From puppy to adult food......

[Leigh & Allie]

Allie is turning 1 next month. I would love your recommendations on what to switch her to. Right now she is eating Innova puppy but with the recent buy out I am concerned with going with the Innova adult food. She has done really well with the Innova puppy so if you know of something similar that would be great. One side note, I would be going with Fromm. I have seen many recommendations that it is a great kibble, but I have looked everywhere in Memphis and can not find it. I asked at one of the upper end pet stores and they said they used to carry it but they did not sell it so they quit carrying it. Thanks is advance.

[Tammy & Gracie]

Hollywood Feed has Fromm. I go to the one on Poplar between Mendenhall and Perkins. Gracie eats Orijen. My little dogs eat Innova but I am transitioning them to Fromms as we speak. Gracie is alot more active than my little dogs and eats grain free. Gracie also eats 90% homecooked meals, the kibble is a morning snack.

[Leigh & Allie]

I wonder if the Holleywood feed in Collierville has it. I have been there and thought I had looked well but I did not ask. If they don't have it maybe they can get it. Do you think that would be best? No homecooking for me. I don't even cook for myself. We mostly do take out ;)

[Rae]

We also had our dogs (from puppy to adult to senior) on Inova but once P&G took over we stopped. After much research we went with Orijen - they have a good variety(if that's important to you) and are grain free - which we found is great. Our dogs LOVE it and are doing extremely well on it.

[BG and Gavin]

Gavin is on GO! Grain Free Endurance and is doing very well on it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

According to Fromm's website, they have three dealers right in Memphis that carry the Four Star line.
Hollywood Feed
2648 Broad Street
Memphis, TN 38112
901-452-2474

All About Pets
700 Mt. Moriah #2
Memphis, TN 38117
901-767-3988

Lakeview Kennel
5061 Ravensworth Dr
Memphis, TN 38109
901-650-9971

Fromm would really be your best bet, and the protein levels are in keeping with those of Innova. My other suggestion would be to start with the Innova adult formula, which is very close to the puppy formula, and that will give you a smooth transition while you look for alternatives. I think you have some time before we see any major changes in the formula, although I can't guarantee that.

[Leigh & Allie]

Karen I was really hoping you would respond to this post. Do you think I should go to Innova adult first then switch to Fromm or go straight to Fromm? I just found Fromm at Holleywood feed in Germantown. I just called and they have it so what do you think? Thanks.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think that if you can get the Fromm, you should just go directly to Fromm, since that's most likely what she's going to end up with anyway. And they have more variety than Innova, too. Start with the Chicken a la Veg formula.

[Leigh & Allie]

Karen, remind me....it has been a while since I have switched foods for Allie. not since she came home from the breeder. I know you start with 1/4 of the new food with 3/4 old food then gradually switch by a 1/4 more each time, but how long should this transition take. I think I remember 2 weeks?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, start by replacing one quarter of the old food with the new, and increase the new while decreasing the old, but over one week's time, not two.
All of the other recommendations from other FG members are good ones, but they are all grain-free foods. This is what i also prefer, but I was thinking you wanted to stay with a healthy-grain food similar to the Innova, which also has grains. If you want to go grain-free, that's fine also. If you decide to go that route instead, I would cold-turkey her rather than transition slowly. Expect about 4 days of loose stools, and you may not get that but I like to prepare people, lol.

[Leigh & Allie]

O.K. now I am confused. I don't understand the difference with the grain and grain free. What would you recommend? I always thought Fromm was the best. Is that not the case? I would like Allie on the best food I can find. Please tell me what you would recommend and do I need to transition slowly or not. Thanks. I am a bit of an idiot when it comes to this stuff so please be patient.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There really is no such thing as the "best" food for all dogs. There are companies we trust more than others and formulas we like better than others. Currently, my two favorite and most trusted companies are Fromm and Champion (Orijen/Acana). There are a few other good reliable companies as well.
We have dogs here who are doing very well on both grain-free and healthy-grain foods from these companies. Champion only makes foods that contain no grains at all...no rice, no oats, etc. Fromm makes foods that contain grains that are considered fine for dogs. There is a school of thought that dogs should not have grains in their diet. There is no proof that this is true or that grains such as oats, barley and rice are in any way harmful for dogs, but some of us find that our dogs do better with higher protein foods. The difference is usually that if no percentage of the food is made up of grain, which is a carbohydrate, it is logically going to be higher in protein. So grain-free foods are almost always going to be much higher in protein than foods that contain grains. (Fruits and vegetables are included in both kinds of the premium foods.) Some dogs do better with lower protein foods, others do better with the higher protein foods. Depends on the dog. If Allie's digestion & general health have always been good, you can go either way.
Grain-free foods also tend to be more expensive than foods that contain grains, because protein costs more than starch.

[Leigh & Allie]

Got it. Thanks so much for explaining. I have felt a little bit behind on everything. Now I know what to look for.