is it bad to change food?
 

Hi,

I've bonded with my yorkie over the last few months and I feel that he's sorta turned out like me. Actually everyone says that, its kinda funny actually. Ever since I was a kid I walked funny and stuff. My Yorkie also has a bit of a wobble like I do its kinda cute. As for food, I eat everything but I never like eating the same thing over and over again. I've slightly experimented with food to see what my buddy likes or doesn't like. However so far he likes everything. So I was wondering is it a bad thing to change is food up? I've been keeping my eye on the ingredients and making sure there's nothing in the food that will cause issues.

Thanks for the input.

Not at all! I rotate Jackson's food. I just wouldn't do it every day, might cause upset stomach.

Right now I am feeding Orijen Regional Red and Go! Endurance kibble. Then I buy a bunch of different canned foods. So, he eats the whole bag of Orijen and then when that is gone, I buy the Go!, then what that is gone, back to Orijen, etc. I've used lots of other foods in between too. And a can lasts us about 5 days in the fridge so he gets new canned food every week.

Found this on the www.

You should vary your dog’s food periodically. There are many good reasons for this:

_ Dogs (actually all mammals) are designed to consume a range of different foods, and to obtain differing vitamins and minerals from each. They are not designed to eat “only chicken” or “only lamb” or any other food item for eternity. Changing foods, importantly the contents of those foods, every so often helps to give them the variety their bodies were designed to thrive on.

_ There is no one dog food in existence that “has it all”. And remember, the feeding trials that foods go through only last for six months (and not all foods are even trialled). Changing foods periodically helps to ensure that no dietary deficiencies or excesses build up over time.

_ Variety is the spice of life. Who wants to eat the same food day in and day out? Could you do it? For months or years? Feeding your dog something different helps to ensure that he does not become bored and frustrated with his food. This will not make your dog picky - we are talking about periodic changes here, not serving up something different or adding goodies to tempt him every time he doesn’t like his dinner.
And most importantly of all:

_ It helps to avoid the development of allergies. In a few extreme cases, you (or your dog) may be instantly and violently allergic to something. But that is a few extreme cases only - the vast majority of allergies are things that build up over time and with constant exposure. The surest way to develop an allergy to chicken, for example, is to consume it daily for an extended period. It is no coincidence that the most common allergens are things that have commonly been used in dog foods for many years. The (modern) advice given by nutritionists is that feeding a wide variety of different foods, preferably from a young age, can help to avoid the development of allergies in the first place (that's the advice given for humans too).

Common signs of allergies are itchy skin, red itchy paws, chewing paws, yeast infections, ear infections, and skin infections that may respond to antibiotics but reappear as soon as the antibiotics are discontinued.

That all adds up to changing the food you feed every once in a while. That means changing to a food with different main ingredients. There is very little benefit to switching from one chicken/rice food to another, for example. If you have been feeding a food with chicken as the main ingredient, then it is far better that the next food is based on lamb, or turkey, or fish, or beef, etc and that the other main ingredients are also varied.


Here's a link to see how the food you feed your dog rates...according to nutrition... So you can make sure you're feeding good quality food! Which will contribute to GOOD HEALTH!! I change my girls foods periodically too!

Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings