Ironic suggestion given to me by my groomer

[Nikki & Charlie]

Charlie went to get groomed yesterday and when I picked him up she told me he was gassy. I made a comment about how he does get gassy sometimes and they're super smelly (I don' t think anyone's flatulance smells like roses.. lol) and she asked what I feed him, so I proudly say Orijen.

She then says, "Let me show you what I feed my dogs/what you should switch to".. she goes to get her bag of TLC! Which is funny because that's what Charlie was originally on from the breeder. So I explained how Orijen is a high-quality food, grain-free, made in Canada, etc. and she goes on to tell me how it's too high in protein and high protein in dogs causes kidney problems (which I googled and found is false/a myth) and how dogs have been domesticated and should not have a diet consisting of high protein, AND that his high protein diet is the reason why his farts are so smelly and his poop is soft.

So of course I leave there baffled and confused because everythingggg I read on here says the total opposite and it's just so interesting to me this mix of information going around with dog food and what we should/shouldn't do and what is/isn't right or true.

I just felt like sharing this, it made me chuckle.

[Deborah Brown]

I agree that you can switch cold turkey.  

For my dog, it wasn't the amount of protein but the TYPE of protein.  You might do well to try a variety that doesn't contain the main proteins in Orijen:  chicken, turkey or fish.

Full disclosure here - while Charlie is doing much better on the Acana pork and butternut squash variety, none of my dogs like it as much as Orijen.  They often leave half the breakfast in the bowl.  I'm OK with this since I know they are not starving.  

Good luck!  I started working on this when I realized that the smelly farts weren't just annoying but that my doodle probably had tummy discomfort and/or pain.

[Nikki & Charlie]

I think I am going to try Acana... he loves the Orijen but my gut is telling me that his poops/smelly farts might subside with something a little lower in protein. I know Acana is only 32% so hopefully this will help.

The groomer actually doesn't sell the TLC! But my breeder does and that's also why I decided to stop because I knew she was getting kickbacks.
 
Question for those of you who know -- Should I switch him cold turkey? Or gradual switch?

[Nikki & Charlie]

I think I want to try Fromm! I like the variety in it. He tried it before and he liked it but I was so dead set on doing Orijen... which he loves, but I feel like it's not the right food for him due to his constant soft poops and smelly smelly farts.

Thoughts?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd go with Acana over Fromm. It has enough variety. Fromm is a great company, and a lot of dogs do well on their foods, but you just can't beat Champion, IMO. 

[Judith and Addie]

I have been feeding Addie the Fromm 4 star line. She has done very well with the Duck and Sweet Potato. Her stools went from mushy on Oriijen adult to well formed and smaller volume on the Fromm.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's interesting how different they all are. JD was on Fromm's Four Star Salmon a la Veg and he was doing fine with it, but when I switched him to Orijen, his poop volume decreased by half, and it was the firmest it's ever been. For him, it was going grain-free and the higher protein that made the biggest difference, I think. 

[Nikki & Charlie]

I think that's why this is all so confusing, each dog is so different! I need to keep reminding myself of that lol. I want Orijen to work so bad but maybe it's just not meant for Charlie. Our trainer for Charlie said he feeds his dogs Halo. I considered it for a split second until I a) read the reviews and b) realized it wasn't on the recommended food list... and I absolutely refuse to buy anything that's not from the list. 

So hopefully Fromm works out.. fingers crossed. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Studies have shown that different dogs have differing abilities to digest plant foods (carbohydrates), contrary to your groomer's opinion, lol,and I think that accounts for a lot of the differences we see from one dog to another.

I would still urge you to try Acana over Fromm. If you do go with Fromm, go with a grain-free formula.