# Switching foods daily or monthly recommended?



## diesel (Oct 21, 2008)

Hi Everyone,

I was just watching this video on mercola.com Does your dog have allergies? and she was recommending switching foods often to expose your dogs to different foods to prevent them from developing food allergies? 

What do you guys think about this? I've kept Diesel on the same diet for the past year until Natural Balance changed their formula and I had to start trying new things. I let him try different foods for a couple of months before I finally found something he liked (and he seemed to enjoy each one for a day or two before getting tired of it) and he never really had any poop problems during that time. Well, he's been on his new food for about a month and a half and again seems bored of it, and isn't eating much. 

Do you think it's ok to switch foods often to keep them from getting allergies and also keep their food interesting? Does anyone currently do this with success?


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

I actually worked mine up to rotating each meal! So for breakfast they get some sort of red protein (lamb or beef), fried egg and sweet potatoes along with the Acana Grasslands kibble. I call that their steak and eggs breakfast. At night they get white protein like a little chicken, turkey but mostly some sort of white fish and sweet potatoes, a green or yellow or orange veggie and their Orijen 6 Fresh Fish kibble.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I do this too, though not every day. About every 14 days.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

I'm considering rotating 2 or more foods for London & Preston, but the thing that worries me is having to transition them each time. If I switch foods after every empty bag (I buy the larger sized bags because I'm feeding 2; A small portion of the bag stays indoors in an airtight container, and the rest of it stays in a chest freezer outdoors in a container until I need it), that is a lot of transitioning. Even when I switched previously from NB Potato & Duck to NB Sweet Potato & Venison, I had to transition it over a week long period. How do you all deal with this?


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

If you choose to constantly rotate food, keep a couple protein and carb sources aside in case you were to need a novel protein/carb.


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

QUOTE (LJSquishy @ Nov 2 2009, 07:10 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846608


> I'm considering rotating 2 or more foods for London & Preston, but the thing that worries me is having to transition them each time. If I switch foods after every empty bag (I buy the larger sized bags because I'm feeding 2; A small portion of the bag stays indoors in an airtight container, and the rest of it stays in a chest freezer outdoors in a container until I need it), that is a lot of transitioning. Even when I switched previously from NB Potato & Duck to NB Sweet Potato & Venison, I had to transition it over a week long period. How do you all deal with this?[/B]


I've switched Boo & Hannahs food a few times without transitioning. Hannah has a castiron tummy & as long as the food is similar & not going from low protein to high or low fat to high,etc,I've never had a problem. I buy the smaller bags & will occasionally buy a different brand just for a change for them. I always go back to NB,but they do enjoy a change every now & then. They're both healthy eaters with no known food allergies.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I never transition food. I just change it up. Never had a problem


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## roxybaby22 (Feb 25, 2009)

QUOTE (Nikki's Mom @ Nov 2 2009, 09:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846659


> I never transition food. I just change it up. Never had a problem[/B]


Same here.


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## diesel (Oct 21, 2008)

Wow! Thanks for all the input! It does sound intimidating to switch dry foods all the time, but I want what's best for my fluffs. 

tamizami - that's a great idea of having a different morning and dinner routine to keep it interesting and healthy

nikki's mom - I read on other posts before that you cook for nikki...does this ever get difficult when you travel? Diesel goes on vacations with me, and I'm not sure if i'd be able to maintain a cooked diet, but from what Dr. Mercola said, it makes sense that natural foods would be best. What do you do when you travel or have schedule changes that prevent you from cooking? I'd ideally like to build up to cooking half my fluffs' meals, but I'd like them to be able to eat dry kibble when we're on the go.

LJ Squishy - I have the same concerns. But it sounds like over time they may not need it. That definitely makes it less stressful!

JMM - That is an excellent point! I didn't think of the possibility of needing to keep them from one or two types of food just in case it's needed later on. I'll be sure to decide on something in advance. 

momtoboo - Thanks for confirming that they do enjoy the change. I wasn't sure if Diesel was being picky, or he just really enjoyed the variety. I guess it's the same with treats and anything else in life. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing  

Wow, this has been a lot of "food" for thought. I appreciate all the input, as this is all new to me. Keep it coming!

