[Dailydrool] Changing kibbles

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

Lynne: 
I have tried most of the cornless dog foods out there, and I have had a basset who had trouble whenever we changed foods, so I thought I'd chime in on this one.

First, are you sure your hound does not have some kind of infection or other medical problem going on? Has the vet actually seen your dog and done a fecal test and whatever else might need to be done?

If that's OK, it's a matter of chosing the right food. There are lots of good foods out there. But if your hound won't eat them, it doesn't mean beans (though you may eventually want to add green beans to the menu, if you have an overweight hound). If your hound doesn't want fish, and you buy a bag of fish kibble, be prepared to toss it after a meal or two. So if it were me, I'd probably try to start out with a similar flavor to what the hound is used to.

Read the labels of a bunch of foods and do it carefully. A hound who has tummy troubles will probably need a fairly plain diet, not all the frou-frou ingredients that can upset tummies. Some companies make limited-ingredient diets that can help. Also, compare fat content and go with a lower-fat food, if possible, since fat can slide those poops out more quickly.

A few companies give pet stores samples. So you might want to pick up some, if they're available. It saves you a lot of money, if your hound can't tolerate the food you choose. When you decide to really try a food, get a small bag for starters. In fact, get small bags for a while, until you know the food will agree with the hound and that the hound will scarf it up for more than a meal or two. A new food often looks really good to your hound, until you buy a twenty-pound bag, at which point, said hound looks at you with that "are you trying to kill me?" expression and won't touch it.

Also, when you start the new food, give only a quarter or so of the regular feeding quantity as kibble. The rest should be rice or pasta. This will help your hound get used to the new ingredients. Over the course of at least four days and maybe as much as a couple of weeks, slowly increase the kibble quantity. If diarrhea starts again, you can go back to the former amounts that worked and try again. You may have to keep the hound on the same ratio of kibble to rice or pasta for a number of days before trying to increase the kibble again.
 
Our Alexis was impossible when we we had to change foods. Everything new seemed to cause diarrhea, but we used this system to successfully change her over. When I say two weeks, I mean it. That's how long it took her to tolerate something new. We never did discover what caused her trouble, which only came up when she changed foods, but we learned to deal with it. And of course, once you switch, if you can keep your hound on whatever works, try to do so. Changing foods more often than you really need to is a terrible pain.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets