ShelbysDad2
Banned
Canidae for me! Switched from Nutro Ulta and couldnt be happier!
Chicken Soup vs. Canidae
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kdrescher
Boxer Buddy
Will be trying Canidae!!
I've just been doing a lot of research on dry dog food and I am going to switch to Canidae for my 4 month old brindle. She has been eating Royal Canine but after reading what is in that stuff and the poor ratings it gets I am switching brands. Annoyed my breeder recommended it in the first place!!
Should I wean her off it slowly or can I feed her the Canidae immediately?Anyone's advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
I've just been doing a lot of research on dry dog food and I am going to switch to Canidae for my 4 month old brindle. She has been eating Royal Canine but after reading what is in that stuff and the poor ratings it gets I am switching brands. Annoyed my breeder recommended it in the first place!!
Should I wean her off it slowly or can I feed her the Canidae immediately?Anyone's advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
RachelsPrime
Boxer Booster
Definitely NOT immediately! You need to wean her slowly to help avoid stomach/digestive upsets. Start out with about 25% Canidae 75% Royal Canin for a few days, then up the dosage of Canidae every few days. The process should take around 7-10 days to make the transition complete. Take it nice and slow so her body can adjust, especially since she is a youngster. 
Also, when you do completely switch to Canidae...make sure to follow the feeding guidlines on the bag. Canidae is an extremely nutrient dense food and you will feed her A LOT LESS! If you feed too much that could also cause diarrhea, vomiting, etc.
I know it would be fun to just switch over and get rid of the old stuff, but it will need a week or so. Hope that helps you!
Also, when you do completely switch to Canidae...make sure to follow the feeding guidlines on the bag. Canidae is an extremely nutrient dense food and you will feed her A LOT LESS! If you feed too much that could also cause diarrhea, vomiting, etc.I know it would be fun to just switch over and get rid of the old stuff, but it will need a week or so. Hope that helps you!
Yes, it is generally better to effect a gradual switch if you can (I say "if" because some dogs are good enough at picking out the new stuff that you don't get a choice LOL).
Not every dog is going to end with digestive upset from a cold turkey food switch. But the results of that digestive upset (diarrhoea, possibly vomiting also) are really such an annoyance (for the dog too!) that it makes sense just to do it gradually and avoid the issue in the first place. Over time, you can experiment with your dog and find out whether or not he has the sort of cast iron stomach that never gets upset. But until you know for sure one way or the other, it makes sense to just make it easy on yourself and do the changeover on a gradual basis
One thing to keep in mind on increasing the amount of new food in the mix: if at any stage the dog does have a digestive upset (say, when you get to a 50/50 split) then hold off on increasing the amount of new food in the mix until things settle back down.
Not every dog is going to end with digestive upset from a cold turkey food switch. But the results of that digestive upset (diarrhoea, possibly vomiting also) are really such an annoyance (for the dog too!) that it makes sense just to do it gradually and avoid the issue in the first place. Over time, you can experiment with your dog and find out whether or not he has the sort of cast iron stomach that never gets upset. But until you know for sure one way or the other, it makes sense to just make it easy on yourself and do the changeover on a gradual basis
One thing to keep in mind on increasing the amount of new food in the mix: if at any stage the dog does have a digestive upset (say, when you get to a 50/50 split) then hold off on increasing the amount of new food in the mix until things settle back down.
ShelbysDad2
Banned
RachelsPrime said:Definitely NOT immediately! You need to wean her slowly to help avoid stomach/digestive upsets. Start out with about 25% Canidae 75% Royal Canin for a few days, then up the dosage of Canidae every few days. The process should take around 7-10 days to make the transition complete. Take it nice and slow so her body can adjust, especially since she is a youngster.
I know it would be fun to just switch over and get rid of the old stuff, but it will need a week or so. Hope that helps you!
Wait, so the reason why my dog is getting diahrea in the first place is because I'm feeding her too much Canidae? I giver her 1 1/2 cups 3x a day - is that too much?? That is what is recommended by the vet and also the food recommendation on the back of the bag. I use to feed Nutro Ultra and no diahrea.
Please advise...
Well, it could be. How old is Shelby and how much does she weigh? 3.5 cups per day of this food is a LOT (most adult boxers eat not much more than 2 cups daily).
