Is anyone having problems with their pet's food making them sick?

[canoeist52]

We'd be giving our dog the same food for over a year. For the last few weeks, she;s been puking a 1 to 2 times a day. But since a week ago she just looked at her bowl and looked at me as if to say WTF, then walking away. She's always gobbled her food in 15 seconds- never been picky. But I'm wondering if it just this batch of her usual food is bad. The last 2 days, we've been feeding her rice and chicken (home cooked) and the symptoms have gone away. She has an appt. with the vet today.
Anyone else ever had this problem?

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. We switched our dog food b/c of problems.Dull coat, slow appetite.

And noticed a big improvement in our dog's energy and appetite.
Ever since the melamine scare, we have avoided any dog food with wheat, corn, soy in it.
He now gets something called 4 Health, which has lamb, lamb meal, brown rice, and vegetables.
The cats get the cat food version of the same thing and I have noticed the long hair cat's coat is very shiny and healthy looking now.

Our dog was throwing up clear liquid around 7 am every morning for a few days, it turned out that meant his stomach was too empty. Apparently, since we had switched the food, the new food was being digested faster, leaving a too long empty stomach. He only threw up in the am.
I now give him a cup of dry dog food around 9 pm and the problem has been solved.

[irisblue]

2. no

what is the food brand you're using? i raw fed angels alex and duke both big & bigger dogs. the current food for princess peanutgets is canidae grain free. her stool is well formed, not smelly, easy to pick up. she rarely vomits. unless she sneak eats the cat food...

[TorchTheWitch]

3. oh yes!

Which is why I will never ever feed my dog anything but the better foods that normally can't be had in a grocery store. I used to feed Boo (the dog I had before the current one) Iams which I had always thought was a good food until he suddenly started getting bloody diarrhea and wasn't wanting to eat his food anywhere near as enthusiastically as he usually did. I did a search on the web and found that MANY MANY other people were having the same exact problem with their dogs yet Iams never did a recallduring that period. They had done one for exactly this in the past and it was because of salmonella tainting the food. I took him to the vet, they recommended immediately switching to a different food and did a saline push because he had some dehydration. I switched him to Newman's Own and immediately the problem stopped... like that very day.

It was because of this that I looked into the healthier foods for dogs and learned all about how terrible most dog foods are, how poorly their factories are run and that many of them get some of the ingredients from China. Periodically I check for any possible issues with whatever brand and type of food I using in case there are a lot of people experiencing any health issues or if there are any recalls going on. Never had a problem with the Newman's Own, Blue Buffalo or the Innova puppy food. Though they are more expensive than the average grocery store type dog food neither Boo nor Yoshi (the doggie I have now) need to eat nearly as much of it because it isn't full of fillers like corn that just go in one end and out the other... so I actually end up spending a little bit LESS than I did with the Iams because it lasts so much longer. It took me months and months to finally figure out how in the world the same sized bag of food was lasting nearly twice as long as the Iams but Boo actually gained a little muscle weight and was much more lively and happy... he also made absolutely perfect doo-doo like clockwork and less of it (I'm not kidding, I'm still rather envious of that).

Seriously, this conundrum was driving me bonkers to the point that I was wondering if someone was somehow breaking into the house and sneaking more food into the bag periodically and even checked the Iams bag to see if was padded or something to make you think you were getting more food than you were. I finally couldn't stand it anymore and asked the vet who explained in detail how stuff like corn doesn't provide much of any nutritional value (thus basically going in one end and out the other) and why the dog would be so much more hungry when so much of what their entire diet consisted of was corn (most of these companies use an astounding amount of filler instead of actual food, and since it makes the dog eat so much more of it to maintain their weight I can guess why they do it).

Though Boo's symptoms that time were different than the one's your dog has now yours are also very very common symptoms of either salmonella or some other kind of taint in the food (the vet was surprised that Boo wasn't barfing up his food though he was doing a lot of induced barfing of just bile). I'd be willing to bet that your doggie's tummy troubles are very likely there being some kind of taint in his food.

I definitely recommend chucking that food out and permanently switching your dog to one of the better brands of foods even though they're more expensive. Like I said, over the long run even though they're more expensive I've ended up spending LESS on dog food by using them. You'll probably want to buy a smaller sized amount at first to see if your dog likes it. Boo hated the Natural Balance duck and potato, was a little bit wishy-washy on one of the dry types of the Blue Buffalo but loved the Newman's Own, so that's the one I stuck with for him until he got the cancer and I needed to add a lot of calorie packed wet food (he did really love the Blue Buffalo stew varieties in the can).

There's a few really good websites that rate nearly all the dog food brands that there are that are quite beneficial and reliable. I know I had one of them bookmarked, so I'll look for it again on my 'puter, and come back with the link for you.

