# do you guys change dog foods occassionally?



## h2o_polo_boi (Mar 21, 2008)

I was just wondering if it is a good idea. Having my dog eat just one particular brand and type of food for the rest of his life seems cruel. Do you guys change their foods and if so, how often? Also, do you do it cold turkey when switching among food he's already tried or do you always have to do it gradually to avoid upset stomachs?

Currently, I'm feeding my dog Innova Large Breed Puppy with an egg twice a week but I don't intend to change this pattern until 1-2 years. I'm planning on switching between foods after that. Any info would be appreciated.


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

I switch food every 6 months or so. Or I mix something else in for a while. I know many that switch between Canidae and Innova and some that feed Canidae and add EVO things like that. I actually reccomend a switch here and there - not too often though.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I alternate protein sources within Purina ProPlan - this month bag of beef, next time bag of chicken, next bag of lamb...


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I do not. My dogs do extremely well on what I feed, and ALWAYS eat it enthusiastically. It really is not good for them to be switched. And dogs do not have taste buds like humans do, they determine what is "good" by the smell. (What smells good to us doesn't necessarily smell good to them - think garbage, road kill, etc...)
If you find a food that your dogs do well on it is best to continue with it. It can take up to 3 months to determine if there are going to be any problems with a new food (and sometimes even longer).


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

I don't, but I've been told I should because Shadow has allergies.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Obviously, if there is a problem with a particular food that you might be feeding, making it necessary to switch, that is a different scenario. Switching just for variety is not necessary, nor recommended.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Some foods have different varieties within a food brand. I now feed Nature's Variety Lamb and Rice. They also have salmon,duck, chicken, venison and rabbit. They say you can vary among them safely but if your dog is prone to allergies or a touchy stomach, I wouldn't reccommend it.
I have a small bag of the salmon which I have been adding to their lamb and so far no problems.
My boys are such pigs they don't care what variety it is so I plan to mainly stick with what I am currently feeding. I'm so glad I don't have a picky eater!


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## allux00 (Mar 2, 2008)

We just switched Rusty to Merrick dog food because he would no longer eat his Canidae, not that he was ever really enthusiastic about it! He's a very finicky eater and it looks as though we might have to switch again, because he's just eating his breakfast as we speak at 10:30 AM

My understanding is that it's fine to switch them, as long as they'll eat it and you do it gradually so they don't get diarrhea.


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

Quinn's breeder did say that his food should be swapped every few months so that his system doesn't get used to one type of food, but i believe that if you find a food that suits your dog and they do well on it then stick to it. If however you want to change the food then it should be done slowly over a week


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I switch up Ike's food between Purina Pro Plan and Purina One....he tends to get finicky with one food for too long.


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## h2o_polo_boi (Mar 21, 2008)

I've heard not changing food puts a dog more at risk of developing allergies because of the constant exposure to one particular set of food ingredients.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/how-often-should-i-change-foods.html

However, they don't cite any studies to support this.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

It's actually very beneficial to your dog to switch foods every 4 to 6 months. There have been studies, (relatively new), that have been done, I'll try to find the links.

Karen, Chance and Savanah *RB*


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

kwhit said:


> It's actually very beneficial to your dog to switch foods every 4 to 6 months. There have been studies, (relatively new), that have been done, I'll try to find the links.
> 
> Karen, Chance and Savanah *RB*


I'd be very interested in seeing anything as regards this, and especially who funded the studies. It makes no sense at all to me, as it can take such a long time to see if any problems develop with a new food.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Pointgold said:


> Obviously, if there is a problem with a particular food that you might be feeding, making it necessary to switch, that is a different scenario. Switching just for variety is not necessary, nor recommended.


In our case I was told we should switch every now and then to PREVENT Shadow from becoming allergic to a protein he is still able to eat. Don't know how true that is. Switching because he IS allergic to something is just common sense...


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

I'm searching my Dane board to try to get the link. My son also sent me some info when he was at UC Davis because he knew I'd be interested. He's at school back East and pretty busy, but I'll try to get in touch with him to see if he could possibly remember where he got it from. One of my sister's good friends is a holistic vet in Santa Cruz, so I'll try him also.

