# Papillons (Small breed dogs) - Need food advice - What do you feed?



## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

I have 2 papillons (8yr old girl and 5yr old boy) that currently eat Merrick dry and canned. I rotate between the trial size dry dog food bags - Cowboy Cookout, Grammy's Pot Pie, and Turducken. About a month ago an employee at a local pet store(not my regular) told me the 8yr old should be eating senior food and the 5yr old could too. So I bought them a bag of Merrick Senior Medley. It gave both of them the RUNS!!! So I brought it back to the pet store. They went back to their regular Merrick dry and canned - everything seemed fine... Then yesterday my girl had the RUNS again. She will be getting pumpkin with their food for now. They were fine for MONTHS on Merrick, I want to try a different food for them or maybe the Merrick Wilderness Blend (I heard it was good for dogs with sensitive stomachs).

The owner of my regular pet food store always gives me different sample bags of food when I go since she knows I give it to them as treats. They are a little picky... They won't eat Chicken Soup, Pure Vita, Canidae, or a blue bag (cant remember the name). My girl loved Addiction - La Porchetta. She could pick them out of the other samples I gave her as treats. They also seem to like the Royal Canin Labrador food (just as a treat).

I just ordered the different Orijen, Acana, and Merrick Before Grain trial bags, and a big sample pack/box online. 

Is Addiction a good brand? What do you guys feed your dogs? Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

Thank you 

PS - Cost/money is not really problem since they eat so little


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

sachi said:


> I have 2 papillons (8yr old girl and 5yr old boy) that currently eat Merrick dry and canned. I rotate between the trial size dry dog food bags - Cowboy Cookout, Grammy's Pot Pie, and Turducken. About a month ago an employee at a local pet store(not my regular) told me the 8yr old should be eating senior food and the 5yr old could too. So I bought them a bag of Merrick Senior Medley. It gave both of them the RUNS!!! So I brought it back to the pet store. They went back to their regular Merrick dry and canned - everything seemed fine... Then yesterday my girl had the RUNS again. She will be getting pumpkin with their food for now. They were fine for MONTHS on Merrick, I want to try a different food for them or maybe the Merrick Wilderness Blend (I heard it was good for dogs with sensitive stomachs).
> 
> The owner of my regular pet food store always gives me different sample bags of food when I go since she knows I give it to them as treats. They are a little picky... They won't eat Chicken Soup, Pure Vita, Canidae, or a blue bag (cant remember the name). My girl loved Addiction - La Porchetta. She could pick them out of the other samples I gave her as treats. They also seem to like the Royal Canin Labrador food (just as a treat).
> 
> ...


Your paps are ADORABLE 
I have a 9 1/2 year old pap who is eating ALS food, and the puppy (not quite 1 1/2 years) is on the same ALS food, I feed Merricks Before Grains. They gobble it up like candy. I tried a bag of their regular line (I think it was turducken) and they ate it, but with less gusto. I occasionally throw raw in there, and they dont eat it as enthusiastically as they do the BG kibble...go figure  
I would hardly consider an 8 year old pap a senior by any means (nor would I a FIVE year old!! WTH!?). Just because a dog is a certain age doesn't mean they *have* to eat a different type of food IMO. My dogs do well on what I'm feeding, so that's what I'm sticking with.


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## calpapmom11 (Sep 1, 2010)

I have an 11 month old pap that had a lot of stomach issues. I finally found that he does very well on Wellness Core kibble. Plus he really likes it and he is pretty picky. My vet recommended using probiotics every once in a while if his stools started to get loose. I was surprised at how well they work.


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## yappypappymom (Oct 22, 2009)

I feed my 2 EVO red meat. I tried a bag of TOTW, but, my goodness, they "farted" their way through the entire 6 lb. bag, plus, their stools were not as firm(pappy farts can be just as horrendous as big dog farts). My girl has a SUPER sensitive tummy, so, I have to be VERY careful about what she eats; my boy seems to have a tummy made of iron though. EVO works perfectly for the both of them, &, I think that I get great bang-for-my-buck, & they appear to thrive well on it.

ETA- WELCOME sachi & calpap!!!


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I feel kinda iffy about Addiction's kibble.. doesn't look like there's a lot of meat in all of them... I too wouldn't bother feeding senior food. For the most part, senior food just has way more carbs and less protein. A good ALS food would be good enough for your paps.

I've fed a whole bunch of different brands... EVO, Innova, California Natural, Orijen, Wellness CORE, and Fromm. So far the ones I like best are the grainfree ones like EVO, Orijen, CORE, and Fromm (Surf & Turf). You could try Acana grainfree as well.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

calpapmom11 said:


> I have an 11 month old pap that had a lot of stomach issues. I finally found that he does very well on Wellness Core kibble. Plus he really likes it and he is pretty picky. My vet recommended using probiotics every once in a while if his stools started to get loose. I was surprised at how well they work.


