Question about NOT rotating kibble

I would say it is.

I didn't realize that food had multiple meats in it.
Does Gingerbread do well on all those different meats?

Yes, I'd agree that your proposed foods have enough variety.   Seems she'd be getting a little of everything.  I don't think there's much of a difference between getting the variety "all at once" vs over time so I'd say you're fine.

Thanks guys for your input. [] I think Gingerbread will do okay with the multiple meat sources because he ate EP Chicken Meal okay and that one has chicken, pork, and fish. Only trying the food will tell for sure though, so I'm crossing my fingers!

What are the chances that feeding just one kibble will cause a dog to develop an allergy to those ingredients?

It would be a rare chance.  When it comes to picky eaters (especially), feeding one food is the best option.  []  Also as mentioned above, the food you chose has enough variety that rotating foods would be kinda pointless.  []

One of the other ideas behind rotating is that no one food can be 100 percent complete and balanced, that there's bound to be something it contains too much or too little of (part of that is due to the fact that there are still so many unknowns about canine nutrition--as far as I know, nutritionists/scientists are guessing at many of the recommended daily values).  And with commercial pet foods, especially kibble, many of the vitamins and minerals are added after processing, because a lot of the nutrients in the ingredients get destroyed by the high temperatures required to make kibble.  So, one manufacturer may add more or less of a particular vitamin/nutrient than another manufacturer, or the quality and bioavailability of one manufacturer's supplements may vary from those of another manufacturer.

So you rotate foods to avoid the dog getting over- or under-supplemented with something important over the long term.  That's something to consider along with the allergy risk.

As far as food allergies, my understanding is that the dog has to have a genetic predisposition to developing them.  While any dog can develop food allergies, I'd be extra vigilant with one from a breed (or mix of breeds) known to be at high risk of developing them, and rotate single protein/carb source foods to try to avoid their development.

If your dogs immune system is prone to developing allergies, you're actually better off exposing him ONLY to what he needs and reserving other new proteins for later in life. An immune system can't react inappropriately to something he's never been exposed to.

There is evidence that exposure to variety early in life (like kids on farms have fewer allergies from playing in dirt) prevents allergies, but once the immune system has matured... its too late to change any predispositions it has developed.

If you're not rotating kibble, it's perfectly fine to provide variety by mixing in other stuff-- different canned foods, fresh foods. It's the dogs who are only fed kibble that are really in dire need of kibble rotation.
I don't rotate kibble-- I found my "perfect" kibble.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

If you're not rotating kibble, it's perfectly fine to provide variety by mixing in other stuff-- different canned foods, fresh foods. It's the dogs who are only fed kibble that are really in dire need of kibble rotation.
I don't rotate kibble-- I found my "perfect" kibble.

What's your "perfect" kibble?

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

If you're not rotating kibble, it's perfectly fine to provide variety by mixing in other stuff-- different canned foods, fresh foods. It's the dogs who are only fed kibble that are really in dire need of kibble rotation.
I don't rotate kibble-- I found my "perfect" kibble.

What's your "perfect" kibble?

I wanna know too!

Thank you everyone for all the input also. Papillon, it makes me feel much better to know the chances of him developing an allergy because of being fed the same food are small. []

I am not an expert but this is what I've found in regard to variety and a dog w/sensitive stomach: I observed over time that rotating food was not what initiated soft stools, diarreah and belching, digestive system upset, etc...it was a certain combination of multiple proteins.  This includes treats.  That any single protein combined with fish was tolerable but not any other combination.  If kibble were fish and potato and I fed a chicken based treat, the end result would be soft stool and other digestive upsets.  Even if I fed a peanut butter treat...so the protein didn't have to come from a meat source.
 
I don't think there is any one formula that works for every dog...it's more a matter of figuring out what works for your dog(s).  Sometimes this means being a detective!
 
My understanding of a non-varying diet and food allergy: feeding one formula of kibble is very restrictive...even if it has multiple sources of protein, the protein (as well as all the other ingeredients) is still only available to the body in that certain amount...so its restrictive.  Now, if after feeding a restrictive diet the dog accidentally gets into something...say a ton of chicken based food, treat, whatever...there's the possibility of a reaction.  With a varying diet the dog is exposed to a few kinds of tolerable food with different amonts, hopefully warding off a reaction if the opportuity arises for them getting into something they shouldn't.
 
Like humans who severly restrict their diet (vegans).  If some alien meat slips into their diet by accident (chix broth base in soup for example), there is a probability that they will have a negative digestive reaction to it.
 
Personal experience: I do not eat beef and have not eaten beef for many years now.  There was a time when I was eating a vegetarian diet (not vegan) and was tired all the time, so I started adding meat back into my diet...as I wasn't combining the correct non-meat products to make enough protein for me.  I had a hamburger (too big of a portion) and was very ill.  It would have served me better to add meat protein back in more slowly.
 
Anyway, hope there is some helpful nugget in there! []

Luvntzus, the Artemis Fresh Mix has barley in it.  Have you changed your mind about feeding gluten grains?
 
 

ORIGINAL: starsenchis

Luvntzus, the Artemis Fresh Mix has barley in it.  Have you changed your mind about feeding gluten grains?

*Hanging head in shame* Yes, I did decide that I may try it because it opens up so many food possibilities...

Btw, TaoShep thank you for your post- it definitely was very informative!!

I like TWO's wild n natural kibble. Seems to agree very well with all of my dogs, and I like everything about the ingredient profile. But obviously opinions and dogs differ....

    I agree with Papillon and Myra based on experience. Last May Jessie began having allergy flare ups; she had been doing so well on immunotherapy prior to that. My vet tried different therapies but they didn't seem to help; I had a senior blood panel and thyroid panel done in late summer to rule out hypothyroidism and possible problems with her immune system. The vet and I started suspecting more food allergies and after several months learned that in addition to chicken, she's now allergic to salmon, pork, potatoes, and brewers yeast. She's doing very well again with no skin infections. [] Salmon was in the EP Fish she was eating but she had little or no exposure to the other foods prior to the elimination diet, and foods she had a lot of exposure to like duck and beef didn't cause any reaction when fed. You probably remember when you suspected Gingerbread had food allergies and I said that food allergies are rare and a dog has to be eating a food for awhile before developing an allergy to it; this was based on the opinion of most veterinarians and dermatologists although Jessie's dermatologist believes they are more common. I'm starting to agree with her and think that food allergies could be hereditary like environmental allergies.