Switch cold turkey? Kirkland to ???

[Deanna M.]

When we got Sulley we began feeding him Kirkland brand dog food after researching it online and having a co-worker, whose opinion I respect, recommend it.  Sulley, and now Molly, have been doing very well on it and I have been quite happy.  In the last few days I have seen several posts come up, in various Facebook groups I am in, about dogs getting sick on it and now, having searched it on this site, I am switching.

Should I do this cold turkey?  I know it is suggested to switch gradually but if feeding it could make them ill then I want them off it as quickly as possible.  They both have cast iron stomachs considering what they have eaten counter surfing and have not gotten sick from.

I think I am going to go with Fromm Adult Classic, it seems to be the most bang for my buck for the prices around here.  I will have to cut back on their daycare time to make it work budget wise.

Thanks for your help.

[Deanna M.]

Okay, so of course there has to be what I hope is just a hiccup to switching them...I feed them the Fromm tonight, both lapped it down no problem, I had been concerned Molly might be finicky about it but she didn't need any coaxing. Then an hour later Sulley vomited his supper plus his breakfast. Nothing else in it, just food. He is fine, no signs of anything and pooped and peed as normal earlier today.

I see three possible causes:
1. The switch upset his stomach - possible but I don't think likely, he ate a lb of butter with no side effects.
2. The Kirkland food was responsible - I don't think it's likely, it wasn't a new bag and Molly is fine.
3. He ingested something else that is causing him to vomit - I think it's probably this, the laundry basket was left unattended for about 20 minutes yesterday and it's quite possible he ate a sock or pair of underwear.

So should I withhold food for 24 hours and start back on chicken and rice, try switching the food gradually, feed a small amount of the Fromm in the am and see what happens? Open for suggestions.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If he ate a sock or underwear, that can be very serious. Has he ingested articles of clothing before? 

Can you tell if there is anything missing from the laundry basket? 

An ingested sock can cause a partial obstruction requiring a $3000 surgery, and in complicated cases, it can even cause permanent damage to the intestines, even death. 

I really doubt that the Fromm caused the problem, especially since his breakfast was still sitting undigested in his gut. 

I also doubt that the Kirkland cause it if he's been eating it up to now without a problem. 

If he ate the Fromm too fast, that could have caused it to come back up, but wouldn't be responsible for the undigested state of his breakfast. 

I'd forget about food changes right now until you can determine whether or not he did indeed eat an item of clothing. 

[Deanna M.]

He has eaten both socks and underwear before which is why we are usually so diligent with making sure no clothing is where they can get it. Unfortunately yesterday our daughter brought clothes up from the laundry and because hubby was cleaning in the bedroom she left it out in the hall and I didn't know. Can't tell for sure if he actually did eat anything.

In the past he has either thrown up or passed what he ate. His stomach isn't tense or sore that I can tell and his poop as of late this afternoon is fine.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You've been very lucky. I hope you are this time, too. 

No way to look at the laundry that's there are see if there is a sock without a mate or a pair of underwear that's missing? 

I really wouldn't make any changes with food or diet for at least another day or two. Go back to the Kirkland and wait until he passes whatever it is or at least until he's eating and keeping the food down for a couple of days.

[Deanna M.]

We have been very lucky and are really trying to do all we can to keep anything he might eat out of reach. I really don't want to have to see how good our pet insurance is.

Can't tell by looking in the laundry basket, hubby put the load in and it hadn't been folded when it was brought up and odd socks are a fact of life in our household.

Do you think I should feed him the regular amount of Kirkland in the am if all appears normal with him?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, if there's no more vomiting or anything else amiss, go back to the Kirkland just as you were doing before and then you can start the switch fresh in a day or two. 

[Deanna M.]

Okay, thanks.

[Deanna M.]

Another question kind of related to this, if your dog has ingested something how long before giving then hydrogen peroxide isn't effective? And if you're not sure if they ingested anything is it harmful to give them the hydrogen peroxide as a just in case?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It needs to be given right away to be effective. 

In this case, he's already vomited, so IF he did indeed swallow an article of clothing, it's either going to come out in his poop within about 48 hours or you've got a problem. 

[Deanna M.]

Okay, he just threw up a sock....feel pretty relieved.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Me too. 

I'd still wait another day to switch foods. Let everything settle down. 

[Deanna M.]

Will do. Thanks so much Karen.