Wanting to change dog food-help!!

[Evolvamama]

Our dog is 6 yrs. old. We rescued her at 12 weeks old, not knowing what we were getting into. (duh!) Well...for the first six months, she puked and pooped 24/7. After *hundreds* of dollars spent on vet bills and special food, our vet(somewhat holistic) said she simply was *mis*nourished in her early weeks, and had developed multiple food allegies along with a canine version of IBS. We switched her to the very $$ food he suggested, and she has been fine ever since. However, in those following months, I drove myself mad trying to keep her out of our human food.

Skip ahead a few years...no more puking or runny poops. And, if there is any food left in her reach(yeah, we've gotten lazy about it), she goes for it. Dh once caught her ON TOP OF OUR DINING TABLE-AND SHE WEIGHS AROUND 60 LBS.!! She has eaten anything and everything from hot peppers to loaves of bread, to entire corn cobs.

So, why am I driving across town, spending loads of money for her special lamb and rice food? I don't know!!!: I do know, I am sick of doing this! She can obviously tolerate a variety of foods-so I want to switch her to the top brand of food that is readliy available at our nearest grocery. It would save us tons of money each month and year.

But, I have been warned NOT to do this, as it will cause her stomache troubles-again.

What would you do? If we decide to switch, how do we go about it?

Thanks for any help....

[Sailor]

Ok - what type of allergies has she been diagnosed with?

I wouldn't feed a "top brand" grocery store pet food. Simply because there is no such thing - they're all bad. You'd have to go to a pet store for a good kibble or order online.

I don't know what types of allergies your dog has or what causes her digestive condition - so, it's difficult to give advice. I assume she's not having any more issues, despite eating "people" food, correct?

If so, there is always the option of feeding her raw. I feed my dog raw, and this is pretty much all I know about feeding dogs. When traveling, I feed Timberwolf Organics - but this is very expensive. Organix is another brand that isn't too bad.

I know that there are pet owners on here who feed other high quality kibbles from pet stores - so I'm sure they'll chime in.

Generally, when switching foods, to avoid stomach upset or diarrhea, you want to do it gradually. Mix the new kibble with the old. Take 1/4 cup of the new kibble and mix it with 3/4 cup of the old. Do this for a few days or a week, depending on how your dog reacts. Then, gradually increase the new food until you've eliminates the old food altogether.

[Chula]

It sounds like she can tolerate the occasional bit of other food but I would worry about her should you choose to go off the dog food that has been working for years.

One of our dogs has inflammatory bowel disease. If she eats something other than Natural Balance duck and potato she might just get gas the first time but in a few days we are right back to the vomiting and diarrhea.

I don't think that grocery store pet food is good. With one 60 pound dog I would consider feeding raw. I have three dogs ranging in weight from 53 to 100 pounds and I work full time so the thought of feeding raw is a little bit daunting to me. If you are set on changing her food, you should follow Sailor's advice and go slowly.

[Evolvamama]

Thanks!

Our vet never actually said which foods she was allergic to. I did an elimination approach, and decided it was wheat and corn.

Since then, she has eaten countless loaves of bread, and many corn cobs-with no digestive problems at all. In fact, she pretty much eats anything(out of the trash) and has no troubles.

[Oubliette8]

It seems that frequently puppies have sensitive digestive systems, but they later grow out of it in adulthood(maybe similar to certain types of food allergies in small children?)

In order to recommend a new food though, some information would be helpful- how much are you willing to spend? What food is she on now? What type of dog is she?

I would not recommend any food that can be found in a traditional grocery store- they are simply poor quality. Same for most foods in big box type stores.

Another thing to consider is that less expensive foods often (but not always) contain more junk, meaning that the dog has too eat a larger quantity of the food in order to get the proper nutrition. This means you have to buy MORE of the food, and often it ends up being more expensive. I did a cost per day analysis of dog foods several years ago for a dog that needed a special diet. I found all the foods on the market that would work, and then figured out how much they would cost to feed per day. One food I was sure I would never feed as it was so much more expensive per bag than the others. Lo and behold, when I did my analysis, this very expensive food cost 50cents LESS to feed per day than the next most cost effective food, and more than $1 less for most foods. Thats a really big savings- $15-$30+ dollars per MONTH. And these were all quality foods to begin with.

Some high quality foods that tend to be reasonably priced would be-

Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (hokey name, good food)
Canidae
Diamond Naturals
Nutrisource
Exclusive
Earthborne Holistics (similar to Wellness in formula, but lower priced)

There are, of course, higher quality foods on the market. They do tend to have a higher per bag price, although some would be worth it because the higher quality gives a lower per day cost (note high cost does not ALWAYS equal less per day, but it sometimes does)

You might want to stick with a lamb based diet since your dog does well on it, at least for the initial switch (many of the above foods make multiple flavors) Avoid foods with corn, wheat, soy, sorghum, by products or unlabeled meats (ie poultry instead of chicken, or "meat and bone meal") try to avoid artificial colors and the ingredients BHA/BHT and ethoxyquin, which are known carcinogens, yet still often found in dog foods and treats.

I find a good basic guide to dog food is www.dogfoodanalysis.com Anything 3 stars or above is a food I would consider feeding my dogs. I do not necessarily find that higher star ratings (ie 6 vs say, 4) indicate a better food. I don't agree with everything on the site, but it lists nearly every food on the market, so as a general guide, not knowing what is available in your area, its helpful to weed out quality vs junk. 3 stars or higher is a good indication that the food is high quality.

Also remember that what is a great food for one dog may not agree with another dog at all. You may need to try a few brands before finding the right one for your dog.

[mamallama]

My grocery store does not carry a brand I am ok with feeding. One of my dogs has significant food allergies, but generally, lamb and rice is ok with her. The best lamb and rice at my grocery is Iams. I'd like to feed it, but on Iams, her coat looks like crap and her eyes run constantly.

We are in a lower income bracket. My family does not eat all organic. I simply can't afford the best kibble for my dogs...so I have get by with the best of the foods I can afford. For a while my dogs were thriving on Royal Canin--then dh took a paycut and the budget got tight. Now they're doing ok on Nature's Recipe--it saves me $40/month. I'd like to feed better, but I don't beat myself up over it.

I agree with the pp about the 3 star ratings. Some of them can be had for about $1/pound (my goal.) I also agree that some kibble works better for some dogs. I read ingredient lists to check for allergens (corn and wheat,) and the order of ingredients (I want the first three to be meat products,) then I go on price, then if my dogs don't tolerate it well enough, I try something else the next time.

As long as I stick with slow transitions (buying a new bag well before the old bag runs out,) avoiding allergens, and going with the top 3 ingredients, I haven't had awful (pooping, puking) reactions in switching foods. Poor reactions have been things like stinky gas, runny eyes and a general increase in "doggy" odor.

[mistymama]

I'm a huge advocate for raw feeding - I actually found out about it while researching food for our puppy who was having lots of tummy troubles. Ever since we switched - zero problems. It's been wonderful and our dog is SO healthy.

When I have to board our dog, I feed Wellness CORE. He does very well on it. I agree with everyone here that says the grocery store will not carry food of a decent quality. I"m able to buy the Wellness brand at a local pet store (not big box) and while it's not as cheap as grocery store food, it's also not as expensive as the food at the vet's.

However, with one 60 pound dog, I'd totally feed raw. It will be cheaper than buying good quality dog food, healthier & I'm willing to bet all the tummy troubles go away for you very quickly.