# How often do you change foods?



## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

Mia needs another bag of dog food and I was thinking maybe I should change her food. She is on California Natural right now (herring and sweet potatoe) because I thought she might have an allergy to chicken. But she has had some chicken flavored things (treats) and hasnt had a problem. She seems to be bored with her food....I didnt know if I should get something else, maybe the other flavor of the California Natural to switch it up or just leave her on the one she is on...I am scared to try something new and her end up with staining again! 

I was mixing in a little bit of the Honest Kitchen for a while, and she liked that stuff!! But its a bit expensive and a pain to deal with!! 

Any thoughts?


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

I just added Artemis into their regimen and they really like it and the pieces are small. They sent me a bunch of samples. http://www.artemiscompany.com/products_det...all_breed_adult


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Sep 15 2008, 01:06 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635535


> I just added Artemis into their regimen and they really like it and the pieces are small. They sent me a bunch of samples.[/B]



What is Artemis??


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

Included the link above.


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## Gracie's Mommy (Feb 14, 2008)

Oh, this is such an interesting question for me, as I think about Gracie's food all the time. My feeling is that if Mia is on something now that she *will* eat, and it is not causing staining problems, stay with it! Is it possible to get a sample of a different flavor? Gracie is the ultimate picky eater and I worry about it all the time. If Mia is bored, maybe you could add a little bit of chicken to it occasionally, or bits of cheese? I don't know ... I'm certainly in no position to even suggest anything. I'll be curious to know what you end up doing, and I'm anxious to see replies from those who know much more than I do. Good luck!!!!! :Good luck:


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

In reading....it is said to be good to switch up foods, maybe every 6 mo or so...it prevents them from getting a food allergy!

I think it would be perfectly fine to change flavors w/in California Natural. Or even try a different brand.

I recently put my guys on Natural Balance...they are loving it.


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## wolfieinthehouse (Dec 14, 2007)

I change if Wolfie is having trouble with a food (digestion wise) or hear a scare about a food.

He started on one brand, I switched him to another as soon as I could because his poo stunk bad and wasn't a great consistency, I switched to another during a food scare and am just switching back to the middle brand because he does best overall on it and the scare never panned out as far as I know.

The food I switched him to is not as good for _him._


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

dont know what went wrong!


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Sep 15 2008, 01:07 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635538


> Included the link above.[/B]



Thanks Maggie!! I looked it over and dont think it will work for us because of the brown rice....I really dont know how to read the labels and such! But ever since I cut out the brown rice and switched to another carb like sweet potatoe, her tearing really cleared up!

I am also wanting to make sure that Mia is getting the best food for her! Whenever I take her to the vet they tell me, "thats a good food....but if you could always try something a little less expensive..." whatever that means! I dont think the food is expensive at all! It lasts me a while!


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (2maltese4me @ Sep 15 2008, 01:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635542


> In reading....it is said to be good to switch up foods, maybe every 6 mo or so...it prevents them from getting a food allergy!
> 
> I think it would be perfectly fine to change flavors w/in California Natural. Or even try a different brand.
> 
> I recently put my guys on Natural Balance...they are loving it.[/B]


Wow, I hadnt ever heard that! If you dont mind my asking, where did you read that?? I need to get a book on nutrition for her....geeze, I care more about her nutrition than my own! :brownbag: 

I tried looking for the thread that had the link to the website which rates all the foods....but cannot find it!


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (Gracie's Mommy @ Sep 15 2008, 01:10 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635539


> Oh, this is such an interesting question for me, as I think about Gracie's food all the time. My feeling is that if Mia is on something now that she *will* eat, and it is not causing staining problems, stay with it! Is it possible to get a sample of a different flavor? Gracie is the ultimate picky eater and I worry about it all the time. If Mia is bored, maybe you could add a little bit of chicken to it occasionally, or bits of cheese? I don't know ... I'm certainly in no position to even suggest anything. I'll be curious to know what you end up doing, and I'm anxious to see replies from those who know much more than I do. Good luck!!!!! :Good luck:[/B]



I add some veggies, cheese, fruit or chicken every once in a while and the little stinker picks them out and wont touch her food for the rest of the day! I think she thinks that if she doesnt touch it I will add more....which I dont....and eventually she eats a little before bed!


