[Laura M]

I am getting a puppy at the end of July and want to transition him from what the breeder feeds, Diamond puppy, to a better quality food. A little over two years ago I got a pup from the same breeder and tried to transition to Fromm and had lots of digestive/diarrhea problems, to the point I had to go on the Iams Low Residue food which is very expensive but more importantly, the ingredients are horrible. I eventually transitioned to Natural Balance and finally to Orijen – this dog is now 2 1/2 yrs. old and doing great on the Orijen. So with this puppy I am going to take much longer in the transition (probably a month) and wanted a less rich food recommendation so hopefully I can avoid any digestive upsets. Can you recommend anything in particular that might be less rich but still a good quality food to begin the transition? I always use probiotics with all my dogs so that will be part of the regime as well. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

[zcRiley]

1st remove the probiotics & see what happens. My pups didn’t do well on it, even though it was supposed to help. When they became allergic to Orijen, I switched them to 5 star Zignature Zssentials. No chicken, potato or egg. All symptoms stopped in 24 hrs.

[Pitlove]

Hi Laura-

What breed of dog is this? I’m feeding Precise Holistic Complete at the moment for my pitbull. They have small/medium breed formulas and large/giant breed formulas. The large/giant breed formulas are really great foods for LBP’s and they are much less rich than Orijen. I have fed Orijen with no issue for my dog, however he has always eaten foods with %’s higher than 30 for protein and has no problems with it.

So far I really like the Precise and I plan to use one of their Grain Free formulas next. I’m using a grain inclusive one at the moment, however since I feed a rotational diet I am not worried about adverse reactions to grains as he won’t be on it for more than 1 medium sized bag.

[Laura M]

Hi pitlove – my breed is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. My male is 75 lbs. They run from 55 to about 75 pounds. My current boy is on the large end of the spectrum. I like the protein/fat to be in the range Orijen offers but just want to start off with a food that is not quite so rich. I appreciate your suggestions – thanks a bunch!

[InkedMarie]

they are a beautiful breed, Laura!

[Laura M]

Hi InkedMarie: Is it you who has the PBGV? I think we discussed the Griffons before. I agree the WPG’s are very special and beautiful. I also have 2 Beagles and have had many different breeds over my lifetime, but the WPG’s are something else – very human and super smart and evidently have sensitive tummies when pups!

[InkedMarie]

Yes, thats me! I saw a WPG at a dog show last month, also met my forst Grand basset griffon vendeen!

[aquariangt]

Precise is a good transition food. Something like 3.5 stars with minimal red ingredients is good to transition food to first, then into something 4.5-5 stars is usually a good bet. I like probiotics when teaching a dog to transition their food

[Pitlove]

Im using the Precise Wild at Heart formula which is all life stages. its a 4 star food. Not sure if it meets the calcium req’s for LBP’s though. Mine is over a year old so I’m not worried about that anymore.

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