Hello

I really apologies if this post is repeated 3 times by me, but the first two times my posts haven't appeared and I'm not sure why. I'm new to this forum, but have used many other forums before and know posts usually appear instantaneously.

So my question is about changing my pups food brand. We got out little girl the weekend (Shih Tzu x Bichon Frise), the owner said he was feeding the pups on Butchers Puppy food. After a little research, I find this is a low quality brand and want to change it to something better.

She has settled really well, appears very health and lively. However, her stools are a little loose and smelly (no blood).

How's best to go about this? Do I combine the two brands in the same bowl and gradually increase the new brand percentage over time or is another way better.

Many thanks in advance, Apples Mam

Grats on your new pup firstly, hope she's settling in well.

The general way of introducing a new food (from what I've been told and researched) is to introduce it gradually over the course of a week or so depending on the sensitivity of your pups tum. Start by mixing small amounts of new stuff in with the current and slowly increase until she's eventually on the new brand and none of the older stuff.

Just keep an eye on her toilet habits so you know how it's progressing and take it steadily with her, sometimes a change in diet can cause diarrhea and in a young pup this needs to be remedied quickly to avoid complications from rapid dehydration etc.

Best of luck with her and let us know how you both get on

When I changed my dogs food I just threw a few of the new pieces of kibble in with the old food. Each day I gradually added a few more pieces. By about a week she was 50/50 new food and old food and I carried on adding more new food till she was completely on the new food. I had to do it really slowly as she is a bit sensitive

What you've all said. Because she's very young, do it very slowly.

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Transplanted Geordie
RIP Jake, my best dog. 10.8.10
RIP Boomerang, beautiful horse. 27.5.08

Hi, Welcome to the forum and congrats on your delightful bundle of fluff!!

I would probably find out if her tum was ok with butchers before you got her (I suspect it was and the move has effected her). If so, I would sort her tum out on it rather than introducing new food to her already delicate tum (could cause more probs).

Think I would add a bit of boiled rice or the water it's boiled in to her Butchers and see if that firms her up. Once she is better, properly settled and had her vaccs (if she's going to), then I would consider changing to a better food.

Just my opinion - we all put in our twopenneth and you can decide which you feel is the best way to go. As time goes by, you will get to know her better of all and it will be easy to pick out the suggestions that suit her best

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"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own”

OK, that makes sense to, thank you for the reply. And she will be having her vaccs next week.

Just a thought to run by you - your vet may suggest putting off the vaccs if her tum is still poorly. Always best to have animals vaccinated when they are 100% healthy

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"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own”

Thank you, vacc due a week today, so might settle by then.

Also, forgot to ask, what does rice to? I seem to remember my mum feeding our dog rice and chicken if she had an upset tummy, but that was many many many years ago for me.

The rice tends to bind them up a bit.

Chicken sometimes aggrevates these days, (altho lots of the ready made bland diets contain it.)so it's often better to opt for fish and rice.

Wainwrights wet trays from Pets at Home work better than any bland diet for us but it be better if adding a bit of rice to the butchers worked for you. If not, then stop the butchers and add a bit of white fish to the rice for a few days.

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"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own”

Bland diets mean the digestion's not working too hard so any issues seem to resolve more quickly and dogs are able to recover better as there's nothing to work the stomach too hard.

__________________

Transplanted Geordie
RIP Jake, my best dog. 10.8.10
RIP Boomerang, beautiful horse. 27.5.08