Today, I need YOUR advice and brainstorming. I have a nearly 10 year old Shiba Inu, see her here, and she is basically allergic to planet earth. I need to find an alternative for the next 1 or 2 items linked below, organic chicken or turkey with nothing else whatsoever in the can except water.
Almost 2 years ago, I finally found a foundation protein for her homemade food that didn't make her turn cherry red and itchy, got her completely off her medications. What I used was Brandon Farms Organic Turkey (Organic Turkey, Natural Well Water) and Brandon Farms Organic Chicken (Organic Chicken, Natural Well Water). I found it, of all places, on the shelves of Kroger at about $2/can. I mixed it with human grade foods and sometimes Brandon Farms Naturals 95% product. And then the "discontinued" signs appeared on the shelf tags. I stocked up at every Kroger I could find and then emailed the company.
No worries they said, it was available under a different label at PetSmart. Well, I DETEST PetSmart but, for Queen Sheba's sake, I went to PetSmart and checked out the on-line sources too. Lazy/procrastinating me kept making the PetSmart run these past few weeks and last evening I found out they've discontinued the alternative product with no warning at all. Came home and checked the on-line sources and those appear to be discontinuing the product as well. I've emailed the manufacturer but I'm PISSED at them too.
The alternative product is By Nature Organics, Organic Chicken, Well Water, Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan Gum. OK, I'm PISSED at me first and foremost. Shortly after the switch, Queen Sheba started showing some allergy symptoms and I should have gotten out my magnifying glass and read the label or hunted down that website back then but I thought it was summer seasonal allergies kicking in and I just plain didn't. You see those extra ingredients in there? THOSE are what she's reacting to and it's been getting progressively worse which means it isn't much seasonal because those would be getting better by now in late summer. The company had told me it was the SAME product and it is NOT. I should have checked but I also shouldn't have had to. They, at Blue Seal Feeds, Inc. (the parent company), LIED to me. I am SO sick of big corporations that lie with total impunity!!!
At any rate, it appears this company is no longer marketing the GOOD organic food that WORKED for those of us with highly allergic dogs (or it isn't available in my area anymore and I'm not sure I'd trust them again after that LIE they told me anyway). PetSmart had nothing even close to comparable on its shelves and believe me when I say I made a manager HUNT the shelves; probably the first time anyone's ever explained "gravy" and "filler" to her too! (Gluten in "gravy" which is also a big allergy trigger and Queen Sheba's pretty sedate so she doesn't need any potatoes or rice on those hips, one knee surgery was enough, thank you!)
I came home and spent several hours trying to find that simple organic chicken or turkey in a can on-line (when I was supposed to be writing my next blog entry about the Gracia case) and having no luck at all so now I'm asking for your help. If anyone knows of a source for this simple item, PLEASE post it in the comments or email it to me at PJBoo9@yahoo.com.
In the meantime, "human" chicken, fish and some prednisone it will be for my poor girl until I can get her back on track. With a little luck, yesterday will be the only day WASTED by Blue Seal Feeds, Inc. and PetSmart DUMMIES.