I need suggestions on which dog food to switch to

Buck187Hunter · 03-29-2012, 07:11 PM

I think Blue Buffalo is what's causing my puppy to have the runs.....what other dog foods should I switch to ?......it seems like my dog likes the taste of the food I'm giving it but maybe its too rich for his stomach and maybe he needs a different brand.

Vilebeast · 03-29-2012, 07:15 PM

Pet Food Rating + Comparison Chart

There are about 15 really good brands listed.

Also how long have you had your pup on blue? and did you switch over slowly or all at once?

**angelbaby** · 03-29-2012, 07:28 PM

How long has she been on the BB? is she up to date with the worming and stuff? you can try adding some probiotics as well to whatever your feeding. If you want to switch you can try TOTW, orijen , acana, or check out the chart he linked above there are a few other decent ones. If this food is new to her you may want to stick it out a bit sometimes it takes a month or so for them to adjust to new foods.

Buck187Hunter · 03-29-2012, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vilebeast

Also how long have you had your pup on blue? and did you switch over slowly or all at once?

he's been eating it for about 7 weeks and seems to randomly have the runs when he takes a dump and sometimes he has normal poops... and I switched over all at once and his dumps looked normal at first when I switched.

**circlemkennels** · 03-29-2012, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buck187Hunter

he's been eating it for about 7 weeks and seems to randomly have the runs when he takes a dump and sometimes he has normal poops... and I switched over all at once and his dumps looked normal at first when I switched.

Switching food will give them the runs... you shouldn't have switched all at once.. that will deffinately give them the runs

Buck187Hunter · 04-01-2012, 01:34 AM

I think there could be a possibility that I'm overfeeding him the BB. I been feeding him 1 and a half cups 3 times a day. tomorrow I'm gonna switch to 1 cup 3 times a day.....he's approximately 40 lbs.

**Kingsgurl** · 04-01-2012, 01:57 AM

Blue is rich, so over feeding can lead to issues. Which formula are you feeding? (and HEY! from another local)

Buck187Hunter · 04-01-2012, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingsgurl

Which formula are you feeding?

large breed puppy

Bully4Life · 04-01-2012, 02:15 PM

Try RAW. I did 10 years ago and never looked back !

**ThaLadyPit** · 04-01-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buck187Hunter

large breed puppy

Therein lies part of the problem. These dogs are a medium sized breed and don't need a large breed formula, as it will cause growth problems, for starters. He should be on regular puppy formula. As was previously stated, switching all at once (doing a hard switch, as I call it) and over feeding can both cause loose stool. Switching the food too often can lead to a picky eater, as well as cause digestive issues.

Also, this thread belongs in the Health and Nutrition Section, so it's being moved, just fyi.

Buck187Hunter · 04-01-2012, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaLadyPit

Therein lies part of the problem. These dogs are a medium sized breed and don't need a large breed formula, as it will cause growth problems, for starters. He should be on regular puppy formula. As was previously stated, switching all at once (doing a hard switch, as I call it) and over feeding can both cause loose stool. Switching the food too often can lead to a picky eater, as well as cause digestive issues.

my vet told me to switch to Large Breed because he's growing too fast and he's one of those huge pit puppies because he's mixed.and the large breed food is not what's causing it, he was on regular BB and had the runs also.

the Large Breed food wont cause growth problems, its supposed to make him grow slower so that his bones don't get messed up.

rodrigo · 04-01-2012, 04:28 PM

i feed blue buffalo wilderness and when i switched him he had the runs for 2 days but he got used to it.

try natural balance syngergy .....has a bit less protein but still tops out at 28% and its great in every sense. i feed him both we switch ev ery now and again

Buck187Hunter · 04-01-2012, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bully4Life

Try RAW. I did 10 years ago and never looked back !

I actually did give him raw chicken once and he liked it, I'm gonna feed more raw in the future if I get more money, but for right now I'm only feeding what I could afford.

**Kingsgurl** · 04-01-2012, 05:44 PM

You said you switched a while ago and the loose stool is intermittent? What else is he getting (treats, bones, bully sticks?) If his stool is fine sometimes and not others, it is possible that the 'extras' contribute. My dogs will get loose stool when they get bully sticks, for instance, so I always give them a tablespoon of pumpkin in the meal prior. Same thing if I use too much liver as a training reward.

ThaLadyPit was correct in that if you don't have a large breed puppy, they shouldn't be on large breed puppy food. We didn't realize you had a large pit mix puppy.
Where in Sac are you at?

Buck187Hunter · 04-01-2012, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingsgurl

Where in Sac are you at?

I live in south sac........I'm already seeing improvements after cutting it down to 1 cup. He took a dump about 30 minutes ago and it looked more solid. I guess I might stick with BB....maybe it was overfeeding that caused it.