Probiotics are a God send  For full blown gastro problems, I add enzymes as well.


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## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

I've fed my poodle mix Addiction's kangaroo and apples formula and, I'll say, that she did the best she's ever done on it. I can't get it locally and we're currently out and I have an itchy dog again. This includes her eating grain free kibbles (which is what we usually feed)

Of course every food isn't right for every dog


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I don't think they really need senior food. Just make sure you're not feeding too much and make sure they have adequate exercise. Senior food is usually for those that are afraid their dogs are going to get fat when they get older.

I have a Papillon as well, she has an iron stomach though she does fine with almost any food on the market. The ones I've liked the most are Acana (3 grain free formulas) and Orijen though. High quality ingredients, small poops and no farts. 

I'm not familiar with Addiction so I won't comment on that.


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

Thank you everyone for all the replies - Until I find something they both do well on again - any help is greatly appreciated. 

My dogs are both about 8 to 8.5 lbs. To those who feed raw - I'd be interested in how much you feed. I dont think I'll feed them raw(atleast not right now - need to do too much research to jump right in and going on vacation next week), but I used the raw food calculator and it came out to about 0.18 lb/1.6 oz/5.75 tbsp per day per dog. Would that be correct? 

Does anyone use raw dehydrated? Ziwipeak, Honest Kitchen, Addiction-dehydrated, Oma's Pride, etc? Ziwipeak looked the cheapest out of all of them. 

Also, what brand of supplements, probiotics and enzymes do you use? I'll have to look into those. Currently, my dogs each get 1/2 of a Pet Naturals of Vermont Daily Best and 1/2 of their Hip+Joint.

Thank you again


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I use Ziwipeak as a supplement because Nia is a picky eater, sometimes she will go around 48 hrs without eating. If she does that and I'm really worried I will give her some Ziwipeak as a training treat.

If you can afford to feed Ziwipeak I would feed that because it's really excellent. Ziwipeak is not really dehydrated raw because you don't need to add water and rehydrate it when you feed. Just feed it dry. You also need to feed very little, something around half a scoop per day per dog.

However, it's 29.99 for 2 lbs here and I can't really afford it.

The raw amount sounds about right, I'm not sure about the tablespoons though! Not sure how you would put a chicken wing or leg or something into a tablespoon. That's probably a little bit too little, I think 2 oz. would be a good amount to feed.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Cadence gets raw a couple of days a week. I give him Nature's Variety's medallions (premade raw) just because it's less of a hassle than having to feed raw myself. He gets 3oz a day. From time to time he gets a chicken wing to eat, lol.

I too give him Ziwipeak as treats. I just can't afford to feed him 100% Ziwipeak--it's even more expensive than feeding him premade raw! But it's very good food though. A great alternative if you don't want to feed raw.

Cadence also gets salmon oil (1000mg/day). It helps with his coat and shedding.

ETA: forgot to add that he weighs 9lbs. His weight fluctuates alot though. He has bouts of picky eating followed by bouts of hearty eating.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

lucidity said:


> Cadence also gets salmon oil (1000mg/day). It helps with his coat and shedding.:


I think that's too much because according to the vet the recommended amount is 800-1000mg/20 lbs of body weight @[email protected] If you give it every other day that seems about right


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

Wow - Ziwipeak is a expensive like the others. (I think I may have been looking at the cat food prices... lol) Maybe after finding a good dry kibble I'll think about adding a raw (probably dehydrated/freeze dried) to their diet.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> I think that's too much because according to the vet the recommended amount is 800-1000mg/20 lbs of body weight @[email protected] If you give it every other day that seems about right


I used to give him 1 every other day, but it didn't seem to be doing anything for him so I just upped it and he's doing well on it..

Sachi: I think you should go with a high quality kibble and supplement with Ziwipeak or raw. Cadence loves his raw, it's like a treat for him and he gets variety


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## calpapmom11 (Sep 1, 2010)

I use the Proviable-DC capsules for dogs and cats by Nutramax. There is also a paste that Calvin just licks right off my finger. I give that for a day or two and then will give the capsules for a little longer if he seems like his stomach is unhappy. This has saved a lot of trips to the vet. If he just sticks to eating his food, everything is great in the poop department. However, he likes to find things in the backyard and gulp them down before I can get them away from him. Calvin is pretty big for a pap - 11 pounds.

