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Jack is holding out!

2K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  HavaneseSoon 
#1 ·
I am in the process of for the last week and half of changing the food. We are going for TOTW for a while. And, Jack thinks something else is coming. Dexter is enjoying all the extras. I guess Jack will be hungry in the morning. How do your havs react to food changes?
 
#3 ·
First, I am no expert on the food issue - I find it all very confusing, to say the least. Awhile back, I also decided to change my guys to TOTW. Finn loved it; Augie, not so much. In hindsight, I think maybe he knew best??

Is Jack not doing well on his current food? Is there a reason to change?

Augie came to us from his breeder on Purina Pro Plan. She said she had used it for quite some time and that her dogs did well on it. We continued him on it for quite awhile. He did well. His coat was shiny. No lack of energy. Vet said he was the picture of health. Then, after reading on the forum and people's opinion here that it isn't the best food, I thought maybe I should be giving him something better. People seemed to like the TOTW, so we made the switch. However, I am not so sure it is the best food for him. He has developed feet staining, he poops far more and they are a lot larger than they ever were on the Pro Plan. It may be better quality but I am thinking it may be too much of a good thing - for his system. Right now, I am of the mind that if it wasn't broke, maybe I shouldn't have tried to 'fix' it. And don't get me wrong here, I am NOT pointing the finger at TOTW, but currently we are also dealing with a urinary tract infection and crystals. We are in the process of switching back to his old food, because he did do well on it. I am kind of waiting to see what his next urinalysis shows, to re-evaluate and figure out what we need to do.
 
#4 ·
I also feed my dogs pro plan and agree, they do well on it. A few months ago, I changed Oliver and Spot's food to TOTW because Oliver was thinner than I'd like (not skinny, just adolescent thin). I changed gradually over a 2 week period. Both dogs did fine and liked the TOTW too. Because Oliver is still about the same as before (we're on the second 15 pound bag), as they get nearer to the end of the bag, I'm putting them back on Pro Plan.
 
#5 ·
I think you are right..if it ain't broke don't fix it, but we all want to do the best for our dogs and we try new things. Linda, I hope Augie's reports improve. I sometimes think there is not enough information available to the customer in the stores. I know with Blue Buffalo I started to pick up one bag and the representative was there, she questioned why I was chosing that one and the lifestyle my dogs lived..she steered me away from Wilderness to one of the Basics..she said Wilderness was for dogs who were very active, working dogs, etc. My mile and 1/2 walk twice a day did not qualify them for that food. I appreciated here help. I understand TTW is like that too, one of them has more protein, calories, etc...but I don't know the difference. There is a site that compares dog foods ..Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings www.dogfoodadvisor.com

The Dog Food Advisor's unbiased dog food reviews searchable by brand or star rating. Find the best dry, canned or raw food for your dog.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, Flynn, I went to that site a couple of times and it made my head hurt! :biggrin1: Our vet also said that it depends on the dog too. While one food may be great for some dogs, it may not be the best for others, or a particular dog. With the feet staining, I am thinking Augie may be allergic and possibly that put more stress on his system. I have no idea. I am just guessing. I just know that on the Pro Plan, there was no staining, he had small firm poops and he looked great. Since they have been on the TOTW, both dogs poop often and HUGE amounts. I swear more comes out than goes in! OK, TMI! :biggrin1:

Becky, I thought maybe you were the one who had used Pro Plan and switched and I wondered how it was going in your case. Interesting.

I didn't mean to come on here and hijack Linda's thread. I just wanted to mention that, in hindsight, if mine were doing well on a particular food, I might be inclined to leave it alone.
 
#7 ·
Well, our big bag of TOTW is almost empty and I'm thinking of switching, too. They eat it well and seem to like it but I think their faces may be more stained from the food and McGee's paws were a little stained, too.

We used to always feed our other dogs Iams minichunks for small breeds and they lived long healthy lives on it. And, we can find it in our small town. What about Pro Plan - can you buy it most anywhere like WalMart?
 
