The big switch

FrenchieDante · Sep 15, 2014

So, Dant is 4 1/2 months and has one bag of Blue Buffalo grain free puppy left... I'm ready to switch. I'd like to keep him grain free. I'm looking at Fromm and Nature's logic. Is it too early to switch him off puppy food?

2bullymama · Sep 15, 2014

Usuall around 6-8 months is a good time to switch over to adult. We feed Fromm Pork and Peas (grain free line)... Cheli does great on it, but I sometimes add a different flavor to the mix like Lamb and Lentil, Game Bird or Beef Fritatta. One of the things I like about Fromm, stay in the grain free line, and you can switch flavors without a long transition

davidh · Sep 15, 2014

You can switch him to FROMM 4 Star grain free now, because it is an all stage food. Just do a slow transition.

mhuinker · Sep 16, 2014

2bullymama said:
Usuall around 6-8 months is a good time to switch over to adult. We feed Fromm Pork and Peas (grain free line)... Cheli does great on it, but I sometimes add a different flavor to the mix like Lamb and Lentil, Game Bird or Beef Fritatta. One of the things I like about Fromm, stay in the grain free line, and you can switch flavors without a long transition

Ahhh, good to know!!!

:happydance:

2bullymama · Sep 16, 2014

mhuinker said:
Ahhh, good to know!!! :happydance:

you can even give one flavor for breakfast and a differnt one for dinner :up:

FrenchieDante · Sep 16, 2014

I'm going to see what raw options our specialty dog store has, & i'll report back for opinions.

KimB3384 · Sep 16, 2014

Raw! Raw! Raw! W00t, w00t w00t!

MaplesMommy · Sep 16, 2014

Yup Raw is the way to go!

If you have any questions feel free to ask

eeturk · Sep 16, 2014

Here's another vote for raw, as someone who tried alllll the "good" kibbles and couldn't find one that worked.

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FrenchieDante · Sep 16, 2014

I'm just wondering if raw is okay before 7 months?

- - - Updated - - -

I'm just wondering if raw is okay before 7 months?

eeturk · Sep 17, 2014

I think we switched Hudson around 5 months or so? We are still feeding him the puppy portions listed on the bag now.

Edited to add: I would've switched him as soon as I got him (at 11 weeks) if I had known how drastically it would improve his life.

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FrenchieDante · Sep 17, 2014

Also on the hunt for the most convenient, quality raw food. I am a woman on the go!

KimB3384 · Sep 17, 2014

Bisou came to me at 4 months already on raw. The breeder we got her from weens them right onto it as soon as they start to eat food. Totally should have kept her on it, but I fell for the whole omg-raw-will-kill-you-and-your-dog rap.

There are a ton of great raw foods out there. Your options are wide open if Dante has so sensitivities or allergies to ingredients. We had the best success with Stella & Chewy's, which is what [MENTION=664]eeturk[/MENTION] feeds Hudson. The only issue I had with it was cost. As puppies, especially active ones, you need to feed them at least 20% more and it wound up being really costly. That's why I switched over to real meat. The irony is that now that Bisou is pretty much full-grown her needs are minimal, so it's probably affordable on a daily basis. But we keep it on hand for traveling or for when I forget to thaw her burgers.

mhuinker · Sep 17, 2014

2bullymama said:
you can even give one flavor for breakfast and a differnt one for dinner :up:

:jumpdance:

tonytones · Sep 17, 2014

FrenchieDante said:
Also on the hunt for the most convenient, quality raw food. I am a woman on the go!

WE put chowder on Primal Pronto he loves it, stool firmed up IMMEDIATELY. it was night and day. Primal pronto you just scoop and leave out to thaw for 10 mins and feed. Its real easy

eeturk · Sep 17, 2014

If you're going to feed Stella & Chewy's I do recommend the frozen over the freeze dried. Hudson has been on both and the frozen is cheaper, easier to deal with, and he does better on it.

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Jakeyjake · Sep 17, 2014

FrenchieDante said:
Also on the hunt for the most convenient, quality raw food. I am a woman on the go!

I just switched Jake to Grandma Lucy's freeze dried Lamb. You just add water and let it set for about 3 mins. then it's ready. He drools as he is waiting for his meal!

FrenchieDante · Sep 18, 2014

Okay. So, I've decided that the most convenient plan of action would be to feed Danté the Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen. I think I'll go with the beef recipe. According to the online feeding guide he will need THREE cups a day. My wallet is crying... but I want him to stop itching. Anyway, what do you all think of this food? Honest opinions. Frankly, it's the only raw food offered at the pet store blocks from my house... And convenience wise it works.

KimB3384 · Sep 18, 2014

We did the duck and the chicken. It gets really good reviews on a number of trusted sites, but it didn't work well for us. Itching continued and we had bad gas (and I'm using the "we" in the royal sense, although sometimes my gas can get kind of out of control depending on how much broccoli I eat, but that's another story).

Here are my issues with the commercial raw: it was crazy expensive for us because Bisou is so active and I needed to feed her more to keep the weight on her. It's also got "additional" ingredients, like veggies, probiotics, and fruits. That's where I think the problems come in. If your dog is having any kind of allergy issues, it's super hard to identify the culprit because there are so many options. I personally believe that dogs need meat, not fruits and veggies. I think it's great to feed those things as snacks or treats, but I don't think they're required, and I think their inclusion in the formulas is the big reason I had to feed so much more.

That said, I was impressed with the look of the food, and Bisou liked it well enough. Dante might do super well on it. You just won't know until you try it. I can't remember - do you do kefir or goat's milk (both are supposed to help allergies)? We do, and we've also switched to just meat, and we have no itching or gas now. Not sure if it's the food or the milk, or even maybe a combination of the two. I feel your pain, though. Good luck!

FrenchieDante · Sep 18, 2014

Thanks, Kim. Haven't tried Kefir... Can I buy that anywhere? Saw it in Trader Joe's. I'd like to switch him soon but am still doing my research. The internet has so many conflicting views on the raw diet. It's tough, you just wanna do right by your puppy & make sure they're getting all the nutrients they need without harming them. I want to make sure the moisture content is high enough, the phosphorus content is low enough... Any opinions on that re: this food? Also wish there was egg on the ingredient list! Here's the list for the beef variety:

Beef, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Ground Beef Bone, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Apples, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Dried Kelp, Broccoli, Cod Liver Oil, Salt, Salmon Oil, Apples Cider Vinegar, Dried Chicory Root, Blueberries

Liver being so high on the ingredient list makes me nervous, as phosphorus levels could be high in liver. So I've read. Is there a general preference on the type of protein dogs should eat? I'm steering clear of chicken.... but could do beef, venison, lamb, turkey or duck. Also, wish I knew the answer to this question from the FAQ section of their website:

Where do your meat and poultry come from?
Nature's Variety is committed to using high quality, safe ingredients from government-inspected facilities. Our natural ingredients are continuously inspected for quality and tested for analytical compliance before being accepted at our facilities.

Hmm. Again, making my own food is not an option for me... Unless it's hamburger, ground turkey, scrambled eggs and spinach. At least it's human grade!