Length Of Time To Try Food

[Guest picopaco]

How long do you keep with a particular food until saying this isn't working out and trying something else? My grey has very soft stools so I'm trying to find something that works and don't know how long to stick with 1 thing.

[Fostr_Mom]

Just a thought, sometimes it is not the food. It could also be the treats you give them. Or sometimes they need a bit more fiber. I would think that if they aren't doing well after several big bags of the same food, a change would be in order. I finally settled on 4Health Beef or Pork for my two. And I only give one or two kinds of treats. If I add a new treat, I only give that one for a while to see how they react.

[greysmom]

Generally you will see some sort of improvement within 10 days to 2 weeks (or sooner) if a food is going to work. But you also don't want to be switching foods that often as that will also cause problems.

 

If you have tried a food, and there's no improvement on it, the next food you try should be a different protein and/or carb source. So if you were feeding lamb-and-rice, the next food should be turkey-and-sweet potato or fish-and-pea. That way you can see if your dog's problem is related to their food or some other factor. If s/he already has diarrhea and stomach upset, there's not a big reason to switch slowly, as the problem can't get much worse.

 

If stools don't improve, the first thing to do is eliminate medical issues - worms, digestive disease. You should also be giving a good probiotic like Forti Flora (from the vet). We use a product called Digestive Enzymes that we get from Amazon. Some people use full-fat yogurt. Be careful with dairy products as some dogs are lactose intolerant. You can add fiber with pumpkin, but this can also cause diarrhea. Sweet potato and dried beet pulp are better choices for additional fiber.

 

The most common ingredients for dogs to be intolerant to are chicken, corn, and wheat. So you may want to try and eliminate these first. As FosterMom said above, you need to include treats in any elimination diet.

[Guest picopaco]

She's on antibiotics right now for coccidia. Almost done with meds. I've had her on 4 different kibble in the 6 weeks I've had her (I know! Haha) so wondering if I just should stick with the Blue I have her on for now even though I'm not seeing any improvement (been eating it a week).

She's on antibiotics right now for coccidia. Almost done with meds. I've had her on 4 different kibble in the 6 weeks I've had her (I know! Haha) so wondering if I just should stick with the Blue I have her on for now even though I'm not seeing any improvement (been eating it a week).

[Guest xengab]

changing her that often will not give her time to adjust. It could be the meds causing it now too.

[RedHead]

I find that I can generally tell how a food is almost immediately. I know they recommend several weeks, but I find that you can usually tell within a day or two. I would probably try something for a week but after that I would look for another alternative personally.

 

If your pup has been ill, there could be other issues causing the digestive upset as well. You may want to feed a bland diet (like rice and chicken and a few veggies) to settle things down for a few days.

[Guest picopaco]

changing her that often will not give her time to adjust. It could be the meds causing it now too.

Hence my question haha.. how long is the right amount of time on 1 food?

[Hubcitypam]

I'd say at the very least two or three weeks, But that's just me. We all have our opinions.

[FiveRoooooers]

If you are adding water to the kibble, try backing off the amount of water. Often this simple change is enough to dispense with loose poo.

[Feisty49]

Just an FYI: FortiFlora, mentioned above, can be purchased from Amazon. Also FYI: It did nothing for Annie. No probiotic ever did.

 

I know experienced Greyhound people who will introduce a new food over the course of a week and feel that if poos aren't better within a week after being weaned, the food isn't going to work. I also know experienced Greyhound people who change food with no weaning off the old and onto the new. They just do it.

 

My Annie has no issues with her food, but if I give her treats she's not used to, the results are evident the next day or two with loose stools. So to me, it stands to reason that you don't need weeks to determine if a new food is going to work if an adverse reaction to a treat changes the output.

[Batmom]

We're in the "immediately" camp. Never had a dog do better with time on a food, only the same or worse. We usually do go 30-70 or 50-50 for a couple days to make sure the results we're seeing are the new food and not old food still in the pipeline, and so that any unfortunate results aren't ... gigantic. But if we try a new food, we're sure the results are from the new food, and those results are bad? We switch immediately.

[Guest picopaco]

Just ordered fortiflora. Her gas is wicked right now too my house smells like a dog's butt lol

[Teensy]

If you can get your hands on a reasonably priced canine raw diet, they usually include bone meal which really helps pull things together. We always fed half raw half Acana kibble for very convenient poo.