Been Feeding PuPPY food--Now dog is 3 years old- need best adult food in market

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FedAce

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Don't hate me, but my dog-pure bread Sheltie is now 3 years old and need to switch to adult food. I have been feeding ProPlan Puppy Lamb and rice which is not the best puppy food in the market. I need Premium best dog food in the market... Cost is no object.
Have tried the Canidae adult for 3 days and she has really BAD Diarrhea-- mixed in with her regular food about 1/5 new, rest of it old food. so that one is out.
Consumer reasearch said ORIJEN is the best food,,, but is this true ?? don't have any experience with it.
She is not a showdog but came from a showhome with both parents being champions and is finished.
Also this Premium food doesn't make the teeth dirty, that would be PLUS too. but anyway, what is the best dog food in the market today for medium size breed like Shelties when Cost is no object.
Thank you all in Advance. :smile2:
 
I was told ZIWIPEAK was the best dog food in the market but that one costs extraordinarily high. 11 lbs food bag is ~$100.
I was told ACANA is very good as well, 10 lbs bag is about ~$30-35. i was gonna try the ACANA lamb formula,,, what do you think ???
 
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

There is a good place to start. I feed Taste of the Wild (salmon flavor), which isn't 6 stars, but up there. If you look at anything 6 stars, that is considered the most 'premium.' (There are TOTW flavors that are 6 stars - I will be switching when my puppy is older enough for adult food at one year.) I like the no-grain foods. Here, you can't get many of these brands at Petsmart but the smaller, local businesses have them.

However, as many will probably point out, the site bases its rating on ingredients, not necessarily on scientific research of how it has affected dogs over their entire lives. If you happen to know of such research, we would all be interested.

Welcome to one of the most debated topics in dog lover's history.

And... I'm curious as to why it has taken so long to switch to puppy food and why the sudden turnaround. Vet recommendation? Extra weight? Some of these things might sway which food you choose.
 
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^^^Thanks so much,, you are the BEST. Link is Awsome. Funny though, the ZIWIPEAK ~$100 isn't even in the ratings ??? i thought it would be 6 or 7 stars ??
Orijen is 6 stars and Acana is 5 stars,,, do you think i should go with Orijen,, it has no Lamb formula though ??
It has taken so long cause i tried the premium food IVO for about 2-3 weeks and it gave my dog diarrhea as well so i had to go back to Proplan Puppy. and i have been looking for a premium food for a while now, just taken so long to decide. Thanks.
 
If you stick to five and six star foods on the dog food analysis web site, you should find something that will work for your dog.

Through my own research I've found that Canidae's new formula has been causing dogs digestive upset, so it's probably best to steer clear of them.

My dog has had digestive problems and I'm now trying her on Wellness lamb and rice. So far so good, she likes the taste and no problems yet, but it's only been two weeks and she's only getting 1/4 wellness to 3/4 of her regular food.

I've read that some dogs tend to have loose stools on Wellness but tried in anyway, since my dog tends to be a bit constipated.
 
You've gotten great advice so please allow me to throw in a reminder about switching dog foods...

It is not a good idea to just change a dogs food all at once; doing so increases the change of digestive problems, including very loose stool. Gradually introduce the new food over a period of time and in slowing increasing amounts. I like to do this in quarters:

Week 1: 3/4 old food + 1/4 new
Week 2: 1/2 old food + 1/2 new
Week 3: 1/4 old food + 3/4 new
Week 4: 100% new food

Of course the amount that equates to 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 is going to be proportional to the amount of food you feed the dog at each feeding. Even with this gradual change, a dog may have trouble digesting the new food.

I feed Eagle Pack Holistic and my little guy does very well on it.
 
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I would go with the Orijen, very slowly. (Of course I'm partial to the TOTW - :yes:) The method Silaria describes has worked well for my pups. You can even extend the weeks out a little to make sure all your old food is gone. And remember to take the correct fourths.

For example, say the old puppy food says feed 1 cup a day. That's easy - the fourths are just fourths of cup. But the new food is 3/4 cup a day. So one fourth is 3/16ths (I would probably just make a shallow hollow in a 1/4 cup measurer). Sorry... the math teacher in me is flourishing with these fractions.

Also, consider pumpkin. I feed it to mine with their dinner. It has helped (I believe) keep them regular through their transition to the new food. Don't feed more than 1/4 the portion of food and you should be good. You may want to compensate by feeding slightly less, but I really believe in the power of pumpkin!
 
Thanks all, and i will try the Orijen first then Acana.
Siliria,, i tried only 1/5 of the Canidae on the 1st week, and my dog was having BLOODY diarrhea by 3rd day. but i think it was the food that was wrong. I will try your method, i think it is very sound. and that is a BEAUTIFUL sheltie in your avatar.
and which of these premium foods cause least amount of dental stain ???
 
The reason you ran into diarrhea is because you are switching from crap in a bag to a higher quality food that isn't loaded up with corn and grains, and in general, has a higher protein/fat content. Regardless of what you switch to, you are probably going to run into diarrhea for a short period of time while your dogs stomache adjusts to a higher quality food.
If price isn't a problem, Orijen, Halo, Acana, EVO, or Taste Of The Wild are all top quality foods.
As mentioned, I'd make the switch very gradual to give your dog time to adjust.
 
I had a feeling you didn't just switch foods completely on the first day but it's better to be safe and mention it; especially for future people who may find this thread and not know the proper way to change a dogs food over.

If you had issues with even 1/5 of the amount of your current food, slow the cutover process even more by using only 1/8 of the new food to your current food (essentially halving what I typed above and doubling the length of the cutover).


Thanks for the complements on my little guy. Like yours, he's 3-years old (August 17th). The avatar is from one of my favorite pictures. The light from the sunset was just perfect for that shot; I don't think we could ever duplicate it.
 
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