# Rotating Food



## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

I've been doing a lot of research about switching our boy onto a new food that is more balanced for him. I think at this point we've narrowed it down to Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Taste of the Wild and Back to Basics. I would like to give all of them a try and see what Haeden is most interested in and what he is more naturally driven to eat since we are currently having to coax him with wet food, additional meat, pumpkin or gravy to get him to eat his currently food (Nutro Natural Choice). I've done some reading about rotating foods to ensure that your pup is continuously receiving different nutrients as well as preventing deficiencies in different types of proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc. Previously I was of the mindset that changing foods did not offer many benefits and would be more disruptive to the dog's digestive system than anything, however, I think the idea of rotating foods even every few months would be beneficial to the health of our pup so long as the change is done gradually.

Can anyone offer knowledge/experience with food rotation (even within the brand) and the impact on their V? Any additional benefits or downsides that I'm overlooking?


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I change Willie's food type and/or brand very often. I don't do a gradual transition... I just offer him the new kind and see if he likes it. His digestive system seems to be very adaptable, because this never causes a problem. Every new brand that he likes is added to my rotation list. I really think he enjoys having some variety in his life. ;D ;D Guess I am not a very loyal shopper!


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

mswhipple said:


> I change Willie's food type and/or brand very often. I don't do a gradual transition... I just offer him the new kind and see if he likes it. His digestive system seems to be very adaptable, because this never causes a problem. Every new brand that he likes is added to my rotation list. I really think he enjoys having some variety in his life. ;D ;D Guess I am not a very loyal shopper!


 I do exactly the same with Darcy...but I now have her on BURNS ACTIVE, and I am going to stick with it..................I think!!!!!!!!!!


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

mswhipple said:


> I change Willie's food type and/or brand very often. I don't do a gradual transition... I just offer him the new kind and see if he likes it. His digestive system seems to be very adaptable, because this never causes a problem. Every new brand that he likes is added to my rotation list. I really think he enjoys having some variety in his life. ;D ;D Guess I am not a very loyal shopper!


It might work for Willie so you are lucky but be careful KB87 as your pup could have horrible runny poos doing this. The only way to then sort them would be to take food away for 24 hours and do a gradual introduction. 

I feed raw and rotate between meat types and don't do a gradual change as pups do fine on raw changes. However on kibble very few seem to be okay on an instant switch. If you have a bit of the old mix it with the new. It really does take that much time.


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

I definitely got some good input from you all! I've had dogs all my life and we've stayed brand loyal with the other pups so I'm very new to this whole idea of food rotating. Our boy is a little on the sensitive side so I'll have to be careful when switching between foods but I want to get him on something that's better for him ASAP. I'm really interested to see what impact a food change will have in his disgestion (he's a little gassy most of the time) and how interested he will be in a new food. I have no problem coaxing our boy to eat but lately he's been eating around the kibble and definitely not eating as much which I don't like at all since he's still a growing pup.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

I rotate Savannah's dry kibble within the Nutro brand and transition slowly, but not deliberately - add a bit more of the new flavor each meal kind of thing. 

I use a tbsp of wet dog food to make her food more interesting and change the brand and flavors around without any transition.

Lastly, I use different brands of dry kibble as treats and training aids and I'll rotate brands of these without any transition. We usually go through about a half-handful a day when we are in treat/training mode. 

Keeping her meals as a constant brand keeps her digestion on an even keel unless something truly doesn't agree with her. For example, Blue Buffalo, even as occasional treats, gives her gas.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Usually I would say I rotate proteins within a brand but lately I've even been doing different brands too. A young pup should be switched out gradually to prevent digestive issues but my two year old and eight month old do fine just switching. Once they get their "iron stomach" it's really not an issue. I understand wanting to pick the right food for your pup but be aware that he might be picky right now bec he's just not that hungry and in between growth spurts. So the newness of another food might wear off quickly. Not sure how old he is but I'd advise against any mix in if he's at least six months to try and get him to eat kibble on his own. He will, I promise, learn to eat when you say it's time. And worrying about mix ins for someone else when you leave or you when you all travel is just a pain. Been there, done with that. Just my view though. 

Anyhow I'm currently feeding natural balance lamb and rice LID. I also like Merrick Grain Free formulas and Wellness. But those are also in order of least to most expensive so the Wellness hasn't been in the house for quite awhile. The other foods are just as good or darn close to it but much cheaper here. I do like the Wellness soft jerky treats for training and always have those on hand with one or two other brands.


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