On looking through my nutrition books, I honestly cannot see why there would be yeast added to dog food.  I understand it CAN be used as a probiotic to aid digestion, BUT all dogs have necessary gut flora they need to digest good food.  So why add yeast?  Some foods will have natural yeasts in it, so why add it?

The reason I am asking is that I am trying to find a yeast free diet, as due to elimination I believe that my mum's dog has an intolerance to yeast, as many people have these days.  So naturally the only option I see is home cooking - we can't do barf as she lives in a flat and the dogs are poodles and quite hairy.  Pets Kitchen have recipes but we've been leaving out the yeast with great results.  Any advice will be much appreciated.  And if anyone knows of a yeast free dog food, please point me in the direction!

The Burns range of dry food doesn't have yeast in it, as far as I know.  Might be wrong, though.

orijen is yeast free if i remember correctly, as yeast has a very high purine levals it can be bad for some breeds to

Composition Featuring Fresh Canadian Ingredients:
DDe-boned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavor, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, fenugreek, glucosamine HCl, cranberries, black currants, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, rosehips, vitamin supplements (vitamin E, choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin), sea salt, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate), direct fed microbials (dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product).
ORIJEN Dog Food does not contain artificial preservatives.
Botanical Inclusions per kg:
Marshmallow root (Althea officinalis) 500 mg, Chicory root (Cichorium intybus) 500 mg, Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) 400 mg, Burdock root (Arctium lappa) 350 mg, Fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare) 300 mg, Marigold flowers (Calendula officinalis) 300 mg, Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita L.) 300 mg, Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) 200 mg, Summer savory (Satureja hortensis) 150 mg, Chickweed (Stellaria media) 150 mg

Nutritional Guarantee:
ORIJEN Adult Dog Food meets the nutritional profiles of the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials)

Can I just ask why living in a flat and being poodles would stop you BARF feeding?

The mess.  We've given meaty bones as treats before and it really does get everywhere.  They get washed and blowdried enough as it is.  Also they like to HIDE their treats, so you will often find a chew in amongst the washing or in your shoe, sometimes even in your bed.  It's, to use the cliche, convenient.  Besides which I am concerned that it would be better to cook her food now until her immune system is back in track - having done my own research into barf and cooked food, there are some advantages to cooking.

I feed my two boys BARF and it is not a messy diet, unless your dogs are messy eaters there really isn't a problem, the only time they eat anything outsid is when they have a marrow bone for recreation.  It's just as easy to place chicken wings, ox tail you could cut into pieces, as it is to feed cooked food or dog food from their dishes.  If they have a lamb breast you could place a towel and train them to eat on that wash immediatley afterwards.  Dogs digest raw food far more easily than cooked.

They are messy eaters and their ears get in everything they eat anyway.  Also, with joints and chops, they use their paws to pull them apart so they really do get in a mess.  The female also seems to be sensitive to red meat, I thought it was an old wives tail not to feed poodles red meat but it would appear to hold true in this case.  It also depends on the individual dogs gut flora as to how easy raw food is to digest - many things can affect the gut flora.  I will look into some of the barf recipes and see if there are any that would be suitable, or can be modified.

Thanks folks

I agree Perry, no messier than any other diet. Mine are fed from their bowls when they get minced meats/veg/eggs etc, and only get RMBs every other morning, which they eat on the tiled kitchen floor/patio or vetbed, all easily washed. My spaniel wears a snood at feeding time, which keeps her ears out of the way, so it makes no difference on the mess factor whether they are fed raw or not. You could always feed ground eggshells for calcium and add that to raw minced meat/veg etc to create a balanced meal and then wouldn't need to feed the bones, if you feel they create too much mess, although you then wouldn't get the teeth-cleaning benefits. Many minced meats do come with ground bone included.

Thanks for everyones responses.  They were fed barf as puppies and did not particularly thrive on it.  Will try agian.  As I've said though, it's a flat, there is no tiled kitchen floor or patio, there is only a communal garden, and in Glasgow it persistantly rains.  Storage is also a major problem.  I will investigate home made diets.  Raw eggs sound good.

Hi there I have had great succes with Healthy Paws this is what it says about the food
We have added oats to provide a slower release of energy along with carrot and cranberry providing valuable vitamins and minerals including vitamin C. Fish oils and organic sunflower oil provide a source of omega 3 essential fatty acids and Linoleic acid which are essential for maintaining a healthy skin and coat, whilst Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and minerals. In addition we have added the natural herbs alfalfa, dandelion and cleavers for their known health benefits.

Healthy Paws Rabbit & Brown Rice is hypo-allergenic as it does not contain any wheat, wheat gluten, beef, soya, dairy products or any other ingredients that are associated with allergies or intolerences. It is a certified holistic product. This ensures that the product is manufactured to clearly identifiable quality standards and that the food contains a range of ingredients that reflect the natural diet of the dog.

CSJ do a lamb and rice that appears to be yeast free. I've never used it myself but remembered it didn't look like there were many ingredients on the list. Not everyone is set up for raw feeding, nor does everyone want to feed raw. I couldn't do it without my huge chest freezer in the garage. Good luck with finding a good that suits your dogs.

Just checked and Laughing Dog make some yeast free as well. I have fed this and it suited my dog and my friends dogs (rotties and golden retrievers)

It might be worth you buying one of the Ian Billinghurst books on BARF.  One of the things in his puppy book is a recipe forming pate's from minced chicken wings plus fruit and veg definitely no messier then than any other food and storeage isn't a problem for me as I don't freeze lots at a time, I usually serve it fresh.  I know red meats can be a problem to some dogs and and it might be worth you sticking to chicken and adding a little lamb to see if that is ok, it is usually beef that causes the problems.

Most dogs can tolerate a raw diet better than cooked, but it is important that it is done properly, and not just giving the odd bone here and bit of offal there, it needs to be balanced over time. 

The beauty of barf is that it can be modified to suit your dog, but you have to know how to do it.

I would only ever suggest a raw diet for someone who will take the time to read and learn about raw feeding, otherwise it can be hit and miss.