I am in the process of changing the boys food.

I choose to use Natures Variety because Jack was on Solid Gold and the main ingedient is Bison, well he started getting runny poops. The guys at the pet food store as well as my breeder said it was probably to rich. (This is why I didn't do Duck & Potato) I have been wanting to get Chase on a better quality food for awhile and they said this was excellent for dogs that had all the "stuff" that Chase had.

Anyway, Chase is doing EXCELLENT on this food, ears have cleared up, not itching, etc., it has been a month, and we are still in the transition. Jack eats 2 1/2 cups twice a day. He is up to 1 cup of the new and 1 1/2 of Solid Gold. Once we got to 1 cup of Natures Variety, I noticed him itching A LOT and his tummy is pink!

I just got back from the pet store and got him Whitefish and Potato,
HOW THE HECK do I transition 3 foods? :huh:

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Youch!!!! You may get several suggestions on this one. If you don't mind, I'd like to do an ingredient comparison on the foods just to make sure you don't get more of the same with Jack but I want to clarify the 3 foods in the triangle!

Switching FROM Solid Gold w/Buffalo to Nature's Variety (which formula?) and considering switch to Whitefish and potato (that's Wellness I think). So as soon as I know which Nature's Variety let's do a side by side (by side) comparison.

Natures Variety is Chicken and rice is that what you mean?

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Zen, the brand name on the Whitefish and Potato is actuallly Fromm, I'm not sure if that will make a difference.
They told me not to use Wellness, they are having problems, switching owners

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They told me not to use Wellness, they are having problems, switching owners
REALLY??? That is big news. Do you have or could you get any more info on that?? Meanwhile, lets compare:

First I want to say that these are all beautiful foods. I feel you chose wisely and it's very unfortunate that Jack's having problems with the first two so far. It must be very frustrating for you (I know it was for me!). But all of them are quite complex foods with multiple protein sources AND multiple grain/carb sources.

What all three share in common: Brown rice/rice product, barley, oatmeal, fish/fish meal, flaxseed/flaxseed oil.

What the Nature's Recipe shares with the Fromms: Sweet potato, eggs, alfalfa, and a few other herbs/fruits which are probably so trace they won't make much difference.

What I get from this - personally - is that switching to the Whitefish may not make much of a difference.

If it were me, I would go for the simplest food I could find at this point to try and pinpoint what it is that Jack's having a problem with. The things they share in common are not the typical "allergens" (corn, wheat, soy, etc.) but each contain several grains, and flax seed which you occasionally see not tolerated by some dogs. If you want to rule out rice, I'd probably try something like California Lamb & Rice (Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Sunflower Oil, Taurine, Vitamins/Minerals, Beta Carotene) because it doesn't look like he's had lamb yet. If he still has a problem, it may be the rice after all.

If that doesn't improve things, you might want to try eliminating grains.

Hope this helps.

Solid Gold WolfKing Adult Dog (bison) (Right one?)
Bison | Salmon Meal | Brown Rice | Millet | Cracked Pearled Barley | Oatmeal | Rice Bran | Canola Oil | Flaxseed Oil | Garlic | Amaranth | Blueberries | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Taurine | Carotene | Choline Chloride | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Manganese Proteinate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Selenomethionine | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

Nature's Variety Chicken & Rice Ingredients:
Chicken, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Flaxseed, Chicken Liver, Menhaden Fish, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite, Flaxseed Oil, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Chicken Liver, Freeze Dried Salmon Oil, Sweet Potatoes, Cottage Cheese, Apples, Carrots, Peas, Whole Eggs, Kelp, Parsley, Artichoke, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove, Fermentation Products (Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (a source of Vitamin C), Carotene, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, and Vitamin B12 Supplement

Fromm Whitefish & Potato Ingredients:
Whitefish, Potato, Menhaden Fish Meal, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, White Rice, Herring Meal, While Dried Egg, Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Oat Hulls, Cheese, Flaxseed, Menhaden Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera, Folic Acid, Whole Clove Garlic, Parsley, Chondroitin Sulfate, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Salivarius, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Chloride, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

Thanx Zen,
My guy at the pet store said that the Whitefish and Potato was among the simplest URGGGGG!! :worried:

Tomorrow morning I am going to call Chases vet, Lisa, there Tech, is great with foods (must be the name) and i'll ask her.

Do you think it could just be the season for itchies? I know I am reaching for straws. (Chase would itch more depending on the season) :confused:

Oh, the Solid Gold is Wolf Cub (still puppy)

About Wellness, I will try to get more info, i'll call them tomorrow. What they told me today is that the owner sold the company and the the new owners are not using as high quality ingredients. They said Wellnes is "pretty shaky" I am not sure what that means, a VERY young girl said it. Pretty disturbing huh?

They told me that they have had had numerous people returning bags of food because it smells rancid, and they all agree.

