Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach

[HankGSD]

I have read a lot of owners here are using Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. I am currently transitioning Hank over to it, and already the results are very impressive. Good solid, poops and less itching. He was on Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain and after 3 vet trips in one year for diarrhea issues I decided I had to try something different. I never thought I would use Purina but it's working great, he loves it, I'm using Purina FortiFlora from the vet anyway (but his poops didn't improve till we started the Pro Plan) and I have fed cats Purina for years and years and they all lived long lives.

My question is this: is anyone concerned about the presence of Ethoxyquin in this formula? The best I can tell, it's a controversial ingredient and Purina emailed me the following about it:

"Over 30 years ago, the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) approved the use of ethoxyquin in human and animal foods. Prior to its approval by the FDA, ethoxyquin underwent several years of intensive efficacy and safety studies.

Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant used in some of our pet foods to prevent fat from becoming rancid. Rancidity not only produces an unpleasant odor, it can also destroy fat-soluble vitamins in the diet.

Over the years, pet foods using ethoxyquin as a preservative have been fed to countless dogs and cats. Hundreds of feeding studies by reputable pet food manufacturers using the appropriate levels of ethoxyquin as a preservative have not revealed any health problems caused by its use.

A refined version of ethoxyquin has some use in human foods. It preserves color in chili powder and paprika. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has approved its use on apples and pears to keep bruises from oxidizing and turning brown after the food is picked."

[Stosh]

My mom has her 6 yr old gsd on the same food you're using and it's been a great success too. She tried more foods that I can count so if it's working for Hank I'd stay with it. You'll have to make up your own mind on the preservative and if it's worth any potential risk- do the benefits outweigh it?? Sounds like it

[fuzzybunny]

We tried numerous foods on Jazz and the Pro Plan SS was the only one that worked. As PP pointed out, for me it comes down to the benefits outweighing the costs which they do in my case.

[WVGSD]

Same here for me - the benefit outweighs an undefined risk.

My Max has inflammatory bowel disease and this food works for him too. Like you, I tried others and then came back to what I had used in the past. In addition, I have fed the Sensitive Skin and Stomach to my AKC show dogs (non-GSDs) and had wonderful results in terms of skin and coat. When I have a rescued foster dog, they respond wonderfully to this kibble as well. Some have to be eventually transitioned off as they can not tolerate the high calorie count, but it is wonderful for getting them in better shape and on the right track.

[Rerun]

I fed it to my EPI girl years ago and she did fantastic on it. I had no complaints at all. To be honest, I can't remember why I switched off it in the first place. Probably because I read so much hype about dog food back then that was was paranoid feeding anything Purina. Back then, I knew several other people feeding it with total success.

That said, 5 years ago pro plan was still one of the reasonably priced foods for the ingredients, and now it seems they are marketing their food in the grain free price range, which is kind of a sticking point for me.

[JakodaCD OA]

I also used this food for awhile on my itchy aussie,,LOVED the results,,the only negative was he turned into a fat little porker, and this is a very active dog..I wasn't overfeeding, ( 1 cup twice a day),,he just got FAT on it...so I took him off it..

That was my only complaint

[ILGHAUS]

I used it for years with my EPI male. At the time it was the only food locally that I could find that would keep him from dropping too much weight again. He had a lot of skin issues so later I went with half the Purina S&S and half Solid Gold Hund n Flocken and he did better on that combo. Then when I found the TOTW (salmon only - the other types cause problems with his system) I changed over to it and he now does much better.

I started using the Purina based on recommendations of other owners with EPI dogs. It is the one that I recommend as at least a starting point for owners who are at a complete loss of what to feed and their dog is not stablizing on its current food. If the dog does super on it then I would say stay with it. If the dog is doing fine but you want something a little better for the dog's individual needs then I recommend staying with it until the dog has been stable for at least 6 months before starting to try something else.

With digestive or major skin issues sometimes it is hard to find a good food or even a combination before even worrying about better or best.

[HankGSD]

We went to the vet today; fourth time since September 1st. This time it was a double ear infection; one side is bacterial, the other side is bacterial and yeast.

I am assuming since I just started Hank on the Pro Plan a week ago that this cannot be related. At his October 7 vet visit, his ears were examined and looked fine, although no swabs were taken.

The vet said ear infections are usually related to allergies, so hopefully the Pro Plan will reduce the chances of further infections. Poor boy, and honestly, at this point, my poor wallet. But he's worth it.