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  1. #1
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Transitioning off breeder food (Diamond)

    Hello! I know that it is recommended to leave your pup on the food from the breeder for awhile. My breeder was feeding Diamond Natural, which I've heard mixed reviews on, both here and online.

    Is this a food that I need to transition off of right away? And if so, how do I transition a new pup (13 weeks old, got him at 9 weeks) off of the breeder's food. I would probably transition to ProPlan because that's what I've heard the best things about, though I'm open to any other suggestions!

    For context on transition food advice: He has had terrible diarrhea the whole time we had him (3+ weeks). His fecal showed giardia so he was on panacur for that, which he finished about a week ago. My vet recommended another fecal a week after finishing the meds. However instead I called her and said that I'd rather just get another dose of the medicine than pay for the fecal because his diarrhea was still terrible and very smelly (I'm talking 0 consistency, completely liquid) so I figured he clearly still had the giardia. Since I knew sometimes it is tough to get rid of, I figured it wasn't out of the question he would need another dose. She called me back and said that his fecal actually had really low levels of the giardia bacteria so she is surprised he would still have it after the panacur. I'll probably do another fecal to see what's up and she said she might put him on something stronger.

    Thank you for the advice everyone!

  2. #2
    House Broken
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    Hi the biggest risk when switching food is loose stools. You already have that so. . . You usually start by adding a small amout of the new food mixed in with the old. Then every few days increase the amount of new in relation to old until it is all new. What I do is 10-15 percent then 25 then 50 then 75.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    As much as I dislike Diamond foods I would not switch anything while the puppy is still fighting giardia. Once he is feeling better and you are seeing normal poops for a while could you call the breeder and discuss a food change? If you do switch ProPlan is recommended by many breeders and they seem very happy with it. Starting the puppy on some probiotics would not be a bad idea either. You could also add a spoonful of plain pumpkin to one or two meals daily, (not the pie filling, just plain pumpkin!) to see if it helps. Poor baby, I hope he is feeling better very soon.
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  5. #4
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Me, I would do a 50/50 mix with the old and new food. Like when you are down to about 6 pounds or so, buy a 6 pound bag of the PP you want to feed (and a bigger bag for later), and dump the PP in. Give that a week or two, and then move right on to the new food. I never gave switching foods as much attention as some.

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  7. #5
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Great suggestions thanks all! I'm going to wait to see the giardia status when I see the vet on Thursday to make a decision. I feel so bad for him I can't imagine if I was having such prolonged stomach issues, so I hope we get it figured it soon.

 



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