# switching between flavors of kibble



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Ari switches flavors of Acana Regionals about once a month, which is how long it takes her to finish one of the 5 kg bags. I start mixing the foods together over the course of a week and phase out the old flavor as I run out of it. This hasn't given her any issues even though the different formulas use different proteins and have slightly varying levels of fat/protein etc.

I could probably switch her cold-turkey but I like to phase in each new flavor so that I can see if it's going to cause a problem and still have a little of the old food to carry us over if there is one. So far she has eaten Acana Grasslands, Acana Pacifica and Acana Ranchlands. Wild Prarie is next on the menu. I'm doing this because now I know that Ari doesn't have any major allergies to common proteins, which is good information to have! Also, she is never sick of her kibble so I can still use it for training treats. I could open 2 bags and mix them, but then she would be eating 2-month-old food by the time we got to the end of it which seems yucky.

I'd give your dogs at least a month to acclimate to the new food, and then try slowly introducing whatever other flavor(s) you want to feed.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I switch flavors every time I buy food, but only between venison, bison, duck, kangaroo. I don't do it slowly, I just switch. They are all the same brand. The other varieties don't seem to work for us. (chicken, rabbit, beef)


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

N2Mischief said:


> I switch flavors every time I buy food, but only between venison, bison, duck, kangaroo. I don't do it slowly, I just switch. They are all the same brand. The other varieties don't seem to work for us. (chicken, rabbit, beef)


I might start just switching without a transition after she's tried all the flavors. It's easier. :act-up:


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Yes, I offer Dulcie most of the different formulas of her dry kibbles. She eats Nature's Variety Instinct, Wellness Core and Canidae mainly, but she has also had Merrick and Blue Buffalo (mainly in the past - they were fine, too, but I seem to gravitate toward the other three brands more often). I switch it up constantly. I usually have two or three varieties in the cupboard because I buy several bags at a time when there is a sale or I have a coupon. For the Canidae, I have started to buy the larger bags and I keep it in a kibble bin to keep it fresh (their bags don't seem to have the reclosure feature). 

I pretty much offer Dulcie a differentflavour almost every day and she has no issues. Of course in the earlier months of her life, I gradually introduced anything different as people mention here (mixing a little with a tried and true formula). By doing this, I realized that she doesn't seem to like the chicken or beef formulas in dry kibble (although she eats raw chicken and cooked frozen beef bits that I save from leftovers - with no problems). I think it is just a taste preference though and not any sort of sensitivity. She just doesn't seem to like it as much.

So, in a week, I might offer formulas with these protein sources: duck, venison, rabbit, lamb, salmon, other fish (wellness core ocean) and she will also have a daily raw feeding of either chicken parts or a turkey neck with some raw cut up chicken frozen with it to add non-bone meat to the meal. (Dulcie eats two meals per day - raw in morning, kibble at night).


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I feed Fromm to the girls and buy a new flavor each bag. I do not transition. I switch right over. My boy eats Acana, and I buy him a different flavor each time as well with no transition.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I have been using for some time now Merrick, Hound and Gato, and Dave's canned and TOTW dry prairie formula. There are many different varieties of canned with all kinds of different meats because I like them to get variety. So, every can I open may or may not be the same one they just finished. Sometimes I add in some kibble, sometimes not. I add a little water if they have kibble. Sometimes it's just the kibble which they really, really love. I just look for lots of protein and other good ingredients, but want to see plenty of good quality meat. I've used frozen pre-made raw before and from time to time try different things. They don't have any issues so I just change or try things without transitioning gradually. It's all basically the same stuff anyhow...maybe a different meat or some additional ingredient but meh...I never worry. I don't transition when I go from a steak one day to chicken the next. So unless a dog has a particularly sensitive tummy or some allergy, I wouldn't worry too much.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I am just like you when it comes to Molly's food PG! I change kibble and canned and raw foods all the time! Molly has a tummy of iron too! The only thing I stay on top of are the ingredients (NO CORN, WHEAT, OR SOY and meats always named and are the first thing on the label, NO by products!) I always check on Dogfoodadvisor too, before purchasing a brand I am not familiar with......it sure makes it easy to take advantage of sales when you have a dog that is able to eat any food it likes without the hassle of transitioning!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I learned a lot about foods from the site, _Dog food project_. There's a ton of good info about what to look for on there. I like dog adviser too as somewhat of a gauge.


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## Reiko (Mar 9, 2013)

I responded to a similar thread just the other night. Perhaps you will find it useful?


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