Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I am switching to Solid Gold Hund and Flocken in an effort to help with 'allergies'. Now, I will probably finish off the rest of what he has before I transition.
He eats about 1.8 cups per day but the Solid Gold brand only recommends a cup/day based upon his weight. So he doesn't need as much volume of food? If I reduced my volume by 1/2 I would be hungry all the time. How would I proportionately transition one brand to another - especially since one brand recommends a certain volume and another recommends 1/2 of that?
So I am switching to Solid Gold Hund and Flocken in an effort to help with 'allergies'. Now, I will probably finish off the rest of what he has before I transition.
He eats about 1.8 cups per day but the Solid Gold brand only recommends a cup/day based upon his weight. So he doesn't need as much volume of food? If I reduced my volume by 1/2 I would be hungry all the time. How would I proportionately transition one brand to another - especially since one brand recommends a certain volume and another recommends 1/2 of that?
Well, with good quality foods they don't need as much food to get the proper nutrition. He won't be hungry, I promise you. He will probably be much happier, healthier and feel a lot better! Not that he's not happy and healthy now, but I'm sure you will see a difference! We have gone through 4 different brands of dog foods with our pups. We started out with Beneful because we didn't know any better. Than we ended up switching them to Iams because at the time I thought that Iams was a really good food! lmao! After all of the recalls I did some serious research on dog food and what brands were truly good quality and what brands really weren't. After all of my research we decided to put our dogs on Natural Balance. Because NB was a good quality food and what they were eating before wasn't, they didn't need to eat as much NB as they did with the other foods. They never seemed hungry after they ate, even though they were eating more when they were eating Beneful and Iams, they always seem very content. Now, our pups have always been healthy and happy, it didn't seem like they could be any more healthy, you know? But after they had been eating a good quality food for a while we saw a noticeable difference! They had more energy, their eyes were brighter, their coats were softer and shinier, etc. You could really tell a big difference. They did great on NB, but for some reason it just didn't seem like their bodies were fully adjusting to it. I'm not sure if it just wasn't the best food for them or if it was just because it took them longer to get adjusted to being on a good quality food, but we decided to go a head and switch them to Canidae, which is really a bit better than Natural Balance. And, Canidae also happens to be cheaper! lol! Anyway, they adjusted to Canidae just fine and they are still doing wonderful! And again, they don't act like they are hungry even though they are eating a bit less. I would assume that just like with people, once they have been eating a smaller amount for a while their stomachs adjust to it, so they aren't hungry even though they are eating less.
As far as switching him over to the new food, in case you don't already know, it's best if you slowly switch him over. So, it's good that you have some of his food left. If you just put him on a new food he will get an upset stomach, he will have the runs and he might even throw up some. He will most likely be kind of sick for a few days. What we do, and what I would strongly suggest, is give him 25% new food and 75% old food at each meal on the 1st day, then do the same for the 2nd day. On the 3rd day give him 50% old food mixed with 50% new food at each meal. Then, on the 4th and 5th days give him 75% new food mixed with 25% old food for each meal. And then on the 6th day you can give him 100% new food. You really don't have to take 5 days to switch him over, but that's what works best for us, and that's what I would recommend. You could just switch him over in 3 days. If you want to do it over 3 days just feed him 75% old with 25% new on the 1st day, 50% old and 50% new on the 2nd day, 25% old and 75% new on the 3rd day and then 100% new on the 4th day.
Also, I wouldn't suggest you feed him what the dog food bag says. That's a good starting point, but most dogs will need more or less than what the bag says. It all depends on the dogs age, breed, size, activity level, health, the time of year, etc. The guidelines on the bag are a good starting point, but normally dogs will need a bit less or a bit more. It might take a little while to get it just right, you will just have to watch him and figure out how much he needs to be eating.
It's great that you switched him to such a good quality food! Solid Gold is great! I hope this helps some, good luck!
I don't want to waste his other food so I will have him use that one up. I have read such good reviews for the Solid Gold food line (as well as Dick van Pattons line and Canidae - the latter I have never seen in Petco/Petsmart and the former I have).
I don't want to waste his other food so I will have him use that one up. I have read such good reviews for the Solid Gold food line (as well as Dick van Pattons line and Canidae - the latter I have never seen in Petco/Petsmart and the former I have).
Make sure that the DVP food is now produced in the US, they were part of the recall earlier this year. You can go to Canidae's website to see where to buy as you won't see them in a national chain store.
Also, I wouldn't suggest you feed him what the dog food bag says. That's a good starting point, but most dogs will need more or less than what the bag says. It all depends on the dogs age, breed, size, activity level, health, the time of year, etc. The guidelines on the bag are a good starting point, but normally dogs will need a bit less or a bit more. It might take a little while to get it just right, you will just have to watch him and figure out how much he needs to be eating.
Ok. I will slowly adjust the volume and see if he seems less hungry. It's not like a kid that can say, I am not hungry anymore.
This is a copy of the reply I made to your weight gain question in another thread; it applies here too:
Quote:
Titaniummd- It sounds like you definitely have the best intentions for your dog. Many of the things that you might be concerned about now will work themselves out on their own
Re: weight-
I've heard people use the "Hand/ knuckle" method for determining how to feel ribs.
Make a fist- Rub your other hand across the back of your fisted hand. You don't feel any "ribs" or bumps. Now rub your hand across to top of your knuckles... very bumpy. Now rub your hand across the backs of your fingers. Not as bumpy as your knuckles, but you definitely feel "ribs".
This is what it should feel like when you rub your hand across your dog's rib cage.
Carrots are fine for dogs. Cheese is fine. Fruit is fine. But as with all things, there are some things not to feed your dog. There is a link in another thread about it.
Stick to a proper feeding schedule. And, for now, I would not feed any other snacks. If you *really* want to, use the kibble as snacks.
all good posts. thanks, everyone. I just said something similar in the other topic, before I read these.
We feed solid gold also, and have done so for several years.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
He will probably be much happier, healthier and feel a lot better! Not that he's not happy and healthy now, but I'm sure you will see a difference! We have gone through 4 different brands of dog foods with our pups. We started out with Beneful because we didn't know any better. Than we ended up switching them to Iams because at the time I thought that Iams was a really good food! lmao! 
After all of the recalls I did some serious research on dog food and what brands were truly good quality and what brands really weren't. After all of my research we decided to put our dogs on Natural Balance. Because NB was a good quality food and what they were eating before wasn't, they didn't need to eat as much NB as they did with the other foods. They never seemed hungry after they ate, even though they were eating more when they were eating Beneful and Iams, they always seem very content. 
They did great on NB, but for some reason it just didn't seem like their bodies were fully adjusting to it. I'm not sure if it just wasn't the best food for them or if it was just because it took them longer to get adjusted to being on a good quality food, but we decided to go a head and switch them to Canidae, which is really a bit better than Natural Balance. And, Canidae also happens to be cheaper! lol! 
Anyway, they adjusted to Canidae just fine and they are still doing wonderful! 
