Question about Rotating Food

[Doodlebug]

Several people at pet stores and boutiques have been recommending that I rotate Daisy's diet because she seems to have a chicken allergy. They are telling me that changing the protein will help prevent her getting allergies to other proteins. What do you think about this?

I am feeding her Blue Buffalo Lamb and Rice dry. She has been eating it with no problems for a couple of years now. I would be rotating between other Blue Buffalo flavors. Do you have to mix the new flavor in with the old and change over gradually, or is it ok to change flavors abruptly when one bag is used up? I bought a couple of selections of canned BB food and mixed it in with the dry and she liked it. One was salmon and one was stew.

Daisy seemed to have some little tummy issues lately (rumbling) and I have been putting probiotics on her food and given her canned plain pumpkin. The rumbling seems to be gone since she has been getting pumpkin.

I also heard that yogurt is good for tummy issues. Is plain Greek yogurt ok?

She is also asking to go outside frequently to graze on "bunny munchies".
I don't know if this is because of something lacking in her diet or she just likes the bunny munchies.

Thanks for any responses.

[xoxodoglover89]

I rotate Sasha's food after every bag or I should say I just change up the flavor after every bag. I feed her Blue Buffalo Wilderness and rotate between their three varieties - chicken, salmon and duck. She loves all of them and never has an issue when I go from one variety to another. Once one bag starts getting down to the end, I just dump what's leftover into the new bag. She has a good stomach and has always been ok going from one food to another. Every dog is different though. If your baby has been having stomach issues, I would change slowly to see how she reacts. Over time if she continues to do well with the changes, then you may not need to change slowly. I'm a firm believer that dogs need different types of protein and not just the same source all the time.

[Doodlebug]

Thanks for your input. I have only recently been hearing that rotating the protein is a good thing. I'm going to try it. We used to call Daisy "iron belly" because she could eat anything w/no problems. The tummy issues have just come up. I think we are giving her too many treats and we are now cutting back and hoping tummy issues are over.Thanks.

[derrickisdp]

Originally Posted by xoxodoglover89

I rotate Sasha's food after every bag or I should say I just change up the flavor after every bag. I feed her Blue Buffalo Wilderness and rotate between their three varieties - chicken, salmon and duck. She loves all of them and never has an issue when I go from one variety to another. Once one bag starts getting down to the end, I just dump what's leftover into the new bag. She has a good stomach and has always been ok going from one food to another. Every dog is different though. If your baby has been having stomach issues, I would change slowly to see how she reacts. Over time if she continues to do well with the changes, then you may not need to change slowly. I'm a firm believer that dogs need different types of protein and not just the same source all the time.

Is it ok to feed our yorkie the other flavors besides the small breed chicken? I have wanted to mix things up for Allie, but was afraid the wilderness was for bigger dogs.

[Ellie May]

It's not going to hurt to rotate if you switch slowly every time even between flavors and the pup doesn't have GI issues. Also, for those who do rotate, some protein sources should be avoided in case one day you need them for elimination diet trials.

Rotating is not necessary. If a dog is predisposed to food allergies, they will probably get them anyway when you continuously rotate back to the old flavors. I don't see any particular need to do it, so for my dogs I don't.

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

It's not going to hurt to rotate if you switch slowly every time even between flavors and the pup doesn't have GI issues. Also, for those who do rotate, some protein sources should be avoided in case one day you need them for elimination diet trials.

Rotating is not necessary. If a dog is predisposed to food allergies, they will probably get them anyway when you continuously rotate back to the old flavors. I don't see any particular need to do it, so for my dogs I don't.

Thank you for your response. I am thinking with the allergy problems with chicken maybe it is best if I don't rotate her food right now.That is what we have been told in the past so that we have some choices left if she continues to develop more food allergies. It is just recently that they seem to be recommending that we rotate her food so that she doesn't get a chance to develop a new allergy. They told us that by rotating her food before another allergy gets a chance to develop she is on another protein. I've never had a dog with food allergies before so I am confused and feel a little helpless to know what is best for her. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.