# pros/cons of food brand rotation??



## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

I used to be all for rotating foods....until, something wasn't agreeing with my golden and I had no clue what it was. He had been fine for over a year on my program and then bam, he wasn't. 

I have gone to one brand of kibble and rotate different flavors of canned food/ yogurt/ cottage cheese and meat as toppers for variety.

I know some say it prevents boredom--but I think I have that covered with toppers.

and some also say it helps prevent development of allergies in some foods, but the way I see it is--if that happens, I'll deal with it when it comes. Not complicating things to prevent the what ifs. This way I'll have a pretty good idea of what he's reacting to, on one kibble. 

Another arguement is if your food is recalled. But I feel there are enough foods that are similar enough to what I feed to cold turkey switch if need be--and that is what I'll do (heaven forbid) my food is recalled. You can always add a little canned pumpkin if you have to cold turkey, but fortunately, my dogs are pretty tough when it comes to switching, so not a real issue for me. 

In other words, I am not for rotating--but sticking with what works. In the horse world, there is a method referred to as KISS. (Keep it simple stupid). Not calling anyone stupid--but I always practiced this with horse nutrition and have now adopted this practice for my dogs as well. I'm happier--less stressed and relieved, to be honest with you. I used to drive myself NUTS over dog food.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I don't rotate brands. I sometimes mix brands (1/2 cup this, 1/2 cup that) - though I haven't really done that lately. A lot of this is because I like knowing what I CAN feed my dog without him having bowel issues (Nutro Ultra, Merrick, ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Earthborn, Solid Gold, etc). 

I do rotate flavors - which is completely different.  

The only thing we put in with the food is cranberry juice (to prevent uti's).


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## Sammy&Cooper (Dec 28, 2011)

I don't rotate brands but I do rotate different topper flavours to add to my dogs kibble and they love it!


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

Rotating foods is a complete fraud. It was dreamed up by a few companies to make more money from people buying smaller bags of food, which cost more per lb.

Dogs with allergies have bad immune systems, it is that simple. Rotational feeders believe that every dog can develop allergies and it is simply not true.

The best course is use one food and switch with a clean slate if something happens. As far as variety, I don't believe in anything like that. Same time, same food, same amount. I will feed raw green tripe but only after the kibble is finished.

I have a Shorthair bitch that is 14 and she is eating the same food she was weaned on.

Since you are in NJ, you have lots of choices. That is good and bad. All I can say is that if the company doesn't have a real history in competition I won't use it even for a pet dog. There are too many marketing companies buying food recipes from third parties that specialize in making the food look good to the pet owner and ripping them off.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> It was dreamed up by a few companies to make more money from people buying smaller bags of food, which cost more per lb.


Just a note here - I deliberately buy only enough dog food that will last 2 months (15lb bag). I will not buy a bigger bag than that because of the food going cruddy after 2 months. 

When we used to buy the bigger bags, I would throw out the bottom layer after noticing the dogs picking over their food and noticing the kibble looked "old".


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I will change the topper (1-3 tablespoons) with 2.5 cups of kibble for Buddy every few days but I stick with the same kibble flavor and brand.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Megora said:


> Just a note here - I deliberately buy only enough dog food that will last 2 months (15lb bag). I will not buy a bigger bag than that because of the food going cruddy after 2 months.
> 
> When we used to buy the bigger bags, I would throw out the bottom layer after noticing the dogs picking over their food and noticing the kibble looked "old".


How on Earth do you get by feeding a golden only 7 1/2 pounds of food a month??? My poor teacher budget needs this info!!!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Loisiana said:


> How on Earth do you get by feeding a golden only 7 1/2 pounds of food a month??? My poor teacher budget needs this info!!!


I want to know, too. Buddy alone eats close to 30 pounds in a month.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Loisiana said:


> How on Earth do you get by feeding a golden only 7 1/2 pounds of food a month??? My poor teacher budget needs this info!!!


2 cups of food a day.

He also gets treats and handouts...


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

I used to feed just one food for my dogs entire life. Then, I was feeding the food that I always fed, and all of a sudden my dogs were having diarrhea. I found out the the company had been sold and the dog food had been changed even though the packaging was the same. I don't know what they changed but it didn't agree with my dog. I spoke to my vet about it and asked her what she fed her dogs and her answer surprised me. She said that she went to the pet store, looked at the different foods, checked the ingredients, and if she saw something that she liked, she would try it. She fed a different food every time she bought food. She said that she thinks they get bored with one food. That is what I started to do. I would switch up foods if I happened to find a different one that I liked. I never switched slowly, I would just switch. My girls never had an issue with any of the foods. This came in handy for several reasons. I was never tied to one dog food. (in case of recall or not in stock) My dogs seemed to be able to handle the different foods better since they were used to the switching. And, I was able to take advantage of sale pricing or special deals. 
I will say that the more that I learned about dog food, the harder it was to find one that I like to use. For this reason, I switched my dogs to raw.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I have never "rotated" intentionally. When I had to feed Science Deit to kayCee to lose weight, to Buyck for his kidney infection, and to Honey for her kidney issues, that was not rotating as far as I am concered00it was giving them what they needed at the time. 

