# changing dog food every so often a good idea or bad?



## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

I have a 4 year old German sheppard mix male. He's 75 pounds. Ive had him on wellness core since he was 1 and a half. Ive read a few articles on the internet saying its a good idea to change a dogs food every year to keep a good variety of different proteins and such. Just wondering if anyone can clarify if this is correct or not. Thanks, heres a picture


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Well, would you like to eat the same thing every day? Lol


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

This is how I see it. I have talked to many dog owners as I have worked at a few pet stores. The ones with actual animal protein allergies ("my dog is suddenly allergic to chicken") were fed ONLY that animal protein its whole life. I think, if you switch up the proteins, you have a better chance of not developing an allergy. Can I back this up? no. Just my theory. Also, if one food is lacking something, another food can compensate. Perhaps food A has more probiotics but food B has a better quality animal protein. 

I have always fed my three very different dogs a variety of kibble. I usually switch every bag or every other bag or so. They for the most part, have iron guts and can eat almost anything with no problems. Of course, this is based on the dog. Some dogs do have more fragile systems. But, as an example, I can give my dogs almost any food with no problems. My mother's dog, my grandma's dog, my aunt's KENNEL of small dogs can not. They stick to just one food. If they ever try to change it, their dogs get really sick. I do not like the idea of my dogs being dependent on one food source. 

Variety is the spice of life too. Although they do not have taste buds like us, they have a great sense of smell. What if all you ever got was one food...ever? How boring. I am a big supporter of changing the kibble. Different brands, different animal proteins. Just be sure to choose the better quality ones if you can. Good luck.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

I agree, I don't think only one food can give your dog every thing it needs. And I have NO scientific proof of this it only makes sense to me. Why would one want to feed only one type of dog food. Well because we were told to.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

And we were told to by who? The vet making bank on selling you Sigh and Die, or the breeder who gets free dog food from Royal Canin or whoever they have a deal with. If anyone has told you to stay on one food for life (unless its a REAL medical condition) I am sure money is involved somewhere.


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

thanks for the input guys, and no i would not enjoy eating the same thing everyday my whole life haha. My dog is eating wellness core grain free right now( because he seems to get itchy and loose stool when on grain foods) these brands are the only ones available in my area so which one would be best to choose for a change?

- Solid gold barking at the moon.
- taste of the wild wetlands/high prairie/pacific stream
- Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain Free Chicken 
- NOW! grain free
- wellness core ocean

THANKS!

Im kind of leaning towards the TOTW high prairie, but not sure what kind of reviews this gets


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

yes, even when I was feeding really cheap food I switched it around. I never did it slowly, either. just ran out of one bag and started a different one.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

I would try the Blue Wilderness Grain Free Chicken. It has similar protein and fat percentages as the Wellness Core which should make a transition easier. It's also good to try a different brand rather than a different formula within the same brand.

The Go grain free does not have much meat-based protein, because the first ingredient of fresh meat is reduced by about 70% once it's cooked.

I haven't tried Taste of the Wild because I think canola oil is not as good as an animal fat like chicken fat. Also, I don't like their used of roasted meats which tend to have carcinogenic problems.


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

I rotate foods for my girls daily...they get one kind of food for breakfast, a different kind for dinner.
Right now in my rotation I have 8 foods.
TOTW is one of the brands that I rotate....my girls have always done really well on all their formulas. 
High Prairie and Pacific Stream are my top picks for TOTW.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I also would change up different kinds of canned foods just so they would get a different protein to try. I'd throw them a can of duck, then a can of lamb, or turkey or bison or trout. I would use the 95% all meat ones so I'd be sure they were getting the meat and not just a bunch of vegies and fillers. When I was feeling rich, I'd even try some rabbit or something like that. Just to expose the dog to a new protein. Plus, you can always throw some human food on top the kibble like a can of sardines or salmon (which Rocky and Shade go crazy over!). It gives them a new protein source and whole new taste experience. 

Warning - start out slow with sardines and salmon - can cause a bit of gassiness in some doggies :smile:


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

I just found a store twenty minutes away from my house that sells orijen, im guessing this would be the best choice for my dog, but i cant seem to find anything on their site about grain free types so im assuming they are all grain free?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bruins17 said:


> I just found a store twenty minutes away from my house that sells orijen, im guessing this would be the best choice for my dog, but i cant seem to find anything on their site about grain free types so im assuming they are all grain free?


Their website appears to say that it is all grain-free



> Protein-rich, carbohydrate-limited and grain-free, Biologically Appropriate ORIJEN is loaded with richly nourishing meats, including free-run poultry, whole eggs, free-range red meats and wild-caught fish — all in a Biologically Appropriate ratio of 80 percent meat, 20 percent fruits and vegetables, and zero grain (80.20.0).