:ThankYou:


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

I thought it would be hard to transition, too, since Stuart has more of a sensitive tummy and doesn't transition well. But I started by slowly introducing the new proteins into each meal that was mainly the sweet potato mash and the kibble. Mind you, they don't get a ton of the fresh protein, more like a teaspoon of small bits mixed in with the homemade batch of food (sweet potato, veggies, some protein source) and kibble. Its worked out great and the output is really great, too! Stuart has been super regular and firm for the first time in a long time. And they are both pretty excited at meal times since they don't know what kind of treat will be sprinkled in.

I forgot to mention that I always sprinkle about a quarter teaspoon of salmon oil or hemp oil on their food - hemp in the morning with the steak and eggs and salmon at night with fish and chicken. The oil over the kibble makes it more palatable, too, I think.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I cook Nikki's food in advance, freeze in daily portions, and take it on the road with me in a cooler. If I am going to be gone for more than 3-4 days at a time, Nikki will simply eat what I eat, without the spices/salt. When we travel, we bring our own food and something to cook it in, and a cooler, or we buy food at a health food store and cook it, avoiding restaurants as much as possible. I always bring some canned dog food with me, just in case. I haven't done air travel with Nikki yet, but if I couldn't bring her home cooked food or my cooking stuff, I'd give her a mixture of organic or premium dog food mixed with scraps from whatever I eat at a restaurant, minus the spices. 

Yes, it is a pain to do this. I'd much rather eat at wonderful restaurants while traveling and feed Nikki kibble, but with our food intolerances and my distrust of dog food.....Our system works for all of us because we don't eat much differently from her.

When I am at home and I can't cook for myself or for Nikki for whatever reason, she will usually eat some canned salmon or some rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, mixed with some fresh veggies, or scrambled eggs. I used to stress about getting everything perfect every time, but I don't anymore. I have a multivitamin, calcium and omega oils that I can put in/on any type of food, so she will always get her vitamins. I might look into getting some Orijen or Acana kibble to have on hand if/when we do a long, cross-country road trip. Hope this answers your question.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

I gave up on Natural Balance b/c I got pissed when they changed the Duck & Potato formula with no indication on the bag whatsoever. Couldn't figure out why Ollie's tummy was acting up, until I did the research. 

YoYo had tummy probs for a while so we did prescription Science Diet for several weeks. That took care of his problems (he was also on medication for a few weeks, etc.) Then I realized that there are other commercial foods out there that have almost identical ingredients to SD and aren't so outrageously priced. i've tried a few brands since. I'm actually using IAMS Sensitive Stomach right now--the ingredients are decent for a sensitive stomach brand (they are not as high in protein, which is the whole point). Anyway, my point is that all my switching around and the doggies have done very well. No upsets at all--and again, Ollie is IBS prone too. I think YoYo's IBS was just a passing problem but b/c he does have anxiety issues, his tummy can be "sensitive." The IAMS sensitve stomach looks like kitty food, lol. It's very small pieces and is very easy for espeically Ollie, to chew.

i also give them canned food at night or something homecooked. Kibble during the day.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Pepper has no allergies, food or otherwise, but my DH owns a schnauzer who must be allergic to everything on the planet cuz I've never seen anyone switch brands as much as he has over the years to try to deal with her ever-present "schnuazer bumps" , as he calls them. :huh: 
Anyway, his vet said it's a very low probability that these bumps are being caused by a grain, but a lot more likely that they're caused by a protein. Must be true cuz she still gets them even though he's switched (and stayed for 5 mos) to grain free kibble by NB. I understand that finding the allergy cuplrit can be really tricky, but in the event your little one develops one, it'll become your mission in life to solve the mystery and ameliorate the problem. If they take well to variation in their diets and have no untoward digestive reactions, then try new things if you like. The whole world's your oyster, no pun intended.


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

When I went to Dr. Beckers seminar in Sept she said to rotate the protein source every 59 days at a minimum AND to rotate between at least 3 protein sources minimum. This was to avoid allergy issues. Dr. Becker believes that allergies can come from eating the same food day in and day out for long periods of time. Even with a raw or homecooked diet she recomended changing the recipe - because not every recipe is constructed the same and the dogs need variety for optimum physical function.

She also said that the dogs with IBD/ IBS have a weaker gut that cannot block allergens from their system as well as healthy dogs and therefore would experience more allergy related issues. Dogs may start with one allergy to say grass and then over time they become allergic to many things because their systems gradually become more senstivie to everything. 

