for a long time because of destiny's merry little pranks causing me my own health issues. In a nut shell, Greta -- now 9 years old -- has been doing great. She gets enzymes, B-12 capsules, B-12 shots about every 2 months. No problems at all. She got to be a chunky monkey but by cutting her food I have her now at a good weight. She has been on Taste of the Wild High Prairie to which I added a big chunk of boiled chicken twice a day. She also gets a home made "Frosty Paw" which is frozen plain yogurt with banana and peanut butter once a day.

I have read lots of information on here and online generally about the FDA warning about heart issues in dogs eating food with peas and legumes. I understand that this is not "proven" and that Greta's EPI is right now for her and heart issues in the future if at all. But heres the thing: I had a doberman who dropped dead of a heart attack at New Year's. Dobermans have a lot of heart issues and he was 9 years old. Still I can't help but worry that eating the TOTW food contributed to that. So I have been looking for a suitable food for Greta and our "new" 7 year old rescue doberman. Tried a low grain no pea Purina kibble but Greta couldn't digest it. Switched to another Purina no grain formula that I thought had no peas -- but it does have some. Greta is doing pretty good on that but I still would prefer no peas at all for either dog.

Question: has anyone found a good kibble with no grain, no peas/legumes? Anyone tried Sport Dog Elite? This has been a 10 month hassle and would so like to settle on a food that works. Thanks. Valley Girl

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 09 Oct 2019, 14:32
by Miss Maddie Moo
Hello i remember you and Greta so glad to hear she has been doing so well.With the grain Free we have taken the stance that its whats best for our EPI dog and that there is still alot of speculation out there regarding the heart problems , i couldn't feed Maddie any pea dense foods because it upset her so i was always looking for options without alot of pea s anyway but i am UK based.I have heard of the food you mentioned and as long as you stick to below the 4% fiber it shouldn't be a problem we cant really recommend a specific food because what suits one dog wont suit another if you do try it just buy a small bag and see if it works.
i had two dogs when Maddie was DX i always feed my dog another food because it was what suited him perhaps you could consider this for your Doberman.
Good luck
Ann

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 09 Oct 2019, 15:38
by ValleyGirl
Ann - Thank you for your reply. I had to buy something today because my husband mistakenly ordered a Purina kibble that had grain in it and we were suddenly out of grain free.. We will feed my doberman Sampson that food until its gone but I did need a grain free and possibly pea free food today for Greta. Went to PetsMart and read labels right and left and came up with a kibble that is grain free, pea free and potato free. It is Blue Buffalo Carnivora. I will watch Greta for a week and report back about how she adapts to it. The down side of this food is that it is horrendously expensive. Might have to keep Sampson on a pea free food that has grain since he goes well on that and its more affordable.

I do understand ( as I wrote in my original post) that the jury is out on the danger of pea products in dog food. But its one thing to know that in the abstract and another to watch your muscular energetic dog drop dead when he was chasing deer across the pasture the day before. Also I know that peas can be fatal to chickens and that pea products have been removed from cat food. So it seems entirely possible that peas are bad for dogs too and we are only now understanding that as peas have taken the place of grains in dog food.

I also understand that each dog is different and I did not ask for a "recommendation". Just was asking if anyone on this forum had found a dog food that was both grain free AND pea free. Mute now as my PetsMart adventure was successful. Valley Girl

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 09 Oct 2019, 23:15
by Madelon
Hi there! A few of us have recently switched to Sport Dog Food Elite with good results. I personally switched to it because the maker of our previous food changed the formula and added more peas and it threw my boy into a tailspin of SID! Yes, every EPI dog is different so what works for one may not work for another but you never know unless you try.

As for the "grain free" issue, it's not necessarily "grain free" that is bad as much as it MAY BE possible suspect ingredients like peas, which we at the Epi4Dogs Foundation have recommended to avoid for years. That being said, I had a miniature doberman pincher, rotten to the corps LOL, he was never on grain free and had DCM - he did great with meds and then one day got sprayed by a skunk in the face and his little heart couldn't take it :( .

Can you feed your doberman a different food than your EPI dog? I have two dogs - one EPI and one not - my non-EPI dog eats a different food than my EPI dog - my Roxy (non-EPI) has to be on diet food cause she's like her mama and tends to pack on the pounds LOL LOL.

Keep us posted on what you try and how it works out.

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 21 Oct 2019, 19:30
by Corgeze
Just was reading this thread and wanted to comment. I have been concerned with with the cardio issue due to grain free food and have been researching the different foods. I too switched over to Sporting Dog Elite. Was so glad to see that other people have also. I was feeding Fromm and the fiber and peas were too high. I am anxious to see how my girl does on this food. It has a 5 star rating.

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 22 Oct 2019, 10:39
by Madelon
Hi Corgeze. Glad you were able to figure out that the peas and fiber were too much for your pup. Let us know how things go. It's amazing but even reducing or sometimes increasing the fiber as little as 1/2% can make a BIG difference.

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 22 Oct 2019, 10:42
by Madelon
Valleygirl - just wanted to check back with you to see how things are going and hoping that the new food you found is working. Please let us know as if it's working for you we will add it to our list of dog food options to help future members in finding a food :)

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 28 Oct 2019, 16:57
by ValleyGirl
I am the original poster on this thread. Sorry for the delay in reporting back about how Greta did with the Blue Buffalo Carnivora. Answer is that she is doing great. Best poops actually since coming down with EPI 5 years ago. Will need a small business loan to pay for it but hey -- its worth it for my peace of mind.

Thanks you to all who posted responses. To be clear, I do not believe that a no-grain food is bad for dogs in general. I had a doberman named Val who lived to be 15 years old (very, very old for a doberman) on a food with grains. I have no idea if it had peas or not. My current doberman, Sampson can digest grains just fine but Greta the GSD with EPI cannot digest them at all. I could, as someone suggested, feed two different foods -- the one with grains and no peas to Sampson and the one without grains and no peas to Greta or feed the Carnivora to both dogs. So it is all good right now with the choice being 1) lower cost using two foods or 2) convenience using one. Just so happy to feel both dogs will get what they need either way. Cheers, ValleyGirl

Re: Need advice on Food Choice

Posted: 28 Oct 2019, 17:05
by jilbert57
So glad to hear the food is working so well. Thanks for the update!

Jill