[RollTide10]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to hear what everyone’s thoughts are on rotational diet. My dog, Fury, is a 2-year old Lab Mix who weighs about 60lbs currently. Vet said this is a good weight to keep him on. Since I adopted him I finally found a food that he does well on and is now wondering if I should start him on a rotational diet.

He’s currently having:
Nutrish Peak Northern Woodlands (Turkey, Duck, Quail)
Protein (DMB) 33.33%
Fat (DMB) 16.67%
Fiber (DMB) 5.56%
Omega-3 0.50%
Omega-6 2.20%
Calcium 1.2% Phosphorus 1% (Ca : P – 1.2 : 1)

Rotational Diet, to my understanding, is where you rotate dog’s food every quarter or so.
So something like…

Jan – April – Brand A Turkey
May – Aug. – Brand B Beef
Sept. – Dec. – Brand C Salmon

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts/input! 🙂

[anonymous]

I would stay within the same brand that you are having good results with, just change flavors and see how that goes.
Not all dogs do well with changes.
You can always add something to the kibble, like a little chopped cooked chicken or scrambled egg or canned tuna.
I always add a little water too.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

If your dog is okay with changes, by all means rotate their diet. I’d only refrain if they’re very sensitive.

[Susan]

Hi
I learnt on here “DFA” to Rotate my dog diet, also Hills say on their Vet Diet formula’s when you feed your dog the same diet year after year your dog can start reacting to certain ingredients causing food sensitivities…
Rotating a dog diet strenghten their immune system, stops food sensitivities also if the food/brand your feeding your dog isn’t balanced properly or is high in contaminates & toxins, then when you rotate your dog diet he isn’t eating the same food 24/7 causing health problems….
You will see a big difference in your dog coat, skin & over all health, my boy has IBD, if I stay on the same dry food for more then 3 months my boy starts reacting, he goes down hill, starts doing his smelly sloppy poos, so around 3 months I start to introduce a new dry food, I look for a new kibble/freeze dried raw that’s “around” the same Kcals per cup, fat% & protein %, the fiber doesn’t seem to matter withPatch as long as it’s NOT higher then 6%… He does get 2 Freeze dried Green Lipped mussels daily & something different for lunch everyday thats not a dry kibble…

Patch will be 10yrs old in November & he still acts like a puppy, running, jumping, playing ball etc people think he’s a young pup… He doesnt suffer with Arthritis, I keep him lean & all muscle, he isnt over weight to put any pressure on his joints, he gets walked twice a day & has a very active life for a dog, I think this also plays a big part in a dogs life…

Have a look at “Canidae Ancestral raw freeze dried coated formula’s..
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-grain-free-pure-ancestral-raw-coated-dry-red-meat-formula-with-lamb-goat-wild-boar/

[pitlove]

Hi RollTide-

Rotational feeding gets brought up a lot on here. There seems to be two extremes when it comes to peoples opinion on rotational feeding. Either you believe in it or you don’t. Thats just what I’ve noticed.

My personal experience with rotational feeding didn’t turn out so well, so I’m rather cautious now in my recommendations for rotational feeding. Though I will say honestly, part of the problem was that we were rotating between foods that my dog was allergic to and I didn’t know it because I was changing his food so frequently.

Now if I change his food, I have to do a 10 day transition between foods or he gets sick. When I first ventured into feeding a rotational diet I was told that wouldn’t happen. I was told I would be making his GI system healthier. Seems it had the opposite effect on my dog. When he was younger I was able to change foods with no transition, now after getting sick on so many foods we switched between he can no longer swap to a new food cold turkey.

So my advice to you is, know your dog. Also if you are going to do a rotational diet, start off slow with only a couple brands and do the normal 7-10 day transition between each brand. See how he does and go from there. Let your dog tell you how he feels about the food changes. You’ll know pretty quickly if a food is not working out for him.

[Ashish M]

If your dog is 12 months or over and is severely overweight, then you may want to feed them 3 – 2% of their ideal body weight rather than of their current weight. For more information you can visit our website CDK9raw.com.au and learn more about Raw dog food.

[RollTide10]

Thanks to everyone’s input thus far.

I’m interested in keeping Fury on a kibble diet. So for those suggesting Raw dog food, raw freeze dried, etc. Thanks for taking the time but no thanks.

Thanks for the input, Pitlove. I’ve transitioned Fury on 2 different types of food and both with a 10-day transition. Transition to his current food also took about 10 days and while his stool was soft at first, now his stool is the ideal firmness and color. The shelter was giving him chicken flavored food, he did okay with it so I figured he’s alright with chicken. His current food’s got Turkey, Duck, Quail so I think poultry is okay for him.

I’m thinking of either switching him to
Taste of the Wild Prey Angus Beef or Trout flavored next since their nutrition data are very similar to the food he’s on now.

