Flatulence

Sometimes it is best to leave well enough alone.

I am about to embark on two topics that are very common if you own dogs. Well, one is. And the other is linked to the first.

The topics? Dog food. And the other topic….flatulence or passing wind. Or more commonly addressed in many circles as farts.

Now the dog food topic is one that can incite arguments, and sometimes rancor – just like a political debate. There are the raw disciples and the kibble followers. And well, her highness has been in both camps at various points in time. She has fed us raw and has fed us the most expensive kibble on the planet.

As an aside, we need to keep in mind that she had a dog (her first dog), Barney, who ate grocery store food that resembled beef but which was essentially a combination of chemicals and grain designed to LOOK like beef. And he lived to 17.5.

Anyway, she tries her best to read about food and feed us the best possible. We tried raw- but when she discovered that our daily meal costs were more than hers, we went back to kibble. Yes. I know you can make your own raw and not buy the prepared patties at the dog food store. But since she doesn’t have a degree in canine nutrition, she didn’t go that route.

So we were on a “limited ingredient diet” of kibble for several years. This is before the FG came along. And we were doing FINE. I repeat – we were FINE. Good poops. No issues with itching. Life was grand.

Then the FG came along. AND the company that made our LID changed hands. So her highness decided she MUST change foods. And here is where the trouble began…..

So we went to a different LID. Which the FG didn’t like. But then, he didn’t like ANYTHING. So he tried a variety of foods. Meanwhile, Einstein and I were eating a new grain free LID.

The FG was on a variety of foods. She tried EVERYTHING- just to get him to eat.

Then all the stuff came out about grain free diets and heart issues….

When Einstein went to see the cardiologist, the doctor said that he could eat grain free kibble – but stay away from foods that had peas in the first five ingredients. His heart issue is NOT the problem seen in dogs where there appears to be a dietary link. He has OTHER heart issues. But the vet said we might as well stay away from any additional problems.

So. Her highness went out and found what she thought was a SUPER food. The ingredients looked great. It must be good – the FG loves it. It has “ancestral grains.” Whatever the heck those are. So she gradually took me and Einstein off our LID and put us on this food – which the FG LOVES. But a big difference with this food – the protein is substantially higher. And there is this age old belief that we PONs should be on a low protein diet. (See how complicated this can be?!).

While all of this was going on, Einstein has been licking at his feet. Incessantly. He has basically been doing that since he went off the old LID – and it is worse since we tried the super food. He was on two medications from the vet. And they clearly didn’t work. Her highness looks at photos from a year or two ago – and his feet were lovely. What’s the difference? Could it be the food? Probably. But she hadn’t pieced that together yet…Sometimes she’s not very quick…

Meanwhile, she had very gradually changed me to the super food. I was only fully “converted” about 3 weeks ago.

So finally. All three dogs were eating the most expensive kibble on the planet. Great you might think. Well. Not so much.

The FG is fine. He loves the food and is finally gaining weight. And all of us have lovely poop. BUT – Einstein continues to lick his feet. And that’s not the biggest problem. Our main issue? Farts. And I mean paint-peeling, room-clearing, gas mask -requiring farts. The odiferous AND audible variety. The air is BLUE. And while we are both participating in the evacuation-causing puffs of air, I am worse than Einstein. The FG is luckily immune.

So yesterday, while her highness was reading a book, yours truly let out an extended exhibit of flatulence. She just looked at me and said “buddy – that’s IT.” She took us for a pee, gave us some treats and took off in the car like the house was on fire. Well. It would have been if you lit a match behind me. She went to the dog food store and bought a big bag of the old LID that we were on for years. And which worked WELL for us.

We’ll see what happens. Hopefully the air will be clearer. The irony is that we were doing FINE on this food. She changed us because she was worried about the new company. And maybe it will be a problem. Time will tell. All I know is that the blue air was somewhat better last night…

So the moral of the story? If it ain’t broke don’t change the food. And let’s face it, nobody wants a blue Christmas….

Isn’t life with dogs just SO interesting?!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.