# Very Odd Food Experience



## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

Our 7 month V has been on the same food since he was a pup and has never had any problems, other than the occasional gas. About a month ago we made the usual trip to the pet store to pick up more food, however they were out of the flavor we usually get for him, chicken. We didn't think it would be a big deal so, within the same brand, we grabbed the lamb instead. For days he had awful stomach problems but didn't seem to feel bad and was pretty much his same happy, playful self. Soon as we switched his food back he was right as rain again, weird. 

Have any of you had that experience with the same dog food, different flavor?


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

sorry about the stomach issues! I would think, since it's a different flavor, that the fact that it's the same brand is irrelevant because the ingredients will be different. Has your pup had a problem with other lamb flavored food? To complicate things further, my pup had a problem with a single brand of liver treats, while all other liver treats haven't bothered him.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Interesting! I had to switch to a different flavor once--didn't sit well. It was only temporarily, but I went though a whole can of pumpkin since I had to add it to every meal. That definitely helped, and it never seemed to both him as far as behavior and attitude.

My guess is that there might be enough of a difference in the ingredients or ratio of proteins, etc. that it could throw them off. Or he's somehow a little intolerant of lamb?


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## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

It is possible he does just have an intolerance to lamb. We had been giving him yogurt for days before we finally switched his food back and it did not seem to help. Well I guess we know now, just seemed very strange. 

Thanks for the input!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

We switched also and that gave Sam the runs. The ingredients were different and from what I understood dog's shorter large intestines lack the bacteria population we enjoy. It takes a while for them to adjust.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Willie must have a cast iron stomach, so to speak. Of course, when I adopted him, he was very emaciated and starving, really. Right at first, in spite of my best efforts, he went through a period of "refeeding syndrome" and had the runs pretty bad. But once his intestinal track was stablized, he's been good.

I always have two different brands (of two different flavors) on hand. I alternate his meals out of the two separate bags. For example, today he had whitefish and sweet potato for breakfast, and then he had venison and brown rice for dinner. Also, I usually supplement with a bit of extra protein, no more than an ounce and sometimes less (chicken, tuna, egg, etc.), mixed into his kibble with a little warm water. I think that switching him around in this way is actually good for him... and he always seems to enjoy his meals.  Maybe it encourages a wider range of flora in his gut.

p.s. Bear in mind that Willie is not a puppy. He's a full-grown 4-year-old male. His stomach is not touchy in the least.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Willie is a lucky guy. I kept Sam on a grain free diet until his stomach caught settled because I knew it was better.

Interesting how the new dog foods have much higher protein content (almost double). For puppies it's about 40% and for cats 50% or 57%.
I had a long conversation with a dog food store owner yesterday. I thought Precise was the utmost in dog food, he agreed but no one bought it. So it had to be scaled back. 
Many dog foods are essentially made by the same companies but marketed under different names if the formula is tweaked a little. 10% increase in protein content and a new brand is born. New packaging also.


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