# finding the right food



## bjm442 (Feb 6, 2013)

how long did it take for you to find the right food for your V. Right now Charlie is on Nutro ultra, and it does not agree with him.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Nooooo, folks around these places feed Acana, TOTW. 
I do Orijen and supplement with digestive enzymes. 
Something like this but not necessary to be the same, you get the idea....
http://www.inclover.com/optagest_dogs.html


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

About a year for my youngest one. We were feeding her Nature's Variety Instinct, and she was like a rail. We gave her up to 6 cups a day... Now she's on Merrick, Bison & Sweet potatoe. For our oldest one, it took about a month to switch from breeder's Eukanuba to Orijen. She was allergic to everything. Ever since we switched to Orijen's Regional Red, she's done really well  Good luck in your search for new food!


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Elza's breeder feed her dogs Royal Canin so she came with that but after having colitis 3 times I have decided to choose a hypoallergenic food for her. That was James Wellbeloved from 6 months old but recently she refused to eat it so I had to find a new food. I've decided on Acana due to the good reputation of it here on the forum plus the quality of it. It's only been a few days but so far so good. Both times I didn't have a choice but to transition her from one to the other in a day. Both times she has done well and didn't get an upset belly but the best way to change the diet is to mix the two together and slowly cut the old one out totally. 
I've written a post called 'Acana trial' if you're interested in our experience, just use the search bar.


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

For about 9 months we were working on finding the best food for our boy. We started with Nutro Natural Choice and were on that for quite a few months but it really didn't agree with him- always gassy, messy poo, etc. We tried Blue Buffalo Wilderness next and had even more issues with that. Now we're on TOTW with enthusiastic success. Our boy absolutely loves it and it's agreeing with him SO much better than Nutro ever was. It took about 10 months to find the right food for our boy.

I would highly suggest looking at some of the "better" foods out there- TOTW, Orijen, Acana, etc. They're slightly pricier but you will see the difference when you find the right food for your pup. I would also consider the types of proteins that you are using- see if fish seems to agree better vs chicken vs bison. Most of the "better" foods out there tend to be grain free which I think is what helped out boy- less fillers, more protein and better overall quality of food.

Also, I would suggest reading some of the recent reviews on your current food from others to see if there have been any new developments/complaints. I know Nutro Natural Choice is seeing a number of complaints regarding stomach problems in recent history possibly due to a change in their formula, although the company is not commenting on it. I know my mom's dogs had a significant change in their digestion recently so I helped her transition to a better quality grain free food which has seemed to make quite a difference. Keeping yourself educated on changes in your pup's food can help identify any red flags that might be popping up.

Another idea to consider is looking into a probiotic to help your dog's digestion along. z


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Miles was on Iams puppy food until 7 months when he started demonstrating signs of allergies. He is on TOTW now and it's gone very well. He digests it well and seems to like it. He eats about 4 cups a day free fed. We supplement with meats, egg, veggies, and a bit of raw food.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

It seems that Vizslas have sensitive stomachs and finding the right food for yours can take some time. It isn't just a question of finding a good food, the dog has to like the food and the food has to agree with it's stomach.

I tried four brands of kibble and found ACANA to be the best suited to my pup. However, I have since moved him on to a raw diet and that has suited him best of all.


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## bug2916 (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi I've been feeding Bodi Innova since we took him home.He is 19mths. Now there is a recall on Innova and we are looking to change. I've done some research on the totw, orijen and acana and they are a bit pricy in my area. I was thinking of changing to Blue Wilderness food. Has anyone had problems with this brand?


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## bjm442 (Feb 6, 2013)

KB87- I think your right... I have no clue what is going on at Nutro. We have been buy nutro treats, but this last bag of PB treats smalls like apple. I was wanting to change to blue or TOTW, but the g/f wants to but him on SD lamb and rice. But we might try Earthborn. So it looks like it might take close to a year to get the right food.


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## marathonman (Jan 15, 2013)

bjm442,
I'd suggest doing some research at the dog food advisor website to compare brands if your g/f wants to feed your pup science diet. (look at TOTW/Acana/earthborn compared to SD)


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

We feed ASpen Acana Chicken & Burbank Potato, its all stages kibble. 
As for price make sure to compare how much you actually have to feed the dog. 
For example Purina Puppy 3.5-5.5 cups a day for 3-5 months old 
Acana is only 2.5-3.5 cups a day depending on lbs and months 
So if your feeding a cup of food more evey day that will add up .


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

bjm, I would definitely do some research on Dog Food Advisor. It's very thorough and goes in depth, yet explains it in a way that's understandable.

My mom went onto Earthborn with her dogs as it is priced similarly to Nutro but is grain free and a better rated food. So far no complaints from her but I also haven't seen her dogs since she made the change. Her basset suffers from mild to severe food allergies so that was another motivation to go grain free. From my research it seemed like solid food to try but I don't know from personal experience yet. She seems happy though.

I would highly recommend researching one of the foods suggested by others - TOTW, Acana, Earthborn, Orijen - to eventually try. In your research make sure to look into where you can buy these foods locally as some are more difficult to find I've found. Not sure where you are located, but in the states Pet Supplies Plus and Pet People carry more of the grain free foods to give more of a selection. Both of them also price match which is great. I thought that TOTW would be WAY more expensive than Nutro or Blue when we switched but I've been able to get it on sale and get a 30 lb bag for as little as $45. Tractor Supply also carries it and often has it on sale. Sacrificing a few extra $$ for your pup is completely worth it, in my opinion.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

this is like picking a car - make model color & year - I do know this - if you treat your V the way they were bred - high protein is the only way to go - a empty bowl and solid stool says it all - butt when you change diet do it in small steps by mixing the old with the new


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## bjm442 (Feb 6, 2013)

Last night i got Earthborn puppy. He must like it, since he is eating faster. I'm giving him 3/4 old and 1/4 new, with every meal. What I have been read on this forum is V's have sensitive stomachs. I would like to see a vote of what every one is feeding.


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## FrancoD13 (Aug 9, 2012)

We are also in the process of transitioning our 10 month old's food. We went from Purina Pro Plan which the breeder was using. Switched to Innova, but with the recall and the bad experience switched to Fromm 5-star, which he loved. He would run for his food, but I think it was too rich for him because it resulted in very soft stool. Not to mention numerous stools. After the suggestion of some trainers we are transitioning from the Fromm to Blue Basics. The Basics has less ingredients and we are hoping it will settle his stomach a bit. 

We read a bunch of forum posts and never saw the Blue Basics mentioned, so interested if anyone has tried it.


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## bug2916 (Mar 5, 2012)

Ok so we switched Bodis food last week from the Innova to Blue Wilderness and the only thing that changed was the color of his stool it is much darker still solid as it was with Innova. It's been 6 days still mixing with the rest of the Innova and all is good with the Blue Wilderness


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## bjm442 (Feb 6, 2013)

Charlie is on day five of the food change. WOW there is a change in my dog...he is getting to be more of a V. Before he was very lazy, but not now.


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## bjm442 (Feb 6, 2013)

We are on day seven of change to the new food. I'm very old school, I don't throw away food. I have about 1lb of the old food left. Can I keep giving him 75% new to 25% old until the old food is gone?


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Definitely - did I miss a post - what did you end up by changing him to??

Glad you found something that suits him.


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## bjm442 (Feb 6, 2013)

For right now we are going with Earthborn.

http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/

I found a cool dog boutique less then a mile from my home, that sells all natural pet food. They don't sell Earthborn yet, but they are looking to get it in.


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