My first dogs...

[dab_20]

True, Sammy's owners fed him ol' roy and i found out that's not a good brand.

[BC_MoM]

We've always immediately switched our dogs food when we decide and have never had problems. Why do so many people speak against it?

[Vela]

Well depending on the dog, it could cause digestive upset, diarrhea and throwing up. It doesn't happen with all dogs, and some never have a problem with the fast switch but I think most recommend it because it's overall easier on their digestive tract and the way you find out it does bother them is after they are already sick, so people try to prevent that in the first place.

To Dreamdog, I would try your dogs on Chicken Soup, Canidae (I can only speak for those two personally as those are the two I use) or anything else on the Whole Dog Journal list of recommended foods. They use better ingredients and so you end up feeding less overall as less is filler and waste. It actually costs close to the same when comparing the amount fed to the price of the food, for the better quality foods. Especilaly with a breed prone to becoming overweight easily, you really want to skip the fillers and grains as much as possible as they are empty calories and only end up in your yard as extra poop=x

[lv4dogs]

We've always immediately switched our dogs food when we decide and have never had problems. Why do so many people speak against it?

Some dogs have no problems like yours & mine (I do fed a variety of foods/treats people food to keep their sytems used to allowing new & different foods) but some dogs have a very sensative digestive tract and may develope problems with switching foods so abruptly.

[Alysser]

You forgot, they could be trained already. But maybe just test the dog food and see what they like? I don't know!

[dream_dog1234]

Is there a website to the rescue these guys are at?

They are not at a rescue. They're at a person's house that's gettign rid of them.

[dream_dog1234]

Its great that you are getting the 2 GR's but it seems to be going a little fast. Wasn't the owner going to get them neutered first?

Yes, she was getting them neatuered the day I called, so tommorow it will be 2 days since they had gotten neautered.

[dab_20]

Yeah, like Sammy used to have diareah all the time when we fist got him but when we switched his food he felt better.

[BC_MoM]

Well depending on the dog, it could cause digestive upset, diarrhea and throwing up. It doesn't happen with all dogs, and some never have a problem with the fast switch but I think most recommend it because it's overall easier on their digestive tract and the way you find out it does bother them is after they are already sick, so people try to prevent that in the first place.

Some dogs have no problems like yours & mine (I do fed a variety of foods/treats people food to keep their sytems used to allowing new & different foods) but some dogs have a very sensative digestive tract and may develope problems with switching foods so abruptly.

Thanks for informing me on that.

[bre_boxers]

I'm so happy you decided to get them!

[JenBKR]

Some dogs are pretty picky about food too, and you can get online to different sites for dog food and get free samples. I know you can for Nutro - that's what I feed Roscoe and it's a very good food, especially for the price. You want to look at the ingredients, you don't want by-products or corn. I'm pretty new at reading labels, but generally if you can buy the food at a grocery store or wal-mart, it's not one of the better foods. You're better off at a Petsmart or something like that. Good luck, and I can't wait for pics

[Vela]

Actually realistically you are better off getting dog food from local pet stores or feed stores, rather than the large chains. The smaller family run type stores often sell higher quality foods, but if the only stores around are the chains you can buy some relatively decent stuff like Blue Buffalo and a few of the others, but if you are going to buy from the bigger stores generally it will be the more expensive foods they carry that are the better quality. Look for the most meat protein sources as the first ingredients and try for whole grains rather than processed grains and grain parts like brewers rice (that is actually swept up off the floor and leavings after being used in making beer and often contains some hopps as well). Also don't buy things that say by-products or have lots of things with fillers like corn, beet pulp, etc. Those aren't digested anyway and are only used to make the dog feel full, add no nutritional value, and come out the other end just causing more poop. Corn is actually a common allergen for dogs and can cause some issues. It's best to avoid it when you can. Not every high quality food works for every dog but you can find one that will.

[dream_dog1234]

I got them They are settling in, I am so excited! My first doggies! I'm going to let them settle in and then take some pictures, all right?

[k9krazee]

Can't wait to see them

[Jessika]

OK. What are some of the better brands?

If you're looking for the same price range as IAMs, look into getting Nutro. Yes its a little more expensive, but you feed less (since it has more calories in it per cup) and in the end over a year you'll end up paying either the same as if you were to stick with IAMs or a similar brand, or less!