I really really think you'll discover that the problem is the food and that switching to another one will be the cure, but it's very good that you're going to the vet to make sure and rule out anything else. They may want to do a fluid push because of dehydration like my vet did for Boo. What that is is that they drain in what I think is really nothing but saline through what looks like a massive hypedermic needle under the skin probably around the shoulder area, and for several hours the dog will have this giant silly looking hump of fluid that gradually goes through the rest of his body to re-hydrate them. Freaked me out a bit when I first saw his big fluid hump, but by the end of the night several hours later it was gone, and it never bothered him a single bit.

I'm sure there's others here that can recommend good brands of food to try as well.... there's quite a lot of them so it can get a little overwhelming trying to choose. Petsmart has a wide variety now of the better foods but none of the one's near me carry the Newman's Own. Check around your area for a small local dog joint, too, because there's a couple near me that are even a little cheaper than the big places like Petsmart.

Best of luck, and please let us know how it goes!

P.S.: Here's a good site to find a good quality dog food...
http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/

Incidentally, I just found out that Nutura that makes Innova, Evo, California Natural, HealthWise, and Karma Organic Dog Food had been sold to Proctor & Gamble back in June of 2010. Same company that ruined Iams when it bought them and several other dog foods, deceptively switched ingredients, lied about it and didn't change the ingredients information of the bags (which it was sued for). Been through this crap with Iams before, so no more Innova for Yoshi. I was wondering why his tummy seemed to not take to it very well and started giving him half Innova and half Newman's Own which has improved things but not good enough...
http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/natura-dog-food.html

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Your last paragraph is very important to know.

Although I only feed my cat an allergy formula food, I had been told that some of those foods were the best I could get for grain free diets. Now......I will avoid them knowing that they may HAVE BEEN the best, but it is likely they are no longer of the same quality they were in the past.

Thanks for the info.

[TorchTheWitch]

5. You're very welcome

I made an OP about it in the hope that more people will see it.

[canoeist52]

6. Thanks for your informative answer.

We've been feeding Ellie Natural Balance sweet potato and salmon and N.B sweet potato and bison with no problem for about a year and a half, but with the last bag there seems to be so many reactions (including a urinary infection that she was on antibiotics for), bad smelling gas all day, bad cat urine smelling face, huge black foul-smelling stools, but the puking and food refusal sent me to this web site http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/natural_balance.html. Apparently there are others having problems with Natural Balance.

[TorchTheWitch]

8. That's how it started with Boo and the Iams

Right when I opened a new bag and fed him from that the bloody diarrhea and lack of appitite started immediately. Could be that there's a problem with certain lots of the Natural Balance. Wouldn't surprise me if a recall comes up in the not too distant future. It's a shame Boo didn't like that one since it's a good one for dogs with allergies or certain other health problems. He'd eat any nasty thing he found on the ground if I'd let him but he was very picky about his dog food. Yoshi is still not quite an adult so he's happy to eat damn near anything and like a pig.

Considering that other people are having problems I'd toss out what you have left of the Natural Balance and try something else especially since she seemed fine with the people food without any of the dog food.

How did things go at the vet?

On Edit: Damn, after reading all that stuff at the link you gave from people about the same problems your dog is having with the food I'd definitely chuck it and never go back. Natural Balance used to be one fo the good ones, but this doesn't even sound like a salmonella issue but more like some kind of toxin, and they apparently do get some of their ingredients from China.

[uppityperson]

12. That's too bad they were sold. I need to check with my local pet food store again

We've a regular standard store and one that has really good food. We used Innova and CA Natural, cat and dog, will need to check it out. Thank you.

[canoeist52]

7. We've been feeding Ellie twice a day with the supper meal split in 4 hr

halves. trying to treat the stomach issues. The food is Natural Balance sweet potato and salmon

[MadrasT]

9. There is some very good advice in this thread!

Also sometimes animals will be fine on one food and suddenly develop a sensitivity to something in it (even if the food itself didn't change, the animal's system does).

Yes, I would be suspicious of that batch of food, at least. (Glad she has a vet appointment and that the rice & chicken seemed to help!)

Have you checked to see if there were any recalls on that particular brand of food?

[Sanity Claws]

10. Yes

It happened with my cats

I switched food and the problem was resolved.

If you want to switch foods, look at the ingredients and make sure that the new food is based on a different meat. So if the current food is based on chicken, try something based on lamb.

Good luck!

[undeterred]

11. My dog developed an allergy to food containing lamb after eating it for 3 years.

He's ok with chicken, beef, salmon, anything but lamb.

[phylny]

13. I wrote this in another thread, but wanted to share it here, too.

A few months ago, I shared our struggle with Abby, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who was very sick, losing weight fast, and had no spark to her at all. She had always had Innova Adult Dry dog food/small bites and never had a problem (other than being a picky eater, but that's a Cavalier for you). She started to cough up and puke up mucous and saliva in the morning, her poop looked like runny peanut butter, and she was lethargic and listless. We ended up bringing her to Virginia Tech's small animal hospital, where she was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. What was funny is that she's gotten better by changing her diet alone, and doesn't need steroids to keep her stool solid (I guess this is somewhat unusual for IBS). Her vet trips cost us over $1,500 and ended up costing her her coat, which was previously pretty and ended up brittle, dry, and she has about 1/4 of the coat she previously had.

