New to Rotating diets-any advice?

[danisgoat]

These are the first dogs I've ever had, and I really do look at them like they are my children. I still treat them like dogs, but the love I have for them surpasses the love I have for some people. I'm worried sick right now as Little Bear has a 104 temp...taking him to the vet in an hour

Oh no...I am sorry to hear that. That is a bit high for a dog's temperature. I believe that the normal range for a dog is 100.5 - 102.5.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Lysette85]

Well, I just checked the temp again and its dropped an entire degree now to 103.1. I rescheduled his vet appt for another 2 hours from now to see if it drops on its own to a healthy level. He gets extremely car sick-and I don't want to add on any stress or make it worse if he can get over this on his own here. I've got both of my AC units running, and an ice cold bowl of water in his crate for him.

 

[sheltiemom4]

I have been questioning as whether to change and rotate dog foods also, so, I'm glad I read this thread. I always was under the assumption that if you changed brands, if could cause stomach upset. (Like my horses, I guess). And I have to admit that alot of the brands most of you are talking about, I've never heard of before, and never heard a "raw-diet" before either. Guess I need to go to dogfoodanaylsis.com!

Hope the vet appt. for Little Bear goes well!!!!

 

[Lysette85]

I have been questioning as whether to change and rotate dog foods also, so, I'm glad I read this thread. I always was under the assumption that if you changed brands, if could cause stomach upset. (Like my horses, I guess). And I have to admit that alot of the brands most of you are talking about, I've never heard of before, and never heard a "raw-diet" before either. Guess I need to go to dogfoodanaylsis.com!

Hope the vet appt. for Little Bear goes well!!!!

Yes, changing brands, or even just flavors (protein sources) within the same brand can cause stomach upset. It's all about giving your dog time to adjust to the new food by adding the new food a little bit at a time into the old food. Usually there are no stomach problems this way. What are you feeding your dog(s) currently?

Little Bear's appointment didn't go too well, he was at 104.2 at the vet and they are assuming he was bit or stung by something. So he's on benadryl, prednisone, metronidazole. Expensive visit. But hopefully this will put him on the mend.

 

[sheltiemom4]

Well, I've visited dogfoodanaylsis.com and I'm embarrassed to say I've been feeding Iams. I always thought that was one of the better brands, but, I was wrong. I will definitely be switching!

 

[Lysette85]

Well, I've visited dogfoodanaylsis.com and I'm embarrassed to say I've been feeding Iams. I always thought that was one of the better brands, but, I was wrong. I will definitely be switching!

Don't feel bad! I had no knowledge that there was pet food out there other than Ol' Roy, Purina, and Iams until very recently. I was living in Ithaca, which is very much a Prius-Organic-hippie, all natural town for the most part. And I went into the Feed and Grain store and discovered all of these different kinds of foods.

And you know? I'm not saying I would ever give my dogs a lower grade food ever again, but there are millions of dogs out there that live on Purina and Iams that live just as long as dogs that are fed human-grade food. My grandmother's cat was fed "whatever brand was on sale" every month. So she'd be eating Meow Mix, Dad's Whiskas, and Friskees, switching constantly with no transitioning. I'm sure her tummy didn't appreciate it, but she lived to be almost 19. But I don't think you were doing your dog any harm in feeding it Iams. Iams is actually one of the better cheaper foods out there.

I tried feeding my cats 15 different types of "Good" catfoods, but they won't touch it. So they're on Purina naturals...good thing dogs aren't as picky about what they eat!

What food are you considering switching to? Taste of the Wild would be a great fit for you if you're more on a budget as I believe it is a 5 star quality food on the analysis site. But definitely do your research-do you have a local store that sells these kinds of foods?

 

[danisgoat]

What food are you considering switching to? Taste of the Wild would be a great fit for you if you're more on a budget as I believe it is a 5 star quality food on the analysis site. But definitely do your research-do you have a local store that sells these kinds of foods?

TOTW is what we use the most over here. It is economical and my dogs do well on it. It seems to be hit or miss with the people on this site.

Another brand that is economical that someone on the forum suggested is the Kirkland brand (Costco) food that is Lamb and rice. I could be wrong on this, but I do remember hearing someone say that this is a good value for the food.

 

[sheltiemom4]

I haven't decided just yet. Still need research and then find the brands. I was looking at Petsmart and saw a couple of the brands listed in the 5 star category, but, haven't been able to locate TOTW yet.

 

[sable]

I haven't decided just yet. Still need research and then find the brands. I was looking at Petsmart and saw a couple of the brands listed in the 5 star category, but, haven't been able to locate TOTW yet.

Tractor Supply has TOTW, do you have one of those near you? I feed Wellness but Lucky likes a bit of the salmon as an appetizer.

What we don't do for our shelties eh?

 

[danisgoat]

I haven't decided just yet. Still need research and then find the brands. I was looking at Petsmart and saw a couple of the brands listed in the 5 star category, but, haven't been able to locate TOTW yet.

TOTW aka Taste of the Wild has bags with animal scenes on them. Like wolves running across a tundra, etc. The bags are pretty unique compared to other brands. And yes, Tractor Supply carries it.