[Kipsley]

My girl is 16 months old TODAY! 😊

... and I was just reading up on diets for dogs online when I came across an article that said you should try to vary your dog's diet around every three months or so, and that did kinda make sense as I'd get bored eating the same old stuff every day.

So Poppy gets two main meals a day. Lunch is a small portion of BlackHawk kibble with roasted chicken pieces as a topper, while dinner is a full portion of her kibble with raw cubed beef as the topper. Treats through the day can be duck tenders (she loves those) and a dentastick at night to clean her teeth. She's 37 kgs (81.5 pounds).

So should I try mixing up her meals a bit? I was thinking of maybe just changing the raw beef of a night to something else now and then to keep her meals interesting.

I'd like to know if anyone has done this, and your thoughts.

 

[WNGD]

Just to horrify a few people, I've had long lived healthy dogs that ate the exactly same thing and pretty much the same quantity even, for a decade+ ....

The dogs weren't weighed daily (once a year at the vet and I went by visual/feel body condition) and their meals weren't constantly altered by a few grams, treats were a Milk Bone, not organic free range smoked venison and i didn't know what a "topper" was ....

Off topic a bit, I was looking at the label feeding guidelne on a canned dog food the other day. It read 1 can per 15 pounds of body weight. These were the mid sized cans but for Rogan, that would be eight cans a day and because he's active and considering body condition, more!

Hopefully, nobody follows these guidelines....

 

[car2ner]

I had dogs live long lives on grocery store kibble and the occasional goody. It wasn't until hubby and I got our first GSD pup that I started researching dog food. I have not varied the kibble except when out on the road and couldn't get a delivery on time ( Chewy orders have followed me around the country ). If it was an unfamiliar brand I only bought a small bag to tide us over. The variety comes in toppers. The added dollop of canned food rotates between flavors and sometimes brands. And training treats can swapped out. I want food rewards to be "Oh Goody..... I love this stuff".

 

[dogma13]

Variety is good as long as the balanced aspect is kept in mind.Occasionally I add a tiny pinch of cheese or a teaspoon of leftovers to my dog's bowls.They are always thrilled to have a tasty surprise and their daily nutrition remains stable.

 

[Vern Henry]

I don't know what to believe. My vet said to keep the boy on the same thing all the time so if he develops a food allergy you have other foods to go with. I've had dogs most of my life and never heard of a food allergy until recently. I sometimes wonder if some cases of food allergy is just another word for picky eater.

 

[Kipsley]

My dog is scratching at the moment. It's only every now and then but it's summer here and she's shedding, so I brush her every day. I think it's that. She's never really had any allergies to anything.

Her kibble will always stay the same. It's just the toppers I wish to change for variety sake.

 

[wolfy dog]

I shop groceries mainly at the Grocery Outlet for ourselves and I buy most kibble there as long as it doesn't contain legumes. I get great deals on Merrick, Organix, Taste of the wild etc. It is hit and miss what you find every week. I have started to alternate raw with kibble and interestingly they hardly eat grass anymore. I never feed them the same type of kibble twice in a row.

 

[Kipsley]

It worked! 😊

Went to the supermarket today and bought a can of dog food. Wasn't interested in what was in it, just had to have gravy in it. Bought a can of Lamb with Gravy as I know she likes Lamb.
Mixed in with her usual amount of kibble, and even before her bowl was on the floor, she was interested. Ate it all up and was looking for more. Yay!
Picky eater fixed

 

[RosiesPaw]

I shop groceries mainly at the Grocery Outlet for ourselves and I buy most kibble there as long as it doesn't contain legumes. I get great deals on Merrick, Organix, Taste of the wild etc. It is hit and miss what you find every week. I have started to alternate raw with kibble and interestingly they hardly eat grass anymore. I never feed them the same type of kibble twice in a row.

Groc Out sells dog food? no kidding. gonna hve to look this weekend.

 

[Estintre]

I do that. Mine is picky eater and I feed raw.
best topping is-dont be horrified!- cat soup. Pouch is 48g and as soon as I take it out he’s there. I do have 2 cats and I feed them kibbleand treat that soup more like a treat but it works magic! I also have some puppy pouches so I split one for 2 meals if need be.
You could also try tuna, mine likes tuna as topping to.
I’m waiting for the day when I can stop that topping thing.