To those of you who rotate kibble, how do you do this?
 

Just a quick question. I was watching the babies eat their food tonight (yeah I know, get a life :rolleyes:) and I decided that I would like to try rotating kibble to give them some variety - that's IF Stedman will even eat a new food, as he has been known to be QUITE the picky little man :cool:

Anyway, they are currently eating Natural Balance Potato & Duck, and I was wanting to maybe rotate them with either Nature's Variety Rabbit Meal or Duck Meal & Turkey Meal formulas. But, I am wondering how those of you who rotate, actually do it?

Do you rotate every other day? Every few days? Every week? Or do you mix two different kinds of kibble in their bowl at the same time? Or, do you just kinda do it whenever the heck you feel like it? LOL.

Just wondering! :p

I am really kind of interested in trying the NV Rabbit Meal Formula - however it does have Chicken Fat in it, and even though Tatum could very well be allergic to Chicken (protein) itself, I did some research and I don't think she should have any problems with the Chicken Fat - at least, lets hope not :rolleyes: :xfingers:

I typically switch when the bag is empty-- which comes out to every three or four weeks, I think-- but I stay within the same brand (usually Merrick), just switching up flavors and protein sources.

Before I had to start homecooking for Lady, I fed her Natures Variety Prairie. I rotated through the different kibbles each time I finished a bag, about every month.

If you have a really allergic dog, you'd have to do it more often.

I dont feed kibble but it seems like most people I've seen talk about doing this feed a whole bag and then try a new one..or will rotate every couple months.

I rotate protein sources with the raw I feed...and I just do it kindof random. If I have multiple protein sources at one time I'll sometimes rotate daily or I'll try to buy a different protein source with each new bag

That's really the ideal way to do it. With food allergies in humans, they tell you to wait five days before eating the same things again to avoid developing antibodies that will trigger an allergic reaction.

That would work with canned food, too. I guess with kibble you'd have to divide it up and freeze it.

Fortunately, Lady allergies are mostly inhaled, not food.

Just so you know, there have been some concerns about NV sourcing their rabbit from China - both the raw and kibble so I know a lot of members here hesitate to feed it. :)

Oh, and about the chicken fat.. I asked a question about that a while back when I was considering NV. I hope this helps! http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...icken-fat.html

We switch between protein sources and then between brands. I usually change every other bag. We're on Instinct Chicken right now and we'll switch to Turkey/Duck. Then we'll either go back to Wellness Core or try Taste of the Wild.. depending on availability and what I feel like at the time.

Variety is good but by rotating between too many protein sources (and grains for those who feed them), what you would be doing is "boxing yourself in".

Sadly, I have an example.
Ellie eats homecooked and her grains were rotated often. Now she has gastrointestinal issues and some itching (again). She needs a novel carb. I've already used oatmeal, brown rice, white rice, wheat pasta, barley, corn (in kibble that she used to eat), cereal (as treats) and then peas, potato and sweet potato. So, unless we want to go to millet or couscous, we are kind of stuck for an elimination diet. Now she is on oatmeal (again) and sweet potato (again but shouldn't hurt). So we will see.

All that to say, be careful how many proteins you rotate through in case she does need a novel protein someday. If she has been exposed to most of them, she would likely require a prescription diet with hydrolyzed protein. And if she has had anything with "meat" as an ingredients without naming the meat, then she has likely already had four proteins (beef, pork, mutton and goat). At the same time, I'm not saying use the same food forever because you don't want acquired allergies either. I hope this makes sense.;)

I rotate between the NV Rabbit and the Duck/Turkey formulas about once a month. Rabbit is their all time favorite! :) I've noticed that mine don't have difficulty transitioning between the two at all, but I still try to spread it out over a week's time.

After reading here on YT that NV's rabbit meat came from China, I contacted the company and had an extensive e-mail conversation with them (great customer service by the way). They said the rabbit meat in the raw did come from China, but the rabbit meat in the kibble and canned does NOT come from China (please see my posts from about four weeks ago on this subject quoting their statements). Their explanation was that the raw required a much greater amount of actual rabbit (organs, etc.) so they had to find other sources to be able to supply the raw rabbit. Even though they went to great lengths to reassure me about the safety of the rabbit meat in their raw diets, I've decided to stop feeding the raw rabbit. I feel very comfortable continuing to feed the Instinct Rabbit kibble.

My oldest is also allergic to chicken, but he does fine with chicken fat and eggs (weird huh). I know each yorkie is different but it's worth trying a small bag to see if yours will do alright on it. I've been feeding NV raw for breakfast and free feeding the NV Instinct kibble for several months now and couldn't be happier! Good luck!

Thanks a lot for posting this. I must have missed the previous thread and will definitely go back and read it. My two LOVE the Instinct Rabbit meal and my male's itchies have drastically reduced. Max is very picky also and he eats this really well.

Thanks so much for posting this! I didn't know the rabbit in their kibble was safe. Now there should be no concerns at all. :thumbup:

Here's the link with some of my e-mail discussions with NV:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...you-think.html