# Just switched and have a question



## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

I have a beagle/boxer mix and she weighs right at 30-31lbs. She is perfect at that weight and stays there easily. She has always eaten the lower end of the feeding range for her weight. We had been feeding her Pedigree Weight Maintenance or Beneful Weight Management, mainly because she wasn't really active and we didn't know better about the food. She is more active now, but she is a house dog, so still not highly active, she is about 10 years old and has always had good energy and such. We learned about the better foods and switched her to Chicken Soup after quite a bit of research (we were torn between that and TOTW in the yellow bag) and decided that we would try the Chicken Soup because it was much better than we were feeding her and cheaper than the TOTW, which appeared to only be marginally better. Today was her first day and she only ate half of her serving and we fed her the lowest serving for her weight, from what I understand on the bag. She ate right about 1 cup of food. Is this a sign she doesn't like it? Does she really only need that much of this food because it is so much better? For comparision, she was eating 2 coups a day of the Beneful or Pedigree and she ate 1 cup of this. Thanks!


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## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

Anybody know? Thanks!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Hello! :smile:

Yes, it is possible that since she is eating a much, much better food that she will eat less than before. When feeding a better food that isn't full of so many usless ingredients (fillers/grains/etc) the dog will require less. She would probably even eat less of the TOTW since it is a grain free food. :wink:

ETA: How did you switch her over? Slowly adding more of the new food each day over a weeks time?


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## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

saraj2878 said:


> Hello! :smile:
> 
> Yes, it is possible that since she is eating a much, much better food that she will eat less than before. When feeding a better food that isn't full of so many usless ingredients (fillers/grains/etc) the dog will require less. She would probably even eat less of the TOTW since it is a grain free food. :wink:
> 
> ETA: How did you switch her over? Slowly adding more of the new food each day over a weeks time?


Thank you! And....um....no. :redface: We didn't know much about this until we were at the bottom of her bag of food and did a quick (but I think pretty thorough) research and bought the new food. She has never had tummy upsets before from fast switches My husband had her before we were married and had always just gone ahead and switched her with no adjustment and it has never upset her belly or anything. Since the Chicken Soup is not grain free, we figure she will be ok, but if we see signs of her needing more adjustment in the next 2 days or so, we will buy a bit and m ix it for a week or 2. She liked it I think, we were both just astounded by how much less she ate! Does that sound like enough for a 30-31lb dog? 1 cup? If so, that makes me happy, because that makes the food cheaper than it seemed!


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

As far as the switching slowly, if she hasn't had any issues before, you may not have any issues now. One thing to keep in mind, is that this is a much better quality food, so in a sense it's "richer" so a little diarrhea or soft stool may occur. Just keep an eye on for how long it goes on. 
As far as the amount you are giving her. The bag amounts are just a guide. the best way is to just pay attention to how she looks, acts, etc. I had a 135lb Rottie who was eating 3 cups daily, and he maintained that weight for years. If his exercise increased, we adjusted his food. Remember, it's much easier for a dog to put on weight, than it is to take it off. (I guess that's not just a dog thing" :wink Our Corgi is on the heavy side 28lbs, and he is getting 1 cup daily of Cal Nat.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Just for a comparison as to amounts and size for you......Rocky is a 75 pound chow/husky mix and he eats about 2 cups of EVO dry a day. If he has had a busy day, he may eat 3 cups but other days he will only eat one cup. It averages out to about 2 cups a day in the long haul. So when you go to a higher quality food, they usually do eat a LOT less food. In fact, you have to be careful not to over feed them. I let my 3 of my dogs free feed because they aren't big eaters and won't over feed. 

Chicken Soup is a pretty good food for the price and I had tried the puppy version when I first was researching better dog foods. I would stick with it since it is WAY better then the Beneful you had before.


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## Gia (May 29, 2009)

I switched my 84 lb. German Shepherd to Evo Red Meat and I was feeding too much at first. I gave her 3 1/3 cups, which is what the feeding calculator on Natura's website recommended. Plus she would get treats during the day and some canned food. She never had loose stool, she digested the Evo better than any food with average protein and fat levels, but she really started putting on the weight! 
I have cut her back to 2 cups a day, when I'm giving canned with it, and 2 1/2 cups a day with out canned food. She looks better than ever, now. :smile:


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## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

Ok, so she ahd really loose stool this AM. She isn't have diarrhea per se (like she isn't going in the house, was able to go all night without going out, etc.) it was just really loose. How bad is this for her? Are we ok to just wait it out? is this just a good clean out from the crap food? Do we need to go back and mix it? She eats in 2 hours, so hoping for an answer before then. :tongue:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

It took all my dogs some time to adjust to better foods. I switched them all to grain free and they all got very gassy and had loose stools for at about a week. With Rocky, he was a puppy and also had coccidia and I had switched him from the rescue groups Science Diet so it took him a bit longer to adjust. I added a little canned pumpkin to his food for a few days to help with the loose stool. You can do that, or just let your dog adjust over a longer time by mixing the food more slowly. Some dogs adjust without a problem and some have a little tummy trouble changing over to a better food. If it takes more time for your dog. you can literally just put a handful of the new food in their bowl per day and mix it that slowly.


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## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

Oh, the pumpkin is a good idea!! I will try that!


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## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

*Updated!*

Poo is solid, she is eating well, and her poo was SO MUCH smaller that I was in shock! It is only about 1/4 the size it used to be on the Beneful and Pedigree!


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

Reedle said:


> Poo is solid, she is eating well, and her poo was SO MUCH smaller that I was in shock! It is only about 1/4 the size it used to be on the Beneful and Pedigree!


Of course. Those two foods are so full of filler, and junk that most of it passes through them unused. Also you'll feed less as it's nutritionally dense, so less waste.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (May 19, 2009)

If she was maintaining a good weight on the old food, compare calorie counts of both foods and feed accordingly. If you don't have the old bag, I'm sure you can google the brand and find out on their website.


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## Reedle (Apr 3, 2010)

So, she should still be getting 1.8-2 coups a day. We are going to give her 2 cups and see how mcuh she eats and then adjust from there. She looks thinner to me today already. :frown:


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Don't get discouraged! :smile:
The important thing is that she IS eating a much better food that is way better for her. She will benefit from a better food, no matter how much more or how much less she eats. It is still early in the change. You did the right thing! :smile:


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