• My dog has suffered from chronic ear infections for the last 2 years. I was told this could be due to a grain allergy, and a Banfield veterinarian recommended Taste of the Wild for dog food. His ears more or less cleared up on this food; however, he gained weight (even though I fed him under his weight on the recommended serving, as advised by his vet, and walked him regularly). He does not receive any "table scraps" either and is a fairly active dog, but he was still falling into the overweight category. I was then told by a different vet that grain free diets are unhealthy for dogs and may cause certain types of cancer. Due to these comments and the weight gain, I gradually transitioned back to his old food, Iams. However, after this transition, his left ear has been bothering him again and appears mildly infected, even though I've been cleaning it every day. My question is: what should I be feeding him? I can't seem to get a straight answer on this question, and it is frustrating. Should I transition him back to grain-free food? If so, which brand is the healthiest and will help him to lose some weight? Thank you for any advice you can offer. Sincerely, Bekka

    Hi Bekka,
    I recommend that you call and talk to your local veterinarian about this concern. The food that will work best for your individual pet will depend on a few different factors including his breed, weight, activity level, and age as well as his overall health.  Your vet knows your pet and his medical history so they will be able to give you the best advice on this. In general the concern with certain grain free diets is that some of them have been linked to a heart condition. All of the diets that are involved and the overall risk is not currently known. Because of the early stage of investigation not all of the risks are known. With his potential food allergy there may be other types of diets or even a prescription diet that will help with his ear infections and also be safe for him.
     

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