# Food boredom?



## gracia98 (Aug 28, 2011)

Hi everyone!
I am new here and found this area by accident while researching dog foods.

I have an almost 2 year old mini labradoodle, Fenway. He's cute as a button and the has stolen the family's heart!

When we got him, we gave him Buffalo Blue (chicken). Then later transitioned him to Buffalo Blue Sweet Potato and Fish. But then he seemed not to like the food anymore. Transitioned him to Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance (Potato and Fish). He loved it at first gobbled it up! Lately again, he's been not eating his food. Ate some of the neighbor's dogs Bil- Jac food and he LOVED it. Borrowed some to give it a try and he would sort out the old food and just eat the Bil-Jac. Was going to transition him to that, but then did a little bit of research and it doesn't seem to be the best food. 

Some side notes, Fenny also has some kind of allergies. I believe it is outside pollen allergies since we both seem to flare up at the same time (we live in Central FL). He itches, scratches and licks a ton, esp. at night. But I did switch him away from dog food with chicken, just in case he's allergic to chicken. He also like to sneak and eat cat food, which I try to avoid since I am assuming it can't be good for him. He gets some table food, not a ton and he likes dog treats better than his food, always.

So, my question is................do dogs get bored of their food and is it normal to switch it up for them? Or do I just feed him the food and if he's hungry enough he'll just have to eat it???

Thanks!
Stefanie


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

Hi Stefanie,

Welcome to DFC. I'm rather new myself. A lot of people rotate different kibble brands either daily, weekly, monthly. There is no set method. You might want to try the Fromm line - I think they have good ingredients and have their own plant. IMO, it's a better brand than what you were feeding. It's a good idea to call any mfgr. to find out where their ingredients are sourced from, who makes their food and if they changed the formula. Fromm Family Foods - Gourmet Pet Food, Naturally Holistic
I recently switched to Earthborn Primitive - grain free.

I would only use dog food review websites as a spring board. Most are not up-to-date & are run by self educated people. Dog Food Advisor is run by a Dentist. Read the comments from people using a particular brand. 

Check the date when they last did a review. The formula could have changed. Good info: The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? DogAware.com: Diet & Health Info for Man's Best Friend


Dogs can be allergic to potato as well as grains. I always feed grain free. There could be other ingredients your dog can be allergic to that's in the kibble. 

I sometimes use Histablock by Nature's Sunshine. (it's like Benedryl). The pollen in Florida can be high at times. There are food & environmental tests your Vet can do. 

I top the kibble with a small amount of Castor & Pollux Organix Turkey canned food.

These foods can be added to kibble for variety.

http://thebark.com/content/10-more-easy-pieces-liven-your-dog’s-meals

10 Easy Pieces to Liven Up Your Dog

Good luck!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum...I'm just going to say that your dog has you trained, if he stops eating the food he has in front of him you put a new food down.
Dogs get bored just like people but who is the boss anyway, you or the dog? Yes, people do rotate their kibble but usually not until the bag is finished. Sounds like he might be a candidate for tough love or a move onto some real food. Good Luck, and you came to the right place for answers and help.


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## Porphyria (Jul 13, 2011)

I like a rotation diet, but you need to employ it on your terms, switching when YOU want to, not when he wants to. I would do the tough love approach: stop giving table scraps and treats (except training treats if you're working on training), and put down his food for fifteen minutes. If he doesn't eat it, pick it up and don't put it back down until the next meal time. It can take a little while, but you should be patient; a healthy dog won't starve himself. Once he's consistently eating the food you feed him, when you feed him, you can start slowly reintroducing the special treats (if you use table scraps as treats, make sure they're healthy and safe for dogs, and feed them sparingly so he doesn't start getting picky again). Once he's gotten used to eating whatever you're feeding him, you can start looking into a rotation diet if you're interested in them. I feed on a bag-by-bag basis; each 15 lb. bag lasts me about two months. 

I would pass on the Bil Jac, it's got a lot of undesirable ingredients. Dog food advisor is a great starting point for further research.


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## gracia98 (Aug 28, 2011)

Thanks for the advice so far. Really appreciate it. I will take a look at those websites recommended by you guys and do more research before switching.

Fenny is definitely spoiled and does have us trained. I just found it interesting that he got bored with 2 different foods already in 2 years. So with a rotation diet, you feed the dogs foods that he tolerates well and you don't have to gradually wean on and off a brand? Do you then stick with the same brand, different flavors or different brands all together?

The vet did offer to do some testing and some desensitizing.... but we were holding off on that. Has anyone done that with success?
Where do you buy the Histablock by Nature's sunshine? Petstore? We've tried the Zyrtec and it did not help. The only thing that seems to help is the Temaril Tablets, but it's a steroid so I am not a fan of using it, plus it makes him pee like crazy!

Petfood is a tough thing for me to find the right answers. Everyone has different opinions and I felt ok with my choices for him before. The Bil Jac, though my neighbor and her breeder love it, just didn't sound good to me, even if he loves it, but he likes cat food too, so I wasn't going to switch based on the dog.


Thanks everyone. Will do some more research and might come back with more questions. For now, we will stick with out Natural Balance, still have a week's worth of food left, at least.


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## Porphyria (Jul 13, 2011)

My dog has a sensitive stomach, so I rotate every couple of months, slowly transitioning him when I start a new bag of food. He's currently on a rotation of the various Fromm Four Star formulas. He's done really well on the Fromm but I will probably start incorporating other brands. I also occasionally supplement with canned food or a raw egg for added moisture and even more variety. I don't have any experience with allergies so I'm sorry I can't be much help on that front.


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

I buy Histablock from a store near me that sells herbs. You can call the company & ask who they sell to in your area.

You can join their club, I think its $40 for the year and become a distributor. When you're a member, it's cheaper than retail.
Product Search | Natures Sunshine Products


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

my dog eating his food on 2 different
occassions. i switched brands each time.
now i switch his kibble month to month.
i have 14 cans of dog food on hand.
out of the 14 cans there's 6 different brands.
i use the can food as a topping along with other 
things. when my pup came home at 9 weeks old
i slowly switched his kibble. the 2 times he stopped
eating his food when he was older i switched foods
with no slow transition and he was fine.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Totally depends on your dog, my dog I could change anyone of her kibble/canned/cooked/premade raw brands and proteins from meal to meal no problems at all. But, I started her off like that from a pup, not that I know enough to know if that makes a difference. I too believe protein variety is best, just like we need variety in our diets to keep us healthy. Good luck


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## runwiththewind (Aug 19, 2011)

Doggiedad - I'm wondering how much canned you use as a topper? I notice if I give a tad too much canned or kibble, it upsets their stomach. I just did a 2 day fast because of tummy problems.

"i switched foods with no slow transition and he was fine." 

I was told as long as the protein % is either the same or lower, you don't have to do the 5-7 day transition period.


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## gracia98 (Aug 28, 2011)

How much Histablock do you give the dog? My guy is about 22 lbs.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I have always "rotated" foods because I believe a dog needs a variety. I can't offer much on switching because I've always just fed whatever I had. Most of the time I'd have 2-4 different bags of food going at the same time (and they weren't even of the same "brand", quality or protein) and they'd get a different one every day or so. My family has always done this, we've probably been lucky that our dogs had cast iron stomaches because we've never had a problem.


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