I say richness but as stated " I can't pinpoint what causes it"… It just seems that high quality foods cause him to get soft stools or diarrhea. As a pup we tried a couple of foods such as TOTW, Innova and EVO to name a few but he didn't respond we'll stool wise. When we got to the fromms he did really well...we use all varieties and protein sources. Mainly I use the grain free versions but I have and will add a limited grain version in there with no issues. Since the surgery however he cannot tolerate the fromms in any amount..we tried keeping him on the fromms and using Flagyl but that didn't help. After a month of him being a skinny mini we decided to go with the ID diet to help solidify him and get him to gain weight back. He's done well weight wise but he is developing symptoms of irritation from it.. Therefore, here I am trying to find a good food but am worried that the really good ones are too much on his stomach.. And I can't figure out how to pick a mediocre one over another
I've started looking into raw/ freeze dried foods bc event bough protein content is higher perhaps the digestability could be the problem on the dry foods..like I've said..idk what it is, I'm pulling at straws trying to get him back on balance
Since this has evolved into a "food" thread, I'd like to add a couple of comments. It can take time…...maybe a week or two.....for the gut to adjust to a new food, so I wouldn't be too quick to reject one I otherwise liked. I assume you are slowly adding the new food, mixed with what he had been eating? A quick change is just asking for trouble. Also, if you are committed to feeding dry, try moistening it with water. Even with water always available (which it should be if they are eating dry kibble), many dogs do not drink enough for proper digestion. In nature, a dog/wolf/whatever would never be eating anything with as low a moisture content as kibble!
It hasn't evolved off topic if that's what your referring to, the food issue oakleys dealing with now is related to his surgery as he has become intolerant of his food only after the surgery. As for transitioning…he has been on fromms for at least a year..the only transition was getting off the fromms onto the ID which per both his vets with a three day transition...trying to get back onto the fromms we have tried literally in terms of counting nibbles over weeks..it just isn't working..I've tried sticking it out on the fromms after surgery and once his initial Flagyl dose ( along with all his other post surgery meds ran their course) but after two weeks of diarrhea and literally a drop in weight (he got down to 19lbs)..he had to be put on something to ease the stress of his tract and build up his weight..I also planned on keeping him on the ID diet for awhile so he could fully gain his weight and to keep his system steady bc he'd been through the trauma and on lots of medications..until he started getting itchy and shaking his head all the time. I don't want him to be uncomfortable and for that reason I find it necessary to search for a food he can thrive on.
I had a dog that had 6 inches of intestine removed after an absess formed from a botched neutering. I nursed him back from 13 lbs up to 26 on a 6 month diet of boiled brown rice, chicken breast and scrambled eggs. I knew he was better when he walked off with a salmon steak from our grill. he lived to nearly 15 after his surgery at 6 months almost killed him.
Lol, Lisa!! When oAk came home and was on all the meds I boiled hamburger and rice and then chicken and rice then back to hamburger and rice..I didn't know about scrambled eggs! The vet just said a boiled bland diet…I haven't eaten rice or cooked hamburger since! It's going to be awhile before I do. I was so fortunate that his ER vet was able to palpate the entire leash (strings and all) out of his intestines and into the stomach so she could make the cut there to reduce complications. He did have bruising and loss of motility on the GI tract which he was medicated for during his stay. Honestly, so much has happened between the surgery and the present that for the 1st time ever it's hard for me to keep track of it all! He's had post surgery meds, meds for parasites just in case, fecal analysis, post op visits, regular vet visits...trying remedies like yogurt...I am tired, spent a LOT of money and am easily frazzled when it comes to him bc everytime I turn around somethings not right...I hope that soon I can put this behind us...
Maybe I need to buy some salmon steaks?! Maybe that's where I'm going wrong!
I don't know what it is about the Fromm's. I wish I did. I see very little difference in ingredients between the Fromm Puppy and the Fromm Adult, and Ava thrived on the puppy food, but not the adult. It's frustrating– I know how you feel, Chealsie. Have you tried the Hill's a/d to try and get a little weight back on Oakley? It's gentle on their system and is higher calorie. It's made for dogs suffering from an illness/trauma or post-surgery. It was a godsend for Spencer when he was sick-- and the chicken breast/brown rice/scrambled eggs that Lisa suggested worked well, too. The scrambled eggs were his fave-- even Egg Beaters which you can microwave in a minute!
I know you're looking for a long-term solution for Oakley, but maybe the a/d or scrambled eggs mixed with kibble would be a good stop-gap? And for some reason, dogs that have issues with grains can have issues with dairy. I have found that with Ava. Yogurt and cheese don't agree with her. Pumpkin has helped her, however, and so has the FortiFlora. She has been on antibiotics almost constantly since I've had her, poor girl.
If Oakley is having digestive issues, I would stay after from brown rice as it is harder to digest.