Karen, Chance and Savanah *RB*


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

We feed our dogs the Merrick Cowboy Cookout and I decided to change to the Granny's chicken pot pie. They loved both flavors but the chicken gave them looser stools so we switched them back to the beef. They love that flavor and I am sticking with it as long as they dont have problems.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

In the short amount of time that I have had, I cannot find anything compelling as regards studies to prove that switching foods is recommended. they only thing I have found so far are opinions on holistic/natural type foods sites.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

Who knows what is right. Some say yes, some say no. There can be a debate about everything. I do and have been for while now with no problems whatsoever.


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## 4991 (Apr 18, 2008)

I will switch to another product next week but that is because we have a little weight problem here - daily portions of what I currently feed do not cover whatever my dog is burning in terms of calories; she`s too thin but refuses to eat more of her food. Without that little problem, I´d stick to what I feed. This post describes pretty well what I have heard about switching dog foods so far:



Pointgold said:


> It really is not good for them to be switched. And dogs do not have taste buds like humans do, they determine what is "good" by the smell. (What smells good to us doesn't necessarily smell good to them - think garbage, road kill, etc...)
> If you find a food that your dogs do well on it is best to continue with it.


Dogs are fairly conservative eaters - usually, it takes them quite a while to adjust to new food.


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## h2o_polo_boi (Mar 21, 2008)

Kathrin B. said:


> Dogs are fairly conservative eaters - usually, it takes them quite a while to adjust to new food.


I sure hope the studies find this conclusion as it will make my life much easier and will be more economical. However, common sense has it (at least for humans), that variety is what keeps contaminants (pesticides etc.) from building up to toxic levels in our body that causes cancer, allergies, and other diseases. All foods has minute traces of contaminants. By switching foods periodically, we limit the amount we absorb of each contaminant. That's what I've learned in my medical classes so I hope they're actually teaching us something in college lol.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Charlie06 said:


> Who knows what is right. Some say yes, some say no. There can be a debate about everything. I do and have been for while now with no problems whatsoever.


 
This is true. You can almost always find someone that will provide you with the answer that you want, whether it is right or wrong, and vice verse. 
I've been feeding dogs as a serious competitor for 30 some years, now. I have found switching foods to be more detrimental than leaving them on a food that they are doing very well on. 

Just out of curiousity, for what reason do you switch? How often?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

h2o_polo_boi said:


> I sure hope the studies find this conclusion as it will make my life much easier and will be more economical. However, common sense has it (at least for humans), that variety is what keeps contaminants (pesticides etc.) from building up to toxic levels in our body that causes cancer, allergies, and other diseases. All foods has minute traces of contaminants. By switching foods periodically, we limit the amount we absorb of each contaminant. That's what I've learned in my medical classes so I hope they're actually teaching us something in college lol.


 
I have fed the same product for many years, with the exception of approximately a one year period where I switched to a "natural, holistic" product being highly touted by a good friend - a breeder/exhibitor, who liked it so well for their own dogs he began to distribute it. After several months, everything went south - coats looked horrible, stools were poor, vigor was lessened, and they no longer even wanted to eat it. I switched back to the product that I'd always fed, and in a matter of weeks, things began to turn around. 
I have extremely healthy dogs. And enjoy great longevity. I have lost 2 dogs to cancer, and learned that there was an extremely high incidence in both of their pedigrees - one a Pointer bitch, the other a dog that I'd bred using lines out of my normal comfort zone. 
So while I understand the theory that you are referring to, I don't see it being applicable to the dogs as I have seen over the years. I know many breeders and professional handlers who have always fed the same product, and their dogs are also healthy and long-lived.


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## AndyFarmer (Jul 9, 2007)

*My two cents*....AF was on Purina ONE his whole life (6 years, maybe there is a correlation to dying of cancer, maybe not), Libby and Beamer are on Canidae. I had to switch Libby's food three times to find the right one to minimize her allergies before finding Canidae, so whatever works, go with it.