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

QUOTE (2maltese4me @ Sep 15 2008, 04:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635542


> In reading....it is said to be good to switch up foods, maybe every 6 mo or so...it prevents them from getting a food allergy!
> 
> I think it would be perfectly fine to change flavors w/in California Natural. Or even try a different brand.
> 
> I recently put my guys on Natural Balance...they are loving it.[/B]



I believe it is always good to switch up their food every so often not all foods are going to have the perfect ingredients. So what is lacking in one you can make up with the new one. Let say one food has a low vitamin E content and a high vitamin B6 you feed that food for a period of time when you change it the next food may have a high vitamin E content and lower B6 content. So it balances it out. That way your fluff will get all the nutrients it needs. I forgot if I read that in the Whole Food Journal or the Dog Food Project but when I find it I will post the link.


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

QUOTE (Krystal @ Sep 15 2008, 04:17 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635547


> QUOTE (2maltese4me @ Sep 15 2008, 01:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635542





> In reading....it is said to be good to switch up foods, maybe every 6 mo or so...it prevents them from getting a food allergy!
> 
> I think it would be perfectly fine to change flavors w/in California Natural. Or even try a different brand.
> 
> I recently put my guys on Natural Balance...they are loving it.[/B]


Wow, I hadnt ever heard that! If you dont mind my asking, where did you read that?? I need to get a book on nutrition for her....geeze, I care more about her nutrition than my own! :brownbag: 

I tried looking for the thread that had the link to the website which rates all the foods....but cannot find it!
[/B][/QUOTE]


http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

There is one more link but it's on my laptop. I'll pm you with it when I find it.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Sep 15 2008, 01:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635551


> QUOTE (2maltese4me @ Sep 15 2008, 04:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635542





> In reading....it is said to be good to switch up foods, maybe every 6 mo or so...it prevents them from getting a food allergy!
> 
> I think it would be perfectly fine to change flavors w/in California Natural. Or even try a different brand.
> 
> I recently put my guys on Natural Balance...they are loving it.[/B]



I believe it is always good to switch up their food every so often not all foods are going to have the perfect ingredients. So what is lacking in one you can make up with the new one. Let say one food has a low vitamin E content and a high vitamin B6 you feed that food for a period of time when you change it the next food may have a high vitamin E content and lower B6 content. So it balances it out. That way your fluff will get all the nutrients it needs. I forgot if I read that in the Whole Food Journal or the Dog Food Project but when I find it I will post the link.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks Maggie!

I will look at the different foods when I go pick up Mia...It does make sense to switch it up every once and a while....But I wasnt sure if it was a bad thing because I thought I read somewhere (maybe on here) that it wasnt a good idea because if they had an allergy to something, there wouldnt be another food to switch them to to help figure out what the allergy was to...I may be :wacko1:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

What is, IMO, not a good idea is switching among multiple novel protein sources (such as venison, fish, duck, buffalo). Pick one and then use more commonly found proteins like chicken or lamb.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Sep 15 2008, 01:42 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635581


> What is, IMO, not a good idea is switching among multiple novel protein sources (such as venison, fish, duck, buffalo). Pick one and then use more commonly found proteins like chicken or lamb.[/B]


Im a little confused.....

So since she is on herring now, should I keep her on another herring food? Or would it be ok to switch to a chicken or lamb....but just not jump around from the "novel protein sources?"


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (JMM @ Sep 15 2008, 04:42 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635581


> What is, IMO, not a good idea is switching among multiple novel protein sources (such as venison, fish, duck, buffalo). Pick one and then use more commonly found proteins like chicken or lamb.[/B]


Can you explain that more...I'm not following you, but am interested in the answer...

Ollie is on NB duck & potato and I tried him on the NB venison & brown rice (kibble) and he doesn't seem to digest as well on it. Both are single carb/single protein. He's been on the NB duck and potato FOREVER and I'm nervous that keeping him on it indefinitely will eventually cause an allergy--he already has IBS...


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

The most common protein sources in dog food are chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb. A novel protein would be a protein your dog has never been exposed to. If your dog were to develop food allergies (either resulting in ear infections/skin infections or something more serious like inflammatory bowel disease), it is nice to have novel protein sources available that you can readily get (ie a commercial-made diet). So don't expose your dog to every novel protein out there (ie. venison, duck, rabbit, fish). 

I'm feeding Soda venison. So I'm sure not to expose him to duck or rabbit so we have those in case we need them one day. Switch food all you like, but be aware as you are doing it.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Sep 15 2008, 02:28 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635613


> The most common protein sources in dog food are chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb. A novel protein would be a protein your dog has never been exposed to. If your dog were to develop food allergies (either resulting in ear infections/skin infections or something more serious like inflammatory bowel disease), it is nice to have novel protein sources available that you can readily get (ie a commercial-made diet). So don't expose your dog to every novel protein out there (ie. venison, duck, rabbit, fish).
> 
> I'm feeding Soda venison. So I'm sure not to expose him to duck or rabbit so we have those in case we need them one day. Switch food all you like, but be aware as you are doing it.[/B]



Ok great! Thanks!!! That totally makes sense! I was looking at Evo...The small red bites....It looks yummy! I will see what our pet store has to offer....