3.5 cups is about what Canidae recomend for puppies under 6 months, but weighing around 50lb. There aren't many boxers that heavy at such a young age.
3.5 cups is about what Canidae recomend for puppies under 6 months, but weighing around 50lb. There aren't many boxers that heavy at such a young age.
ShelbysDad2
Banned
gmacleod said:
Shelby weighs 22 pounds and is 14 weeks young.
Puppy Weight: 10-25 pounds - feed 1 1/2 cups. Up to six months old, reqiure twice the amount of food as a adult dog and they should be fed 3 to 4 times a day. Puppies, six months to a year, twice daily.
So aren't I doing it right? or am I overfeeding/confused?
The 1.5 cups is the daily recomended amount. Which should be split amongst 2-3 feedings (so, around half a cup per meal if you're feeding 3 times).
I'm not sure if it's clear on the packaging that it is the daily amount. But it is. And it's very clear on Canidae's website. See http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
It is worth noting that Canidae is an extremely nutrient-dense food. Expect to feed less of this stuff than something like Nutro The amount they suggest for a pup of that age/weight is 1.5 - 2 cups per day. I would certainly suggest cutting her back to the upper amount suggested there (ie. 2 cups per day). Overnutrition of puppies can result in some pretty serious growth and musculoskeletal problems (and it's probably the cause of her loose stools also).
I'm not sure if it's clear on the packaging that it is the daily amount. But it is. And it's very clear on Canidae's website. See http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
It is worth noting that Canidae is an extremely nutrient-dense food. Expect to feed less of this stuff than something like Nutro
The amount they suggest for a pup of that age/weight is 1.5 - 2 cups per day. I would certainly suggest cutting her back to the upper amount suggested there (ie. 2 cups per day). Overnutrition of puppies can result in some pretty serious growth and musculoskeletal problems (and it's probably the cause of her loose stools also).
Abbey's Mom
Boxer Booster
I don't have a preference, but Abbey does
You can't go wrong with either one, actually. They're very similar in terms of ingredients, but Abbey definitely prefers Canidae.
Chicken Soup was the first premium food we tried, but she wasn't crazy about it, even with canned mixed in. Surprisingly, she liked Merrick Puppy Plate even less. On a whim, I got some samples of Canidae at a local store and she gobbled it up, dry. I figured if she will eat Canidae dry and will barely touch CS or Merrick with canned, then that's the food for her.
If you can't find samples, I would start out with a small bag of each and see how it goes. Switch gradually as others have suggested, but ultimately she will let you know which she prefers. Only then, would I commit to the 40lb. bag.
FYI, in my experience Canidae tends to be a bit cheaper. That's just an added bonus.
You can't go wrong with either one, actually. They're very similar in terms of ingredients, but Abbey definitely prefers Canidae.
Chicken Soup was the first premium food we tried, but she wasn't crazy about it, even with canned mixed in. Surprisingly, she liked Merrick Puppy Plate even less. On a whim, I got some samples of Canidae at a local store and she gobbled it up, dry. I figured if she will eat Canidae dry and will barely touch CS or Merrick with canned, then that's the food for her.
If you can't find samples, I would start out with a small bag of each and see how it goes. Switch gradually as others have suggested, but ultimately she will let you know which she prefers. Only then, would I commit to the 40lb. bag.
FYI, in my experience Canidae tends to be a bit cheaper. That's just an added bonus.
This thread was started nearly six weeks ago, but since it is still getting replies...
It is worth noting that Chicken Soup has recently changed their formula. And the new food is a substantial downgrade from the original. Of greatest note is that it is now using fish meal preserved with Ethoxyquin (a carcinogenic chemical preservative). As a result, I would no longer recomend this food. Suitable alternatives (that are similar to the original CS) are Innova and Canidae, neither of which use chemical preservatives.
Relevant threads on the changes CS has made can be found here:
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106927
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107150
It is worth noting that Chicken Soup has recently changed their formula. And the new food is a substantial downgrade from the original. Of greatest note is that it is now using fish meal preserved with Ethoxyquin (a carcinogenic chemical preservative). As a result, I would no longer recomend this food. Suitable alternatives (that are similar to the original CS) are Innova and Canidae, neither of which use chemical preservatives.
Relevant threads on the changes CS has made can be found here:
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106927
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107150
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