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## rosemary (Jul 7, 2007)

because of arnies medical problems its case of if it aint broke why mend it hes been eating the same food for the last 5 years and to change would assist in destroying his bowel more than it is so i leave things well alone


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

If the food I feed were a factor in the cancers that Alice the Pointer and Bond the Golden Retriever had, I would have to believe that more of my dogs over the years would also have had cancer. As it is, Alice lived to approx 10 (even longer than a few of her littermates) and Bond to 12.
Changing foods to alleviate allergies is not the same as switching for the sake of switching. I also subscribe to the "If it ain't broke don't fix it" school of thought.


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## lisacls (May 29, 2008)

I thought it is not necessary to switch and even though you want to switch food, it is better you still stick on the same brand.


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## h2o_polo_boi (Mar 21, 2008)

When it comes to food allergies, how loose of stool is considered allergic, like almost liquid? My dog has stool that is formed but sometimes moister than other times. He also scratches his collar all the time when I take him out to potty on the leash. Not so much when he's home and off the leash. I hope that's not itching related to allergies.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

Yes ! I rotate about 3 times a year and almost always mix in some healthy organic meats/poultry etc, and fresh pesticides-free veggies & fruits are also part of their diet. It is recommended for humans to eat a variety of healthy foods and I believe it is good for canines too & for the exact same reasons. Although I really try to feed them the "best" commercial foods I can find out there, I don't believe one SOLE commercial food for a canine's lifetime can be good enough or adequate for all. I noticed there was an article on the subject in the June 2004 Whole Dog Journal but I am not a member. 
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_6/features/5643-1.html


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## Barbara & Vinnie (Jul 7, 2008)

I certainly don't think it's necessary to change foods regularly. Dogs don't enjoy their food as we do. But if it's really as bad as some say? My cat always just gets what's available and does well on it... And don't they say that cat's are more difficult eaters than dogs?


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

Barbara & Vinnie said:


> Dogs don't enjoy their food as we do.
> 
> You haven't seen Pippa eat! It's up the wall, on her ears, and she licks the bowl clean for 5 minutes. She LOVES food!
> 
> We change foods occasionally and it's good to do so because the dogs get variety, it can prevent allergies and they get to enjoy the excitement of new smells, tastes, etc.


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## gggirl (May 8, 2008)

I don't rotate kibble but i switch it up every so often by adding different "human foods" whether it be green beans, alittle chicken, egg, plain/vanilla yogurt, beef. But only the size of a teaspoon with any of it. She does great on her kibble (orijen) and it took me a while to find a kibble she does well on so i am not about to mess with that again!!! She has been getting a teaspoon of plain yogurt added in the a.m. and 5 or 6 green unsalted beans for dinner for the last 2 months or so and she loves it!!


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## readyforagolden (Dec 25, 2007)

Pointgold, I'd be interested in hearing what you feed your dogs. With all that experience, I'm sure you've seen quite a bit in terms of foods and effects.

Which one do you like best? And what do you use for your puppies?

Thanks!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I switched my boys food because after hanging out here for awhile and reading more, I thought Nature's Variety was a healthier food for them. They had had no problems on their previous food SO FAR.
They seem to be scratching more but it could be the weather/humidity etc. 
If this continues or they develop other issues, I'll go back to their original Nutro Natural Choice.


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

I change foods because *I think* he likes the variety..lol..whether he does or not I don't know. I just switched to Wellness Core and maybe I'll rotate it with EVO red meat. Charlie loves food and he eats it so fast he probably doesn't even taste it......and I actually started hand feeding his kibble mixed with the canned.....YUCK


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## photoweborama (Dec 6, 2007)

We can't change. Bo has such a sensitive stomach, if we changed, he would be breaking out and throwing up all over the place.

He gets the same Lamb and Rice formula all the time.

He can't even have dog treats. All he can eat without throwing up is his dog food, pop corn, and Pepperoni....


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## Gold Elyse (Jan 6, 2008)

I don't switch that often. If you are going to switch get your dog used to the food, like give him a little new food mixed into his normal food then more and more every day until he used to it, then feed him new food without mixing. Sorry if confusing!


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

LibertyME said:


> I alternate protein sources within Purina ProPlan - this month bag of beef, next time bag of chicken, next bag of lamb...


