Food dilema

[jumba]

So, Addie is eating Merrick Classic Puppy - and I LOVE how she looks. Her eyes are clear, her coat is glossy...she just LOOKS healthy. Once a week (on the weekends) she gets a can of Merrick. She is perfect weight for her size and the vet has been happy about her growth and how healthy she looks.

She was eating this kibble fine until we went to my in-laws where their Cocker hadn't finished her dinner. Addie devoured Wellness Core (adult). I think she liked it better but I don't want to switch her to Wellness (I can't find a link to where they get their ingredients from, and I like the ingredients of Merrick better, and the price is a tiny bit more expensive). Plus every time she eats their dogs Wellness, she gets runny poo (I try to catch her, but sometimes I fail). She eats LOTS of other things, and only gets the runs from Wellness. So, that alone for me is a deal breaker.

It always takes her a few days to go back to eating her puppy food normally. I think she is holding out to see if she will get the other food again. Maybe she is sick of puppy food? Can I try her on the adult Merrick food? There are more options than just chicken. She will be 5 months old soon.

 

[Judyg]

Lacey is 10 months old now and I switched her from Merrick puppy to adult a few months ago. Unfortunately it did not agree with her (soft poops and clingons) so we changed to a lamb meal kibble and both dogs are doing well and are happy, bright eyes and nice coats.

Hope that helps you figure out what to feed your baby.

I am feeding Nutrisource lamb now, but my local pet store stopped carrying it and I will either need to order it online or switch to something else. If I do change I will go with Fromm.

 

[Ann]

It always takes her a few days to go back to eating her puppy food normally. I think she is holding out to see if she will get the other food again. Maybe she is sick of puppy food? Can I try her on the adult Merrick food? There are more options than just chicken. She will be 5 months old soon.

Addie is trying to train you to feed her what she likes! Shelties are famous for that. Don't give in! Wellness is a great food but I know tons of Sheltie people whose dogs get the runs from it. I have no idea why, but it's not just you.

Merrick makes a really good puppy food and I'd stick with that if you like how she's doing on it. Depending on her weight and growth, you can start switching her to adult food any time after 6 months (if you think she's gaining too much weight) or she can stay on it until she's a year. Most of my puppies get switched at 6 months or so. I also feed Fromm, both the puppy and adult varieties.

If she's picky about her kibble, try mixing some warm water in it before you feed her. The extra water is good for them and it enhances the smell. Don't worry if she acts like she doesn't want it. When she's hungry, she'll eat!

 

[take4roll10]

My dog had digestive issues on Wellness.

I say if your dog is healthy, has no issues on current food, is eating it and you are content with the quality, then no need to change. It it's not broke, then don't fix it.

However, if she really likes Wellness, you can always use it as treats. I have a bag of Acana that I just use for treats.

 

[jumba]

Thanks guys! I feel so silly that I didnt think about her training us! Lol! She is so smart, and that is more than likely what she is doing. Today she finished all her Merrick with no issue.

I REALLY like the idea of using Wellness as training treats. She is going through puppy class and that could be her "higher" reward. Thank you for that idea!!

 

[JLSOhio51]

... She was eating this kibble fine until we went to my in-laws where their Cocker hadn't finished her dinner. Addie devoured Wellness Core (adult)...
every time she eats their dogs Wellness, she gets runny poo...

... I REALLY like the idea of using Wellness as training treats...

I originally hesitated before posting my question here because I struggled with how to ask the question without sounding accusatory (that is truly not my intent). But my curiosity has gotten the better of me. I'm having a bit of trouble following the logic of this thread. Addie LIKES the Wellness brand food, but obviously the food doesn't agree with her digestive system (evidenced by her runny poo). The fact that she likes Wellness makes using it as a high value training treat logical, BUT, what about the digestive distress? I get that using Wellness in small amounts as a treat MAY mean that there may not be OBVIOUS digestive symptoms but it may NOT suggest that there are NO issues, only that the issues are not DISCERNABLE. Wouldn't it be advisable to search for a different treat source?

 

[jumba]

She does love it, but upsets her tummy in a meal portion. I have no idea how it would do as a high value reward/training treat (I.e. the treat you give very rarely that motivates your dog).

I would not buy a whole bag of it, and would just get some kibble from my in-laws to try it. If she goes nuts for and willing to work for it, and a few kibble doesn't bother her tummy, I have no problem using it as a high value treat only.

 

[sable]

My shelties were on Wellness and did great, they loved the food. I did switch
only because of Lil' Lady to a grain free food, Earthborn Lamb. Honestly whatever works with the dog food and they enjoy and do well I stay on that food.

Like Ann stated I have no clue either why shelties get the runs from it, never
had that problem.

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

Wouldn't it be advisable to search for a different treat source?

Counter intuitively, the more variety a being eats, the better they digest said variety. Dogs who eat a single thing their whole lives get digestive issues when anything new is introduced. And so begins a cycle of the owner claiming "my dog has a sensitive stomach." No. Your dog has not been exposed to enough variety to grow the needed gut bacteria to handle the variety.

My dogs eat a different bag of kibble every bag. Different brand, different protein, different whatever. My vet always asks me "what is he eating? oh never mind." He knows I have no clue. But because of that, my dogs can eat mostly anything.

With that said, I won't feed Jase Pupperoni as a treat, ever, because it causes immediate gas and liquid poo (and it's probably gross enough he doesn't need it anyway!) But I use Orijen and other high end kibble as treats all the time.

So it's just a matter of conditioning the digestive tract to handle new things.

 

[Chris]

Rachael has a good point. We switch flavors on kibble within brands, and when they seem bored, we swap brands. We stick to high quality like Great Life, Acana and Orijen. No, we don't slooooowly introduce the new food. And we have zero digestive upsets.

Gee, must be the chicken poop!