"Rotations" brand dog food

[Tazwell]

Has anybody seen this at local feed stores? I've seen it around, and never looked into it that much... I can't find much online about it, either. It comes in a box with three different formulas, that you rotate through. The company claims that there's no need to gradually wean from one to another, although they all have completely different protein sources...

ROTATIONS All-Natural Adult Dog Food Recipes

Whenever I looked at the ingredients, I didn't see a whole lot of bad ingredients, maybe one or two things I didn't like... Including Ethyl D near the end of the ingredient list. There's also rice bran near the top, and salt is closer to the start than at the end of the list. I can't see on the website whether the food is AAFCO approved or not.

Here's an example of the adult box, this is the chicken formula--

Ingredients

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Rice, Oats, Rice Bran, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Herring Meal, Natural Flavors, Dried Egg Product, Dried Blueberries, Dried Spinach, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Fish Oil (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein 25.0% (min)
Crude Fat 14.0% (min)
Crude Fiber 3.5% (max)
Moisture 10.0% (max)
Calcium 1.1% (min)
Phosphorus 0.9% (min)
Vitamin E 100 IU/kg (min)
Omega-6 Fatty Acids* 1.4% (min)
Omega-3 Fatty Acids* 0.4% (min)

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles

Now I know the food isn't THAT great... but I saw it at Big Lots for only $5.00 for a small box, and I was surprised to see it there. It's certainly not that expensive. What are your thoughts on the food?

 

[MandyPug]

It has menadione sodium bisulfate complex in it... I'd avoid it.

 

[Barb04]

I do agree with Mandy about avoiding it with that as one of the ingredients.

 

[Tazwell]

I wasn't planning on feeding it at all, I certainly wouldn't switch from grain free to that! I was curious because I'm seeing it a lot more lately.

What are the thoughts on switching between those formulas without weaning?

 

[ihartgonzo]

So. Much. RICE! That food is mostly rice... just not appropriate for a carnivore. D: I hate it when "brown rice" "rice" "rice bran" "brewers rice" etc are all included to make it seem like there is more meat. Trickery!

I think that switching between foods mostly depends on the dog. With a dog who has a varied diet, full of fresh foods, raw food, a dog with lots of good flora, you can usually switch to anything decent without an upset tummy. A lot of dog food companies add in binders and grains to make it seem like the dog has naturally firm, healthy poops. Most dogs who stay at the hotel that I work at don't get an upset tummy from our house kibble (Science Diet Sensitive Stomach)... that isn't because it's a premium food, it's because they add stuff (including upping the calcium) to artificially firm the poops. That doesn't mean the poops aren't insanely huge, but they're solid! /pooptalk