Help! Confused

[RVsBoxer]

Okay well I recently switched Wilson to Innova Evo Red Meat, was doing a modified 6 day switch (modified cause 3rd day should have been 50% but seemed too much too soon for me so I gave him 33% instead).

By the 3rd day he got sick, had diarrhea and bloody mucous in his stool. I fed him plain ground meat and rice for a while, sometimes adding yogurt or pumpkin (for fiber), for almost 2 weeks before reintroducing his old kibble (Canidae Beef).

He's been up and down but seems to be doing a lot better now. Here's where I'm confused: Did he get sick from the food, or the switch? I used to do a 10 day switch, 10% increments/day, this time I started at 25% for 2 days then 33%. Or is it most likely the Innova?? I really want to try again cause the food seems great, but I'm worried he'll get sick again...

Opinions?? Thanks guys...

 

[Loladog]

You could try again doing a slow 10 day switch. If he gets sick again once he's on the Evo Red Meat completely, then you'll know for sure. The Evo just might not agree with him. Lola was never able to tolerate Evo no matter how much I liked the idea of feeding it to her. I think that it can be too rich for some dogs.

Do you have him on a Red Meat diet due to food allergies or can he tolerate other meat sources? Lola has a very sensitive stomach and she' s doing fantastic on Orijen. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Cami]

Evo is a pretty rich food. Boxers are notorious for having digestion issues.
If you want to continue to try and work towards this food I would nix the 6 day plan and go for something closer to three weeks.
That should be ample time to allow the body to make the transition slowly enough to avoid any issues. If you near the end of that time period and still have problems then that particular food just won't work.

 

[RVsBoxer]

Do you have him on a Red Meat diet due to food allergies or can he tolerate other meat sources? Lola has a very sensitive stomach and she' s doing fantastic on Orijen. Good luck and keep us posted.

No he doesn't have any allergies, I'm just rotating out of turkey and chicken right now for at least a few more months. Thanks for telling me about Orijen I'm going to look into it!

I also started him on an all vegetarian supplement today (UDO's Choice Pet Essentials for Dogs), that has EFA's, fiber, enzymes and phytonutrients - hoping that will help his tummy transition with any new food changes that I make! Probably going to buy some probiotics for him too. I'll keep you guys posted!