bored with canidae?

[bea'smum]

Recently, my puppy seems to be getting bored with her food. We've been feeding her Canidae for about a month and a half, I think, with a little bit of yogurt (our breeder's suggestion) on top. She used to gobble it down but has recently started licking off the yogurt and reluctantly nibbling at the kibble. She still finishes her meals but I am wondering if I should try to switch her to something else...I know some other brands (e.g., Wellness) have a variety of flavors so you can change things up from time to time. I still think Canidae is a great food (her coat is so shiny!) but I don't want her to end up hating it. Can anyone suggest an equally good food? Is Wellness the way to go from here?

 

[gmacleod]

There are lots of good foods around (including both Canidae and Wellness, though there are plenty of others), and many people do think it's good to rotate through a variety of super-premium brands every few months. So no problem if you choose to go that way

As far as why your puppy has become 'picky' though, it's not necessarily that she's sick of Canidae. Puppies are notoriously picky eaters, often in stages. That's because they tend to grow in spurts and the amount of food they need to support their growth varies accordingly. Chances are, in a week or so, she'll be scoffing her food down again.

 

[lexintitus]

I can testify to that. Titus, our puppy, went through a stage where he was a picky eater. He'd eat a little and then try and run off to play. I had to stand over him and constantly re-direct him to finish his food. Then after about a few weeks...same food...he would practically inhale his food...first one finished and bowl licked clean.

 

[bea'smum]

Well that's good to hear! Thanks for your replies.

 

[lost1700]

My puppy inhaled Canidae for the first 3 or 4 days then I had to add stuff, (yogurt, cottage cheese, egg) to get him too eat. Wouldnt eat Canidae plain. I now feed him Wellness super 5 mix puppy and he loves it. No problems and haven't had to add a single thing to his food. Good Luck!

 

[bea'smum]

Thanks again, I really appreciate the input. We went to our pet food store to find another food to try (were thinking Wellness) but the owner of the shop told us it wasn't a good idea to change a dog's kibble because it is hard on their digestive system and he still felt that Canidae was the best food for a boxer (his store stocks Innova, Chicken Soup, Wellness, and other premium foods). He suggested mixing a bit of the canned Canidae food with it which has worked fine but I don't really want to be tied to doing this forever. Have any of you heard that switching kibble is bad for a dog's digestive system?

 

[boxer]

I think telling you that switching foor is hard on a dogs digestive system is a bit misleading. Some dogs do get upset tummies and possibly loose stool when their food is changed, especially if they've been fed the same thing exclusively for years. But that is easily avoided by changing over to a new food gradually (you mix a little of the new food in with the old, gradually increasing the percentage until you're feeding 100% of the new food).

IMO periodically switching between good quality foods is a good idea. I've never heard a nutritionist recommend that people eat a single meat source of protein for their entire lives - quite the reverse, we're encouraged to eat as wide a variety as possible. Well, I think the same applies to dogs - they'd never have eaten a constant diet of chicken or of lamb or whatever in a natural environment, they'd have eaten whatever was 'in season' and could be caught. No 'one food' has it all so I think they can benefit from changes every so often, that preferably being a change in the main meat protein source of their food. That can mean a rotation between quality brands, or just a switch between differing formulas.

 

[Baby Duncan]

Since we were worried about the size of our furbaby since we got him, I have been rotating his food since he was 8 weeks old. He has not shown any digestive problems and I feel better knowing he gets a variety. I regularly switch between Bil Jac and Nutro (mixing the 2 about 3/4 of the way through the bag). I thought he was really enjoying his food until I thought I would try Wellness (Super 5 mix, I believe it is). Wow, does he really love it! He used to come find one of us several times during his meals to make sure we were o.k., but not since he started on Wellness. He will not leave his bowl until every bit of it is gone!

I am a firm believer in swiching foods and recommend trying Wellness.

 

[Mac67]

I had my two on canidae, but switched to super 5 mix because they seemed to get bored with it and my supplier quit selling it. They liked super 5 at first then seemed not to like it, but now can't seem to get enough. Funny dogs.