I do the same thing though I have feed just Purina for 30 plus years.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I switch foods sometimes because I get bored....Lucky doesn't care as long as he likes the food he's on.

I am thinking of buy pro-plan next time.... I think I need a change. Hopefully Lucky will like it...we'll try a small bag.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

h2o_polo_boi said:


> Do you guys change their foods and if so, how often?


No. 

When they grow past the puppy stage, they are transitioned to an adult large breed performance diet and remain on it for life.


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## shannon (Jun 6, 2006)

I Do Not And Katie Is Always Redy To Eat!


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## lalala (May 3, 2008)

I have to agree with people who say "don't switch" because it can elicit allergic reactions. Not switching can't 

Just thinking from a pure immunology point of view, everytime a body (human or dog, or whatever biologic nature) encounters non-self substance (allergen/pathogen), the body reacts to it by using B cells and start making antibodies. When antibodies find allergens, our cells start to attack foreign materials...that's the mechanism of an allergic reaction. Sorry for being so technical about it, but if you think about it, changing food around is pretty much the same thing as introducing something new (foreign) to a dog and it raises the chance that the dog's cells might start making antibodies for it. So, if the dog is doing fine with one food (assume his body has accepted that as okay substance to be in his body therefore not a target), I say don't switch. 

How our body decides which substances are okay to be in our body has a lot to do with our digestive system. Humans have been omnivores for a long long time so we can pretty much eat anything and not get allergies. Of course there are exceptions. They think environment and genetics both play major roles as such determinants. 

For dogs, for being carnivores (well, pet dogs have been omnivores for some time now) their digestive system is much simpler than ours...therefore, adding things that were not originally a part of their diet could elicit allergic reactions. If you know your dog is okay with chicken, then boil a piece of real chicken and add it to his food. That should be fine. 

We all know how hard it is to keep track of all the ingredients in the food we give them. It's simply impossible to know what is really in their food so switching for the sake of adding a new flavor is sort of...too adventurous to my taste :uhoh:

I am not claiming what I wrote is the only way things work. I know there are a lot of gray areas when it comes to allergies...new facts arise everyday to surprise us. I guess my point is...don't do too many experiments with their bodies. After all, they don't have any say in what they eat...we ARE responsible for them.


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

I figure a dog's diet in the wilderness is varied by seasons, weather conditions, animal migrations, etc... Even living together with man for what? maybe 10,000 years, I'm sure their diet varied as well. So, what's the harm in varying the dog's diet today? Are there studies to suggest a varying diet is better? I don't know, I'm too lazy to do the search but I'll just bet there are no studies suggesting a single diet for a lifetime is best either. My gut feel is this: Dogs in the wild, are similar to humans in a grocery store... they can pick and choose to a certain extent depending upon what's in season and what's available and according to internal cravings, which in turn is the body's way of trying to fulfill changing requirements due to specific nutrient deficiencies. Well, unfortunately our 'captive' dogs today can only eat what we choose to present to them regardless of what their bodies might prefer at the moment. Some nutrient deficiencies (often certain mineral deficiencies) can cause physical changes/damage that may not be readily apparent for years but eventually a dog's health will suffer from it. I'm thinking a varied diet can go a long ways toward fulfilling any of these deficiencies. Take for example the Lamb and Rice diet... only recently it was discovered that a part of the rice grain had a negative effect on allowing the amino acid taurine (from the lamb meat) to remain fully available and that lead to a reduced rate of absorption for any taurine once in the digestive tract plus once lamb meat is cook it doesn't have a lot of taurine remaining anyway but since dogs' bodies can synthesize taurine from other available amino acids and their requirement for it is not large it was thought not to be a problem... well this minor deficiency over many years can (and has) lead to heart failure (dilated cardiomyopathy) in several breeds (including retrievers)... and so, many a dog lived a fore-shortened lifespan because of this dietary deficiency with their owners entirely unaware that feeding that one same diet for years is what caused their dog to die before its time. You gotta figure this went on for what? 10, 20, maybe 30 years, as Lamb and Rice diets grew quite popular over that time period and all the while pet owners were confident they were feeding their beloved dog a complete nutritional diet for a lifetime because that's what was printed on the bag it came in. Finally the research was done, the statistics tabulated and today extra taurine is added to all Lamb and Rice (actually Anything and Rice) diets. So what other deficiencies that we are not currently aware of COULD be fore-shortening the lives of our dogs today? Maybe science has finally got it all figured out now and all kibbles, with their limited list of ingredients, are truly complete for all stages for a dog's life-time ...a long, full and healthy lifetime... hmmmm, or maybe not. I'm not taking any chances... yes, we do switch around kibbles and supplements and foods because we think variety is what's natural to a dog and what's truly best for our dogs in the long run since they can't actually pick and choose their own diets like we and their wild cousins can.

