My dog has anal gland issues. What food is safe from grain-free risks?

I recommend a product called Glandex that seems to work well. You give it to them every day. It comes in a powered form and a chewy treat form. A word of caution about grain free diets. I often see dogs who have anal gland issues or constipation issues on these diets. I think it must be related to the fiber. There can be other concerns as well but the majority of dogs on these diets do just fine. However, most dogs do not have food allergies (less than 10% of ALL allergies are to food). Additionally, most of these food allergy dogs are allergic to protein, not grains. I do recommend a high quality food such as Royal Canin or Purina Pro Plan. Lastly, it doesn’t make a difference if the food is canned or kibble. It’s all about the fiber amount and quality. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I like hydrolyzed protein diets for the hypoallergenic diet trial. Hills z/d and Purina HA are my 2 favorites. They make the protein sources so small that the immune system can not recognize it as an allergen. Diet trials should be continued for 12 weeks to know if they are helping. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Yes, you are correct that there is concern that no grain foods may potentially linked to heart disease, and the FDA is now investigating that. Personally, I recommend feeding Gypsy Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I feed my own dogs Iams and they love it. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cooper. You have several options regarding the risk of DCM from feeding the grain-free diet. In these cases, DCM results from the diet being deficient in taurine. There is a blood test that your veterinarian can submit to measure Cooper's taurine levels. He could also have an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) to ensure he does not have any structural changes. Lastly, you can change his diet. You can consider Purina Proplan Sensitive Skin and Stomach as it is a trust worthy brand and will help any underlying skin disease. I hope this information helps!

Poor kitty. He may need his anal sacs expressed. I'd have him seen by a vet to have them expressed. Then I would give him Glandex, which is a supplement that can help with anal sac health. Make sure he has plenty of fiber in his diet. Brands of cat food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams.

Grains are very rarely the cause of any skin issues so switching Kyya to a normal, grain containing diet is recommended. Keep in mind that the link is not understood but as long as the pet is not showing signs of heart disease, changing the diet will help avoid any heart pathology. The brand I like best is Royal Canin. You would pick the large breed formula. I also like Purina ProPlan. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am sorry to hear about your problems with Bell! I have had some owners find the product Glandex to be helpful (though not all) so that is worth a try. Others have found probiotics such as Fortiflora or Prostora, or Omega fatty acid supplements to be helpful.