Right now Honey is getting 3/43 cup fo TOTW and 3/4cup of the Sci3nce Diet KD, plus about 1/4 cup of canned mackeral eachday, ..a total of less than 2 cups a day. Once we dewtermine her kidney issue is not retruning, I will drop theSD and start doing some home cooking for her again to add to her TOTW.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I rotate kibbles for my two dogs every several months - and it has nothing to do with trying to prevent allergies or intolerances. I think a dog's digestive system can be made less adaptable by only exposing it to one specific set of ingredients and vitamin/mineral levels its entire life.

I also rotate brands in case there is a recall; but also to expose my dogs to the various highs and lows of the vitamin pre-mixes the different companies use. I buy the same size of bag as I did before I rotated . . . there is no money difference in rotating this way.

I feed NutriSource, Fromm; California Natural (only puppy formulas) and occasionally Acana. If it were available in my area, I might try something like Annamaet.

I would never rotate with a food that I hadn't fed exclusively for a minimum of 3 months so that I could judge the coat and skin quality, muscle tone, energy level, etc. with my dogs.

Another way to rotate which takes a little more time but provides some benefits, IMO, is to pick a simple base kibble like California Natural Chicken Meal & Rice or a NutriSource kibble and feed at 75-80% with the remaining percentage coming from home-cooked meat, egg, etc.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i wish i could rotate but even adding a tiny bit of canned food causes major stool issues. i feed kibble and plain yogurt occasionally i add some chicken or meat and veggies/rice. for those of you who rotate do you ever get loose stools? i want to add canned but always an issue


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> i wish i could rotate but even adding a tiny bit of canned food causes major stool issues. i feed kibble and plain yogurt occasionally i add some chicken or meat and veggies/rice. for those of you who rotate do you ever get loose stools? i want to add canned but always an issue


I've found that canned dog food, fed either alone or as a topping, can tend to produce soft stools in any dog I've had. So, I don't use canned. But I don't have a problem at all when I add fresh food from my kitchen. Cooked ground meat, mashed sweet potato, scrambled egg, etc. all works well for me.

It seems that if neither the fat nor protein amounts get too high with adding fresh food, it shouldn't be a problem.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

I have never rotated either. I have been feeding the same dry dog food (Wellness)for 12 years now and for me it has worked out great. I switched once to see if they would enjoy something different and, at that time, all 3 of my dogs went through a terrible itching and ear infections shortly after the switch. Had to spend more money for the vets. For me, from this I learned "if ain't broke, don't fix it" .........


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

I tried a tablespoon of Cal Natural canned yesterday and soft stool. i am sure their bodies would adjust but not worth it, i will stick to yogurt, and adding my own food. They sure did love it though!!?


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

Rob's GRs said:


> I have never rotated either. I have been feeding the same dry dog food (Wellness)for 12 years now and for me it has worked out great. I switched once to see if they would enjoy something different and, at that time, all 3 of my dogs went through a terrible itching and ear infections shortly after the switch. Had to spend more money for the vets. For me, from this I learned "if ain't broke, don't fix it" .........


Do you remember what food caused the problem? Did your dogs have food allergy and/or intolerance issues before you switched to Wellness?


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

They were on Wellness for years prior but I decided to try something different (Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul) and this was the brand that caused all the issues. So I went back and have stayed with Wellness.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

oakleysmommy said:


> I tried a tablespoon of Cal Natural canned yesterday and soft stool. i am sure their bodies would adjust but not worth it, i will stick to yogurt, and adding my own food. They sure did love it though!!?


Adding your own food from the kitchen is healthier, better quality control and less expensive than canned dog food. It seems like the better option than canned from every angle.


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

DO you guys add canned tuna for your furkids? And if so, which type of tuna do you give? I went to the store and even the tuna in water(?) had salt content in it.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

I don't rotate foods either. The girls have been eating Euk Premium Performance their entire adult lives.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

If it is not broken, I do not fix it. Therefore, it is Wellness in our house....