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

Krystal,

Evo is good food, so is Orijen if you have it available. 

The Book Scared Poopless has a lot of information regarding food and feeding. It would be a great place to start - it is available at www.dogs4dogs.com - there is a lot of free info on the site as well.

Other books I have read include:

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze 

The Nature of Animal Healing : The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat by Martin Goldstein D.V.M.

There are a few others but I can't remember the names right now. 

I've been doing a TON of research lately.

Leslie


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

Krystal - I've read to switch foods to avoid allergies (or an intolerance) on the bulldog board (posted by reputable and breeders with many yrs of experience)and I've read several articles on the net saying the same thing.


QUOTE


> Ollie is on NB duck & potato and I tried him on the NB venison & brown rice (kibble) and he doesn't seem to digest as well on it. Both are single carb/single protein. He's been on the NB duck and potato FOREVER and I'm nervous that keeping him on it indefinitely will eventually cause an allergy--he already has IBS...[/B]


Natural Balance makes a Venison and sweet potato formula w/out the brown rice...its grain free. This is what I feed.


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## jaceybaby (Sep 16, 2008)

In my opinion you should never change food unless completely necesary. It is rather dangerous, honestly. However, if you feel it is for the better, go for it!


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

QUOTE (jaceybaby @ Sep 21 2008, 05:16 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=638417


> In my opinion you should never change food unless completely necesary. It is rather dangerous, honestly. However, if you feel it is for the better, go for it![/B]


Who has told you its dangerous???? And how is it dangerous???? 

Its more or less a personal choice...but certainly not dangerous!


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

I too was wondering how switching foods was dangerous??? I have never heard of that before and our Chrissy has been fed a couple of different foods (she liked them all) and we finally settled on NB Duck and Potato. However, JMM pointed out something very interesting that I never really considered. It was the source of Protein other than beef, turkey, lamb, & chicken that NB offers (ie Duck, Fish, Venison, etc) that might not be so good for our dogs??? I really do not want to switch again since Snuggles and Chrrissy love NB Duck and Potato but do not want to give them something that might not be good for them for a long period of time. 

Thanks for that insight JMM I appreciated your insight to this issue.

Linda


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

I too was wondering how switching foods was dangerous??? I have never heard of that before and our Chrissy has been fed a couple of different foods (she liked them all) and we finally settled on NB Duck and Potato. However, JMM pointed out something very interesting that I never really considered. It was the source of Protein other than beef, turkey, lamb, & chicken that NB offers (ie Duck, Fish, Venison, etc) that might not be so good for our dogs??? I really do not want to switch again since Snuggles and Chrrissy love NB Duck and Potato but do not want to give them something that might not be good for them for a long period of time. 

Thanks for that insight JMM I appreciated your insight to this issue.

Linda


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I'll be honest...if my dogs are doing well, I don't switch food. Why mess with success? I figure if there truly is an issue with creating allergies, my dogs get all types of treats all the time for training so I'm not going to worry.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Clifford is on NB duck and potatoe, and I am going to stay on it. He does well, and loves it. If allergies seem to start occuring then I'll just switch to fish or venision. Like JMM says, don't stress on this, and if they are fine on it, then stick with it.


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

I was just wondering because Mia seemed to be bored on her food. We tried the Merrick but it gave her gas and I noticed her staining was starting to show up, and thats that we hadnt fully switched over. I took it back today and put her on Natures Logic....If that doesnt work out I am going back to CA Natural....


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## sarajy0523 (Jun 2, 2008)

QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Sep 15 2008, 04:06 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=635535


> I just added Artemis into their regimen and they really like it and the pieces are small. They sent me a bunch of samples. http://www.artemiscompany.com/products_det...all_breed_adult[/B]


Happy loved Artemis, too! I also wanted to try new food so i now feed her Castor&Pollux Organix and I think she likes this better than Artemis. One downside is that C&P gives smelly poo.....


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## charmypoo (Sep 11, 2004)

I am always on the hunt for the best food and I do try not to switch foods too often for the reasons stated above. I have settled on Orijen. It is by far the best food I have tried. The kids absolutely loves it and gobbles it up like treats.


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