Not happy with Pro Plan

C

Chinchi

Forums Enthusiast
I have decided to change Darla from Pro Plan to Applaws. She is not remotely interested in her dry food and I know when she walks away from it she is really hungry, but it's just not appealing to eat. I did a check on http://www.whichdogfood.co.uk to see what better foods were out there, and Applaws seems to be very good and about the same price as Pro Plan!

Here's the ingredients of Applaws:

Dry Chicken 66%, Chicken Mince 8%, Peas 8% (from Dried Peas), Potato Starch 6%, Poultry Oil 2.5%, Beet Pulp, Poultry Gravy, Whole Egg (from Dried Egg), Cellulose Plant Fibre, Minerals, Vitamins, Salmon Oil, Tomato (from Dried Tomato), Carrot (from Dried Carrot), Chicory Extract (FOS), Alfalfa Meal, Seaweed/Kelp, Yeast Extract, Glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane, Chondroitin, Carrot, Peppermint, Paprika Meal, Turmeric, Thyme Extract, Citrus Extract, Taurine 1000 Mg/kg, Yucca Extract, Cranberry, Fennel Extract, Carob Extract, Ginger, Rosehip Extract, Dandelion Extract, Rosemary Oil Extract, Oregano, Probiotic: Contains E1705 Enterococcus Faecium

Looks very similar to Orijen which I know alot of you recommend but I can't get hold of here in the UK. We are so backwards!

And here are the ingredients of Pro Plan:

Chicken (20%), Wheat, Maize, Dehydrated Poultry Protein, Maize Gluten, Rice (7%), Animal Fat, Beet Pulp, Digest, Calcium Phosphate, Dried Egg, Sodium Chloride, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Minerals.

Looks like a no-brainer to me, but would love any opinions you have too :yes:
 
I've not heard of Applaws, but yes, that ingredient list is definitely more impressive than the Pro Plan! The Pro Plan is basically chicken-flavored Weetabix... plenty of grains in that list, but that doesn't do a dog much good! Hopefully Darla will take better to the Applaws. All the extra meat (and the protein from the peas) should really help in that department!

Be sure to change her over slowly to the new food over the course of a week or two. Because those two foods are so different, she might have digestive upset if you switch her over too quickly. Start by adding a small amount of the new food, and then gradually increase the ratio of new food and decrease the old, until she's on just the Applaws.

You may need to adjust her food ration, too, since the new food has so much more protein than the old one. You may find you need to feed her a smaller portion.

Good luck!
 
Thanks mcemily for your reply. It's actually a relatively new food on the market in the UK. I guess the makers are trying to follow a more natural diet for dogs, the US and Canada already seem to have a number of natural good quality dry dog food, but up until now the UK didn't.

I will change her over nice and slowly, I just hope she prefers this to Pro Plan. It's sad when I don't see her excited about her meals :cry: I can't imagine all those grains are doing her any good either, so I will post an update of how she's doing when she's been switched over.
 
Thanks corbinam! We shall give it a try :yes:

This is probably a silly question, but can a diet high in grains make a dog hyper? I'm still working on several things with Darla since as loose leash walking and focussing, but she has the shortest attention span I have ever seen. She still looses her mind when we go for walks and now she's a year old I would have thought the novelty would have worn off slightly. I know she needs more training, training is for life with her, but I'm interested to see whether a change in diet will calm her a little too.

So far her little brother, who we are collecting this Friday (YAY!!) is a very calm pup... lets hope he rubs off on her and not the other way round! :lol:
 
Chinchi said:
Thanks corbinam! We shall give it a try :yes:

This is probably a silly question, but can a diet high in grains make a dog hyper? I'm still working on several things with Darla since as loose leash walking and focussing, but she has the shortest attention span I have ever seen. She still looses her mind when we go for walks and now she's a year old I would have thought the novelty would have worn off slightly. I know she needs more training, training is for life with her, but I'm interested to see whether a change in diet will calm her a little too.

So far her little brother, who we are collecting this Friday (YAY!!) is a very calm pup... lets hope he rubs off on her and not the other way round! :lol:
Click to expand...

I don't think the food is the issue. I think she's just a typical one year old.
 
Yes grain can have that effect, depending on what type and how it's processed. Applaws is meant to be a good food, haven't used it personally but I know people who have and they don't seem to have problems. Are you feeding the dry or tinned? I'm surprised you haven't been able to get hold of Orijen, I got some through the wholesaler we use and I'm pretty sure our local independant pet shop sells it to. Sometimes you can order foods online and it works out cheaper than buying it through a shop. It will be interesting to hear how Darla gets on with Applaws. :smile2:
 
Sca lost all of his manners at 1 year old :lol: and he is very proper and reserved for a Sheltie. Spitfire is the one I call 'crazy man' but he has always been that way.

A one year old should be a bit off :winkgrin:
 
BarbV- lol, not sure if that is good or bad!

Seashel- I was thinking of feeding her the dry when I get it. I actually hadn't even thought of looking for it online and ordering it, what a great idea! I will check out Orijen too.

SheepOfBlue- when did Sca get his manners back?? Glad it's probably an adolescence issue right now.
 
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