Puppy food help

[Doggard]

I need help with what to do about my puppy's food. 9 month old spaniel, lots of energy. He needs food without any chicken or gluten. On Arden grange from the breeder but had to be removed from that due to the chicken/gluten issues. moved onto Wildways which was brilliant for several months but he was still showing problems related to his rather niche medical issue and we think it's the chicken.

So I searched to find a non-gluten, non-chicken kibble. I thought Millie's Wolfheart would be the answer and he's been on that a few weeks. Good news, his medical issue seems to have calmed down, so we do think chicken was the issue, but he is having awful digestive issues on it despite introducing it very gradually. I phoned millie's who were helpful and they suggested moving off the gundog mix onto agility mix but we are seeing the same issues. I think he now needs a new food because he is having lots of strained runny poos despite being on the lowest food amount, he's losing weight.

I'd prefer kibble if possible because I have no freezer space but willing to try a tray type food if it's the only option. I'm a bit unsure what this involves though (is it just open a tray and chuck it down, how many trays do they need a day?) and whether it needs supplementing?

My dogs are on Marleybones which is a gluten and grain free fresh food which does not need to be in freezer. There are ; flavours to choose from. It has been amazing for mine and has made a real difference to their coats.

Have have a look at allaboutdogfood.co.uk

I have spent hours combing it already. I just can't seem to find anything that ticks the boxes and also wary about moving him onto so many different foods. I am unsure why Millie's isn't working for example - is it too high in protein?

I don't know maybe its the kibble that is not agreeing with him. I think fresh food judging by my experience is better for them either fresh or frozen. One of my dogs had terrible staining around her eyes and other skin issues until I moved them, which I also think was allergies. Marleybones do a trial box so I didnt move them until I knew it suited.

How does it work, I've just done the annoying 'quiz' that all those types of food places have and it just gives me a 'plan' but doesn't say how many boxes he needs a day for example. It's also suggesting I add supplements to it which seems like a faff when I'm rushed in the morning.

You dont need supplements as well at his age. It has everything included once you go through the quiz it will let you know how much you need I imagine it will be 1 box a day if not less? My dogs are quite small and they are on half box each.

Have you looked at Eden? I think their fish cuisine is suitable for age of your pup and is grain and chicken free.

I did exactly the same thing with my Border puppy. Agonised over giving her " good " food. After a few false starts, I've settled for Wainrights Grain free single protein and veg. They do a Sensitive with Salmon, a low fat with Turkey, a Lamb, and Beef and a Chicken variety. I buy the Sensitive, low fat and lamb and do a mixture. It's not the best food according to All About Dogs website ( not sure he's even really an expert, I've read conflicting things) . Puppy is now fine, no runny poos, no stinky parts, full of energy and happy to eat her kibble.

Wolfworthy has recently introduced an oily fish version of their kibble that is chicken-free. Might be worth a try.

My spaniel cannot have chicken or duck. We use Forthglade wet trays (don’t need to be chilled until opened) and kibble.

Has the breeder not been able to offer advice? Allergies and intolerances sometimes run in the line.
Our youngest Spaniel is 3 and we are still in touch. I know she would give excellent advice.
We got great advice from an independent petshop too.

It's sadly not an allergy it's a movement disorder we think triggered by food. We are in contact with the breeder and all the other litter owners but ours is the only one affected and the breeder was none the wiser about it.

I think we've decided to persist with millies for another week maybe add some prokolin to calm things down a bit before deciding to switch again.

I'll look in to wolfworthy and Eden. Dh isn't keen on trays purely because of the cost but we will if its what helps so we might try one when things settle down.

@Doggard when you say movement disorder, have you looked at or been diagnosed with Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome? If so, there's a private Facebook group of the same name with lots of very knowledgeable people to guide you through the next steps. ( I've only discovered this as lots of BTs are prone to it ) First steps seem to be Grain/Gluten free, low fat and absolutely no human food. Hope this is helpful. Not all vets know about it either.

@Doggard so sorry to hear that hope you find a long term solution that helps.
Hope you find some comfort and support from the breeder and other owners too.

Yes but it's more specific to his breed. I'm on a few Facebook groups of the cramping syndrome because it seems to share similar causes. He seems to be very sensitive to food too

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jvim.17268

Gosh, yes it does sound similar and concerning. Reading the posts on my BT group, the dogs with CECS all do better on gluten free food, lots of different ones too. They don't all get poorly from the same triggers. Fish seems a good protein to start with, though it really does feel like a trial and error game. Three small meals, possibly a probiotic to aid digestion. Sorry, there doesn't seem to be a definitive solution that works for all. I hope you find something that works for your DDog.

@Doggard started reading around grain free food, and once you do that Facebook helpfully throws every single advertisement at you. One observation, why is nearly every puppy food chicken based, even ones for sensitive digestion? I did find this one, which looks pretty good for adult food, found a link to a woman who runs a CECS group and would trust her. Apparently they are very helpful if you give then a call and send samples too. Hope you and pup are doing well.