Commercial Foods-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tell us what commercial foods have worked for you and which have caused problems; information, questions, warnings and advice on dog food companies, ingredients, brands, and switching foods.
(Recall information now in it's own discussion here in The Food Group)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lizette, what does the vet say about her weight and her appetite?
Is she getting treats throughout the day? Anything other than what's in her bowl?
Jackdoodle will go a day or two barely eating, but he does get a few chicken & duck jerky's throughout the day. And he's not a puppy, and not growing; in fact, he's a little overweight.
I agree with Lynne to stick with one food for awhile, and if she's hungry, she'll eat. You still have to throw it away each feeding time, and put out fresh, though. What does she do if you mix egg, tuna, etc, in with the food? JD will eat the goodies (tonight it was a handful of lima beans), but then he will continue to eat some of the kibble, too. Does Lizzie only pick out the good stuff & leave the rest?
I have mixed feelings about the free-feeding. I did it all my life, but lately, I am beginning to see the logic of picking up the bowl if it's not eaten after a certain period...if the food is always there, they don't appreciate it as much. But I don't know if I would be able to do it with a 6 mo. old who hasn't eaten in a day or two. I think you have to ask the vet if she is at a healthy weight, and if it will hurt her to skip meals like this often. If there's no health concern, I'd just accept that she is picky and try to relax...easier said than done, I know.

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Last night I went to the country pet store and got a bag of these frozen raw cubes and heated them up with her food. She ate a few bites. I then tried to add tuna fish...she walked away. I have tried an egg and she never touched it. I am not giving treats of any kind. She will eat little pieces of chicken or cheese, or Innova cookies...but I have had to take all treats away. She would fill up on this stuff. She just refuses kibbles even when mixed with a canned food. I am using only the higest rated products and no junk. My husband is ready to get a grocery store brand but I am refusing. He is as frustrated and more so because he sees how hard I am trying to fix this situation. I am about ready to try another home cooked meal but a small amount. I am going to get the Honest Kitchen brand a few samples today. Karen she is very slim...weighs about 17 lbs or so. She has lost a little weight as of late.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lizette, I would ask the vet about it...but just about her weight & growth rate. (We do not want the Science Diet recommendations, lol!)
If the vet confirms that her weight is okay, she is healthy, getting enough nutrients, and there is not an urgent need to get her to eat more, then you can just continue to select her foods & that's what she gets today...we have to have faith that the old saying is true that a healthy, normal dog will not starve itself. I get frustrated, too, at throwing out bowl after bowl of food, but I don't think there's anything else to do. I know of people who have created monster dogs...I know of one couple who sets out a smorgasbord of people food every day for their 6-yr-old maltese, and she turns up her nose at everything...pot roasts, chicken, you name it. Mealtime has become so stressful, the dog will only eat after everyone leaves the kitchen & she is alone. Give us a good rant in the "Whine" discussion when you need to vent. Hugs to you & your picky pup!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Have you tried some pasta? Ginger ate her meal tonight with Kraft Mac & Cheese on top. She also likes spaghetti sauce pasta and meatballs. Try, try, try everything and you will hit on what will work.

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

OK Karen said for me to vent...so here it is. First, Thanks so much to so many special friends that have replied and tried so hard to help me. Molly ate a couple of days ago like she was starving ....ate almost a cup of kibble with some chicken and hamburger in it. The last two days again she only took a few kibbles if any. I am looking to get here a probiotic for her stomach which may help. Dianne mentioned one I would have to order over the internet but I prefer to get one that is available in a surrounding area here where I live. She definitely is my Good Golly Miss Molly girl. Thank you for letting me whine. Hope all of you have a very blessed wonderful Sunday.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I buy Organic Probiotic Yogurt right in my grocery store. The dogs like the French Vanilla Flavor. I mix a couple teaspoons into their food before serving. I have also tried other flavors but the Vanilla seems to be the favorite.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm trying a new kibble, Fromm, and Jackdoodle really likes it...so far. (I'm not holding my breath, I know he will turn his nose up any day.) I bought the "Four Star" Salmon variety (what else?). Pet Food Analysis gave it a 5 star rating in 2006. It seems to agree with Jack, and his poop has been small & well-formed since we started it.
I am really seeing that dogs don't like to eat the same thing day after day, any more than we do. It's so strange, because I've had dogs for years, and always fed the same food, day in & day out, except for special treats & illness. I guess it took a picky eater and Lynne's wisdom to show me a different way.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to make the full transition to regular home-cooked meals, but between two or three different kibbles and people food several times a week (fish, eggs, chicken, lima beans), I feel that Jack is still getting variety, and I feel good about his diet.
Anyway, the Fromm has very good ingredients and I'm recommending it for those who are looking for a different kibble. (It is mega expensive, though.)
Here's a link to their website; it's extensive & impressive. The kibble is made here in the USA, in Wisconsin. They have three different kibble lines and several canned. All ingredients are human quality. They do not use ethoxyquin or menadione. There is no wheat, corn, or any kind of gluten in any of their foods. JD is eating the Four-Star Salmon a la Veg, which I think is the most expensive one. (Naturally) The Four Star line, like the NV Prairie he gets, is made to be rotated between "flavors", which allows even more variety.
http://www.frommfamily.com/quality-pledge.php

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I also wanted to mention that I have discovered another surprising thing about feeding dogs since I have been involved with the Food Group; it really doesn't seem to be true that you have to introduce new foods slowly. I think it might be true with puppies or dogs that have very sensitive digestive systems; and also maybe with dogs who have only ever eaten one thing their whole life. But once you start giving them a variety of different foods, they adjust very quickly. I never mix new things in with old foods any more...he just gets the new food. I would say it took his system two months from the time I started giving him anything other than his crap kibble, and now we can change foods from one day to the next with no problem at all.

[Loreta Janca]

Rusty has been eating Fromm for quite a while and loves it. He doesn't like the salmon so much, though. We always mix a little kifer with it and he loves it. I agree about not having to switch slowly. If you feed your dogs quality dog food, without any fillers or yucky stuff, there is not much to adjust to, it should be mostly natural stuff that shouldn't upset their tummy's too much. Some dogs obviously are more sensitive though, and might require a different approach. We change flavors every bag and Rusty adjusts very well. Fromm is pretty expensive, but after trying several different brands, I'd rather pay for what he likes and since it's a quality food, that's even better.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I have found this too. My homecooking involves various things every week and I have not had an adjustment issue. I also change the kibble with every bag, sometimes flavors sometimes brands and freefeed it. I think, as you said Karen, if feeding quality things, there is no adjustment time. If they are used to a varied diet, this doesn't seem to be a problem.

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

We also almost never introduce the new food gradually. What was happening for us was that the dogs were picking out all the new food to eat anyhow so why bother trying to mix in right? It is my *opinion* that when you are feeding a high quality food this is not so much of an issue, the exception I would think would be in introducing a drastic change especially in regards to the absence or addition of grains or a significant change in that portion of the content. In our current litter once they were on solid food we experimented with changing their food also and have not experienced any negative results. Of course we also use a digestive enzyme mix w/probiotics daily and this has probably also facilitated our ease in frequent change. Congrats on the change and success with it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am also very very happy to report that Fromm apparently does NOT sell their products to puppy mill stores, otherwise known as pet stores. Yipppeeee!!!!!!