Rambo and Oscar: Switching Over to Grain-Free Food

Hello! Wonderful Pet Parents! It’s great to be back on the blog, and don’t worry, I’m not taking over, and Darren will be back with his regular blog posts shortly. 

If you don’t know me already, I’m Hannah. I’ve been working at Bounce and Bella for almost a year now – time flies when you’re having fun – and if you’ve emailed us, then it will have been me who answered one of your emails. 

However, I’m not here to talk about customer service today and why it’s so important, but to talk about my own experience with my boys, Rambo and Oscar and switching them over to grain-free food. 

Since starting to work with Bounce and Bella, I’ve learnt so much about dogs and their diets, and the pet food industry and the horrible truth behind animal derivatives. After learning these truths, it was time to move away from our regular dog food brand and transition the boys over to grain-free, and we were so pleased and surprised by the results!

Introducing Rambo and Oscar

Before going into the juicy details of why going grain-free was a big decision for me with Rambo and Oscar, I thought that I’d introduce you to the boys instead. 

Firstly, we have Rambo, my eleven-year-old miniature Jack Russell terrier, and believe me that he certainly lives up to his name despite his size. A small dog with a big attitude and an even bigger heart, his nickname is the little prince, and he lives up to that name too! His favourite toy is a tennis ball, and his favourite treat is the Whitefish and Potato Cookies. 

Then, we have Oscar. A dog truly like no other, but he’s fun, excitable and always happy with his tail never stopping. However, despite only being three years old, he takes his guard dog duties very seriously, protecting us against squirrels, frogs, people walking past the house and tin foil too. His favourite toy is a pair of socks, and his favourite treats are the Beef Nibbles.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Oscar

Now, I’ve already said that Oscar is a dog like no other, and that’s the truth. He’s the main reason we decided to move him and Rambo over to the Grain-Free diet for many reasons. 

Firstly, Oscar always seemed irritated with his skin, ever since we first brought him home. He was always nipping and scratching, and at first, the vet simply put it down to his breed, as he’s a cross between a Jack Russell and a Jack Chi (Jack Russell and Chihuahua cross) both breeds are known to have skin irritations. 

However, it got worse, and sometimes Oscar would start growling at you if you came near him while he was nibbling at his skin or if you happened to touch his stomach. This meant another trip to the vet, who investigated a little more, and it turned out Oscar can’t express his glands, so we started to get him done regularly with the nurse. 

At first, it seemed that was the solution, but something still wasn’t right, and his tail stopped waggling as much, and his excitable personality seemed muted. So, another trip to the vets – a common theme with Oscar, we swear he loves the place now – and it turned out that he had an inflamed prostate with the only course of action to be castration. 

It’s a personal choice for sure with castration, but since we weren’t planning to have Oscar as a stud ever, and if I’m perfectly honest, I don’t think he’d have any idea what to do anyway, we decided to proceed and hoped that would be the end of it. Well, except for still having to take him for a regular gland cleaning with the nurse. 

via GIPHY

Why We Decided to Try Grain-Free Dog Food

But it didn’t work out like that. Oscar still seemed irritated and uncomfortable at times. He wasn’t growling as often but more so later in the day, especially after eating. 

This is when I finally joined up the dots and wondered if it had something to do with his diet or food. After all, Darren had mentioned and written a fair few times about Sorrel and Roscoe having itchy skin due to the food, so maybe our regular dog food was causing Oscar’s discomfort too?

The Result of Grain-Free Dog Food

So, I decided to give it ago and swap both of my dogs over to a Grain-Free diet and was happy with the results, and I’ll admit relieved as well. 

Oscar still growls but mainly whenever a squirrel dare enters our garden, and his tail is constantly up and waggling away. He doesn’t mind us touching his stomach anymore, and he only nips at his skin occasionally, which we think is to do with his glands and a force of habit after many years. 

What surprised me most, though, is the effect it had on Rambo, too, who we thought was simply along for the journey of food swapping rather than needing it himself. Now, Rambo is a bit of a sicky dog, always has been since he was a pup, so we just thought that was him. But since swapping him over to grain-free as well, he’s only had one moment of feeling sick, and we think that has to do with his hay fever more than anything. 

The experiment was a success, and now I have two happy dogs and a lot fewer vet bills to budget for each month. Although I think Oscar misses his regular trips to the vets but mainly as they’d often spoil him with some treats. 

If you’re considering swapping your dog over to a grain-free diet, why not try the samples of our food and see how it goes for your dog? Oscar and Rambo highly recommend the Salmon, Angus Beef and Venison!