Hello
Up until recently my dog (14 year old Cocker Spaniel, Barney) has been thriving on Millies Wolfheart (for about 4 years ). In that time he’s had a few of their recipes and done well for a sustained period on each before eventually I notice a distinct softening of stools which has lead me to take Millies advice and switch him onto another recipe. Like I say, this has worked for him well however now he seems to be sensitive to all the Millies I try. The vet has suggested that he go on a sensitive , gastro intestinal appropriate food instead and named Hills, Royal Canin as the foods they recommend. I am somewhat sceptical of this and would like to get any recommendations or advice from the knowledgable people here as to what may be a better quality option.
Currently I am feeding him plain cooked rice with a little poached white fish or some tinned mackerel (in spring water) with some diced celery and sweet potato, which he seems to be doing quite well on, softer stools than the kibble but no bouts of diarrhea (and subsequent worrying weight loss) . I suppose I could carry on with this but , i’m not sure If he’s getting enough or the right proportions of nutrients, it’s a bit more hard work ( can cope with this if it’s the right thing to do) and a bit more expensive.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I do not feed kibble to my dog as he does not do well on it,
Have you used the millies tinned food, that is very good too, my dog has in the past been on this and not had any problems with loose tummy and he has a sensitive tummy.
but ( pure) dehydrated food is very good, I have used this in the past and it is made using warm water and left for about 10 minutes, they have lots of good reviews ,
the other is butternut that is a home cooked food , a little on the expensive side but very good too.
I like you would be very wary of Hill or royal canin. I hope that you can find something for your dog. 
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Hello. Sorry to hear that your dog is experiencing some digestive issues. You may find some useful information on this thread.
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Hello Stringz. There is a thread on the nutrition of senior dogs here. I am wondering if the fact that he is doing ok on home cooked food indicates that his problem is that he is struggling to digest the kibble. It does sit in the stomach for some time after a meal - see here. Also, a period of dehydration follows as fluid is drawn from the blood stream to break it down.
Easier to digest foods would be good quality wet, dehydrated or cold pressed. If you choose the latter it might be helpful to soften it with tepid water. It takes about 10/15 minutes. The aforementioned Butternut Box could be a good choice because it is similar to what you are currently giving ie home cooked but is properly balanced for dogs. If you need any help using the Dog Food Directory to source a suitable product, please ask.
Thanks for your input. Given that he seems to be doing quite well with my home cooked food, I’m looking at giving Butternut Box a try out. Slightly worried about the cost though!
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Thank you for getting back to us. The company offer 50% off the first order (two weeks supply) so it can be tried out without wasting too much money if it doesn’t suit the dog. It is expensive but that is down to the quality and preparation. I suppose that one way of looking at it is that if the dog does well on the food and needs less veterinary visits then it could pay for itself. It all depends on the dog of course.
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I have DM’ed you with a referral code to get your first box for free.
Hope this helps!
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If anyone would like to give Butternut Box a try , I 'd be happy to supply them with a 75% discount voucher code for their first order. Pm me.
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Barney, is still doing extremely well on BB and no more mucous in his stool. I accidentally ordered a lot of the beef recipe which being too lazy to send send back, decided to see how he managed on it. It’s quite high fat compared to their other recipes, but he took to it really well and with no noticeable side effects. For my next order I will skew in favour of the Lamb and Turkey recipes like before but include a few beef for variation.
His bowl is now made up of 75% BB, and the rest is small chopped veg (red bell pepper, celery, sweet potato) and a small amount of Simpsons sensitive kibble. After I have finished the kibble, ideally I would like to get a cold pressed food to add into his BB and veg. I want to do this because I’m fairly off the idea of kibble generally now,but I’m not sure how silly this is given that there is so little going into each of his meals and he’s not having any issues with the Simpsons, it seems.
Anyway, If anyone would like to try the Butternut box then I am able to provide a discount code (75% off the first order of 3 weeks supply). PM me if you’re interested. This works in my favour too, as I get 75% off my next order if I recommend people. So don’t be shy!