Should I change my dog's food?

Question

He throws up the food every once in a while but not often. It's Pedrigree but I was unsure if feeding my dog the same type of food for so long is bad for his stomach in any way or if he is just tired of it. Should I switch brands or different flavors for him?

Answer 1

watch this video on the front page

www.healthypetnet.com

Answer 2

Feeding one type of food for an animal's whole life is not going to cause stomach trouble. Being tired of a food would also not cause a dog to vomit. However, I would get him off the Pedigree even if he wasn't vomiting, because it is not a high quality food and it often makes dogs fat.

You really should have a word with a vet about this sort of thing, since no one can diagnose over the internet. Your dog could have any number of problems, he should not be vomiting. If it's allergies, you can't take advice about what to feed from people on here as it depends what the dog is allergic to. And if it isn't allergies, changing the food will not make a difference.

Chalice

Answer 3

You should definitely check with your vet if your dog is throwing up his food. If it's really not often, you could try switching brands, but if you do, make sure it is a gradual switch. Mix his current food with the new food for a few days, adding more of the new food each day. Try not to switch the type of food too often because that can cause him to have an upset stomach. Look for a type of food that the dog enjoys..and make sure his coat is shiny and eyes and teeth are healthy and stick with it!

Answer 4

Pedigree is really not a very healthy food and neither are the others that they sell in grocery stores or retail stores. I feed my Chihuahuas, Canidae All Life Stages. It's high quality, human grade, naturally preserved, it's made in the USA, the first four ingredients are Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Fish, it has No corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions, fillers, preservatives or dyes in it, and is very reasonably priced, for such a high quality food. If you do switch to any food, do it slowly. Start off by mixing in a little of the new food with the food he's on now and slowly add more of the new food to the old food every day, until he's eating the new food only, but stretch it out for about 1 week to 1 1/2 weeks, and that way it won't upset his tummy. It is used for all stages of a dogs life from puppies to adults, so if your dog is a puppy, you don't have to worry about switching foods again when he's old enough, you can stay with Canidae All Life Stages. My dogs have NEVER been sick, are more energetic, and have beautiful coats. My vet asked me what I am feeding them, and I told her it's Canidae. She is really surprised at how healthy they all are, when I bring them all in for their check ups, and said to stick with Canidae. They love this food and Chihuahuas can be very picky eaters. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Canidae is not sold in a lot of stores, but if you go to this websitehttp://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html, go to the store locator link, type in the city you live in, and it will bring up a list of all of the stores in your area, that do carry it. You can also order it online. Good Luck! Hope this helps!

Answer 5

While I agree that Pedigree isn't really a good food, I doubt that's whats making him throw up food. Chances are he is probably eating too fast. Try putting a soup can, unopened inside his food bowl. Put the food in the bowl around that can. this will force him to forage a bit more for the food and make it harder for him to scarf it down too fast.

If you do want to switch to a better food, check out Canidae. I have four dogs ranging in size from 3 lbs to 115 lbs and they all eat Canidae and they look great. It's not overly expensive (I pay $30 for a 40 lb bag) and it's not full of fillers.

Answer 6

You might try a good brand like Canidae or National, available only in certain pet stores, and not cheap.

Otherwise, you might try feeding him several small meals a day instead of one or two large ones. Don't set the food down and let him eat however much he wants at one time - puppies tend to wolf down food and get sick. He may just be eating too much at a time.

Make sure he's relaxed when he eats. No distractions, a calm environment.

Answer 7

You should switch because Pedrigree is crap. As far as the vomiting you should see a vet. I feed my dogs nothing but holistic foods. Eagle Pack is about the best you can get but any all natural dog food is better than a regular supermarket brand.

Answer 8

Change to a higher quality food. I just switched mine over to Innova Evo Red Meat. She loves it and even though it has only been a little over a week I can already tell a difference. She loves the food and her coat is totally unbelievable.
You can go go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com to compare dog foods.

Answer 9

You might try feeding him less at designated times, twice a day. Many animals vomit often because they over eat. Ask your vet for the proper amount of food a puppy of his size, weight and breed should need. If that doesn't work change the brand.

Answer 10

thats not a great brand to begin with. Look at the ingredients--lots of corn and by-product is my guess. The higher up on the list the ingredient is the more it has. If you do switch be sure to do it gradually by mixing it in with his current food.

Answer 11

You should probably feed your dog a higher quality food, like Canidae, Innova, Merrick, or Solid Gold.

I don't know about variety - I've heard that a little bit is desired, but nothing conclusive.