switching foods at each empty bag

[Faith]

now, before everyone gets all riled up - i am not currently doing this. i just want to bring up the discussion for some pros and cons.

i looked for a while to get what i had hoped to be a good food for my dog. when we got her from the rescue, her foster family was feeding her a brand called blue diamond that her foster mom said was equivalent to eukanuba adult maintenance. since i couldn't find the blue diamond brand here, i purchased the eukanuba for her, knowing that i wanted to get a better food.

i switched her to nutro (and, yes, slowly) only to have her horribly gassy and having loose/runny stools.

i switched her to bil jack, only to figure out that the food had BHA (causes cancer).

i then spent alot of time researching and found canidae, which i switched to, and she's doing good on, but she doesn't want to eat it anymore.



ok -

one thing i noticed, was that for each switch, she goes crazy for the new food for like 2 weeks, and then slowly stops eating it as fast, starts ignoring it, etc, etc.

so, i started wondering. how bad would it be to switch her food each time she empties a bag? and, i mean, go from canidae to california naturals to solid gold to evo to eagle pack to whatever, probably circling back to each one over and over.

and, yes, i know about the benefits of switching food over slowly, and how some dogs have gastro problems from switching too quickly.

any opinions? has anyone ever tried this?

[bernicesmama]

I have thought about this many times! I think dogs need some type of variety. would you want to eat the same dehydrated food every day?
I would think if you switched it every other meal or so that the dogs would get used to the food(s) and they would aslo never know what they are getting.

great post faith!

[CowGirlUp1833]

Switching dog foods too frequently can cause a picky eater. I also have been told (by a vet) that switching foods suddenly can upset thier system. Granted, if the dog is used to constantly having different meals, the upset may be very mild or non-existant.

My question is why do you want to do this? Is it simply because you want your dog to enjoy his/her food more? If so, you'll actually make her MORE picky by switching frequently.

Also, at my house, I buy the best quality dog food I can afford to ensure that they are getting as much of the nutrients, etc. that they need. All dog foods are definitly not created equal.

[Dax]

You are less likely to have problems if you switch foods from the same manufacturer. IE Nutro Lamb&Rice, Chicken&Rice, etc. I often forget what I've bought last so they do get something new from the same manufacturer. Both Dax & Ariel have no problems.

I've always believed that variety can be added to diets in the form of treats and fresh vegtables.

[Moo]

Originally Posted by Faith

one thing i noticed, was that for each switch, she goes crazy for the new food for like 2 weeks, and then slowly stops eating it as fast, starts ignoring it, etc, etc.

This is likely to be caused by the switching... If I stop eating it, Mom will give me new stuff.

My Kirby couldn't give two sh**s about the kibble he eats. I give him high quality stuff and rotate through different veggies as toppings.

[bernicesmama]

Originally Posted by DaxAriel's Toy

You are less likely to have problems if you switch foods from the same manufacturer. IE Nutro Lamb&Rice, Chicken&Rice, etc. I often forget what I've bought last so they do get something new from the same manufacturer. Both Dax & Ariel have no problems.

I've always believed that variety can be added to diets in the form of treats and fresh vegtables.

I do this a lot too. I am glad to know that I am not the only one who forgets these things.

[Faith]

but Moo, see, but even that stops working after a while.

i haven't switched from canidae for months now, but will add veggies from time to time (she loves sweet potato). or i will add beef broth to it and even then she'll turn her nose up at the food.

as to the question of why i'm thinking of it - i want her to eat at each meal. it can be very frustrating and makes me feel like a bad owner when she decides not to eat and then she and i get into a standoff. when she finally eats a bit after a few days simply because she's starving, i don't think i'm accomplishing much. she just does the same thing again 2 or 3 weeks later.

[Moo]

Then just leave the food down. Take it up when she doesn't eat eat after 15 minutes. Put it down at the next meal. Teach her to stop being so picky. Resistance will get you nowhere, pup.

[IcyMist]

Penny does the same thing and I didn't know what to do to solve the problem. She doesn't want the food I give her. Right now it is canidae which at first she gobbled up and now she could care less about it.

[barnjess]

Have you tried feeding Meat and not dry of a mix of the two?