Royal Canin..........what do you think??

 What food did you switch Coco to?  Sophie will only eat Royal Canin, but I am not happy with it.  She has dry skin, runny eyes, and I am not happy with the ingredient list.  She has a very sensitive stomach and also is very finicky.  I have bought Natural Balance rolls, she loved them and gulped the food and threw it up.  I think it was too rich.  I have Solid Gold Puppy food here, Castor and Pollux, all kinds of food that I have opened, tried and she would not eat it.  I have Innova Evo now, which I am trying to get her to eat, but she will not touch it.  I am trying mixing it in with her Royal Canin, and she just picks the little Royal Canin bits out and leaves the Innova.  She is also going to be a year old next month and is still on the puppy formula, and I don't think she should be eating puppy food anymore.  She is getting kind of chubby, she is very tiny and about 4.5 lbs., and I don't want her to develop a weight problem.  I wish there were little sample packs of food that I could try, because I end up spending a lot of money on food that she won't eat.

Any suggestions? 

tkb1127

I have Innova Evo now, which I am trying to get her to eat, but she will not touch it. 

With her (if you haven't already) I would go the tough love route at first so that she learns either to eat what you put down, or she isn't eating for that mealtime. Give her about 15 minutes, then pick up any remaining food until the next mealtime. She may actually hold out for a few days since she's been getting her way for a long time with being picky. After she eats what you put down then I would start mixing healthy things in with her food- like plain yogurt, cottage cheese, baby food or a little canned dog food. The reason I would do the tough love route before that is so she'll be less likely to turn up her nose at that stuff and actually appreciate it. And make sure to NEVER pick up her food and "doctor it up" AFTER you've given it to her. Also, since she has a sensitive stomach you don't have to mix much in her food- maybe just a few tablespoons to give the food some taste.

I do know of another kibble that's supposed to be very palatable too- Taste of the Wild. I'm pretty sure it's because of the roasted meats and they do have samples they're willing to send you. It's a grain free food that's high protein and fat, so you probably wouldn't want to feed as much as recommended on the bag. Hope that helps!!

 I never heard of Taste of the Wild, but I am willing to try anything that is good for her that she will eat.  I am going to look them up on the web.  Is that what you are feeding your puppies?

Oh, and I did get her to eat some of the Evo by feeding it to her by hand, and I don't know if I like it, because all day now I have had to keep washing her butt, she is having serious diarhhea.  I don't know if it is the food itself, or if it is just because her stomach is not used to it.  What do you think?

Thanks for your reply!
 

tkb1127

 I never heard of Taste of the Wild, but I am willing to try anything that is good for her that she will eat.  I am going to look them up on the web.  Is that what you are feeding your puppies?

Oh, and I did get her to eat some of the Evo by feeding it to her by hand, and I don't know if I like it, because all day now I have had to keep washing her butt, she is having serious diarhhea.  I don't know if it is the food itself, or if it is just because her stomach is not used to it.  What do you think?

Thanks for your reply!
 

I was considering feeding Taste of the Wild, but ended up choosing Fromm instead. It was a really tough choice!! I chose Fromm just because I prefer a few more fruits and veggies.

As far as the EVO- I would say that maybe it wasn't a slow enough transition, but since your girl has a sensitive stomach it may just have too many ingredients or certain ones that she can't handle. I've heard of lots of dogs having that issue with Innova and EVO. But then the dogs that can handle it do really well. So maybe Taste of the Wild actually wouldn't be the best choice. Their foods (except for I think the fish one) have several protein sources. Just for example- the High Prairie formula has bison, venison, lamb, chicken and egg. I don't think the simpler foods like CA Natural, Natural Balance, Wellness Simple Solutions, etc. are known to be that palatable. Hmmm, I'm honestly at a loss here! I'll keep thinking about it and maybe someone else will have more ideas for you.

Edited to add- I definitely thinking hand feeding and coaxing to eat encourages pickiness. I really would suggest the tough love approach for awhile.

 I am definitely not feeding her the Evo anymore.  She is having this horrible mucousy, black diarhhea.  I am sure it is the Evo, because that is the only thing that has changed.  And the Evo kibble is black.  And I went onto a Natural Pet food site and some people loved the Evo and some said it gave their dogs diarhhea.  (Sigh..) Back to trying different foods again....

Do you know anything about Timberwolf?  I was looking at that and wondering if she could eat that. 
Or maybe Sophie would do well with Fromm?  Do your dogs like it?  Are they doing well with it? 

 I also wanted to tell you that I think your little Fudge and Gingerbread are the most darling little puppies!

Awww, thank you! They're my pride and joy. Sophie is so cute too. In some pics she looks like a Poodle, in others a Maltese. Is she one of those, or a Maltipoo? Whatever breed she is, she sure is adorable!

I tried Timberwolf Organics and had okay results, with very large stools. It really looked like something that came out of a dog twice as big. Yuck!! Some people have excellent results with TWO though, so I guess it really depends on the individual. So far I'm absolutely loving Fromm! The kibble size/shape is perfect for a toy breed dog- it's a very small square. As far as taste, well Fudge will eat just about anything lol and Gingerbread doesn't like ANY kibble, so... I always mix something in with kibble, so it's hard for me to judge how palatable it may be.

I really like too that in Fromm there's only one protein source, with lots of fruits and veggies. Some people say that the food is grain heavy, but it has the same amount of protein as lots of foods that have only one or two carbs. So it doesn't have a larger amount of grains, just various different ones.