I homecook for my dogs using Dr. Harvey's - My goal, using Dr. Beckers recomendation, is to rotate between Dr. Harvey's, Honest Kitchen, and Sojo's. Because the three brands build their mixes differenlty the dogs get the appropriate nutrients from different ingredients in each of the different brands. The time frame for switching brands would be about 59 days. That's about how long a bag lasts for me (coincidence?)

With maltese and kibble you add in the frustrations of finding at least 3 kibbles that don't cause tearstains. There in lies a challenge since different brands work best for different dogs. 

There is a new brand of kibble on the market called Lotus - It is baked rather than extruded which is supposed to be easier on a dogs digestive system. I would love to hear from anyone who has tried it.


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

QUOTE (camfan @ Nov 3 2009, 10:17 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846798


> I gave up on Natural Balance b/c I got pissed when they changed the Duck & Potato formula with no indication on the bag whatsoever. Couldn't figure out why Ollie's tummy was acting up, until I did the research.[/B]



AAFCO changed their guidelines this year which caused many brands to have to change their food in order to comply.


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

QUOTE


> I might look into getting some Orijen or Acana kibble to have on hand if/when we do a long, cross-country road trip. Hope this answers your question.[/B]


My dogs have become very sensitive to Orijen kibble since I have started feeding them homecooked - you may want to test that home before traveling with it.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

QUOTE (WoofLife @ Nov 3 2009, 02:32 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846916


> QUOTE





> I might look into getting some Orijen or Acana kibble to have on hand if/when we do a long, cross-country road trip. Hope this answers your question.[/B]


My dogs have become very sensitive to Orijen kibble since I have started feeding them homecooked - you may want to test that home before traveling with it.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks I will get a sample first.


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

I switch between NB venison and NB Fish. I buy the medium sized bag (15 pounds) and when we are all done with one I buy another bag in the other 'flavor' if you will. I have found that Hunter (who has more allergies than I thought a dog could have) doesn't have any problems with this and for the first week or two is really excited about the new food flavor so its great for little training sessions in those first two weeks!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

That is the same theory that Dr. Harvey has as well and recommends changing the proteins in his pre-mix. He also feels that is why there are so many dogs with digestive trouble too. I mean if you think about it, if we only ate the same meal all of our lives, we probably wouldn't be the most healthy because we get different nutrients out of chicken than beef and from broccoli and carrots. Right now I'm only rotating the proteins on a weekly basis and going between Dr. Harvey's Miracle Mix and his Veg-to-Bowl w/decreasing amounts of the Miracle Mix in it. Dogs with IBS and IBD symptoms seem to need grains...or good carbs...and Jett came to me with IBS. So I'm slowly trying to get him off grains all together. But really really slow. I met Dr. Becker at the Backer show and really liked her. Even if she was holding and stroking an Opossum! :w00t: lol And she totally understood and agreed when I told her that my Jett, because of his IBS (most likely IBD) could not handle grain free food or raw. But I would like to decrease the amount of good grains if possible.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

QUOTE (WoofLife @ Nov 3 2009, 11:32 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846916


> QUOTE





> I might look into getting some Orijen or Acana kibble to have on hand if/when we do a long, cross-country road trip. Hope this answers your question.[/B]


My dogs have become very sensitive to Orijen kibble since I have started feeding them homecooked - you may want to test that home before traveling with it.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Can you explain the problem they are having? Just wondering....I feed mine a little of the orijen or acana with every homecooked meal so that i can transition them on to strictly kibble before traveling. Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing the problems you are having in case I see the same issues with mine.


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

QUOTE (tamizami @ Nov 4 2009, 05:09 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=847345


> QUOTE (WoofLife @ Nov 3 2009, 11:32 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846916





> QUOTE





> I might look into getting some Orijen or Acana kibble to have on hand if/when we do a long, cross-country road trip. Hope this answers your question.[/B]


My dogs have become very sensitive to Orijen kibble since I have started feeding them homecooked - you may want to test that home before traveling with it.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Can you explain the problem they are having? Just wondering....I feed mine a little of the orijen or acana with every homecooked meal so that i can transition them on to strictly kibble before traveling. Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing the problems you are having in case I see the same issues with mine.
[/B][/QUOTE]

I have 3 dogs and they all have different degrees of sensitivity. They all wind up with runny poop and are no longer "regular" after two meals of kibble and my Brussels Griffon who has always had digestive issues gets painful gas and vomits the undigested food hours after eating. It's not just Orijen it's pretty much any kibble.


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