[Kelly P]

I certainly cannot follow that post with any more info other than allergies was the first thing that popped into my limited cranium.

While vacationing at a small island resort, they had two dogs. The one dog, Brownie had just terrible skin afflictions. We got talking with one of the staff and he said Brownie used to be so beautiful then someone fed him shellfish and he was never right after that again.

The island was very remote, so it was about an hour flight just to get to a place that even had a vet. So, Brownie just had to deal with it.

[Kelly P]

Your situation sounds very similar to mine. I have a 13 yr old mini Schnauzer and had heard several bad things about the food I was feeding her. Always dry food, no table scraps, etc. I finally got that smack in the face that your dog is getting old when she started collapsing if she got wound up. Sure enough, she’s got an enlarged heart and nothing we can do other than a few meds to stave it off as long as possible. My first Schnauzer suffered from the same thing.

But, the news about the other brand, her prognosis and her age made me think it was time to switch. I went with Wellness Core small breed and she ate it at first as I was mixing it up with her old food so as to ease the transition. That was fine but once I got to 100% Wellness she would sniff it and walk away. I even pulled the Nick Nolte “Doen and Out in Beverly Hills” trick where I stuck my face in the bowl. It actually works, but I can’t do that every meal.

Eventually at some point during the day, she would eat it. I suppose she was just hungry! Kind of like when you’re on a road trip and you stop at a place you’d usually speed up to get past.

Anyway, I made my decisions based on the recommendations here, I just recently tried Orijen Senior Formula. It’s not a small breed food, so the kibble is bigger. I put the Wellness in 1/2 the bowl and Orijen on the other side. She was all over the Orijen and left an almost perfect line where the Wellness was. I also bought a little 4 lb bag of Merrick Grain Free Real Buffalo & Sweet Potato if the Orijen didn’t work.

Like you, I think she likes bigger chunks and that Wellness was pretty small. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other data or info to share. The Orijen is not cheap by a long shot, but the people on this forum aren’t here because we value savings over health and well being of our dogs.

[Kelly P]

My 13 yr old Mini Schnauzer has been blessed with great teeth all her life. She used to go through those really hard Nylabones like mad when she was younger. Apparently with no adverse effects on her digestive tract.

Now she doesn’t seem to have any chewing interest. I’ve tried different toys and bones. Then I got her some of the Milk Bone Dental sticks. Good God, within a day or two she was letting loose with the most rancid farts I’ve ever smelled. I’m sure it was them because I never smelled her farts before and yes I’m aware that at least humans and dogs fart.

In fact, right now I am on the far side of my MBR and she’s on the bed. I just got another blast. At least it’s still cool at night and I can air the place out. She’s looking at me like, “Are you talking to me?”

I will be ceasing these tomorrow. I had her at the vet on Friday and Schatzie let one fly. We were in a relatively small exam room and thankfully I was her last client of the day.

I might some of the ones mentioned above or just let her be. Her teeth are still perfect. I just thought it would be fun for her.

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