Best Dog Food Suggestions that work For EPI

[Bonnie's]

My 8 year golden diagnosed with EPI and managed well since he was 3 now needs a new dog food! Please, can anyone post back as to what current dog food on the market is working for their EPI dog. So many suggested ones have been discontinued or are at the very least, extremely expensive. In the recent January list many are over $80 for a 20 lb bag. I'm looking for a a dry dog food which has a fiber count of less than 3%. He's already on a B12 supplement, slippery elm bark, tylan powder (once weekly maintenance only) and of course digestive enzymes. It is just the dog food we need to replace, it's a good food it's just not benefiting him anymore because he's been on it too long (according to the vet). His current dog food has fiber count of 2.5 % so again anything 2% to 3% would be best.

Thanks in advance,
Bonnie

[jilbert57]

Hi Bonnie,
What food is Odin currently eating?
There are a lot of choices on our dog food option tab. Just look for one with 3.5% fiber or less, grain free and no peas, legumes or lentils.

https://epi4dogs.com/dog-food-options/

Olesia has recently started a thread for homemade food too.

viewtopic.php?t=2030

Jill

[Bonnie's]

Thank you for the reply Jill but I have looked through that list as I stated it was most recently updated in January. Unfortunately the few dog foods that are still being made on that list are extremely expensive. Golden's are big and eat about 2.5 cups daily. I was trying to reach out to your community to find out what food is currently working for other EPI dogs which may not have appeared on that list.

Thank you again,

[Olesia711]

Hi BOnnie,

in the past i would have recommended a middle of the road product such as Taste of the Wild, grain free, either Prairie version or the Pacific Stream version, however... recently there has been a flurry of dogs getting sick from a variety of brand name commercial kibble.... although nothing has officially been proven..... So i am very hesitant right now to whole-heartedly recommend anything.

WHat i started doing is the home-made puppy loaf for my dog, but in addition, i have been adding mashed sweet potato and cooked veggies that i have on hand. I have a standard poodle. by adding the sweet potato and veggies as a side to the loaf meal, i have been able to cut the recommended portions in half and discovered that it is actually cheaper for me to do this, then buy the high dollar kibble and supplement with meat (something i always did).....

the other thing you can do is go on Chewy, and they allow you to use various criteria for the food you are looking for... so do a search on grain free that excludes peas....

[jilbert57]

Yes thanks.
Hopefully other members will chime in here to get you some suggestions.
What food are you currently feeding?

Jill

[etehonda]

Hi Bonnie! I understand your concern about finding the right dog food for your EPI dog.tunnel rush Have you considered consulting your vet for specific recommendations based on your dog's health needs? Additionally, some brands offer limited-ingredient or sensitive stomach formulas that might be worth exploring. Keep an eye on ingredient lists and consider gradual transitions to new foods to minimize any digestive issues. Wishing your golden the best on his dietary journey!

[Bonnie's]

Thank you for all your replies, unfortunately I didn't receive any that tell me what dog food they have they have their EPI dogs on that work. I'm aware of what to look for in the commercial dog foods and so many of them have too high a fiber count, or contain peas or pea protein, or beans, etc. I already supplement with a decent food topper but really need help in knowing which food has actually been the most beneficial. Currently my EPI dog is on Diamond Natural only because of the lowest fiber count but it's just an okay food, which is why I have to supplement with a topper. If anyone reading this can state which food works, I'd be so grateful. Finally as for reaching out to my Vet, well they suggested Purina. That pretty much ended the conversation right there which is why I'm reaching out to those on this forum.

[Eddiespaghetti]

I use taste of the wild Appalachian valley. It's a small breed formula. I switched him from taste of the wild high prairie. Both worked quite well for Eddie.
It has peas in it but never had an issue and they got for roughly 2 dollars a pound.

[Bonnie's]

Thank you very much Eddie, that kind of information is most helpful. I will look and see if there is a large breed variety from that brand that has a lower fiber count. Our main concern with the fiber is that our dog has to go so very often even with the digestive enzymes (5 times a day when only only eating twice daily) so I have to remain with a fiber count of less than 3%.

[Jane&Clyde]

You might be able to get away with a SLIGHTLY higher fiber amount, still 4% or less, if you feed a grain free food. Even though the Diamond Naturals has a low fiber amount, it still has grains. Grains can interfere with the action of the enzymes by up to 50%, depending on the dog. The Taste of the Wild High Prairie and Pacific Stream MIGHT work. There are also foods by Merrick, but they are owned by Purina.