We used to use the Coastal Catch. The dogs loved it. Ultimately though, the fat content was too low and Maverick kept dropping weight despite us giving him about 5 cups per day total. It is also fairly expensive. I have not used Victor.
I am new here and wanting to switch. Which food in your opinion is better? I wish I knew how to post pic of ingredients in each. Sorry
We used to use the Coastal Catch. The dogs loved it. Ultimately though, the fat content was too low and Maverick kept dropping weight despite us giving him about 5 cups per day total. It is also fairly expensive. I have not used Victor.
Better is relative to the dog. My girl Sophie (almost 6) has been on a rotation of Fromm, Petkind and Nulo for almost 5 years and she's done very well on these foods. Brooks, my 17 month old was also on the same rotation as Sophie, but he had a continuous issue of soft, loose poo's. I talked with his breeder who has used Eukanuba Performance 30/20 with her adults for a long time, and after speaking with her, I put Brooks on that food. Within a month his poo's were much better, and he still has more than enough energy, and his coat looks great.
It's not a matter of find what is the best food. It's a matter of finding what food is best for that particular dog. If your dog is doing well on the current food, don't mess with it.
I have no scientific reason for doing this. We had a discussion about rotating foods/protiens on this board a few years ago, before it crashed about 3 years ago. One of the main reasons is variety. I know I wouldn't want to eat the same food every single day, so I figure it's got to be the same for some dogs. You can get a lot of good info, pro and con with a google search.
As to the brands I use, I've had very good success with these foods. Sophie has perfect poo's, shed's very little, and has good energy.
I will say this, while rotating has worked well for Sophie, it did not work well for Brooks. He had issues with very soft/sometimes loose poo's on the food Sophie was eating. I asked his breeder (windycanyon) what she recommended, and I switched Brooks to Eukanuba Performance 30/20. I made the switch about 5 months ago, and Brooks has done much better on this food.
I switched mine to Victor Yukon River a couple of months ago and have been very pleased. I was having an issue with one dog that has not recurred and the other is also doing well on it. They both look good, are maintaining weight, and love it. I was already using Victor, just a different formulation. I have had mine on Victor most of their lives.
Victor looks better because it had less peas in it. My Lab eats the Victor hi pro plus. Have not tried any of the grain free with her.
"The dog was created specially for children, he is the God of frolic"
-Henry Ward Beecher
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I rotated three different foods to avoid a build up in my dog of the toxins associated with production of the main protein and main carb in the food, such as pesticide, fertilizer, drugs etc, and to hopefully avoid build up of intolerance to the food. Others have said they rotate so as to have a food to use in case one of their others is recalled. I rotated three completely different main proteins and carbs, two different brands of food and one was grain free. I kept protein, fat and kcal/cup levels as close as possible. Rotating kibble is suggested by Diana Laverdure and others studying pet nutrition.
from: Novel Protein Diet vs Exotic Protein - Pet Food DivaLack of rotating food
Many pet parents innocently place their companion dog or cat on one food and continue to feed this same product for years. When the animal inevitably starts to show signs of a food intolerance to the product – which is typically manifested by gastrointestinal and/or skin-related symptoms – they will often ask someone (typically a salesperson at their local pet store) what they should do. The general recommendation is to switch to a food with a different protein source. Once the food is switched, the person then feeds this new food for a very long time – possibly years. When the dog or cat once again inevitably develops a food intolerance to this “new” food, the person again switches proteins…and the vicious cycle continues.
Overall, excessive and repeated exposure to a particular animal protein is a major culprit in creating the environment we have today of the ever-increasing dilemma of food intolerances. On top of that, by continuing to feed one product for years, you may be inadvertently creating a deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals, and not providing a proper balance of amino acids.
Pet Food Diva - Improving Pet Health One Bite at a Time. This lists her credentials. She's fairly new on the block.
ETA: This was posted in reply to Daisylubob's question to Barry about rotating. My reply with quote function didn't work, or I screwed it up.
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Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
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I’ve only had one dog with a food intolerance, which we didn’t figure out until he was 10, but looking back he had the signs of it since he was about two, so I don’t think it was from feeding the same food for years. We don’t rotate, but our dogs get a taste of almost everything we eat, so have exposure to all sorts of novel foods, LOL - maybe that makes a difference?
I have heard of dogs that don’t do well with cold turkey switches but I’ve never owned one so I don’t really worry about what happens if we run out and can’t get more of the same. Sass was getting a little chunky so I started giving her Chloe’s food for one meal a day for a couple weeks and that solved the problem. Sass is usually on Pro-Plan Sport, which is primarily chicken and rice with some corn and fish meal. I gave her with no transition, Annamaet Lean which is a grain-free that while also chicken based with some fish but also contains duck, chickpeas and potatoes, none of which are in her regular food. The Pro-Plan is 26% protein, 16% fat and the Annamaet is 30% protein, 7% fat. She never skipped a beat and did drop the extra pounds fairly easily.
Annette
Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009
And remembering:
Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015
And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014
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while its all relative to your dogs individual needs. We had lots of luck with Earthborn in the past. Good luck finding the right match for your pup
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