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Decent Food For Aussies?

by Leann M.
(Dallas/Fort Worth, USA)

Josie & Gambol

My husband and I have tried many different, high-quality brands of dog food for our 2 Aussies, but no matter what we try, they seem to always get an upset stomach. Yes, they get treats, but not every day, and we make sure they are small & we don't give too many at one time.

Their "upset tummy" issues include: diarrhea, spitting up stomach juice, vomiting, eating grass, gas and sometimes being lethargic.

Here are the different foods we've tried:

- Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- Whole Earth Farms Grain-Free Hearty Beef Stew Canned Dog Food
- Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- Instinct by Nature's Variety Raw Boost Grain-Free Chicken Meal Recipe Dry Dog Food
- Orijen Original Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Lamb & Brown Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Sweet Potato & Venison Formula Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Dry Dog Food
- Purina Pro Plan Focus Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dry Dog Food

We have also tried Purina's probiotic when their tummies are really upset, but it's kind of pricey. The dogs are on Purina Pro Plan Focus Sensitive Skin & Stomach Adult Dry Dog Food right now. They seem to like it, but they seem to eat grass a lot with this food and always seem hungry. Any suggestions for my sensitive-stomach pups?

Comments for Decent Food For Aussies?

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Aussie food
by: Stephanie

I had the same problem with my Aussie. I changed to Purina lamb and rice. He is much better.

Gastro distress
by: Anonymous

My aussie, an older girl, began to experience similar symptoms 1 year ago. She has Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I also tried several different high quality dog foods before she was diagnosed by a vet. Yes, expensive. I feed here Royal Canine Gastro/Intestional dry food plus the meds the vet recommend. The vet diagnosis of the root cause of their gastro distress is key. Best wishes 🐾🐾

Best Brands of Dog Food
by: Anton

We have an article on the site about choosing the best dog food brands here. At the bottom of the page there are also links to specific dog food brands. Hopefully, that will give you some other options.

Earthborn Venture or Verus
by: Anonymous

Try Earthborn Venture (Pork meal and butternut squash or Rabbit meal with pumpkin) or Verus Chicken, Lentils and Yams.

Wilderness
by: Anonymous

We give "wilderness real nature". Important is to pick dog food with high content of meat and low content of grains. And to pick food according to the size of your dog. Adding certain oils can further stimulate the digestion. Never had any problems with my aussie.

Great food
by: Anonymous

Wellness simple is great! Comes in 4 flavors!

my Aussie has digestive issues too
by: T. Keene

She just turned 1 year old and has been having issues since she was 7 months old. Tried all kinds of things, but I had her stool tested by AnimalBiome (gut health is VERY important) and she had an overgrowth of bacteria that thrives on carbohydrates and almost no bacteria that process's proteins! I am in the process of switching her over to Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw, which has little to no carbs to see if that helps? It is VERY pricey, but so is going to the vets and the agony of watching my girl vomit, sometimes with blood in it. Good luck with your Aussies, you might want to consider the gut health testing.

Dog food
by: Anonymous

My 3 year old mini Aussie tends to vomit at just about every kind of dog food and has since he was a puppy. I know what I’m about to say is going to get me crucified by those patrons of high priced designer dog foods, but I feed him kibbles and bits, and he does not vomit it back. I know the poor baby gets tired of it because he tries to steal my other dogs food, but when he eats anything else, he gets sick. Also, my vet told me all these designer dog foods are a money ponzy scheme and not a lot different than the Purina brands, but a lot more expensive. He actually advised me not to feed the designer brands as many of their ingredients are not good for dogs health.

healthy foods
by: carol

My sweet aussie was switched over to raw and fresh cooked foods at 5 months old she is now 14 months old and she has had no more gut issues. She is grain free and no carbs. as sweet potatoes gives her orange poop. She gets no commercial flea and ticks meds. and the unnecessary shot vets. recommend. As these all affect our beautiful Aussie.

Less grain is not necessarily good
by: Anonymous

I was recently advised to take my new mini aussie puppy off of the grain free puppy food that the breeder was feeding her. She was not eating nor pooping regularly, and had very low energy level. I have since discovered that the breeder was feeding grain free in order to lessen the cleanup behind her puppies. My vet said it was like humans eating only a heavy steak at every meal. Imagine how sluggish you would feel after eating only meat for 9 weeks and how your digestive track would react to that heaviness. My vet also told me that grain free food could damage both puppy and adult dog internal organs, and that the grain free movement in pet food is just the latest marketing tool for the manufacturer to charge high prices for dog/puppy food. Only feed grain free if your pet has a medical condition requiring no grains nor gluten, which is very rare.

Food
by: Anonymous

I have using Wellness Wet (Healthy Cuts - Chicken/Turkey) and Wellness Core Dry Grain-free Turkey). I give my Aussie Wet in the morning and dry in the evening (with a little wet). Never had any issues. Love the Wellness brand. But each dog is different.

Blue Buffalo Freedom Lamb Grain-Free
by: Leann M.

Thanks for all of comments. It's great to hear from other Aussie owners and what has worked for them. We ended up switching over to BB Freedom Lamb Grain-Free dry food. The dogs eat it enthusiastically and haven't had any stomach issues since being on it. I read from several posts and articles that Lamb is easier to digest. Don't know if that is accurate, but this is the 3rd large bag they've been on and they are still doing well. Hopefully, we have found the right solution for our pups.

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