# How often do you switch when trying out foods?



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Archie has developed some mild tummy issues, so I'm on the case trying to find a food that a) he loves and b) doesn't give him stool problems. We've already discontinued liver and other especially rich treats, which has helped a ton, but I figured I'd experiment with his kibble a bit too since he doesn't have all that much enthusiasm for the one he's on (Acana Ranchlands). I'm in the process of switching him over to the Grasslands formula from Acana (for those not familiar, it's based on lamb and duck rather than beef), and he's already crazy excited about the new kibble - he'll go through and pick out the new pieces and eat them first, then let the rest of it sit until he gets hungrier. So I'm optimistic that this will work out, though I'm still taking the transition slowly.

But supposing he still has issues with this food and I decide to go to something else...how often do you switch? How long do you give a kibble to see how he does on it?


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I have had no issues just going cold turkey as Molly does not have any tummy problems but I did at one time mix the new and old together when the currant food was about half gone. Then as that got down to half empty I'd again mix in another kibble.....so at any one time there could be 3 different kibbles mixed! Like I said Molly has no digestive issues and she only gets approx. 1/3 cup a day kibble in her raw/dehydrated raw/ canned/ kibble diet rotation! I usually have to freeze my 5lbs bags of kibble because we use so little, but if I see a really good deal on a 'good quality' food, I buy it too, and I've had no problems thus far mixing them! I believe with most dogs if the food is not agreeable(diarrhea) to their stomachs, you'll see it within a week I think! ( past dog experience)
I did find though, that if you go to many dog food sites and type 'sensitive stomach' in the search bar, many times they will give you the kind of diet you are looking for. (at least it did on Chewy.com!) Good luck finding something agreeable to your baby's tummy!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

For some dogs switching is no big deal, but for others it can be the source of all manner of GI upsets. If you think food is what is causing your problems I would be very conservative about making switches.

The recommendation is 75 new/25 old to start most of the time, however for the one and only food switch I ever hope to do I had to stretch it over nearly 6 months to change brands because of how hard it was on Peeves.


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## Reiko (Mar 9, 2013)

*Changing Up Kibble Brands and Flavors*



lisasgirl said:


> I figured I'd experiment with his kibble a bit too since he doesn't have all that much enthusiasm for the one he's on (Acana Ranchlands). I'm in the process of switching him over to the Grasslands formula from Acana (for those not familiar, it's based on lamb and duck rather than beef), and he's already crazy excited about the new kibble - he'll go through and pick out the new pieces and eat them first, then let the rest of it sit until he gets hungrier.


That's interesting.

Our Mini and Bichon were on Orijen's Regional Red for awhile and loved it. However, it is one of the most expensive premium brands so I thought I'd try Acana's Ranchlands (same food company) to save a few dollars. They liked it OK for a few weeks but weren't very excited by it. I then switched to their Grasslands too. While they seemed curious the first few days, they didn't like that either and were even more reluctant to eat it. My husband was convinced it was making them sick (tired), although I wasn't seeing it at all. They just didn't seem to like it. So I decided to switch them back to Orijen's Regional Red, and they've been excited about it again ever since. I've wondered if they just got spoiled from the ORR and could not be satisfied with anything else after.



lisasgirl said:


> how often do you switch? How long do you give a kibble to see how he does on it?


Over Mochi's (Bichon) 6 years I've switched between Royal Canin, Wellness, Solid Gold Wee Bit, Taste of the Wild, Orijen Regional Red, Acana (more or less in that order). For some I've switched between flavors (eg, TOTW). 

I switched in the beginning as I learned more about ingredients and which I preferred, so if I recall correctly I switched among RC/W/SG the first 1-2 years. 

I stayed with Solid Gold Wee Bit (one flavor) for probably a year or so. 

Then I switched over to Taste of the Wild, which I spent a year or so on. (At this point, MPoo Zuki appeared in the picture, and also ate TOTW.) I tried various flavors whenever I felt like it, each time perhaps whenever the last bag was done. Generally I bought the bags 5 lbs at a time, but occasionally 15 pounds.

When switching, I started out trying to ease him into the change, 1/4 new for several days, 1/2 new the next several days, and so on. I would just try to make sure I had the next flavor at hand so that I could start mixing it with the old food over at least several days. Sometimes I suddenly ran out unprepared and cold turkey generally didn't seem to cause any problems.

The Orijen-Acana period was only about the last 3 or 4 months. So I guess we made changes 4 times (ORR-AR-AG-ORR). I'm thinking they had each for about a month? If I recall correctly, I only transitioned over a week since they've generally been hardy fellows when it came to food changes.


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