Unsure about Holistic dog food- Blue Buffalo

 Different things work for different dogs.  I wouldn't continue feeding a food that makes my dog's stool icky for that long because it's obviously not a good match for my dog, but I also wouldn't discount all premium diets because of one experience.

eta: My dogs all eat premium foods and have never had any issues like what you're describing.  We feed a different food every bag because it works for my dogs, so they've tried a ton of foods.  Ones we've had good results with include: Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Prairie, Premium Edge,Wellness, Innova Evo RM, Taste of the Wild, and Solid Gold Mmillenia.

I have bought Wellness and heard the Eagle Pack was good, so I will not buy another bag of this brand. I will look for something different, but still along the holistic lines, to begin mixing with what she has now so it is an easy transition.

Thank you for your input!

Agreed, but you also need to look at how much you are feeding.  For example my german shepherds eat 2.5-3 C of Blue large breed adult per day.  The smallest is 72 lbs.  The largest right at 90 lbs.  If overfed, they will squirt like mustard out of a bottle.

I do think that yes, the higher quality foods, make a HUGE difference in the overall health of the dog.  Some I've used and like are Innova (and the entire Nutura line) and Solid Gold.

Iams is not what I would classify as a "good" food.  High grains, high grain fragments, glutens if I remember right, and animal by product.

I personally look for a food with no corn, wheat or soy, no grain fragments, no grain gluttons and no animal byproducts. If it has "poultry" flavor, forget it.  This could be anything from chicken to turkey to duck to sparrow, and I want to KNOW what the heck it is  Specifically.

I really like the Blue Wilderness, which is their version of grain free...almost. They use oatmeal in it.  But, with Wilderness you REALLY have to watch your amounts.

glenmar

but you also need to look at how much you are feeding

oh yes! When feeding a high quality food - you don't have to feed nearly as much. Casey's on BB - and I've been very pleased with it, but not every food is meant for every dog.

I'm also a big Orijen fan.

Thank you for the suggestions of different brands. I will go out try one of these new brands this week. I think i might be over feeding her a little. She is only 55 lbs. and I usually give her almost 2 cups twice a day. She doesn't always eat it all, and its not always a full 2 cups each time. (this was the recommendation on the bag)

erica1989

I'm also a big Orijen fan.

Don't get disheartened that your dog didn't do so well on Blue, you'll get different results from every food.  Even down to certain formulas.  I would try a different brand, and closely monitor how much your dog needs to eat.  When I switched Honor from regular Innova to Orijen, she needed much less, which was nervy for me in the beginning (thinking "am i starving her??";).   You'll know when you've found a good formula.  Good changes I noticed in my dogs when switched to Orijen was the condition of their coats, more energy, better digestion and waste processes, and improved muscular tone.

Foods my three have enjoyed are Orijen, Fromm, EVO RM, and NV Instinct.

Great thanks! I picked up some Solid Gold large dog kibbles, so we will see how she does on that!

 Also, what do you reccomend as a good period of time to let the new food actually kick in to be able to decide if it is better for them ?

It takes a few months (about 3-4) for the old food to completely leave an animals system - this is why they take such a long time for allergy runs with the prescription foods.

That said - with my fosters, I switch them to BB, and I notice a huge difference in coat quality within a week-2.

With the stool issues, I would expect better results after a week, anything more than that I'd be at the vet with a sample, just in case.

Ok thank you! Ive only been giving her the new solid gold food for 2 days now. Should I still be mixing it with the old food? I know they suggest that when switching foods, but if the old food your switching from is making their stool nasty anyways is there really a point?

 I feed Tootsie Orijen and am SO happy with it. A bit pricey, but I feed way less, so its worth it. Also, the reccommendations on the bag for servings are usually way off. How old is your pup? 4 cups seems like a lot.

Normally we reccomend taking a week to switch to the new food - but if the tummy is already upset from the old food, I'd just switch cold turkey. I switch the majority of my fosters from who knows what to BB, with no mixing (I take a lot of strays home, we don't know what they've been eating). We might get a few days of diarrhea, but it goes away fairly quickly.

Now, I have to agree with Tiffy. 4 cups is a LOT. I would say for 55# dog, maybe 3 cups, depending on activity level with BB. I'm not sure of the amounts for solid gold though.

 4 cups definitely sounds like a lot!! My dog weighs 55lbs and she gets 2 1/2 cups a day. I'd say she has a moderate activity level. She's eating Natural Balance AMP..

Try reducing the food by half.  My 55 pound dog is on Taste of the Wild and he gets 2 cups per day.  Although he is older and less active so if you have a younger dog I guess you may need to feed a bit more.