I haven't tried the A/D diet…I asked the vet if she had a recommendation for either a prescription diet or a medium quality food that was grain free or limited grain and she didn't have an answer. She suggested since he's showing a slow but gradual intolerance in the ID to try the EN but that too is grain based...I like the idea of eggs to help with his coat...and he is gaining, I can no longer see his ribs or any prominences on his spine...at his peak condition he was 23.5lbs..he's currently 21.4 but he looks worlds better than at 19lbs. I will be sure not to cook him brown rice if we decide to again start cooking a bland diet for him. After surgery I used white rice and ground lean chicken or extra lean ground beef..but of course that wasn't providing any significant caloric intake. Even he seemed to get tired of it after awhile! Lol
I'm spending all my time looking at analysis breakdowns and trying to find similarities between the foods he doesn't do we'll on and the fromms specifically. It looks to be high in carbohydrates considering dogs don't need them...what I like about the natures variety instinct freeze dried food are the ingredients and the lower carbs (the protein while higher may be easier to digest in this form and its still much lower a protein % than day orijen frozen food..) and it contains a beneficial clay that helps with diarrhea or symptoms of IBD. At first I thought "clay??" But according to the two websites I listed I've been looking through they both seem to say it isn't a negative ingredient. Next is to do some independent researching of the item. If I do transition to that I'm wondering how to do the gradual transition seeing as one is a dry food and the other is a freeze dried medallion or patty..any thought?
Anyone have anything good or bad to say about honest kitchen dehydrated food?
I haven't used Honest Kitchen, but I am a fan of dehydrated food. I've used NRG for years with good results. Because you rehydrate it before feeding, I think dehydrated should be easier on the digestive system than kibble. Worth a try! 
The NRG website says its been compromised and they're rebuilding it. I'm having trouble trying to figure out feeding instructions..such as how much to feed per day. I'm trying to look at how long the boxes will last..mainly comparing between some foods. The instinct frozen is of course expensive..averaging approx 4-5$ a day depending on whether I choose medallions,bites,patties or chubs and I get between 8-16 days out of a package..I think with the honest kitchen it averages about 2.50$/day and ill get between 23-53 days… Ultimately, I know I'm going to be paying more (which I can deal with)..I'm just trying to grasp the concept of it since its foreign to me..
Dogfoodadvisor lists smack dehydrated as a five star food. ID never heard of it. It's 132.99 for a 7.7lb bag of food with 22cups at 1/2C a day..so for 44 days it breaks down to just over 3$/day. That estimate being the highest, other flavored work out to be about 2.35/day....but it looks funny to me.
Sounds like feeding raw might be just as cheap… or cheaper, if you buy in bulk and on sale. I think Ava would prefer to eat raw all the time.
I know lots of people that use it and love it… my C-Me however doesn't....
I've thought about it Pamela!! I'm just worried I won't be able to provide a full and complete diet…
Pat- do you know what it was that turned C-Me off? The only honest kitchen recipe I would use is the Zeal ( which also happens to be the most expensive..lol). I read the smell can be powerful at times...
I'm going to try raw with Elliot soon.. He is the world's pickiest eater!
Ava gets raw at night, mixed with a little kibble. Tad started her on it, and I've been continuing. I've been adding select veggies and pumpkin. I, too, am worried about nutritional balance, but adding more raw and less kibble seems to be helping. Ava dances around on her hind legs, going crazy to be fed.
I've been researching this more and more. If you're interested, check this out:
http://basenjisisters.com/DietArticle.htm
This is from the breeder of Ava's grandmother, Cinder.
Cinder 
Loved her. They also bred Cody's father Puff who is Elliot's great-great grandfather.
I was given the option to continue the raw and decided not to. I'm willing to give it a try if Elliot will eat it!
The NRG website says its been compromised and they're rebuilding it. I'm having trouble trying to figure out feeding instructions..such as how much to feed per day.
The suggested feeding is 1 cup (dry before re hydrating) per 20 lbs, give or take depending on the dog. Perry weighs about 24 lbs and I feed him between 2/3 cup and 1 cup, depending on how he looks to my eye and his activity level (less in winter!). He also gets Acana Senior in his roller ball…...the only kibble I feed, and only because it works well in the ball.
I've been researching this more and more. If you're interested, check this out:
http://basenjisisters.com/DietArticle.htm
This is from the breeder of Ava's grandmother, Cinder.
This article mirrors my own thinking on the subject. I would add, I have never had a Basenji that was a fussy eater…....even when the composition of food was not "on my radar" and I fed kibble I wouldn't touch today. We see so many problems in dogs, and increasingly in young dogs, that I personally feel are a direct result of feeding processed food. That is why I went to dehydrated, as it is minimally processed and still convenient.
Historically dogs got along just fine on whatever was left over from the family meal. And they didn't develop all the health problems we see today. Many dogs lived to a very old age. The average life expectancy was less, certainly, because more succumbed to accidents, but if such statistics were available to study, I think we would find potential lifespan has gone down, not up. Incidentally, I think the same is true in humans. I believe we have seen the peak, and my parents' generation will prove to be the longest lived. Food and environmental factors are already causing diseases in younger people that used to only be seen in old age. (e.g. type 2 diabetes!) Another potential problem is the wide spread use of GMO foods. As happened with cigarette smoking, the results of this world wide experiment may take many years to be revealed.
I bought a box of honest kitchen last month and its hit or miss whether they will eat it. I don't plan to buy it again. There was another brand I used last yr that they liked better, I believe it was call DNA, but its no longer carried at pet food direct. They all like the raw diet I get at the pet stores, but do not show much enthusiasm when I try home made.
