# Grain free, chicken free dry kibble



## vizslababyboy (Jan 23, 2013)

Hi all! 
It's been a over four years with my boy and after the first year with some difficult behavior and health problems we seem to have hit our stride. We finally figured out that he was allergic to chicken and grain around year one, and since then his coat and digestive problems have cleared up wonderfully. 
Recently though we have had a couple new scares. On Christmas Eve this last year (2016) we woke up to our boy vomiting blood. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, treated with fluids and meds and seemed to be on the mend. He was only "sick" for one day (between xmas eve and xmas day) and at his checkup a couple weeks later was given a clean bill of health. We were told that there is no way to tell what caused this- it could be stress, diet, or medication (he happened to be taking a steroid and an antibiotic about a week before for a skin issue). We shrugged it off, as the meds did the trick and continued with our routine. 
Yesterday though he again vomited his pink bile. As I was at work and my boyfriend was with him I can't speak directly to his energy or attitude yesterday. However, we did introduce a new 11 month old GSP to our pack about a month ago, and though they love each other and get along great, he is not a fan when we need to correct her behavior and I suppose this could be stress related. 
So, I'll get to the point. I am looking for suggestions for dry, grain free, chicken free kibble in case the food we are feeding him has played a roll in this mysterious illness. He has been eating Holistic Earth Great Plains Bison Meal dry food. We have tried Orijen, and Acana as well as a number of others when we were originally trying to find something that worked for our high energy boy a couple years ago, but he wasn't a fan. I have always tried to find foods that are well balanced with a good amount of protein and I'm ok spending a little bit more for it. Raw and dehydrated foods are generally out of our budget and honestly we just don't have the time. We would like to stick to something that isn't more then about $60/30lb (or there abouts) as we go through two 28lb bags a month or so with our two pointers. 
As well as any food suggestions we would love any ideas about what may be causing this or tips on what we should be doing as far as treatment would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks all!
Eden, Holden, Ari and June
(Below: Ari-our Vizsla, and June- our new GSP)


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

What tests did the vet run to determine it wasn't caused by the prednisone?
You would hate to change a dogs diet, to treat a illness he doesn't have. Or give him the medicine again, because you think something else is the cause.
Prednisone is widely used for a long of things. But it can cause stomach ulcers, in some dogs.


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## vizslababyboy (Jan 23, 2013)

Ari was given Famotidine and Cerenia last time this happened (Christmas Eve 2016). This time, I was told it could be ulcers, or it could just be stress, paired with a higher production of stomach acid, change in routine and meal times, and possibly ingesting something unusual. Our vet said he would prescribe the same meds, but since he seemed to be in good spirits, and was able to keep both a late dinner and breakfast down before we brought him in yesterday afternoon he suggested me wait it out. If he continued to have issues obviously we would bring him back in and start meds, but he seems to be back to normal after a meal and a long nap. 
He was however given Prednisone for his skin condition mid December, prior to our first issue. It was actually my thought as well that the meds were what caused it originally, as nothing else had changed in his diet or routine. We were told there was no way to test that theory, and had to leave it up to speculation. This time though, he hasn't been on any medications that may lead to this reaction. And since diagnosing ulcers is a bit more invasive, it's not something we wanted to do without further cause.


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