She's currently on Purina HA, what I call a crap dog food (the vet got pissed off at me, but it is) because it's all she could digest. She's gotten better on it, but we're having to supplement her to get her coat and skin normalized again. I'm waiting about another month until I think her belly is healed, and then I'm going with Dr. Harvey's for both of our dogs. It's going to be more expensive (because you add meat) but we can swing it, and I don't want to see her go through that again.

http://www.drharveys.com/

[fadedrose]

14. Yes

It's hard to define, but our dog was doing great for a few years on Rachel Ray's dogfood UNTIL a friend's dog died and they gave us their bag of Beneful..

The dog went crazy over it, ate it with the same fervor as a T-Bone steak. With Rachel Ray, we always had to add a tablespoon or 2 of chicken tender or ground meat.

We're on our 3rd bag of Benful and the dog just isn't right. Her coat looks more greasy than shiny, and kind of unkempt. Beagles don't need any combing to make them look great. With her big belly, it was hard for her to jump on the bed or chair....I got it in my head that no matter how much she liked Beneful (enough to scratch at the cupboard door), it wasn't good for her.

Scroll down and read "Green Beans for Doggies, etc.," as this topic has come up before. Michaz recommended "Taste of the Wild" and I bought the Lamb flavor. Also bought a small bag of the Fowl. I called my vet first and she hammered Beneful and said that "Taste" was a "Very Good Food," and she emphasized the "Very."

I located the food as Michaz said, at Tractor Supply. It's also available online at a couple of different sites, and by accident buying birdseed, saw it at Pet Supplies Plus, which is great for me. It's close to the house and gives10% on Senior Day - Tuesdays...

Oh, the dog looks better already in a less than a week. The whites of her eyes are whiter again and she walks with a cute swauger that she used to have, a sort of swing to her hips and clicky feet...her coat has a rich sheen. We didn't follow that doctors orderst to introduce it to her gradually. My son and I felt that we were slowly poisoning her. Nothing scientific, just observation and intuition.... thanks Michaz

[XemaSab]

15. My dogs have been eating chicken, rice, and green beans for a few weeks

and they're much more playful and energetic, even the fat one.

[fadedrose]

22. How are they doing now?

And you're not feeding them dogfood?

[XemaSab]

23. We switched them back to dog food

Cooking their food every night was a pain in the ass.

[canoeist52]

16. Thanks to all who shared experiences and web sites.

You've helped a lot. We decided to go with the highest protein (less grain) food we could find, Nature's Variety Instinct, which has 42% protein, and supplement with homemade brown rice.

What I learned that makes me angry is that dog food companies rely only on their in-house testing for safety and quality. You basically have to trust them that the food won't harm your pet.

But I'm so happy! Ellie hasn't puked since the last day she had the Natural Balance food.

[TorchTheWitch]

17. WooooooHoooooo!!!

Great news! I really really felt it was the food. I'm so glad that Ellie is doing so much better and so soon!

How are her poops? Is her appetite back in full force?

Have a ceremonial bonfire in the backyard with the old food. Not for any real reason but just because it may make you feel better. LOL!

I'm not happy at all either that dog food companies don't seem to have anyone to answer to when it comes to safety and quality, which is also why I never like being in a position where I need to find another good food. Geez, feeding the dog just should not be so full of doubt and risk like this!

[canoeist52]

18. Appetite is normal- 30-second gobble.

Her poop is normal 38-lb. dog-sized. No more 3-x's-a-day Great Dane poops in the yard. She sleeps a lot but that's normal for Ellie and may just be the greyhound part of her.

From my reading, It seems like most of the dog food in this country went downhill when the cereal companies like Proctor and Gamble (Iams, Innova, Evo, California Natural, Karma, Healthwise and Mother Nature) got hold of them.

Geez, break-up the monopolies!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Procter_%26_Gamble_brands

[Warpy]

19. Well, since the symptoms have resolved with chicken and rice

I think you can conclude something is wrong with the batch of food you have. I think you can also conclude she isn't bothered by grain, most dogs aren't. Remember, they were designed to eat almost anything including carrion.

I'd return the balance of the food and tell the store it was bad. Copy down the lot number and write the company and tell them of the problem. The vet will also likely notify them.

And then switch the brand and find another one she likes.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. My cat was listless, not grooming, and his coat was developing mats, despite daily brushing

When I changed his food, he perked up, started grooming again, and has a smooth, shiny coat.

[CraftyGal]

21. We feed Leo and Scrappy Acana or Blue Buffalo.

We love the Acana because it is locally produced. TrogL and I live in Edmonton, Ab and the factory is in Morinville, AB...anout a half hour north of us. Turns out is the best food we have used. It is $64.00 CAD but the big bag we bought back in December is just now finishing up. We have a dachshund and a dachshund cross and they just look so much better.

CraftyGal