Rotation Diets?

[klnst3]

Those of you that feed some sort of rotation, how do you do it? I mean, do you feed one food one day, a different one the next, and so on? Or do you switch it up weekly? Every time you need a new bag? Monthly?

AND... do you rotate formulas within the same brand, or choose different brands to rotate with? How do you decide what to buy?

Thanks!

[POPTOP]

Started rotation about a year ago. I feed Fromm and rotate between different formulas. During the winter I feed the whitefish since it has less calories and keeping weight down on Mardi is important at her age and her limited ability to be mobile in the winter/snow. This is about 3 months. I switch between duck and pork also. They love all of them. I don't do a slow changeover, run out of one and start another. I'll probably feed 3 months of each.

I chose Fromm because of their great track record (no recalls) and the dogs love them.

[doubledip1]

I rotate between Nutrisource and Fromm. Buy a bag, go through it, buy a different bag. I switch companies between bags. I went low and slow when I was initiating her on to Fromm from Nutrisource, but now I just cold turkey between bags.

[Jeff]

I do switch between California Natural Grain Free Venison, Pork and Kangaroo, and Fromm Grain Frees. No real set schedule, but I tend to stick with the Venison usually seems to have the best energy on it. However, Hemi gets a lot of fresh foods as well. What ever I am having he gets a helping as well as long as it is dog safe.

So take a saturday night grilling night. Steak and sweet potato or steak and acorn squash, steak and asparagus
I have a steak and bottom 1/4 is his. No rub or spices on his. I take out about the same calories in kibble from his dry food. Fresh Veggies I give him a lot.

Weekend breakfast Hemi gets an egg, scrambled, fried, scrambled egg whites, what ever I am having he gets some. Again reduction in kibble.

Shellfish and sushi is one of the things he doesn't get then things with onions and stuff like.

Fresh fruits and veggies every day. We share a banana ever morning, Apple every night, good fiber and vitamins. I have bags of frozen green beans and blueberries and strawberries. Just go tot he freezer grab a couple and instant healthy treat.

I really believe the fresh food is much healthier for him than kibble. So he gets quite a blend. Also in order for him to eat healthy and I share it makes me eat healthier too.

I also bought this cook book, and got a lot of ideas for myself and Hemi Dog-Gone Good Cuisine: More Healthy, Fast, and Easy Recipes for You and Your Pooch: Gayle Pruitt, Joe Grisham: 9781250037138: Amazon.com: Books it literally is food for you and your dog. I don't do this every day but on occasion I make something for Hemi and myself. Great ideas in there like I make a great berry smoothie with yogurt and spinach for myself and then put the rest in an ice cube tray. Great cool off summer treat. I give him out on the deck in the heat.

Probably way more than you asked for but the idea behind rotating food is to get a variety of different veggies and proteins. It not really good for humans or dogs to have the exact same thing every day. Like a kid that always wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You don't let them have one every meal, but they do eat it a lot.

[Snowshoe]

I fed by two big bags. I picked my three foods to have different main protein and filler sources but very similar kcal/cup numbers. I mixed brands. For instance my first food from the breeder was chicken and corn. I searched for a food with no fowl of any kind, no turkey, duck or even dehydrated egg. I saw no difference in energy, coat, poop size, colour or frequency, or allergy reaction But the one food that was quite a bit lower in kcal/cup (before I learned it was important too) which also happened to be the one grain free did result in noticeable weight loss in only one week. When I found a different fish based, grain free food with kcal/cup numbers closer to my other two foods all was well again.

I've since switched to raw and have learned my dog is sensitive to turkey (which was not in any of his foods if the labels were correct) but he can eat chicken and duck.

[ZoeysMommy]

my lab and corgi switch every 2 to 3 big bags. I have about 6 different kinds I use. I usually feed chicken as the protein source, sometimes turkey or beef. Sometimes with grains, sometimes without. My lab and corgi can eat just about anything. I never feed a fish based food but I do feed them other sources of fish

Mine also eat a lot of different fresh meats, rice, oatmeal, veggies, eggs.

[TooLabs]

I do the the cold turkey switch with Fromm Four Star.. I mainly use the Surf and Turf, Beef, and Pork and Applesauce. Might give the whitefish one a shot soon. I have a 14 month old and a 10.5 year old on the Fromm and just adjust scoop sizes accordingly.

[barry581]

I've been rotating Fromm 4 Star with Sophie for almost 2 years now. Cold switch at the end of each bag, and I don't feed the chicken. I don't notice any difference in coat, energy or poo as I rotate through the food.

[Gibbysmom]

We rotate after every large bag, we buy whatever is on sale of a few brands we like. So sometimes it just different flavors of the same brand. They also eggs, Honest Kitchen soup, and raw bones.

[SCDoug]

We feed one kibble as staple, two different raw foods (frozen patties and freeze dried), and do some home cooking. We normally feed kibble during the week, and feed raw or cook on the weekends. Also, usually a marrow bone here and there.