Blackwood Special Diet All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 15Lb., Salmon Meal & Brown Rice Recipe, Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Grain Free Dog Food

Have a mastiff with sensitive skin, a chihuahua with IBS and slight neuro-nervous system issues. My chug is the only one with no special dietary needs. The mastiff was getting rashes and crusty bloody rash inside ears, chihuahua was deeply malnourished (I suspect both in and out of utero) and came to me a bag of bones, major stomach and poop sensitivities. (Along with the most quirky but entertaining personality and habits I’ve ever seen) His hearing is also distorted, from what I can summize. First week I had him he would finish his food at lightening speed so he could then try and push his way into his brothers bowl. Week 2 he stated getting explosive diarrhea, some barfing, then I noticed he was a bit lethargic (usually a bit of a hyper spaz), then woke up one morning and his little body was so hot it felt like touching fire, he was shaking so hard it was almost convulsion. He was deteriorating fast. It was a Saturday so only place was the vet ER. It was during quarantine so they picked him up from the car and I had to stay in the parking lot. They ran tests and said everything checked out but we’re giving him fluids but his symptoms were similar to a distemper infection. They were going to run a PCA test in him and send him home until the results came in. I was terrified. Not this totally little adorable weirdo that even though he had an explosive butt, had totally stole my heart within the first day of welcoming home. I also was still grieving from losing a very young dog to cancer 2 yrs prior. They brought him out to the car and he was a little more himself and not so much on fire and just a bit of the trembling. He had no interest in eating that night and the next morning I fed him mashed potatoes with yogurt and pumpkin purée for his bad tummy. Then I started looking at the ingredients of the dog food (I’ve always fed the high quality kibble with real natural meats, veggies and fruits mixed in) I got to the very end of the ingredient list and it was Rosemary Extract. My first thought was WHY? Why the need to add an herb to dog food? I suspected his severe malnutrition, explosive digestive issue and his nervous system would have a hard time processing some random herb that I’m sure his ancestors didn’t exactly seek out in the wild. I googled it snd sure enough many reports of dogs having sensitivity issues, almost poisoned like effects from Rosemary. The next day Dr called and said he was clear, no distemper but had no explanation for his scary symptoms. I continued to feed him the potato, yogurt, pumpkin mix and started adding a bit of shredded chicken while I got probiotic chews for him and started reading all the labels for kibble. Almost all, even the high quality, dog foods have rosemary in its ingredients. Even one of the probiotic supplements have it!! Finally found a quality food that didn’t have it, however that food made the Mastiff itchy & he got a rash on his underbelly. While the Mastiff is my daughters dog we feed and care for our dogs together as the blended family we are. In the meantime quirky boy is gaining weight and his tummy is finally balanced more than it’s not. As he’s gotten healthy his issues have seemingly gone into remission, although he still acts like he sees ghosts and has hearing issues. I have inadvertently given him something with rosemary in it when my daughter buys treats and isn’t the ingredient police that I am. He still gets some trembling but it’s unclear if it’s just his nervous system, he’s cold or a little reactive to an ingredient. While I don’t feel I need to worry about him so much since he’s been healthy and thriving I still don’t want to feed him something that triggers his system.I bought this food several months ago due to the sensitive skin & digestive formula and all the wholesome ingredients in it. We also realized the Mastiff may be allergic to chicken.Within the first week the Mastiffs ear rashes cleared up, the chihuahua has had no tummy issues and I’ve been able to stop giving him the additional probiotics since the food includes both pro& pre. 2 of the protein flavors do have ground rosemary in them, and while I think that’s probably less of a problem than it in extract form, I am happy the catfish flavor does not, so I am overjoyed. All our boys are healthy, happy and I’ve noticed they seem to be even more peppy and energetic since the switch.

This kibble is well made and its ingredients are well thought out. Add an oil supplement to this and my German shepherd does not itch. I can’t believe it either.

i bought it for gas . it did help because it is low protein

I breed therapy dogs, so my dog's health is absolutely paramount. I researched until my brain was mush and spoke with 4 different vets, this is the food I choose. 3 of the 4 vets had never heard of it, but they're all so well funded by Hill's and Royal Canin, they don't hear about much, nevertheless, they all agreed on the science being sound and ingredient profile being good. Well, the real proof is in the coat and skin and energy levels! My girls are bouncy and have excellent joints (Bernese Mountain Dogs so we're talking 80-90lbs), and everyone is shocked at how soft and shiny their coats are, it's impossible to stop petting them sometimes, which is just what they love!! I see people with Berners that have dull rough looking coats and want to stop them and get them to switch foods! But no one likes unsolicited advice. So those that know me, as someone who does all the things possible to give my dogs the best possible life, Blackwood food and treats have helped me do that, I'm thankful for them to put in the research and not just make food the same as everyone else, cooking it to actual nutrient death.

I started getting this for my English Bulldog. He is super sensitive to everything!! This is one food he will eat and we don’t have any allergy issues. I also like the fact that the kibble is smaller pieces, making it so much easier for him to eat.

Bag came with a slit in it. Reached out to return or get it replaced and it says the item is not eligible for either although it says it is on this page. Ended up getting a refund in the end but still sucks to receive something defective.

My fur has a sensitive skin and is real picky with his food. I switched from CORE which is an awesome brand but the cost was so outrageous. I did my research and found this Brand, Blackwood Pet All Life Stages, Special Diet and Sensitive Skin. My Poodle loves it. I hope the cost doesn't continue to go up. I purchase the 5 LBs bag this time as the other to heavy for me and they leave in a place I need to walk to pick up. Try this food for your fur you won't be disappointed. Thanks for the fast delivery!

I didn’t realize it until after I noticed the food was changed to this.. once we stopped giving dog this .. the diarrhea and vomiting stopped. I don’t know what’s up with that, but I’d never recommend.