topic Re: Changing dog food? in Community Chat

Changing dog food?

upNorth — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 03:47:44 GMT

Hi all! I am just looking for some opinions. I have an almost 8 year old Yorkie-Maltese mix. I have been feeding him the same dog food for 5-6 years--Wellness small breed. He weighs 5 pounds and doesn't eat very much at all. He is very healthy. But sometimes I wonder if I should change his food. Not for any particular reason, just that it seems like a long time to feed him the same food. He gets almost no people food, and then it is usually a small amount of vegetables, and a very limited amount of dog treats (not every day).

Do most of you keep your dog on the same food? Thanks!

Re: Changing dog food?

CrazyDaisy — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 04:21:49 GMT

I will start off by saying that some dogs handle change better than others. If you decide to try something new, start off slow to see how it goes.

I am constantly changing my dogs food. I started at a young age changing their food every few bags. Sometimes I will change the protein within the same brand or even changing brands all together. I always get high quality foods. I think they like the changes and have never had the digestive issues some dogs have.

Re: Changing dog food?

occasionalrain — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 07:42:29 GMT

On 11/11/2014 CrazyDaisy said:
I will start off by saying that some dogs handle change better than others. If you decide to try something new, start off slow to see how it goes.

I am constantly changing my dogs food. I started at a young age changing their food every few bags. Sometimes I will change the protein within the same brand or even changing brands all together. I always get high quality foods. I think they like the changes and have never had the digestive issues some dogs have.

Research indicates that what you have done is the right thing to prevent allergies. Dogs should be exposed to different forms of protein when they are growing. Also, if you have a large breed puppy, avoid puppy food because it can cause the dog to grow too fast which may cause problems with their joints later on.

Re: Changing dog food?

upNorth — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:18:59 GMT

Thank you both for your replies. Rain, your answer makes me worry that since I have not changed his food, maybe by doing so now I may trigger an allergic reaction. I did change his food the first few years of his life. He probably had three or four different foods during that time.

I was just curious what others thought. Thanks again.

Re: Changing dog food?

occasionalrain — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 02:42:40 GMT

I'm told that excessive paw licking is an indication or a sensitivity or allergy.

Now that it's colder and the air is dryer some dogs will get dry skin. Adding coconut oil to their food should help that.