I’m just not sure if I should start him on a rotational diet :\

[Susan]

Hi RollTide 10,
here’s a link you should watch when you have 10mins, Rodney gives you 20 reasons why you should rotate your dogs diet if feeding a dry processed kibble…. https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib/videos/10156617345557028/UzpfSTc1NDk1NzAzMTIwOTk3OToxODc3ODEzMzI1NTkxMDA1/

In the beginning of this video you’ll see a poor Labrador struggling in his new high chair, he was feed Australian made “Advance Dermacare” dry dog food, his human parents didn’t rotate his diet, last Novemeber 2017 thru to March 2018 dogs were becoming very ill & some died, it was only when police service dogs became ill & 1 police service dog died Advance made by Mars “finally” did a recall on Advance Dermacare dry kibble but this only happened after more dogs became sick & died, there’s over 100 dogs now that didn’t die & are suffering with Megaesophagus (ME) till the day they will die, if Advance removed their poison off the selves earlier & admited there was a problem with their Advance fish dog food there wouldn’t be all these poor dogs now suffering from ME..

If you’re going to feed a dry processed kibble, its best to start rotating our dogs diet, so he isnt eating the same brand 24/7 & dont just rotate within the same brand either, if these poor dogs parents rotated their dogs food & werent just feed the Advance Dermacare dog food some dogs probably wouldn’t have ME now, we still dont know what was wrong with the Advance fish Dermacare dog food but Scienctist believe the Advance dog food was high in Toxins, who knows where Mars was sourcing their fish from?? this is why I always post do not feed your dogs any fish dry kibbles….I do not feed any fish dry kibbles anymore after Patch kept becoming very ill after eating a few fish brands, (all American fish kibbles) later when pets foods started to be tested for toxins & contaminates the worst top 10 dry then last year some popular dog foods were tested & cam back very high in Toxins & Contaminates, these brands were the 3 brands I had rotated & Patch became ill after eating them also when you watch Rodney Habib video you will see dogs being feed high Legume diet are starting to suffer with Heart problems, Kidney Problems, Pregnant dogs Pups etc so this is another reason best to rotate your dog foods & stay away from Grain Free kibbles that are are very high in Lentils, Peas & Chickpeas until they work out why are these dogs suffering from health problems that are eating a grain free diets high in Legumes & if you want to feed a fish in your dogs diet start buying the can/tin sardines & can salmon in spring water instead & start adding 2 spoons sardine/salmon to 1 of dog daily meals so if the dry food your feeding isnt balanced propery then sardines are very healthy high in vitamins, minerals, omgea fatty acids etc will help balance your dogs diet plus your dog will love the fish topper on 1 of his daily meals….also look at the dry kibbles that have healthy grains & vegetables aswell..
Good-Luck with Rotating your boy dry kibbles..

[Stephanie S]

For anyone who has their dog on (or is considering putting their dog on) Taste of the Wild dog food, beware! There is an active Diamond Taste of the Wild Class Action Lawsuit!

Due to food allergies, my two dogs have (had) been on TOTW Pacific Stream for years. In June, 2018, my dogs became extremely ill (vomiting, bloody diarrhea) following two feedings from a newly opened bag. Three months and over $4,000 in vet bills later, my dogs are still trying to recover after eating TOTW’s poison. And, it is poison! You may already be aware, but on August 28, 2018, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Diamond Taste of the Wild dog food (http://truthaboutpetfood.com/taste-of-the-wild-pet-food-class-action-lawsuit/). TOTW’s Pacific Stream, Roasted Bison & Venison and the Puppy formulas have tested positive for arsenic, bpa, cadmum, mercury, lead, total pesticide and acrylamide. Many people have been posting complaints on ConsumerAffairs.com, Amazon.com, Chewy.com reporting symptoms similar to what my dogs are experiencing. Others are posting complaints regarding their dogs suddenly developing itching problems. A couple of people have even posted about their dogs dying after they began vomiting and having bloody diarrhea.

So stay away from TOTW dog food!!

[joanne l]

From my experience I can’t rotate so I can’t give an opinion on this. Like someone said on here, know your dog. Some dogs can develop IBS when you rotate too often and some are okay, you just have to pay attention how the dog reacts. There are many schools of thought on this. I have never rotate before with my other dog and now it seems like the in thing. To me it makes sense to rotate in a way and the other part of me says if it is not broke don’t fix it. That is the old school way. Well, I still don’t know what is better, some say stick with the tried and true methods. These new ways are not done long enough to say. Just like this grain free issue on the FDA website. Unfortunately you have to experiment. But all the neighbors that I know own dogs none of them rotate and their dogs never have problems with upset stomachs. My dog is the only one on the block that had so many diarrhea problems when I was rotating. Like I said I can’t do it.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by joanne l.

[Derik P]

I don’t do it every bag, but I rotate flavors/protein sources every so often. I usually stick within the same brand, but I have used a few different brands before and my dogs don’t seem to have much issue. I don’t usually need to slowly transition my dogs between brands or varieties either, but every dog is different. The only time mine have really had problems is adding non-kibble foods like Honest Kitchen or something, but that’s not surprising so I try to add those things http://dog.best-online-solution.com in small quantities.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Derik P.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by Derik P.

[crazy4cats]

I rotate my dogs’ brands and flavors often. In light of the recent discovery of legumes and potatoes possibly inhibiting the absorption and production of taurine in dogs, I’m glad I do. I have been rotating between both food with and without grain for quite some time. I hope it has helped my dogs avoid an enlarged heart caused by taurine deficiency. I haven’t had them checked yet. Fingers crossed!

I’m sticking to the “big three” brands from now on.

[Author]

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