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I am a rotating criminal. I settle on a brand, but then get spooked by something I read, by a random formula change like Canidae pulled, or by hearing a dog who eats the particular food has cancer. . . my dog food behavior is ocd and not that helpful. I truly believe my dogs do best on Eukanuba Premium Performance, but it doesnt seem like the top food I can offer them. So I rotate that with a hopeful selection like Honest Kitchen Love, Paw NatureRaw, Orijen, Fromm, or my fav, Solid Gold Sundancer. They also get fresh food and 1/2 the recommended dose of Showstopper for showing dogs or Nature's FarmacyDog Zymes/Gro Coat for pets. They get Nordic Natural fish oil once a day, and Finny gets a rimadyl in the morning. He has fused discs in his spine, so dasuquin doesnt help much.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Sally's Mom said:


> If it is not broken, I do not fix it. Therefore, it is Wellness in our house....


I totally agree, and would add that if it's been repaired and working again, you don't want to mess with it too much for fear it will break again! We had a heck of a time finding a good kibble for Toby, due to his sensitive stomach and digestive enzyme deficiency. Wellness fixed our issues.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Luccagr said:


> DO you guys add canned tuna for your furkids? And if so, which type of tuna do you give? I went to the store and even the tuna in water(?) had salt content in it.


I don't supplement with tuna, but I am very alert to any added sodium in my diet and in Toby's diet. Toby is on hypertension medications so we try to keep added sodium to a minimum for him. If you want to supplement with tuna I'd probably rinse it with water with a small mesh colander to get some of the sodium out. We do that for ourselves with canned tuna and with canned tomatoes.


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

Swampcollie said:


> I don't rotate foods either. The girls have been eating Euk Premium Performance their entire adult lives.


Good product it is too bad though they did away with the 40lb bags and went to 33lbs for the same price, its now $1.60lb.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Ljilly28 said:


> *I am a rotating criminal. I settle on a brand, but then get spooked by something I read, by a random formula change like Canidae pulled, or by hearing a dog who eats the particular food has cancer. . . my dog food behavior is ocd and not that helpful.* I truly believe my dogs do best on Eukanuba Premium Performance, but it doesnt seem like the top food I can offer them. So I rotate that with a hopeful selection like Honest Kitchen Love, Paw NatureRaw, Orijen, Fromm, or my fav, Solid Gold Sundancer. They also get fresh food and 1/2 the recommended dose of Showstopper for showing dogs or Nature's FarmacyDog Zymes/Gro Coat for pets. They get Nordic Natural fish oil once a day, and Finny gets a rimadyl in the morning. He has fused discs in his spine, so dasuquin doesnt help much.


Oh boy, was I ever guilty of that! I, too, would get spooked by something or would talk myself into thinking that there's a "better" food out there, or his coat might look better if I switched foods, etc., etc., etc. I don't know HOW many foods we tried. 

I finally got to a point where I've adopted the "it ain't broke - I'm not fixing it" philosophy. He's doing so well now that I wouldn't even consider rotating. His weight is good, his coat looks good and his potty schedule is like clockwork. I'm not about to upset the apple cart.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

People need to understand that planned rotating is not the same thing as randomly switching from one formula to another in hopes of finding something better and never sticking with a few. 

Planned rotating is having identified several different formulas that your dog has demonstrated it does well on when each one has been fed exclusively for at least 3 months. After that, rotate among those three (or 2 or 4 if you prefer) as often as works best for your dog.

Planned rotating is not done because "something is broken". It is done proactively because you believe in the benefits of it.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

WasChampionFan said:


> Good product it is too bad though they did away with the 40lb bags and went to 33lbs for the same price, its now $1.60lb.


They didn't do away with 40lb bags (or 44lb bags). 

Some retailers have opted to go with the smaller bags and charge the same price as a 40 pounder. You can still walk in to any Fleet Farm around here and buy 40 pound bags for $44, slightly over a buck a pound. They do offer various feeding programs that get the price lower yet. (Buy 6 get one free for example.) If you buy in still larger quantities, the price gets much lower.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Brooks has decided to be the master of supplementing his kibble diet. 
Yesterday I picked 5 turnips in the garden. Two smaller ones cooked faster so I took them out of the pot and set them on the counter. A bit later, I noticed no turnips on the counter.....


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

lgnutah said:


> Brooks has decided to be the master of supplementing his kibble diet.
> Yesterday I picked 5 turnips in the garden. Two smaller ones cooked faster so I took them out of the pot and set them on the counter. A bit later, I noticed no turnips on the counter.....


Watch out, Toby did the self-supplementing bit--decided he needed to supplement with an unspent Keurig K cup and a couple of Maggie Moo creamers-- cost us a lot of money to treat his colitis and rule out more serious illnesses..


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