Can grain free increase sensitivity to other stuff?

[Grinchly]

Hi

My rescue collie arrived with a bag of grain free high quality food, so have kept her on a similar brand, Canagen. No problems whatsoever until she was fed one strip of schmacko during an intensive training session. Got runs a few hours after. All down her furry pantaloons.

Second time she was suddenly taken short in the house. She was due to go out but I was distracted with work. Cat who she doesn't like was scratching at door. I was on the phone for work so couldn't rush her outside when I saw her circling. Diarrhoea all over the floor. Had eaten nothing she doesn't normally have that day.

What would you do? Someone suggested it could be thé expensive food making her extra sensitive to other issues so should be weaned off to a cheaper brand but that seems counterintuitive to me.

I would prefer to keep her on the good stuff which I can afford and want to keep her on it to compensate for her probably rubbish diet early on in life, from what I know about her background, and keep her off cheap treats instead.

Any advice? Possibly @veterinari?

[BiteyShark]

It could be the protein you are feeding. Some dogs don't do well on things like chicken or lamb. Maybe swop proteins.

Also the type of food. My dog doesn't do well on kibble but the exact same food from the same manufacture but in wet format suits him.

[pigsDOfly]

I wouldn't have thought a grain free, good quality food would make her sensitive to other things as such, but I understand what the person means. Canagen is very rich and possibly too rich for your dog.However schmackos are probably full of rubbish and could probably upset her.

My dog can't tolerate Canagen as it's too high protein for her, but she has flair ups of pancreatitis from time to time and has to be on a low fat diet. Likewise kibble, even the low fat kibble equivalent of the wet food she's on will cause a flair up.

Might be an idea to get her on some plain chicken and rice for a few days, if she can eat chicken, just to give her stomach a rest.

[fivedogstofeed]

Agree it may be too rich. One of my collies had awful stomach problems when he arrived ( though partly due to stress). I had started him on Millies Wolfheart Salmon & Potato as that's what my other dogs have, but it was a total disaster for him. Now after working through Millied tinned food and Burns Chicken and rice I've settled him on a Millies Wolfheart 40% protein which seems to suit.

[Grinchly]

Thanks all. Thing is she has been absolutely fine on it for three months bar these two incidents.

[BiteyShark]

Just re read your post and thought it was the food that was causing problems. In which case I would stick with it and try different treats.

[Swoopinggulls]

One of my dogs used to be given a schmacko by a neighbour now and again and it didn't agree with him at all, though not as bad as your dog's reaction.