# Please explain the food



## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

What I want to know is why "they" recommend feeding just one brand of food and not mixing it up?I have been trying different foods for Luce to see what she loves and would to cartwheels for. Ok, maybe not cartwheels but I'm sure you get the picture.

She doesn't have diarrhea, doesn't vomit, doesn't have gas. She has beautiful teeth, soft shiny coat, tear stains are minimal.

Most of what I give her is grain free - she still gets some grain treats. 

Am I doing this all wrong despite she is healthy and doesn't have any GI issues? She is 16 months and I don't want to set her up for problems down the road.


----------



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I think some dogs can handle just about anything and some get tummy problems by just looking at a new food. Count your blessings, you got a girl who is the former. I think if your dog can handle it and doesn't have intolerances or allergies, go for it!


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

With the exception of Lula, who is eating a large breed puppy food, I actually change foods (new brand and everything) every bag or 2.


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I change Molly's kibble all the time!!!!! Always grain free and high quality! A good explanation of why you SHOULD change foods frequently is explained by a 
You Tube Video by Dr. Karen Becker called 'Control your pet's food allergies'
(I LOVE Dr Becker!!!!!!)


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

I don't change kibble since I feed my spoo raw, but I do change at every meal the kind of raw meat that he is eating.


----------



## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I describe myself as a "dog food gypsy." I rotate Chagall's food all the time. He has no food intolerances and is an eager eater. I feed pre-packaged raw, homecooked (fish, chicken, beef, lamb), some high-end grain-free kibble, fresh fruits, veggies, yogurt/ goat's milk, etc. I feel remorse at having in the past just fed my dogs one brand of kibble out of the bag meal after meal for years on end. Chagall is the beneficiary of me learning more about canine nutrition and is a real gourmand.  *MollyMuiMa *is right, Karen Becker, DVM, offers terrific advice on canine nutrition! More variety and a species appropriate diet is the way to go, she says.
The Quality of Pet Food Ingredients (Part 1 of 2) - YouTube
The Quality of Pet Food Ingredients (Part 2 of 2) - YouTube
Dr. Becker Discusses Raw Food Diet (Part 3) - YouTube


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Who recommends just one food? There are things in one food that aren't in another...for example: meat. Chicken has some benefits that lamb doesn't and visa versa. So, I try to get a large variety of meat in them. I have been feeding canned for a while now...have done pre-made frozen in the past. 

I have right now in my pantry good quality foods that contain rabbit, venison, beef, chicken, turkey, duck, salmon, lamb. Some have grain, some don't. I'm not afraid of grain after looking into the latest science. I look at the supplements. I like it when they have taurine in them, for one thing. Many don't. So, I'm thinking of getting some of that as a supplement.

Canned is quite expensive but I have toy dogs. When my son's bigger dog is around, I feed her Taste of the Wild kibble, which is one I used a lot in the past. I still give the other dogs a small handful of that sometimes. And I use Stella's dehydrated food for treats often. 

They get hand outs of bits of carrots, green beans, banana and so forth if I'm fixing it for myself. While I'm cooking and standing at the stove, I'll pass them a bite of something if I think it's something that's good for them and if they haven't eaten too much already. 
They love it when I'm preparing food and come hang out with me and "help."

You can go to The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? for some good info on dog nutrition.


----------



## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

OK, that has been my own thinking - variety - types of meat and different brands.


----------



## Vanilla-Yazoo (Jun 2, 2013)

Soo glad this has been posted! 
Ive been thinking similar too! I want to add more variety
Thank you from me and billy


----------



## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

The reason I asked is "they" say when you change foods, do it gradually because they will get an upset stomach, or react in some adverse way. So it's best to find one food and just stick with it.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Luce said:


> The reason I asked is "they" say when you change foods, do it gradually because they will get an upset stomach, or react in some adverse way. So it's best to find one food and just stick with it.


I like to do a gradual transition with foods, but I don't think this should deter yiu from switching it up. I usually spend about 5 days switching from one food to the next.  

However, with my boy Tiger, who can be picky, I will sometimes change his food entirely from one meal to the next. I've not found that he has any issue tolerating a complete change of food cold turkey.


----------



## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Callie gets grain free, mostly Merrick, but I often give her sample bags of other brands of grain free (always good brands though). She has never had a tummy upset from switching. I've heard it is actually better to vary their food. I guess it depends on the individual dog though.


----------



## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Chagall's mom said:


> Karen Becker, DVM, offers terrific advice on canine nutrition!
> The Quality of Pet Food Ingredients (Part 1 of 2) - YouTube
> The Quality of Pet Food Ingredients (Part 2 of 2) - YouTube
> Dr. Becker Discusses Raw Food Diet (Part 3) - YouTube


These are really excellent Chagall's Mom. Hope everyone pays attention


----------



## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

There's so much conflicting information out there about dog food, it's hard to get to the truth! These are great videos, thanks for sharing. Another good source is the website dogfoodadvisor.com, which rates every dog food on the market from one or five stars....and most importantly, they explain why the food is rated high or low. Kibble, canned, raw, and freeze dried are all on this site. It helps you be an informed consumer. The site is not funded by a dog food company, so it is unbiased. The Whole Dog Journal is good too, and some of their article are free online. 

