Switching from TOTW to a new grain-free food?

[Marcy, Apollo & Phoebe]

Apollo is almost 8 months old and has been on TOTW. During the recall, I had to switch him to Earthborn Holistics. He did pretty well, but had terrible gas. I switched him back to TOTW and the gas seemed to subside, then came back. So I just went back to Earthborn a week ago and his stools are softer than when he was on TOTW. I've been researching and decided to give up all Diamond products. I went with Earthborn, because it was the grain-free food that my local store carried that was closest to TOTW. Well, now I'm thinking of trying something else when he's done w/ this bag of Earthborn. Again, he's done okay on it and seems to like it (my baby eats anything), but I just think there may be better options out there. I have been reluctant to try brands that are not at my local boutique, but I've realized that I'm just lazy. The boutique we go to is about 1 mile from our house, but there are others within 3 miles and I just learned that they carry other brands that I'm interested in trying. So, has anyone transitioned from TOTW to Orijen? Acana? Those are the two brands that I'm leaning toward trying. What are the major differences between the two? Apollo has always been on all life stages food. Some of the brands I'm looking at offer large puppy and adult. At what age is it safe to move to adult food? Thanks!

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

Both of my dogs are Earthborn dogs and neither has soft stool.  My adult dog eats the fish based Coastal Catch and has never had issues with loose stools.  Gas?  Maybe once a week or so he hits us with a "big shot" but other than that he's fine.  Which of the Earthborn foods did you feed Apollo?  The puppy food?  Stan eats that and his stools are nice and firm.

 

I giggle whenever I talk about poop, sorry.

[GBK]

We switched to Earthborn Coastal Catch too and my two are doing great also.  Nice firm BM's and no gas.

[Marcy, Apollo & Phoebe]

By the way, poop makes me giggle, too! I picked up my 3 year old from school earlier this week and she said, "Guess what Mommy?! I didn't pee, poop, or fart on myself today!" Imagine my embarrassment!

[GBK]

LOL adorable, thanks for the laugh!

 

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

HA HA HA....I could So hang with your daughter!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Orijen and Acana are both made by Champion Foods of Canada and are the highest quality kibbles you can buy IMO. Orijen has higher protein and lower carb levels and does not make a limited ingredient option. Acana gives you more choices. When switching from TOTW, I would probably go with Acana as the macronutrient profile is closer. I have yet to hear of any healthy dog having any kind of digestive problem with Acana.

You never need a "large breed" formula of any kind unless the dog is expected to top 90 lbs at maturity, and even then, it's not essential. Adult food is always "safe" for a puppy, the nutritional differences are very minor. In general, the guideline for switching to an "adult" formula is when the dog's skeletal growth is complete, which is easy to tell on purebreds but harder to tell with mixed breed dogs like doodles who vary greatly in size. For most standard doodles, it's between 8-12 months, with the smaller framed dogs maturing earlier. There's no actual harm in switching earlier, though.

[Laura Deutsch]

We had Molly on TOTW Pacific Stream......it was the best food for her. She has always had intestinal issues. After the recall, we felt we had to change and switched her to Acana Pacifica, which was closest. She did well on it until she ate a "critter" when we went on vacation and for weeks she's had problems. We're now ready to re-introduce it and have our fingers crossed. I'm praying we can go back to it. IT's a great food and the switch went really easily.

[Marcy, Apollo & Phoebe]

Thanks for the responses! @Marnie & GBK, Apollo has only tried Earthborn Great Plains, which is the bison formula. It could be that the bison is too much for his tummy. He still has solid poops, but they are much softer than before. Maybe I can try a different Earthborn formula? I think I'll try Acana next and if we go back to Earthborn it will be a different formula. Thanks for the help! @Karen, somehow, I knew that you would be the one to respond and provide me with some scientific info. Much appreciated!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you do try another Earthborn formula, look for one with a higher protein percentage. Soft poops are often caused by too much starchy carbohydrate.

[Marcy, Apollo & Phoebe]

Will do! Thanks!

[Christine & Camus]

Camus was eating TOTW salmon, no recall problems in California, however the local pet food stores in my area have stopped carrying it.  I am now feeding him Acana Pacifica.  It has only been one week, but he likes it and there have not been and digestive issues.  What has surprised me is that even though he is also on antibiotics he has not had any diarrhea.  So far Acana is a keeper.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Hi Marcy.  We recently switched from TOTW to Acana and haven't had any problems.  Both doods seem to like so that is a plus too.  We tried the Earthborn before we did the TOTW and even after an appropriate transition period, they never really firmed up on the Earthborn.  I have a small bag of Earthborn that I give them when we are doing grooming and nails and they seem to do ok with it in small amounts, but for every day eating I think we will stick with the Acana.