#8 ·
It takes the sisters a coup;e days to adjust to new food. We just changed for the third time. We were feeding them Acana now were feeding Taste of the wild. The only reason is because it is a smaller kibble then the Acana. The two seemed comparable.
I first tried fish but Zoeys tummy didn't like that. She doesn't have a rock gut like Maddie. I might try getting another bag of the fish and solely add it in.
I have now idea why I switched from Blue Buffalo because they liked it.
 
#9 ·
It may make a difference which TOTW recipe we are feeding. Buffy and Buster are eating the Wetlands formula. Their poops are small and well formed, and they don't seem to have any staining.

Which formula are you feeding August and Finn? Others can chime in with their selections, too.
 
#11 · (Edited)
We were giving the Sierra Mountain with Roasted Lamb. The store had little sample bags. This was the one they seemed to like the best.

There seem to be quite a few forum members who are feeding the TOTW who like it. I just think there is something in it that doesn't agree with Augie because of the staining of the feet, where he hasn't had that before. Finn's feet aren't staining. But their poos, as I mentioned above, are sure much larger.

Is the Wetlands forumula the one with salmon? We had a sample of that and they didn't seem to care for that one as much as the Sierra Mountain.

I do have a small sample bag here of the bison/venison forumula, and the protein is listed as 32% as opposed to 25% on the lamb (Sierra Mountain) formula. Fat is also a bit higher with the bison. Other numbers are fairly close.

I know I sure would get sick and tired of eating the same thing day in and day out. So I thought I would try something different with them and people seemed to like this one.
 
#10 ·
Jack ate all his food this morning. Dexter was hoping Jack would not finish the food this morning, but both bowls were empty.

We are trying out TOTW High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison and Roasted Vension. I do not know why they list the venison on the title when lamb is the second ingredient.

I basically wanted to give this food a try because of the Lactobacillus and the Omega 6 &3 Fatty Acids. There is more fat and protein in the TOTW. I also wanted to see if the food would correct Jack’s eye stains, coat improvement and see if we could cut down the poo movements on Jack. I will give it a try and watch the boys.

We just finished up Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken (Lamb), the boys have been on the Solid Gold for a long time.

Both foods are basically the same amount of calories/cup. I like to change up the flavors every 6 months - a year or so. I know it is not broke, just trying to see if I can improve anything.
 
#12 ·
We changed from Holistic Health Extension, which Rollie really just did not like, to Orjen Puppy, which Rollie LOVED, but was disasterous for his tummy. Can you say butt-baths? Many, many butt-baths. Now we're on Wellness Puppy and Rollie LIKES it and no butt-baths. Hooray!
 
#13 · (Edited)
TOTW Pacific Stream has salmon. TOTW Wetlands has roasted quail, roasted duck, and smoked turkey. It has the same 32% minimum protein and 18% minimum fat.

For breakfast, I add Yummy Chummies® Wild Alaska Salmon Oil [from Costco] to the TOTW kibble. Scarfed.

For dinner, I add a couple of spoonfuls of Tiki Dog canned [several varieties with amazing ingredients that you can actually see -salmon, ahi tuna, chicken, shrimp - in broth] which causes the pups to scarf up their meal. They are not as interested without the Tiki, but they would eat most of the TOTW kibble anyway.

Even though I had been adding this canned food with Evo Red Meat [their previous food], they usually left most of the Evo kibble over.

This is the list of ingredients from the TOTW website:

Ingredients
Duck, duck meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, roasted quail, roasted duck, smoked turkey, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product,dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Calorie Content: 3,750 kcal/kg (375 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy
 
#14 ·
The boys are emptying out their food bowls quickly. Dexter loves the food and stools are firm. Jack is much better in eating, still waiting to see if this will cut down the number of stools he has each day. jJack had a good firm stool last night. I want to see several stools to confirm the number is decreasing.
 
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