Orijen Pet Foods: Products


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

ok thank you very much, they charge like 97 dollars for a 30 pound bag and 52 bucks for a 15 pounder, does that sound reasonable? Its a private store so theyre probably over charging


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bruins17 said:


> ok thank you very much, they charge like 97 dollars for a 30 pound bag and 52 bucks for a 15 pounder, does that sound reasonable? Its a private store so theyre probably over charging


Where do you live? Is that in US dollars? I dunno, that seems really high but I haven't bought it so maybe it's normal.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Here are the current online prices for Orijen Adult. I always fed the Large Breed Puppy just because Rocky preferred it over the adult. When I buy food online, the shipping is more then offset by using a coupon code. Our local store is similar to these prices. 

Orijen- Adult

5.5-lb bag (201107525)
$16.99 
15.4-lb bag (201107502)
$42.29 
29.7-lb bag (201107503)
$72.49


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

xellil said:


> Where do you live? Is that in US dollars? I dunno, that seems really high but I haven't bought it so maybe it's normal.


I live in Ontario Canada


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bruins17 said:


> I live in Ontario Canada


I guess that sounds about right, then.


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

ok thanks. I guess i wont have to feed him as much either since the kcal is around 480 i think. Is feeding 2 and 1/2 cups of food a day really good enough, i usually give my dog around 5 cups of food a day since he was 1 years old. I guess i was wasteing his food then.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bruins17 said:


> ok thanks. I guess i wont have to feed him as much either since the kcal is around 480 i think. Is feeding 2 and 1/2 cups of food a day really good enough, i usually give my dog around 5 cups of food a day since he was 1 years old. I guess i was wasteing his food then.


From what I understand, the amount listed on the bag is normally too much. Some people I think start out with about half what is recommended. I know when I was feeding dry dog food my dog ate much, much less than it said to feed him but he has a very low metabolism. 

You should get more bang for your buck, I would think. I think you should experiment with the lower amount and then raise it if you need to.


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

sounds good thanks for your help. My dog wont eat if hes not hungry so i usually just kept food in his bowl and hed pick at it throughout the day. Usually around 5 cups of wellness core, hes go through bags really fast, and does not gain weight at all from eating so much. so hopefuly he'll be fine on smaller amounts of regional red.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bruins17 said:


> sounds good thanks for your help. My dog wont eat if hes not hungry so i usually just kept food in his bowl and hed pick at it throughout the day. Usually around 5 cups of wellness core, hes go through bags really fast, and does not gain weight at all from eating so much. so hopefuly he'll be fine on smaller amounts of regional red.


ANd hopefully someone who actually feeds that food will give you some insight on the amount. I've never actually fed it - I think they are all different.


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

Anyone on here know which one is better orijen regional red or Evo red Including price differences. I cant seem to find the price of the EVO red 30lbs anywhere around me (Canada)or on their website. Scratch that, i didnt know evo was bought out by proctor and gamble who also owns iams and eukenuba.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i have a 4 yr old German Shepherd. i think German sheppards and German Shepherds
can eat the same thing. i switch my dogs kibble from bag to bag. i have
13 cans of food on the shelf. out of the 13 cans there's 7 different brands
and various flavors. i use the can food as a topping. i also feed my dog
a lot of other things.



bruins17 said:


> >>> I have a 4 year old German sheppard<<<
> 
> mix male. He's 75 pounds. Ive had him on wellness core since he was 1 and a half. Ive read a few articles on the internet saying
> 
> >>> its a good idea to change a dogs food every year<<< to keep a good variety of different proteins and such.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I won't willingly feed kibble again but if I ever had to for any reason, I would definitely rotate kibble. To be honest, before talking to the kibble folks here, I didn't even know people did that! It makes perfect sense. I'll admit... I thought it was weird and just plain stupid at first. I was raised to think feeding one food was perfectly acceptable (granted I was raised with Iams dogs and Pedigree dogs). Now that just seems silly. Because I grew up feeding one kibble and one kibble only, the thought that another kibble could bring in nutrients that my current kibble was lacking never even occurred to me.

Rotating kibbles either bag by bag or daily as Javadoo does just seems so... normal to me now. Raw feeders don't feed the same meat day after day after day after day. We feed as many proteins as we can get. Variety is a big thing for raw feeders. Why should kibble be any different? 

Knowing what I know now about kibble, I can't believe Dude was as healthy as he was on just Pedigree. He is much healthier now than he was but I honestly didn't even know "high quality" kibble existed. I thought Pedigree WAS high quality! But that's not the point.

I am with those who rotate kibbles. I think that if a dog can handle it, it should be done. I won't pretend to know how it should be done (since I know some dogs get upset stomachs from kibble changes) but I am sure that the folks here can tell you exactly how it should be done. I have never met a group of people who know more about kibble


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

I just got back from the dog store and got some orijen regional red. This stuff actually smells like food not horse feed like the welness did. My dog has never ate dry food, ive always had to add water, and when i got home he litteraly stuck his head in the bag and started eating before i could empty it into a plastic bin haha, he seems to really enjoy it so far.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

When Rocky was eating Orijen full time, he got 2 cups a day and he was 75 pounds. Be sure you don't over feed!! They will definitely get the runs if you feed them too much and if he loves it, he will beg for more and swear you are starving him to death.