They wanted me to smell a bag, but I passed :rolleyes: Is this what you feed?
Thanx again,
I will try to get more info

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No, Wellness didn't work for us but I know a lot of people do use it and are extremely happy with it. If that news is true, it's extremely disappointing! I read their entire website after you posted that, looking for press releases, and then googled everything I could think of but came up with nothing.

By the way, if you're considering it, there's a California Lamb & Rice puppy too.

I just talked to Chases Vet,
They recommended that I transition back to all Solid Gold, then start transitioning to the Whitefish and potato.
What do you think?

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He just had soft stools on the Solid Gold, right? It's definitely the least complex of the 3. Sometimes with richer foods, if you feed slightly less you can get better results.

I have a question though, what does your vet think of the simpler kibble idea (like Cal. Natural Lamb & Rice) rather than switching to the Whitefish?

Okay, I admit, I forgot to ask. I reread this post and what you are saying makes so much sense.
Yes, the only thing with the Solid Gold Puppy was soft poops.
Now, another question, If I stick with solid gold, in Lamb, do you think the transition will be easier for him?
This is Hund-n-Flocken

Lamb Bison
Protein, Min 22% Protein, Min 26%
Fat, Min 8% Fat, Min 12%
Fiber, Max 5% Fiber, Min 4%
Moisture, Max 10% Moisture, Min 10%
Calories per cup, 367 Calories per cup, 1595


Ingredients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lamb Meal | Ground Millet | Ground Brown Rice | Ground Barley | Menhaden Fish Meal | Canola Oil | Flaxseed Oil | Rice Bran | Garlic | Amaranth | Blueberries | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Taurine | Carotene | Choline Chloride | Calcium Carbonate | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Vitamin A Supplement | Zinc Proteinate | Niacin Supplement | Folic Acid | Thiamine | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Manganese Proteinate | Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex | Copper Proteinate | Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide | e. Ideal for moderately active adult dogs, to maintain total health.[/IMG]

oops, that didn't come out so good, sorry!
Forget about the protein, fat, fiber, etc. :rolleyes:

Tough call, that's introducing yet another food, which I'd be wary of doing (even though it looks really nice! it still has 4 separate carb sources). Even switching back to the bison Solid Gold has me scratching my head a bit. Any chance you can call and ask your vet what he thinks of trying the simpler Cal Natural option? That will greatly reduce the number of ingredients going into Jack and show you if it is in fact the rice that's bothering him.

UGGHH, I just tried calling, Lisa is in surgery for the rest of the day :rolleyes:
Why oh why, can't my dogs be simple????? :harp:

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That's the eternal question, isn't it? My dogs feel fairly simple now that I've "fixed" their diet... but most of the last 5 years that certainly wasn't the case!!! And now my cats are being complicated too!

Some dogs have trouble with Flax Seed or Flax Seed Oil and it can give them the itchies... Maybe try something without that.

Also, how old is the dog eating 2 1/2 cups twice a day? That's allot of food, and could be causing the soft poops in and of itself.

Some dogs have trouble with Flax Seed or Flax Seed Oil and it can give them the itchies... Maybe try something without that.

Also, how old is the dog eating 2 1/2 cups twice a day? That's allot of food, and could be causing the soft poops in and of itself.

Jack is 10 months, he is definately not overweight. In fact, his poops were perfect once we started weeing in the Natures Variety :rolleyes:

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This has been driving me bonkers so last night I called the head guy at my pet store. We talked for about a half hour, he agreed with you Zen, that these foods do not have "typical" allergens.

I asked him about the food you recommended and he suggested the Solid Gold Lamb and Rice to try first. He did have some good points and before you ask what they are, I cannot for the life of me tell you :rolleyes: My brain is ABSOLUTE mush!!!!

But i can tell you, Jack has had 3 feedings of the Lamb and Rice mixed with the Bison and he has not been nearly half as bad itching :cheers2:

His poops are a little mushy, but thats because he told me to totally take him off of the chicken and rice, and start adding the Lamb. This is very confusing.

Keep your fingers crossed. Thanx again for all you wisdom and knowlegde:)

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Go for it, Jenn! I'm right here with ya! If time goes on and Jack starts itching again, you can always back down to fewer ingredients. Have confidence. I do think Solid Gold is a very good company and I'm wishing you both success!!

For the transition you can try a tablespoon of pumpkin in his food to balance his poop consistency. If he seems uncomfortable, or straining, or really runny... I'd go for the Slippery Elm. It will soothe his entire digestive tract and it has no side effect and is nutritive. There's info about Slippery Elm stickied in Natural Diets.

FINGERS CROSSED!

:hug:

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Jack is 10 months, he is definately not overweight. In fact, his poops were perfect once we started weeing in the Natures Variety :rolleyes:



Sorry, I wasn't try to suggest that your pup is overweight... just that if there is too much food sometimes a dog just won't digest it all properly causing mushy poops.

Sorry, I wasn't try to suggest that your pup is overweight... just that if there is too much food sometimes a dog just won't digest it all properly causing mushy poops.

Gotcha :)

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