Opinion on food for my senior?

[AngeD]

A couple of weeks ago, Dante got into the garbage and ate a bunch of lunch meat. Unfortunately, that led to a day full of vomiting. The next day, once the vomiting had stopped for several hours, I noticed he wouldn't eat his food. We were feeding him Nutro's Natural Choice Senior Formula and I figured he was just bored with the taste I switched him back to his old food Iams Senior Plus. While eating the Iams he started getting diarrhea. Besides the diarrhea, he was acting completely normal and had a normal appetite. I figure he is just getting older and his stomach is getting sensitive.
He also seems to be itching more than usual as well (with no fleas or rash present).
Is there any foods out there anyone can recommend for a senior with a sensitive stomach and possibly sensitive skin?

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

It is never a good idea to suddenly switch your dog's food, even if it is back to something he once ate. That is bound to cause diarrhea. Just because he was off of his food for one day, especially after being so sick the previous day, doesn't mean that what you are feeding needs to be changed.

The dog's coat could be dry simply due to the time of year. If you think his food is not of high enough quality and has too many by-products in it, as well as too many (not whole) grains, investigate the labels on other feed. If you decide to try yet another feed, you need to wean him off the one to which he is accustomed and slowly introduce the new food by mixing it with the old. The first ingredient listed on any quality dog food should be meat (or protein) and not a "meat meal" or "by product".

Personally I wouldn't be so quick to switch unless the quality you are feeding him is not good. I am not familiar with the brand you mentioned. My dogs eat "Wellness Super 5 Mix - Senior Light". If they are fed anything different, they will both have very loose stool. Your dog probably had an upset tummy from the day before and was naturally fasting. Dogs don't always have to eat every day. I would only worry if it went on for a couple of days and if he weren't drinking enough fluid.

There is a website that many of us have used, but it might be a bit outdated by now. It will give you an idea of how food is rated though, along with what is considered optimal ingredients. It is http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Good luck.

[kian]

Exactly what Deb posted! I too was going to recommend Wellness Super 5, it has limited ingredients and is a 6 star feed.
Iams is a lower star rating and has lots of grain in it. Nutro is a 3-4 star rating, not the best but okay. Switch slowly!!

If the diarrhea persists, have him checked out by the vet. Adding a some Coconut oil to the feed helps with the taste and is very good for dogs.

[AngeD]

Thank you
Yeah my mom bought him food for sensitive stomach, it isn't the greatest quality, but the diarrhea stopped once he started eating it. Usually switching foods suddenly on him doesn't cause diarrhea, but there is a first time for anything.
I never thought about the fasting after the vomiting, that could explain why he wasn't eating for a couple of days.
I'll have to take a look at Wellness Super 5 and I'll have to remember about coconut oil, Dante has always seemed picky about taste.

[dogermom]

Try Nutro's GRAIN FREE product. I went for months with my beloved Gollie having unexplained diarrhea when he got older. The thing that finally did the trick was eliminating ALL grains. Beware the "sensitive stomach" formulas - they usually have oatmeal, which also caused problems. NO GRAINS!

[sweetpea03b]

I agree with the majority on this. When you switch, you should mix the foods for a few days. Also, avoid "grocery store food" - they have lots of fillers, by-products and CORN! BAD!

Wellness is good... kinda pricey for what you're getting though... especially if you go with their grain free. Check out your local "mom and pop" pet store. They usually carry alot of the higher end brands that have all-natural ingredients.

California Natural, Earthborn, Taste of the Wild are all good grain free options that are reasonably priced. Good luck!!