Here are the ingredients for the one I'm feeding- Chicken A La Veg: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Menhaden Fish Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Herring Meal, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

And link to their website: http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs.php

Sophie is a Maltipoo.  Unfortunately, I bought her from some backyard breeders who were selling their dogs at the Farmer's Market last Jan., and they had about every breed of dog for sale.  She was so tiny and she was filthy, and when I picked her up, she licked me and licked me and I fell in love and so I left her long enough to go get the cash and came back and bought her.  She had severe bronchitis when I bought her, and has had allergy and asthma problems from the beginning.  I did report the sellers to everyone I could think of to call, because when I took Sophie to the Animal Hospital in the middle of the night because she couldn't stop this horrible cough, a few days after I bought her, they told me that about a dozen of those puppies had come in around Christmas time with pneumonia where people had bought them as gifts from the sellers who were selling at the Farmer's Market.  Luckily, I caught Sophie's illness before it became pneumonia.  Some of the puppies had died.  So I got those sellers shut down and about 37 of their puppies were confiscated in the raid.  But the newspaper reported that people were calling the local humane society where they were being kept and they had found good  homes for all of them.  It has been a tough year for us, she has been so sick that at one point, she had to stay overnight with an IV because she got dehydrated.  That time it was tainted dog food.  I have learned a lot since then.  I didn't even know at the time that I bought Sophie that a seller has to give you a vet health certificate!  But she is one of the best things that ever happened to me.  She is so funny and sweet, and she gives me so much love.

Anyway, I went to the Fromm website and found out there were no dealers around me, so I went to another site and ordered the Salmon a la Veg.  Sophie likes fish snacks, and the Salmon dry food seemed like it had the least amount of different ingredients and looked healthy to me.  Sophie also has problems sometimes with chicken.  She used to eat chicken jerky and then would have a bad asthma attack, where it looked and sounded like she couldn't get enough air, so I don't like to buy her anything with chicken now.  She can have beef, duck, fish, and I want to try bison, it is supposed to be good for you.

I will let you know how she does with the Salmon a La Veg.  Thanks for all your help!

My little papillon does very well on Timberwolf's Wild 'n Natural. Normal-sized poops - if anything, a little bit small. He really really likes the taste of the food, and the kibbles are very small. I can use them as training treats, even.

Here's the ingredient list:

Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Fresh Chicken, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Salmon Meal, Potatoes, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Eggs, Dried Chicken Liver, Dried Whole Milk, Dried Whey Extract, Dried Kelp, Dehydrated Alfalfa Leaf, Casein, DL - Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Lecithin, Taurine, Lysine, Carnitine, Choline Chloride, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterobacter Faecium, Bacillus Subtillus, Blueberries, Cranberries, Mixed Tocopherols (a source of vitamin E), Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Thiamine, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Iodine Proteinate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine (a source of vitamin B6), Papain, Yucca Schidigera Extract.

I buy it online - free shipping :) 

 I was posting at the same time you were :) Sorry to hear about all your girl's troubles! She is very cute. The salmon food looks great, I hope she likes it!

 Where do you go online to get free shipping?  I just bought the Fromm food and the shipping was ridiculous!!  There were no dealers around here so I had no choice but to buy it online.  And if that doesn't work for Sophie like so many in the past, I will have to buy something else, so I would love to know where you are buying your food!

 I was just looking up the Timberwolf.  I especially like the sound of the Lamb dry food.  Have you tried any of the other flavors?  And they have Bison which I have been wanting to buy a food with Bison for Sophie.

Thanks for the compliment on Sophie.  She is my little sweetie.  Your Rascal looks like a very sweet dog in his pictures, not a rascal at all!!  

How old is he? 

He's 3, and quite a handful! Too smart for his own good. Okay, too smart for my own good.

Timberwolf has free shipping if you order directly from their website. I haven't tried any of their other formulas yet, but if the Fromm's doesn't work out and you order online from Timberwolf, they have a promotion going on right now where first time customers get a free sample pack (small pack of each of their formulas) for free when they order a bag of food online. Be warned though, they don't have the greatest customer service record in the world, and a lot of people are mad at them because of it. (For example, wouldn't it make sense to get a sample before you have to buy a whole bag of some food you don't even know if your dog will like? lol)

It's funny how differently different dogs react to really good foods.  My crew on TWO had enormous stools, and really dark and almost greasy looking.  Same result with EPH.  Although, I hear a LOT of folks say that their dogs coat and skin is not great on Royal Canin...but again, some folks swear by it.

Have you considered some of the simpler formulas?  Like California Natural or the Natural Balance "allergy" formulas.....I can never remember the names....Duck and Sweet tater and fish and potato maybe?  Just one carb and one protein source might be easier on a sensitive tummy.

I don't believe that there is a LAW requiring a health cert for a pup.  And, they often aren't worth the paper they are written on.  I was going to send two pups with my son through Canada.....one was going home with him to upstate NY and his sister was going to a forum member in NH.  Both saw the vet the same day, both got the health certs.  At the last minute, my sons finance changed her mind about letting DS have a pup (these were a foster liter) so Mr. Ears didn't go.  He died less than 2 weeks later of what was likely a heart condition that went undetected.  This was an outstanding vet, but sometimes things don't get caught in the exam they do for the health certs.

 Now that's what I am talking about!  Free shipping and free samples!  All the dog food makers could take a lesson from these people!   I will consider myself warned about the customer service!  And yes, it does make sense to get the free sample first, but then they wouldn't make as much money.  They have to sell the bag of food with the sample to make money, I guess.

Anyway, thanks for the tip!  I think I am going to go to their site and order a small bag of food for back-up.  I am so mad that the Evo didn't work out after I got her to eat it.  I wonder if the humane society will accept opened bags of food?  I have all these bags of food that I have opened, tried, and now they are just sitting here.  And I have a case of Halo Spot's stew that she won't eat either.  I know they will take the cans, but what about the bags?