As adorable and energetic as Reagan is, recently she seemed to have a ton of health problems. While some we accounted to Reagan growing out of her puppy stage, others we knew we needed to address.
For one … dandruff. Yes, it may seem like a vanity thing (and maybe it is). But who wants a dog with dandruff?
Then comes the acne. Alright it’s another vanity thing. But dogs with acne? I had never heard of such a thing before we got Reagan. The photo below is from one one of our most popular posts about a DIY toy storage solution. Can you see that acne on her face?
Oh and then there’s the diarrhea like poop and farting. Lots of farting. No pictures necessary.
All of this was going on for months. And it was driving us crazy. We weren’t sure to what extent all of this was just what happens with dogs and what was serious. But we knew Reagan didn’t seem too happy and we wanted her to look AND feel healthier! Her energy and playfulness are some of our favorite qualities and we wanted to make sure she was able to enjoy the summer playing outside.
So we decided to take the IAMS™ Challenge. IAMS™ is so confident that you’ll see a Visible Difference in your dog that they’re offering a money back guarantee. Our vet had also recommended transitioning Reagan’s dog food, so it was a no brainer!
Here’s what we did during our IAMS™ Challenge
1 Keep Hydrated
Does this sound familar? Ironically it’s a common beauty tip for humas as well. Well Reagan (just like me) doesn’t always love to drink a lot of water. We were constantly worried that she was dehydrated. Ugh. So we tried to make drinking water as fun as we could. I freezed a couple pieces of dog food in each ice cube tray mold. Once frozen, Reagan couldn’t get enough of them. To my surprise she seemed to think it was the greatest treat EVER. We would give her a couple of these at a time, typically several times a day.
The ONLY problem we ran in to is that every time I opened the freezer, she assumed we were getting her treat 🙂 .
2 Change The Food
For the IAMS™ Challenge, we opted for IAMS™ Grain Free Naturals Dry Food with Salmon & Red Lentils. Joe laughed stating that Reagan is probably having better meals than we are. Embarrassing I admitted he was right (#awfulcook).
It was the perfect choice for Reagan. Their dog food includes Omega 6 & 3 fatty acids that keeps Reagan’s skin & coat look healthy (goodbye acne and dandruff). In addition IAMS™ includes a fiber blend in their dog food. Just like humans need fiber, this helped Reagan with all her digestive & tummy problems.
Remember IAMS™ is so confident that you’ll see a Visible Difference in your dog that they’re offering a money back guarantee. For more info on all the IAMS™ products and to get the full scoop on their Visible Difference Guarantee, visit iams.com/visabledifference.
We took 7 days to transition Reagan to her new food. Any quicker might have caused MORE tummy problems, which is the last thing we wanted. We started by mixing 75% of the old food with 25% of the new IAMS™ diet. Then on days 3 & 4, we mixed 50/50 of old diet and new. By day 5 & 6, the mix was 75% of the new IAMS™ with 25% of the old diet. On day 7, Reagan was ready to eat the new IAMS™ diet exclusively.
Note that we monitored Reagan pretty closely. You’ll want to do the same with your dog and adjust the transition timing as needed.
3 Slow Down Eating
Apparently like mother like daughter. Reagan eats her food just as quickly as I do. I’m truly hoping I’m a little neater of an eater than her although Joe often disagrees 🙁 . While there’s tons of doggy gadgets to encourage your dog to eat at a slower pace, you’ve likely got the solution right at home already. Simple put a tennis ball in the middle of dish filled with food. This will force your dog to slow down as they eat AROUND the ball. It even makes meal time more mentally stimulating as they have to move the ball around the dish to get at the food.
The Results of the IAMS™ Challenge
At the end of the IAMS™ Challenge we saw a huge difference! The dandruff was GONE and her coat was super shiny. The acne had literally disappeared. Her tummy seemed to be doing better as she had tons of energy! Scroll down look at some of our adventures with Reagan below. She had a lot more energy and was running around like crazy! Just like we knew she would.
Not only did it make Reagan feel better, but it was great for Joe & I as well. We could finally stop worrying about how Reagan was feeling! She was enjoying the summer and the outdoors iwth one of her favorite activities …. playing frisbee. AND she’s finally able to CATCH the frisbee!
Take a look at these videos … Reagan is back to her ‘normal’ crazy self. We think she definitely succeeded in the IAMS™ Challenge! Yet, apparently one thing she didn’t obtain is a sense of coordination. We’re still working on that 🙂 .
And then there’s Regan’s FAVORITE way to exercise outdoors ….
Come join the IAMS™ Challenge to get your dogs outside enjoying the summer!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Brandi Raae says
Olive oil really helped with our puppy’s dry skin/dandruff. But, he still struggles with acne – I’d never heard of dog acne either!! Great tips – thanks for sharing.
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
I never thought of olive oil! So good to know!
Dee says
Adorable! We have our puppy and our older dog on organic food, and it helps a lot!