I realize everyone has their own philosophy on this and so we have ours... who's right? who knows...


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

monomer said:


> I figure a dog's diet in the wilderness is varied by seasons, weather conditions, animal migrations, etc... Some nutrient deficiencies (often certain mineral deficiencies) can cause physical changes/damage that may not be readily apparent for years but eventually a dog's health will suffer from it. I'm thinking a varied diet can go a long ways toward fulfilling any of these deficiencies... So what other deficiencies that we are not currently aware of COULD be fore-shortening the lives of our dogs today? ...


Pretty much sums up how I look at it. 
No doubt in my mind that getting proteins & nutrients from a variety of good sources is the way nature intended it for all species.


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## goblue (May 29, 2008)

Pointgold said:


> I do not. My dogs do extremely well on what I feed, and ALWAYS eat it enthusiastically. It really is not good for them to be switched. And dogs do not have taste buds like humans do, they determine what is "good" by the smell. (What smells good to us doesn't necessarily smell good to them - think garbage, road kill, etc...)
> If you find a food that your dogs do well on it is best to continue with it. It can take up to 3 months to determine if there are going to be any problems with a new food (and sometimes even longer).


Pointgold, If you don't mind me asking, what do you feed your dogs since they have done so well?


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

I feed different flavours of the same brand because it took a while to find a good food that works well with Diesel's sensitive stomach. Willow gets the same because it she is doing well on it plus it is easier. 

Doesen't make sense to me to change as it might be hard to find a food as good as they are on now.


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## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

My dog is fed a raw diet and he gets a variety at times of protein from beef, chicken, turkey and lamb (we have discovered which proteins don't work so well for him as well like pork and elk).

A lot of carbohydrates in treats and kibbbles never agreed with him and we switched him off kibble because it gave him awful diarrhea (soft pudding like to projectile liquid). A switch to raw diet (meat/organ/bone with a touch of fruit and veggie) worked for him. Anything with wheat, corn, oats, and potatoes we usually avoid. Even barley is something he can't handle very well. We made a cold turkey switch and by the next poop it was small, solid, well formed, and much less stinky.

Does this mean raw is the answer for you? Not exactly. Either you are going to have to buy a formula that covers all the bases (commercial formula that you defrost) or do some research as to what to feed and supplement (Vitamin C powder, Vitamin E, Wild Salmon Oil, kelp). We found that some supplements also didn't agree with our dog and can cause loose stools like the Vitamin C powder.

What does our vet think? Some vets will push kibble diets especially the ones that they sell but our vet has been extremely supportive of feeding what works for your dog. The vet that owns this vet office does advocate raw feeding, but it's not something he pushes on people. At the last annual check-up that our dog had at the end of June 2008,our vet said Wiggles was in good condition for his coat (coarser top coat, softer undercoat, plenty of shine), his weight (the vet could feel the ribs easily but they weren't visible, the spine, and the base of the tail), and best of all his teeth were pristine.

If you DO decide to switch foods, switch gradually if it is kibble and perhaps try a single protein and single carbohydrate kibble and eliminate what might be causing these poops.


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

I change dog foods (protein source as well as manufacturer) every other bag of food. My 2 are 15 months and 11 months old. They have probably had 7 different foods and done fine with all of them. Some I like better than others.

I have recently added the frozen raw medallions to their food (also switching protein source). I can't feed totally raw....can't afford it. But I feel giving them some raw gives them enzymes that they would miss out on in "cooked" kibble.


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