Alright, so I've been feeding my 7 month old Wellness Core for about 1-2 months now. He never choked on his Wellness Puppy (much smaller pieces) and eats from a super slow feeder. He doesn't even eat that fast to begin with. After switching him to Wellness Core he has probably choked on his food about 5-6 times now. I never let him eat unsupervised so I'm always there to pat his back and help him out. Typically he coughs up a few pieces and then moves on like nothing happened. This last time he didn't seem like he was going to get it on his own so I stuck my finger down to clear his passageway and ended up gagging him in the process. Not my intended effect but it worked really well to help him clear his throat. I had a pile of undigested Wellness on the floor, as well as some very much digested puke. Anyway, I shouldn't have even let him continue to eat it for this long. The Wellness Core pieces are an odd pyramid like shape, and I think they lock together inside his throat. I just wanted to post this as a warning, but I also wanted to ask some advice. I'm probably going to go with Innova next, does anyone know if the shape of their kibble is better? I'm going to write to Wellness about this.
Choking - I'm done with Wellness Core
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SnowDove
Super Boxer
I know some of Innova's kibbles are flat and triangular, but I'm not sure about the "small bite" types. Daisy tends to get choked up a bit on her Natural Balance, as well, but not so badly as your baby. I had no problems with her getting down the Acana brand, but it Did cause her stools to get very loose and smelly :( (I've not heard of other people having that issue, though.)
Daisy takes all her food from a Wobbler now to help with the issue, and it has really cut down on the coughing.
Hope you find something that works out much better for both of you!
Daisy takes all her food from a Wobbler now to help with the issue, and it has really cut down on the coughing.
Hope you find something that works out much better for both of you!
Thanks. I use a wobbler once in a while also, and it does eliminate the choking. I just wish I could use it more often. I don't have a great place to put it where kibble wont go flying under furniture, and every time I use it he turns into a scavenger for a day or two looking for random lost pieces. I don't like when dogs move around the floor like they are vacuuming for food 
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He seems to really love the Wellness, more so then his treats I think. It's a shame he chokes on it so easy.
.He seems to really love the Wellness, more so then his treats I think. It's a shame he chokes on it so easy.
sriley
Completely Boxer Crazy
If your pup likes Wellness and you're reluctant to switch foods, perhaps you could put his meal portions in a sealable bag and crush the kibble into smaller pieces until he can handle the larger bites. Just a thought. If your pup likes Wellness, is passing normal stools, and is otherwise healthy and active, you may find that switching foods opens a whole new can of worms.
You said your pup is only 7 months old? I would put him back on the Wellness puppy food. Most Vets recommend that puppies stay on puppy food for their entire first year. Maybe in another 5 months you could try the Wellness core again.
If you are really stuck on switching the food at this point, you could mix in some wet food (or even water) to soften the food so its easier for chewing and digesting.
(I have an 8 month old and he loves his Wellness Puppy food.)
If you are really stuck on switching the food at this point, you could mix in some wet food (or even water) to soften the food so its easier for chewing and digesting.
(I have an 8 month old and he loves his Wellness Puppy food.)
LILYLARUE
Boxer Insane
I have seen an article about the Wellness Core - it was about how they have small shards of fish bones in it. They have been contacted by this consumer about the issue and was guarenteed they had a bad batch. Well, the next back was even worse! So check the kibble, see if there are shards of fish bones....that could be the culprit!
After reading this article, and the lack of concern by Wellness - I will stick with TOTW!
After reading this article, and the lack of concern by Wellness - I will stick with TOTW!
elgerdes
Completely Boxer Crazy
Wellness
Haha, so true! Just got my puppy a couple days ago. She is on Wellness right now and doesn't care for treats at all!
Oh wow! I will be closely looking at her food then! I won't give up on Wellness because after all bad things happen to good people (or companies I guess?)
Haha, so true! Just got my puppy a couple days ago. She is on Wellness right now and doesn't care for treats at all!
Oh wow! I will be closely looking at her food then! I won't give up on Wellness because after all bad things happen to good people (or companies I guess?)
Puppy food is never necessary. It was created as a marketing gimmick by the major dog food companies. Smaller companies had to follow or risk never selling food to puppies. Data to support this is abundant. I also wish to feed grain free for which there are almost no "puppy" labeled foods. If anything, his puppy food contributed to the problem by teaching him there was no need to chew. Don't believe all the writing on the bags without doing some research.
I should also note that he's already larger then the average adult boxer and has his adult teeth. Nothing about his age should be causing this problem if his throat and teeth are appropriate, and they are. I wrote to Wellness and they made no mention of his age; they just said they'd forward the complaint to the appropriate person. I've heard nothing since... He does seem to be doing okay with RAW so I'll stick with that for a little while and see what happens. He has swallowed chicken necks whole without choking at all. I try to prevent this and help him rip them apart but still, if he can handle an entire chicken neck what's the deal with the Kibble?
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