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

thanks for the info, i just weighed him and hes acutally 77 pounds now so i guess ill try him out on 1 1/2 cup in morning and 1 1/2 after walk at night. Should be good i guess


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

bruins17 said:


> thanks for the info, i just weighed him and hes acutally 77 pounds now so i guess ill try him out on 1 1/2 cup in morning and 1 1/2 after walk at night. Should be good i guess


One of my dogs is 68 lbs. and used to eat Orijen. He got 2 mildly rounded cups per day along with a few small grain-free bones. I know your dog weighs more but tend to think the 3 cups could produce some very soft stools. Just a suggestion, but maybe think about starting out at 2 1/2 cups a day total at most and see how it goes.


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## bruins17 (Feb 16, 2012)

ya okay ill give that a go. I just find it hard to only give him 2 cups a day since ive been use to feeding him alot more in the past haha, just looks so miniscule 1 cup at a time. Hard to believe they can maintain weight with such little food


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## ploomay (Feb 13, 2012)

I just switched my 65 lb shepherd go orijen after trial and error of numerous foods. So far, she likes orijen the best and she's really picky. I started out with 1.5 cups auto 2 a day and she has had no runny stools. Basically switched cold turkey.


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

Just a comment about the Now! food... I saw a post earlier about it's meat content not being sufficient which is true however the new Go! Grain free is looking much better in the meat content department and from what I know, its a good, clean, Canadian company so it's worth a shot in the rotation!

GO! FIT + FREE Grain Free Chicken + Salmon Recipe for Dogs | Petcurean


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## sandra0606 (Dec 22, 2011)

I don't think so..A dog has very few taste buds and it's OK if you feed them the same food everyday. You can change your dog's food but feeding the same food everyday wont harm him.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

sandra0606 said:


> I don't think so..A dog has very few taste buds and it's OK if you feed them the same food everyday. You can change your dog's food but feeding the same food everyday wont harm him.


The point isn't necessarily their taste buds, though variety is appreciated there, I'm sure. 
It's about a healthy diet. Feeding different protein sources is absolutely ideal, and having multiple kibbles tried and true with your dog for sure comes in handy when stores are sold out of one, and also.... a safety net in recalls. Feeding the same food for a dog's entire life doesn't really appeal to logic. It makes sense that the variety would be all positive, and limiting it to one food and only one food has no benefit and can potentially cause problems. Like allergies.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

CorgiPaws said:


> The point isn't necessarily their taste buds, though variety is appreciated there, I'm sure.
> It's about a healthy diet. Feeding different protein sources is absolutely ideal, and having multiple kibbles tried and true with your dog for sure comes in handy when stores are sold out of one, and also.... a safety net in recalls. Feeding the same food for a dog's entire life doesn't really appeal to logic. It makes sense that the variety would be all positive, and limiting it to one food and only one food has no benefit and can potentially cause problems. Like allergies.


So very well put.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I've always believed that changing up of foods can help prevent a dog from developing a "sensitive" stomach and lowers the chance of having digestive upsets if "their" food is unavailable. I never even thought about taste buds, my concern was the fact that almost all brands have their "recipe" which means something or other would be lower or higher in one or the other and by switching it up, you could achieve a "balance" over time. Of course, I don't really do a rotation. My way was to have a couple or more bags open and change it up daily. When one bag emptied I would go in a buy whatever struck my fancy, was on sale or new. So my pups recieved high quality (or at least what I thought was high quality, along with "real" high quality), midquality and yes on ocassion low quality (never very often and usually ended up giving the bag away 'cause the pups wouldn't eat it. Smart pups)
Although, I think that dogs might enjoy and experience taste more than we suspect even including the fact of limited taste buds. I know my Blaise loves spicy foods and prefers mozarella cheese over cheddar. My Scotty prefers peanut butter cookies over oatmeal. They both turn their noses up to chicken liver but really like beef liver. Dal, our Old Man, loved whole milk but would turn his nose up to lowfat. I also had a really weird Shih Tzu that prefered veggies over meat. Berry (maybe it was his name) would pick a piece of iceberg lettuce over steak So imo dogs can taste and enjoy a variety of flavors.


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## JustaLilBitaLuck (Jan 15, 2012)

I rotate between about ten different brands of grain-free kibbles - they also get a wide variety of canned, premade raw, and dehydrated mixed in with their kibble, or instead of kibble. I try to get a wide variety of brands and protein sources - I work at a pet food store, so this isn't hard!

For example...
For breakfast, Jack got Fromm Surf & Turf kibble with Addiction Unagi canned food. Missy got Fromm Surf & Turf kibble with Sojos Beef. For dinner, they both got the Fromm kibble and Nature's Variety Organic Chicken premade raw.


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## ploomay (Feb 13, 2012)

Good stuff


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