As far as switching, I think it depends on the dog, and what they are used to. If they're used to eating one food for months or years, switching is harder...or if they have sensitivities, it's harder. I've always switched foods around for my dogs- It just never made sense not to. It also never made sense to me why I wouldn't give them the hamburger the kids didn't finish, or pour the steak juice on top of their food, despite what the vet said :act-up: such a rebel! 

Now I feed mostly home cooked, and constantly switch recipes.....but my kids are grown and I have more time on my hands. No way would I have had time for that when the kids were younger- heck, take out pizza was a survival strategy then ...LOL!


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Forty or forty-five years ago, a vet told me it was a good idea to feed different brands of kibble, because, if one brand was missing a nutrient, another might have it.


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We'll pick up our new puppy next Friday. I've been debating what to feed him (not sure what the breeder feeds). The older dogs are raw-fed, but I don't trust myself to get the balance right for a growing pup. A few days ago, we stopped at a feed and seed that we used to shop at regularly, until we moved. Haven't been there for quite some time now. Anyway, they're carrying the Victor brand. I'd never heard of it, but the all-life-stages formula got a five star, "enthusiastically recommended" rating from dogfoodadvisor.com. I think I'll go with that, until the puppy is close to a year old, when I'll feel comfortable switching him to raw, too.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

JudyD said:


> We'll pick up our new puppy next Friday. I've been debating what to feed him (not sure what the breeder feeds). The older dogs are raw-fed, but I don't trust myself to get the balance right for a growing pup. A few days ago, we stopped at a feed and seed that we used to shop at regularly, until we moved. Haven't been there for quite some time now. Anyway, they're carrying the Victor brand. I'd never heard of it, but the all-life-stages formula got a five star, "enthusiastically recommended" rating from dogfoodadvisor.com. I think I'll go with that, until the puppy is close to a year old, when I'll feel comfortable switching him to raw, too.


LOVE Victor!

I would probably try and keep your pup on whatever the breeder is feeding for at least long enough to make a nice slow transition. Ideally a little longer because the stress (even if it is happy stress) of switching to a new home can be a lot and I think its best if you wait until after pup has settled in his/her new home before switching to a new food.  But yes, I LOVE Victor!


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Thanks, CM! That's a much-appreciated extra recommendation. 

We won't switch the pup cold-turkey. The breeder's website says she sends some food home with the pup, so we'll have time to get whatever it is, plus the Victor, and do a gradual transition.


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I switch cans every meal or two. And they're made up of various meats and basically the same supplements, veggies etc. Some of the foods have a few meats in one. So, I don't see any reason to transition them gradually because even though they're different meats in some cases, they're basically the same stuff. I would think that with kibble, it would be the same. I mean...just look at the ingredients on a couple types...not really all _that _different.

I presently use Evo, Merrick, Hound & Gatos. (Hound & Gatos really looks good) One of the Evo cans is turkey & chicken, one of the Hound & Gatos is lamb, chicken, salmon mixed. One is beef, another chicken, turkey, another something else. Some have sweet potatoes or peas, some don't. But basically, it's all the same stuff. And I feed tripe a few times a week, just a little added to their other food.

My thinking is that canines living without the direct assistance of humans eat what they find. They might find a rabbit one day or one meal and they might steal a farmer's chicken another meal or the next day. They eat road kill and who knows what that might be. They should be able to eat various things without going through a gradual change. Now, I realize that there are dogs with sensitive tummies. I had one. My Doberman when he was young was very sensitive and needed to be on a single source protein...till he was about a year or year and a half old. Then he simmered down. Some have allergies. But the dogs I have now aren't bothered by changing foods from one meal to the next because the foods are similar...just a little variation.


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

What about switching from raw to kibble? We're going to have to board Jazz and Luke for two nights while we drive to get the puppy, and I don't want to take three meals of raw food to the boarding facility. If I feed raw Thursday morning, they'd have to have kibble (TOTW) Thursday evening, Friday morning, and, if we aren't back in time to pick them up, then again Friday evening. That's three meals of kibble. They both pretty much have cast-iron stomachs, but am I risking causing them to have diarrhea doing it this way?


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

JudyD said:


> What about switching from raw to kibble? We're going to have to board Jazz and Luke for two nights while we drive to get the puppy, and I don't want to take three meals of raw food to the boarding facility. If I feed raw Thursday morning, they'd have to have kibble (TOTW) Thursday evening, Friday morning, and, if we aren't back in time to pick them up, then again Friday evening. That's three meals of kibble. They both pretty much have cast-iron stomachs, but am I risking causing them to have diarrhea doing it this way?


When I fed an entirely raw diet, I fed kibble as treats and snacks so that they could eat kibble meals without issue when necessary.


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Hmmm, they do get kibble-like treats without issue. Maybe it won't be a problem.


----------



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

JudyD said:


> Hmmm, they do get kibble-like treats without issue. Maybe it won't be a problem.


If it were me, I would be using the exact kibble i planned to feed as treats. Just so that it isn't anything new to them.


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

CharismaticMillie said:


> If it were me, I would be using the exact kibble i planned to feed as treats. Just so that it isn't anything new to them.


I picked up a bag of TOTW yesterday. I'll open it today and start treating them with it. Thanks!


----------

