# question about switching food



## noa and me (Jun 30, 2008)

sorry, kind of long...

Noa was having a bit of a "scooting" issue (she wasn't expressing her glands properly, so every 5-6 days she would start to act uncomfortable and scoot her bum) even though her stools were firm and she was going pretty regularly. I changed her food from Wellness puppy to Orijen puppy, hoping this would help. Thanks to all the great advice here on the forum, I knew to make the switch gradually, and today was the first day of 100% Orijen (i first introduced it on Saturday). 

She really likes the new food, but ever since she started eating it she's been acting hungry ALL the time. She will lay in front of the cupboard where her food lives and wait for it to be meal-time, and if she's around people who are eating she will beg and beg and beg (of course puppies are big fans of people food but up until this week she would leave it if you ignored her or told her to back off) On top of this, I've noticed that her poop has increased - not just in frequency but also in volume. It's still (mostly) firm but she will go almost every time we go out, instead of the 3-4 times a day that was happening before, and when she goes there is a lot more coming out. So my question is, should I switch her back to Wellness/try some other food? Is this just a transitioning issue that will sort itself out when she's used to the Orijen? I know Orijen is a lot higher in protein, and richer overall, so maybe it's too much for her system? It seems like a high quality food, but if it all just goes in one end and out the other then I guess it's not really worth it. :suspicious: 

I'm just trying to do what's best for my babydog, and I imagine you lovely forum folks might be able to help me figure this out


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

More than likely it's just a transitioning type thing. Noah's body is probably just adjusting to the new food. A puppies stomach can be pretty sensitive to change. The Orjen puppy is grain free so if anything her poops should eventually become smaller. Her body might simply be cleaning itself out of the grains from the wellness, although it really doesn't have that much grain in it. It could also simply be that her body is digesting the food quicker and hence she has to go out more often. When I first started my guys on raw they had to poop everytime they went out as well. Now they go 2 or 3 times a day. 

If it was too rich for her system, her poops would be loose and not firm. I would just stick to the Orijen until the bag is finished. Doesn't really sound like things are too bad.


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

I'm curious. Is there a grain free kibble without potato? I was considering switching Saydee from Solid Gold to Evo, but I've wondered about the potato thing myself.


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## noa and me (Jun 30, 2008)

It's been better today, her stools were firmer and not as, er, sizable  Also, she's been a million times more energetic since I switched her food. On the Wellness, everyone who met her commented on how "mellow" she was, and she is still capable of being calm but she's gotten significantly more playful and prone to RLH's in the last few days. Not that I mind, I mean she's a puppy and that is how they're supposed to be - it's just different and seems to be related.


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## Krimmyk (Dec 7, 2006)

SaydeeMomma said:


> I'm curious. Is there a grain free kibble without potato? I was considering switching Saydee from Solid Gold to Evo, but I've wondered about the potato thing myself.


WE bought Sully Barking at the moon and found out it was making his coat feel funny, we have since changed to Evo big bites to force him to chew on something. I think he is smitten with it. He eats everything every day. With minimal dragging around the floor of the food. His poos are like non existent, breaking down super fast. We have to take caution with Sully's teeth, since he doesn't chew we found out he has been just swallowing or softening it up to eat it. Causing him to have his second scaling in a year last week! The vet wanted Sully on some nasty huge bite food, I could smell the corn and crap in it. :suspicious: So, we turned to Evo...the bites are larger then we used to get but are still fairly small IMO. But I hear the crunch crunch and it makes me happy! The transition went well, all poo solid and tiny.


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

Wow! That's great news. Saydee loves the Evo sample I got from the pet store, but I still wonder about the potato?


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Krimmyk said:


> The vet wanted Sully on some nasty huge bite food, I could smell the corn and crap in it. :suspicious: So, we turned to Evo...the bites are larger then we used to get but are still fairly small IMO. But I hear the crunch crunch and it makes me happy! The transition went well, all poo solid and tiny.


Good for you, for avoiding the vet "food"! :whoo:

Some say it's a bit of a myth that larger kibble will help keep teeth clean because kibble tends to stick to a dog's teeth, like a granola bar can to ours. If you really want CLEAN teeth, I'd highly recommend giving Sully a raw meaty bone a couple of times/week. Depending on how big a Hav Sully is, It could be a raw chicken drumstick, a chicken neck or turkey neck. Chicken wings are good for smaller dogs. The bones are not dangerous to chew when they are raw, but you will have to supervise Sully no matter what. There are threads in this section of the forum about rmb's so check them out if you're interested! I think they are nature's best toothbrush! :biggrin1:


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Potatoes are fine, but NOT any still-green skins or any green sprouts, which are toxic to dogs and humans.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Angela, you're right about the drumstick, but I suppose it depends on the Hav eating it. Sammy, my 9.5 lb-er, gobbles things up w/o chewing most of the time so I have to watch him like a hawk. Ricky, 16.5 lbs, takes his sweet time, licking, sipping, nibbling..... sigh..... but at least he's not a worry for me. lol 

I hadn't thought of giving backs, so great idea! I have to hold on to the chicken neck or Sammy will suck it all the way back into his throat. :frusty: I tried splitting it down the middle, but none of my knives seem to do that easily so I dont' give them the necks anymore. I'll see if I can figure something out though because I know they are good for them. All raw of course... too scared to give any bone cooked.


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