Confused, could use some guidance

[Carol B & Pilot]

My doodle is a 4.5 year old male, about 85lbs.  I've switched and switched his food, and wonder if I might have to again.  We got him at 9 weeks, and I changed him from whatever the breeder was giving him to Nutro.  Then began to pay more attention to what was in the food. Around 1-1.5 years old,  I noticed soft poops, and the occasional vomiting &/or food avoidance, and I put him on Blue Buffalo chicken, and that seemed to work for a long time.  When the soft poop or avoidance happened, in coincided with a change in the Buffalo's source for chicken.  I switched him to Orijen, which again seemed to agree with him for a long time, but with Orijen's switch to a US plant, I'm again noticing avoidance (probably the source for ingredients).  I also have to say that I notice these issues with my guy in the summer when it's really hot in my DC area, and we go on vacation (leaving him at home with a house sitter).  I'm not sure if it's the stress of us leaving, the heat, the food, or some combination that cause this problem.  Any advice/guidance?  Any food you can recommend for a "sensitive" stomach?  Is there another issue I should consider?  I definitely think he does better with a grain-free, corn-free food, and he should stay away from peanut butter.  And if I give him yogurt, not cow's milk, but sheep's milk seems to agree with him (as it does me, that's why I get it).  Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, it's normal for dogs to eat less in hot weather. That wouldn't account for soft poop, but assuming that "avoidance" means less interest in eating, it would account for that. However, the two things are very different. One is a health issue and the other is usually just boredom. It's also very very doubtful that your dog is "avoiding" the Orijen because he can sense that there's been a change in the sourcing. Since the ingredients themselves have changed somewhat along with the sourcing, it's possible that he preferred the old version.

For dogs with sensitive stomachs, your best bet is a limited ingredient food. We have several LID foods on our recommended brands list. My favorite is Wellness Simple Solutions. The Turkey and the Salmon formulas are both grain free; the Duck and Lamb formulas contain oatmeal. All are single protein formulas with very few ingredients and gorgeous nutritional profiles. My Jack does great with the Salmon. The Acana Singles line would be another good choice. 

For dogs who get bored with eating the same food day in and day out for months, you can rotate formulas with each new bag to help keep them interested. Stay with the same line. So if you did the Simple Solutions, you could switch between the Turkey and the Salmon formulas every so often. In the Acana line, you might switch between any of the four formulas, all are grain free. 

Hope this helps.

[Carol B & Pilot]

This helps a lot, thanks. When switching formulas within the same line, do you still have to do the gradual change-over?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, you can rotate formulas within the same line with no transition. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh and BTW, there is nothing on our recommended brands list that contains corn, lol. 

[Laura and Angus]

I think it's pretty normal for dogs to eat less/lose their appetite in hot weather and when they are away from their people - stress. I agree with what Karen said about switching the protein formula within the same line. We use Earthborn Holistic and were switching between the lamb, bison, and fish formulas. However, our pup seems to do best when he's only eating things with beef/bison (even treats), so at this point we stick to giving him just the bison food with some sweet potato on top. There are times he's not that interested in eating (e.g. first thing in the morning), but if he doesn't eat much in the morning he definitely eats when he gets home in the afternoon/when we let him back out of the kennel after work. 

A couple questions: what do you mean by "avoidance?" What does that look like? Also, do you have your dog on a feeding schedule or do they eat freely?

[Carol B & Pilot]

By avoidance, I mean that he sniffs it and gets a look on his face like my 13 year old son - really? you want me to eat this?  Sometimes he goes ahead and eats (2/3 of it), sometimes he walks away and comes back 5-10 min later, and eats 1/2 to 2/3 of it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay so that's boredom coupled with picky eating, a little game some dogs play called "Maybe If I Hold Out Long Enough I Can Get Something Better", lol. We have tons of discussions here about this. It really has nothing to do with the sourcing of the ingredients. Rotating formulas helps with that, as well as not free feeding. 

[Laura and Angus]

Ha! Karen we played that game at our house for a while, but now we mostly just play.. you'll get half a sweet potato sometimes, but otherwise you get what you get and you don't get upset. We don't rotate formulas, but our pup eats fine - not the best eater usually, but he always eventually eats.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Laura, this is music to my ears, lol! 

[Laura and Angus]

I know it! :)

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Is it possible your dog has seasonal allergies?

Luna has ragweed allergies and when it's high season she is itchy and doesn't eat as well.  When she's on allergy meds her appetite returns.

If your dog is scratching/licking a lot then it might be worth looking into.

[Carol B & Pilot]

I am not sure.  I see him licking his paws when it's been rainy, and they stay wet longer (and I've read about the vinegar rinse to try for that - takes away the corn chip smell).  Pilot also has problems with his anal glands, and he licks a lot when they are full.  But he's never not had the problem with anal glands, so it doesn't seem to be his food.  Am I missing something?