What brand should I switch to?

[cowgurl6254]

Okay, Andy (9 wk old sheltie) has been getting Nutro Ultra Puppy food his entire life. I feel like I've given it time to work, but he is having more problems as he is getting older. He has a bowel movement at least 4-6 times a day and lately he has been scratching uncontrollably. He doesn't have fleas. His stools are firm and compact, but he goes so often! Anybody have a favorite brand? I really think I'm gonna switch him. I think I can do better.

 

[papillon806]

My puppy had a BM about 3-4 times a day when he was eating Timberwolf Organics, but I recently switched him to the Royal Canin "special 30 mini" and he now only goes once a day! I was baffled and I thought something was wrong, but I guess he just didn't handle the TO well! lol

 

[Mordy]

If he is scratching a lot, I'd try out a food that has a very simple formulation without a huge variety of ingredients, such as for example California Natural Chicken & Rice Puppy. Maybe add some fish oil to that for omega 3 fatty acids.

That will give you a chance to evaluate whether the scratching was due to the quality of the previous food (in the case of my own dog it was) or if there are other factors.

Since he's still very young, I wouldn't worry about the frequency of the poops, some dogs just go more often than others. It might decrease once you feed a better quality food that's more digestible, but that's not guaranteed.

 

[pup-man]

Canidae - Chicken and Rice formula.... its for "ALL LIFE STAGES" ... which works out great once they become adults

 

[rowdy ridgeback]

I have a female Sheltie and she is on Solid Gold Milenium. It even says on the back it is best for herding dogs.

 

[cowgurl6254]

Thanks everyone

 

[Roxy's CD]

I've been advertising Wellness a lot! lol, it's great they've got all sorts of great gourmet flavours and more importantly the ingredients list isn't 10 pages long, but short and sweet, good stuff, like sweet potatoes, canola oil for their coat and NO RICE!!!

 

[Mordy]

The sad thing is that Wellness foods took quite the drop in quality when they were reformulated not too long ago. They added a few gimmick ingredients they push heavily, but those that truly matter took a hit. The price didn't change, so you basically get a lesser product for the same high price.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I second Mordy's advice (of course... the kibble GOD! hehe =P) about California Natural Puppy! It is AWESOME for most pups! I feed my little guy California Natural Lamb & Rice Puppy. He poops regularly 3x per day, they are firm and pretty much odorless. He also loves the taste and his coat has already shown improvement (his foster mom fed him Natural Balance, a good kibble but significantly lower quality).

Just to promote this kibble... I work at a feed store, and my manager was a vet tech for the founder of Natura. She likes & sells all premium kibbles, but she feeds her dogs California Natural and definitely stands behind it. I trust her advice over almost anyones! She has been seeing the results of all varieties of kibble for years and years!

Your little guy is precious, btw!

 

[Mordy]

I can't say enough good things myself. the CA Natural really made a difference when my own dog was still a puppy and had severe flea allergy dermatitis.

 

[SummerRiot]

Riot and our Shelties are on Fromm dog food. Their coats are doing very very well and their poops dont stink as bad as they did when the Shelties were on Pedigree and Riot was on Nutro. They also dont go as much as they did before.

Riot was also very very scratchy as a puppy on Nutro. when we first switched to Innova all the itchyness went away. B/C its show season though we have gone into Fromm and they will be on that until at least October then go back to Innova for the winter months.
(The got board of the Innova taste after a while, another reason why we switched foods)

 

[pup-man]

I like switching foods between Innova and Canidae Change it up a little....

As far as Wellness... I, and many others have had diarhea issues with their new formula... and I mean really, really bad diarhea.

 

[mjpeter]

My pup started California Natural a couple of months ago after we discovered some food sensitivities, and he's doing wonderfully! Plus, his BM's have decreased by about 50%, if you're worried about that. It really is a great food! Good Luck...

 

[RetrieverLove]

Canidae - Chicken and Rice formula.... its for "ALL LIFE STAGES" ... which works out great once they become adults

I second this, I've had some excellent expriences with this food!