Thinking of switching foods.

[Tara]

My 8 month old puppy has been eating Wellness Core Puppy and Primal Raw Beef.  I just found a local store that carries both Orijen and Acana.  So, I'm thinking of switching to one of these brands.  Which would you recommend?  Can we go with an adult formula (or are they ALS?) or would you suggest sticking with puppy for a few more months?  Is there a particular formula that is similar to the Core?  My pup is doing fine on the Core, I just see so many recommendations for Orijen and Acana that I'd like to try on of them.  Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I love Orijen, and if I had a new pup, that would be my first choice of foods. But that said, if your puppy is doing well on the current food, why switch? Core is an excellent food, and as they say, if it ain't broke, why fix it? 

Puppy formulas are usually fed until a dog is 8-12 months old. Once you switch to an adult formula, you will have more options in terms of different formulas if you still want to try one of the Champion Foods. I don't think Acana makes a grain free puppy food, or if they do it's hard to find. Orijen makes one puppy formula. So I'd wait a bit. 

[Tara]

Good points.  I'll get another bag of the Core Puppy and try Orijen in a few months when we switch to adult formulas. 

[TYoung]

I'd like to jump in on this and ask a somewhat similar question...a 2 prong question for you awesome DK experts :)

The breeder had my girl on Taste of the Wild Grain Free - Pacific Stream (salmon).  I have since learned this is not a recommended brand on DK (I'm a new puppy mom).   She is 4 months old now and doing beautifully.  We got her at 8 weeks.  I kept her on the TOTW but switched her to the puppy formula on my vets recommendation.   Here's my dilemma, Im near out of TOTW now.  Should I keep her on TOTW since she is doing so well and then later switch her to a premium food when she transitions to the adult formula?? OR given that she is on TOTW, should I make the switch to a premium food now??  

The second part of my questions is...she is a medium Multigen Australian Labradoodle.  At 4 months now she is 18 lbs.  Do you have a preference between Acana and Orijen for her?  I like the idea of switching up flavors every do often which seems more doable with Acana (is that right?)  I also feed her coconut oil everyday and she gets a topper on one meal a day which is approximately one tablespoon of either grass fed beef, wild caught salmon, or organic egg.  I don't mind giving her that.  She is on 2 meals a day, and in the midday I usually give her a snack of peanut butter, banana, or carrots, etc. I'm a nutritional geek when it comes to human food BUT Im only beginning to learn about dogs.  I LOVE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE ALL THE LEG WORK ON DK!!! :)  Thank you for any and all of your input and ideas.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As long as she's doing well on the TOTW, I'd stay with it, and then switch her to an adult Orijen or Acana formula somewhere between 8 and 10 months, when her skeletal growth is complete. 

However, you need to stop the coconut oil. Not only is there no evidence at all that it has any benefit for dogs, but TOTW has a poor Omega 6:3 fatty acid ratio, and you need to be supplementing her with the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which only come from fish. Coconut oil is high in ALA, which dogs can't utilize or convert. 

If you want to switch her now, go with Orijen Puppy. Acana Puppy is very hard to get in the U.S. 

As to whether to choose Orijen or Acana for her adult food when you do switch, either one is excellent. Orijen has plenty of variety, 4 different adult formulas in their kibble line. The Acana Regionals line also has 4 formulas, their Singles line has 3, so since you typically stay within the same line when you do a rotation diet, there's really no more variety with Acana than with Orijen. Either would be a good choice.

[TYoung]

Thank you!  Do you have any specific recommendations for supplementing TOTW?  Should I put more than a tablespoon of the wild caught salmon on her food to supplement the poor Omega 6:3 fatty acid ratio in TOTW?  I want her to have optimum everything in her diet without causing her upset.  Is the fact that she is doing fine on TOTW relatively okay?  As a puppy, I want her to have the best for current growth and prolonged health.  Thank you for the specifics, Karen...I really appreciate it!  I want to act on this immediately since Im near out of food.

What is the major difference between Acana and Orijen other than the slightly different price point?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm kind of torn about this, to be honest. I hate to tell people to change a young puppy's food when they are doing well, because so many puppies have problems with loose stools and other minor digestive issues, but then again, any kind of major issue that's going to be caused by food doesn't always show up right away, either. And a dog who does well digestively with TOTW should have no problem with Orijen. And since you are almost out of TOTW, and you are going to have to supplement anyway, this might be a good time to just switch. Then you won't have to give any fish oil (there isn't a kibble on the market with a better Omega 6:3 ratio or a better Omega 3 content than Orijen) and you'll be done.

So I'm going to reverse myself, lol, and say go ahead and switch now. 

The price difference between Orijen and Acana is solely due to the higher protein content in Orijen. Animal protein costs more than plant foods. The protein content is the only real difference. 

[TYoung]

Thanks!  I have already called a local store that carries Orijen Puppy so I can start the transition almost immediately.  

Im surprised to learn what you said about the coconut oil.  The breeder recomended it and I had a neighbor with a Bernese mountain dog that she said coconut oil was all the difference in her coat.  You have articulated the science behind it which is easier for me to follow and cross-reference.  I love that...thank you.

It feels so good to check off this very important box on my puppy to-do/learn list :)

Lastly, later on, will I need to "transition" into the adult formula in a any special way? Or the fact that I stay with Orijen allow me to just switch? Once on the adult, how long should I wait before introducing another flavor of the same?  Thanks again!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We try very hard in this group to always stick with science and fact rather than anecdotes and opinions, lol. Any kind of fat or oil is going to make a dog's coat glossier and less dry, but what is going on at a cellular level is a different story. :)

There is very little difference between Orijen Puppy and Orijen Adult, so that transition would be seamless, and can be done cold turkey. 

[TYoung]

Perfect!  Thanks :)

On the toppers, is that tablespoon appropriate, once a day?  She LOVES it...especially the salmon.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It should be fine. :)

[TYoung]

Thanks!  Have a great day :)  ...you just made mine!