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Not meaning to hijack this thread. My question is related. I'm planning to transition from Nutro Max Lite to a grain free food (probaly EVO). My Cavalier is a big boy... 26 lbs. No, he's not obese; he really is a BIG boy. I give him 1 1/2 cup of dry, split between two meals a day. What kind of schedule should I follow for transitioning to a new brand of food? My boy has something of an iron stomach and he'll eat anything.
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Originally Posted by roadpony
Not meaning to hijack this thread. My question is related. I'm planning to transition from Nutro Max Lite to a grain free food (probaly EVO). My Cavalier is a big boy... 26 lbs. No, he's not obese; he really is a BIG boy. I give him 1 1/2 cup of dry, split between two meals a day. What kind of schedule should I follow for transitioning to a new brand of food? My boy has something of an iron stomach and he'll eat anything.
Traditionally, it's 25% new food to 75% of the old food for one week. Then 50/50 for another week. Then 75% new to 25% old for another week. Then, the next week, 100% new food.
In my case, Artie is grain intolerant (with a sensitive stomach) and doing what I'd traditionally tried (as above) was just a mess and causing him discomfort.
I gave him 25% of the new food to 75% of the old food for a day or so and then, thanks to FiveHorses and Dreamchaser, followed my gut and just said "forget this nonsense" and gave him 100% of the new food (Wellness Core). Best decision I've made in, like, forever. But that's just our experience.
Thanks, but I don't want anything with fillers or by-products in it. I'd prefer not to have any grains (or minimal) if possible. I've seen a big difference in her poop since I've taken her off grains.
I was not trying to be snotty. I've already read the Beneful label at the store and know that one is definitely not something I'd feed. As for the Nutro and Rachael's Nutrish, they have either brewers rice, corn gluten meal, etc. Nutro lists wheat flour as the second ingredient, I believe.
It's just not the diet I want for my dog. I wasn't in any way trying to pass judgment on your choices.
I've already read the Beneful label at the store and know that one is definitely not something I'd feed.
When I picked up the foster, the woman handed us a 40 lb. bag of Beneful. We politely declined and told her that we will provide the food. She is happily chomping on PC's Fromm and we're glad to provide her with quality food, if only for a few days.
What kind of schedule should I follow for transitioning to a new brand of food? My boy has something of an iron stomach and he'll eat anything.
When we were switching, we would follow all the guidelines, but our dog picked out only the new food and left the old behind. He was switched completely in 2 days and didn't suffer whatsoever.
I switch between 2 brands: Beneful and Nutro. For Beneful I use the puppy formula (she's 9 months), and for Nutro I switch between regular puppy and large breed puppy (she's 51 lbs, likely going on 60). I'll probably stick with those brands - I think they have lifelong formulas.
Nutro is especially supposed to be easy to digest - I'd recommend switching that in with the one you're currently using.
I only use Beneful as my 2nd because the texture and flavor are more interesting.
Or, if you go to Rachael Ray's website, you can get a free sample of her new line of dog food, and it's big enough for a whole meal. (I haven't gotten mine yet)
I also vary her treats: various Milkbone brand, Zuke's healthy naturals (tiny so they last awhile), Goodlife Recipe (coupon on their website), plus the occasional fresh turkey and cheese.
These all seem to keep her tummy happy. But if I get her anything artificially flavored as beef or bacon, she'll fart all night long.
You really should visit the www.dogfoodanalysis.com website and check out the reviews and see how that Beneful and Nutro measure up...they are horrible foods. You should really look into switching to something with no fillers and by-products. Anything with a 4 start and up (6 being the best) would add years to your babies lives.
Nutro horrible? Not totally. I would say supermarket foods are horrible. I also take reviews with a grain of salt. Many of the products have no reviews and some have old ones.
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