[Mary S]

Hello all….I have a 5 year old terrier beagle mix and Id like to change his food. A year ago, he curiously developed acute hemorrhagic gastroenteritis….he pulled though very well thank god!, but after the ordeal and time my vet told me to feed him The dog food my older lab is on for severe allergies( shes 14), …Hill’s z/d. ..that the hydrolyzed protein would be better suited for him…well he has been thriving on it but I want him off of this…simply because it’s certainly not the best and I worry about it being deficient for the long haul….Any thoughts? Before this happened he was on Purina pro plan grain free for small breeds…Also, my vet has since retired and my new vet suggested Royal Canin , and Ive read that this is pretty inferior also….I need some help! Thanks in advance

[James P]

Mary, I applaud you in that you are trying to help your pups live a longer life through better nutrition!
I would suggest you do your own research and make your own decision as to what is the best food you can feed them.
Though we all hate to admit it, sometimes cost comes into that decision as well, and that is something each one of us has to decide.
I can tell you what my wife and I do for our 4 Miniature Schnauzers, 2 are 15, 1 is 11 and 1 is 9.
We feed 3 different foods mixed together. Schnauzers have issues with too much fat in their diet, so we mix together two low fat dry foods and top it with a fresh food, like Farmers Dog.
The reason we mix is because I do not trust pet food manufacturers and if we do get a product that has a serious problem, it will only be 1/3 of their diet and it should reduce the problems my dogs get from it. I also expect that some batches of dog foods that go out will be of more inferior quality than other batches of that same food. Mixing reduces the hit my dogs take on their nutritional intake.
Also, we change protein sources every couple of years. Chicken for a couple of years, then Turkey, etc. If any of our dogs have allergy issues to that protein source, then we change back until allergy issues subside and try a different protein source.
Good luck to you in your search!!!

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