Chicken vs. turkey dog food: Which is healthier or more digestible?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Great question. I like to stick with the more common protein sources such as chicken unless the pet starts to have problems from a suspected food allergy to chicken. I don't think one is more digestible than the other but that would also depend on the quality of the food and how well Annabelle tolerates the particular food. I like to leave the lamb and other proteins out of the regular diet in case you need to do a food trial down the road. Then lamb, duck, rabbit, kangaroo, etc all become possibilities. I will say one more thing. The grain free pet foods are just a marketing ploy by the pet food manufacturers. Very few pets ever have problems with grain and these diets are usually more expensive. Allergies to food are due to the protein source and not the grains. A grain problem in pets is very very rare. Good luck and I hope this helps.

I don't find many dogs that are allergic to chicken. Dogs often develop food allergies from switching to foods with different proteins all the time, like from beef to chicken to lamb to fish. I like to stick with one brand of food and one protein like chicken and feed that their whole life. You may think this is boring but it will prevent food allergies, upset stomachs and diarrhea from changing foods. Yes, chicken is lean and good for dogs. It's what I feed mine. I feed Purina and go from puppy to adult to weight management, if needed, to senior. Now my elderly dog get Brite Mind to help with mental acuity. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chloe.

I would advise boiled chicken over roast chicken to use as treats. The roast chicken can have oils, and butters on it which are high in fat and can cause health problems. These health problems can lead to gastrointestinal upset such a pancreatitis.

Since Cash is a small dog, you might consider one of the more expensive options such as a dehydrated or fresh food diet. They are able to control their ingredients much more easily than a large manufacturing plant does that makes dry food. I have been very pleased with The Honest Kitchen ( https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/ ) and Just Food For Dogs ( https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/ ). Both have foods that will not have chicken and both have options without any poultry. You do not have to worry about the potential addition of chicken fat which a number of dry food companies do as well. If those are not good options for Cash, then you may consider a canned food which again will generally be safer than a dry food at making sure there isn't any chicken contamination. I have been pleased with Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets ( https://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/ ), but be sure to read the labels carefully. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Good idea to be prepared! For diarrhea I usually recommend a 50:50 mix of boiled chicken or turkey with rice or sweet potato. I tend to recommend pumpkin when stools are too hard or a dog is constipated so I wouldn't give it when a dog is having diarrhea. It shouldn't matter if you use rice or sweet potato as both will be equally effective. Also no difference if you use ground turkey or chicken breasts. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It is certainly possible that the food is the problem. I couldn't say what it is about that brand that is problematic, but some dogs simply do better with certain brands than others. If she has a chicken allergy, I would make sure that whatever brand of food you choose you check extremely carefully for ingredients, and may go as far as calling up the company. Sometimes they can sneak something like "poultry by product" in at the very end of the ingredient list and it is very easy to miss. There are also prescription diets available that are very low ingredient and generally safer for pets with dietary issues. Other issues that can cause gastrointestinal issues in dogs would include inflammatory or infectious diseases, immune-mediated diseases (such as IBD), certain cancers, liver disease, and a few other less common possibilities. If she hasn't already, it might be a good idea to obtain some blood work just to see if everything is checking out OK. Ultrasound and abdominal radiographs are also possibilities if you want to explore the problem in more detail.

The ingredients are different, but both are formulated to have similar nutrient profiles. Most dogs can eat one or the other, but a few may have an adversity to one versus the other. Otherwise, they are both good foods and there would be no reason to feed one versus the other. Below is a link to a short article with more helpful information about pet food. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ I hope that helps and all is well with Korbyn.