Which food? Why Canidae?

[nylarottie]

Hi there-

I have been reading through the nutrition posts and I am going to try Canidae with my 10 wk old pup, Nyla.

What positive reactions or improvements should I look for to decide if this is a good choice for her? And vice versa, what negative reactions should warrant trying a different brand?

(She is eating Iams right now :( because that was what the breeder fed her)

thanks a bunch

[babydungeon]

that is the same age i started dungeon on canidae. i too was feeding him iams which was better than what the byb was feeding the pups. i thought that was a good food before i researched like you're doing.

first, when changing diet always do it gradually. never one meal of iams and the next canidae or whatever, this will send the stomach into a whirlwind.
it may take a few days to a few weeks before you notice anything at all. i would look for itchy skin, redness, diarreah, lack of interest, vomiting, and terribly bad gas. this would indicate the dog may be allergic or just doesn't suite her stomach. next i would look for the positives...like better looking stool, not runny or too hard. less of that "doggy" smell. healthier looking coat and maybe even fresher smelling breath.

personally, dungeon has little to no odor. his breath never makes me want to gag. he rarely passes gas and when he does it doesn't make me pass out. his coat is shiny as can be. he eats well and doesn't seem to have any food allergies. his stool is almost always what it "should" look like. i love canidae and i think he does too!:D -kevin

[AngelBunny]

nylarottie:

I don't take the slow gradual approach to changing foods. I'm involved in Rottie rescue and shelters, unfortunately, can't be selective in the food they feed. And since I know a fair amount, what they feed, from what I've seen, is inferior.

A foster dog comes into our house and is immediately put on Wellness. There's no way I'd gradually switch from a junk food to a good food--why continue to feed a bad food? If your dog is healthy, I suggest changing, cold turkey.

Our oldest bitch was a personal rescue at 5 mo. Her first family fed her supermarket kibble. For the first 3 days, Tula wouldn't eat because she didn't like Wellness. We feed 2x/day in our house and Tula refused to eat six meals, holding out for what she thought she might get. Too bad for her--I'm alot meaner than any 5 mo old prissy puppy. Six times Tula's bowl went down; each time she walked away w/o taking one bite when one sniff told her it wasn't her regular fare.

I picked up Tula's bowl after our older dog finished her meal. Tula lost weight during her self-imposed fast, but I wasn't worried. She was acting like a puppy--running around, playing, drinking water--she just wasn't eating.

Day 4 arrived, Tula's served breakfast, and she devoured it. She's been a member of the clean plate club since then (3-1/2 yrs).

The point is Nyla too may turn up her nose at Canidae. Ignore this; she'll eat when she gets hungry.

I don't know how dogs smell who're fed Iams, but I know what babydungeon means about her dog having no odor. Our dogs smell so good I often bury my nose in their fur and snuffle around. The only time gas is an issue in our house is when a foster gets home from an adoption event because I let people feed the dog all sorts of dog treats & the like we don't feed.

[babydungeon]

i still disagree, but not in your case. if the food was that terrible that the dog was eating i guess i'd change it immediately also. i just firmly believe that changing the diet without gradually doing it will upset the dog's stomach. food for thought! -kevin

[reba]

about 2 months ago. I tried the mix it with the old food approach, except the Rotts picked the Canidae out of the other kibble, so after 2 days of throwing away the leftovers, I went to all Canidae. My picky finicky Tarra who always turned up her nose at the food, then just picked at it until next feeding, now eats the whole thing, right now. I have noticed much healthier coats, soft and shiny, more energy in my older dogs. Seems to be working good for all.

I highly recommend it.

[Karyn]

Started with the usual - Purina - etc. The vet recommended Iannova - weight gain, switched to California Natural. They did well but Neemo (GSD) has a really, really sensitive stomach. Read a lot on Wellness so I switched to Wellness -- OOOOOH My Word - the poop!!! I was loose and a lot of it. Gave Canadea a try and all is well. They all love it and Neemo's stomach (always a consideration) is just fine. The poop is good, firm etc. I am a believer in Canadea.

[Sheenagirl]

Sheena loves the taste of Canidae but unfortunately it doesn't agree with her. She has increased itching and bad gas. So I switch off feeding Nutro Natural, Wellness and California Nat'l.

[nylarottie]

Thanks for the tips.

I guess it is really a process of trial and error... we will start with the Canidae and if that doesn't work out I guess I will try Wellness or one of the other recommended brands.

thanks again :)

[Rotti_love]

I had my two rotts on Solid Gold, but had to do a gradual switch to Science Diet due to the price of Solid Gold. My poor boy did not do well at all on the Science Diet. He was having the worst gas and his stools were sooo runny, it hurt me to watch him poop! Also the color of poop on Science Diet is just gross.

And then low and behold...Canidae is now available in Canada!!!
I switched immediatly, there was no way I was going to put my boy through one more day of that Science Diet. A day and a half later, his poops are solid and the color is much better! After results that quick, I have no doubts that switching to Canidae was the best decision. Plus the price is very comparible to Science Diet.

Thanks,

Jill