Dog Food Help/ Sick Dog?

I was wondering if anyone could help me out here. I have a 14 month old chocolate lab. Until she was about 6 months she had a beautiful coat; however, since then her coat has become dull and very patchy with lighter hair growing in. She is full breed, registered AKC. I had her on IAMS for awhile until about 2 months ago, when I switched her to Natural Balance Venison %26amp; Brown Rice. She really seemed to enjoy this food so I kept her on it. Just the other day she threw up and will not touch the food for anything. I am becoming concerned and have offered her the Duck and Potato which she barely eats. Any info on the coat issue and the eating issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Dog Food Help/ Sick Dog?

First, check for signs of bloat. the lack of eating and vomiting is one sign but look at her from above and see if her stomach is bubbled out some. If so give her and imodium AD as soon as possible if you have it on hand and rush her to the emergency vet. Bloat is normally fatal because the stomach twists and doesn't allow food in or out of the dogs body. The gases from stomach acid expand the stomach and it eventually puts excessive strain on the spin and can even break it or the stomach will rupture. Even if the stomach is not expanded it would be a good idea to call your vet and explain the symptoms. I would also recommend switching your dog to a more digestible food. While Narual balance is better than Iams it still contains high amounts of cornmeal and brewers rice which are used as fillers. Find a food that contains a meat as the first ingredient such as maximum nutrition from Walmart or Innova from health food stores. Innova Evo is the best food I have found. Do not use canned food as it contains high amounts of preservatives that are hard on the dogs digestive system and can result in loose stool. It also causes increased bacteria in the dogs mouth which can result in peridontis disease.

Dog Food Help/ Sick Dog?

Time to go to the vet. Dull coat and poor appetite can mean many things. Thyroid problems come to mind, but there are many other possible causes.

Dog Food Help/ Sick Dog?

I would have the dog looked at by a vet. Her coat should have improved with the food change since Natural Balance is a much better dog food than Iams. It is possible for dogs to be allergic to even good foods though, which could explain both issues.

Dog Food Help/ Sick Dog?

try to feed he unseasoned canned chicken and white rice.. Or take her to the vet they have a special line of food for sick puppies its perscription diet but you have to get it from the vet

Dog Food Help/ Sick Dog?

Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice formula (no wheat and no corn or soy) has worked for my 4 large dogs. In my opinion, the ingredients we want to stay away from is wheat, corn, and soy, and anything similar like wheat gluten, corn meal, etc. It is not that these are bad, they just are not good ( do not provide benificial nutrition, rather used as filler to make the dogs feel more full). Being that dogs are carnivores, these carbs can be hard for their body to digest, leading to skin and digestion problems which lead to other problems. The food is a main way we can ensure a dog has a healthy coat. Also, putting a raw egg in their food is a treat and excellent for their coats. I suppliment my dog food with raw ground beef and vegetables. Being that my dogs won't eat vegetable chunks, I puree zuccini, carrots, celery, cilantro, tomatos, garlic, raw eggs, and I sometimes mix and match different fruits to puree too. I mix the puree in to the raw meat and package it individually, and suppliment Nutro with the raw food in the evenings and stick strictly to Nutro in the AM. Shampoo is another item that may be affecting the coat. With hard water, we can never rid of all the soap in their coat leaving them with dry itchy skin. I take my dogs swimming always keeping their coats exquisite. If I don't make it to the lake and they are dirty, I will bathe them with the hose and massage and scrape them clean with my hands but I never use soap! If you do, know that a little goes a long way. The less the better! I hope this helps to address the problems that I've spent a lot of time working through myself.