On August 3rd I received a very specific question about dog food. For privacy reasons I won’t copy the complete mail in this blog post but I’ll explain the question to you.

This dog lover previously ran a Labrador retriever kennel and is now faced with a French Bulldog (received as a gift) that has food problems. Symptoms are: runny stools, bloody endings to stools, spit up food and skin sensitivity issues. The owners have tried all kinds of premium dry kibble and finally went to prepare home made meals for their dog.
The French Bulldog is doing fine on a menu of chicken with ground bones, rice, broccoli and oats. However, the owners would very much like to find a more convenient dog food; a normal food product. Secondly they ask whether the home made diet can be supplemented with vitamins or minerals to prevent deficiencies.

I want to share my knowledge and experience but I think it’s risky to give advice about medical nutrition via this medium so I’ll give general advice and refer to a veterinarian when I think that’s the best thing to do.

Continue reading to view my response.

This is a difficult situation you in with your French Bulldog. A gift with some side effects; good to hear you’re saying you love your dog. Looks like your dog is unable to digest commercial dry dog food since he’s doing better on home made meals. Though you say he did well on ID Science Diet. You didn’t explain though why you discontinued this and went to home made meals.

As for the food advice I must refer you to a veterinarian because of the blood you noticed in his stools. I’ve had this problem with my dog once and it turned out to be an intestinal infection for which he needed antibiotics. Whenever there’s blood in your dogs stool this is a clear indicator to go to the vet. I can’t tell from here how serious the problem is (frequency of the symptoms you mentioned) and I’m no veterinarian so I can’t give you medical advice. I can only share with you my knowledge and experiences so far which I will do.

A good alternative for bag food I find frozen meat and I buy meat complete menu which has meat as number 1 ingredient (for instance 80% lamb and 6% rice). Many dogs do better on this than on dry kibble. It’s easier to digest (passing time is shorter) and it’s more nutritional compared to dog food with cereals as number 1 ingredient (works for some dogs but not for all). The runny stools and skin sensitivity can be the result of your dog having trouble digesting his food. As I understand he’s doing fine on home prepared meals which supports this.

I cannot give you a clear cut food advice as all dogs are different and I don’t know whether your dog has an allergy (see this article about a Labrador retriever where lamb & rice dog food just was the worst thing to go for) or an infection or some other problem.

In general I advice you the following:

First go see a vet (if you’re not happy with your current one than go to another for a second opinion) about the bloody endings to his stools and skin sensitivity.

Second, for convenience reasons it’s easier to feed your dog commercial dog food (unless you don’t mind preparing the home made meals but as I understand you want to find a normal food product). Try frozen meat-based menu’s that are complete & balanced (so carbs are present as well). To not further upset your dog’s intestines, make this switch gradually (you’ll find guidance on how to do this on BestDogFoodGuide.com at the page about changing your dog’s food. Frozen dog food is free of chemical preservatives etc. and for this reason it could work out fine in your case.

Third, if you decide to stick to home made dog food you can supplement this with a natural herbal supplement, such as Hokamix Skin&Shine (I’ll attach some background information about this product to my mail). This supplement is free of artificial colors or preservatives. It’s available on the internet at various online pet stores and perhaps you can also find it in the pet supplies shop in your area. I must say I have no experience with this product myself but I’ve heard good stories so it’s worth a try.

Please do consult a vet before making any changes.

All the best,
Barbara