I also find that if I have to board him at the kennel, he gets issues with his stomach. I'm not sure if it's nerves or all the treats they give him. The probiotics work wonders for this situation.

Lucidity, you said you give Cadence salmon oil to help with shedding and coat. Is that a capsule or do you put that on the food? Does it give Cadence really fishy breath? Calvin has been shedding like crazy the last month or so. I was thinking he was going to have this amazing coat. Now I'm thinking he is going to be a naked pap if this doesn't quit soon.


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

Today I bought my dogs Healthy Select Enzymes and Probiotics (It was the only one I could find). Am I/Will I be giving them too many supplements/vitamins/enzymes/etc? They each currently get 1/2 of a Pet Naturals Daily Best (it has some digestive enzymes also) and 1/2 of a Pet Naturals Hip+Joint for Small Dogs. The reason I started the Daily Best is because my girl hurt her back a while ago (nothing too serious, Dr gave her a shot, meds, and bed rest) the night before I took her to the vet she didnt want to eat, so I was home cooking for them for a little bit. Just wanted to make sure they were getting the vitamins etc. Then my boy hurt/sprained his leg (he had meds and bed rest) so I started to Hip+Joint to be safe in the long run... 

Below is the list of ingredients for their supplements. Please let me know if you think its too much, etc. Should I stop anything? Thank you


Pet Naturals Daily Best (They each get half of a chew daily)
Guaranteed Analysis Per Soft Chew (Approximately 3.5g):
Levels represent minimums unless otherwise stated:
DL-Methionine . . . . . . . . . . . .2.5 mg
Linoleic Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 mg
Calcium (2.86%) . . . . . . . . . . .100 mg
Phosphorus (2.37%) . . . . . . . . . .83 mg
Potassium (0.36%) . . . . . . . . .12.44 mg
Magnesium (1.3%) . . . . . . . . . 46.65 mg
Iron (857 ppm) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 mg
Copper (0.7 ppm) . . . . . . . . .0.0025 mg
Manganese (286 ppm) . . . . . . . . . .1 mg
Zinc (428 ppm) . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 mg
Iodine (14.3 ppm) . . . . . . . . . 0.05 mg
Selenium (0.57 ppm) . . . . . . . .0.002 mg
Vitamin A . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1000 IU
Vitamin D3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 IU
Vitamin E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 IU
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) . . . . . . . . .1 mg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) . . . . . . . .1 mg
Pantothenic Acid . . . . . . . . . . . 2 mg
Niacin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 mg
Pyridoxine HCI (Vitamin B6) . . . . .0.2 mg
Folic Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.002 mg
Vitamin B12 . . . . . . . . . . . .0.002 mg
Choline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.5 mg
*Cobalt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.03 mg
*Biotin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.002 mg
*Menadione
(source of Vitamin K activity) . .0.001 mg
*Para-aminobenzoic Acid . . . . . . 3.75 mg
*Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) . . . . . .50 mg
*Lecithin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.5 mg
*Inositol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 mg
*Betaine HCl . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 mg
*Pepsin (Porcine) . . . . . 6.75 USP Units1
*Lipase (Pancreatin) . . . .3.75 USP Units3
*Protease (Pancreatin) . . . .46 USP Units1
*Bromelain (Pineapple) . . . 1.35 GD Units2

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

1One USP unit of protease activity will liberate 3.0 mg amino acids (from egg albumin)/min/mg of the enzyme under standard conditions.

2One GD unit of protease activity will liberate approximately 8.4 mg amino acids (from gelatin)/20 min/mg of enzyme at 45 C and pH 4.5.

3One USP of lipase activity will liberate 1 mmol fatty acid from olive oil/min/mg of enzyme at 37 C and pH 9.0.

Ingredients: brewers yeast, chicken liver flavor, calcium phosphate, glycerin, whey, canola oil, soy lecithin, maltodextrin, sodium alginate, calcium sulfate, magnesium oxide, l-ascorbyl-2-monophosphate, potassium chloride, iron proteinate, niacinamide, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, choline chloride, bromelain (from pineapple), vitamin E supplement, para-aminobenzoic acid, betaine hydrochloride, safflower oil, dl-methionine, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, cobalt proteinate, inositol, pancreatin (a source of lipase and protease activity), pyridoxine HCl, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, sodium selenite, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), pepsin (from porcine), folic acid, natural mixed tocopherols, propionic acid.
Feeding Directions:
Under 20 lbs: 1 soft chew daily.
20 - 70 lbs: 2 soft chews daily.
Over 70 lbs: 3 soft chews daily.
If giving more than 1 soft chew daily, divide between AM and PM.


Pet Naturals Hip+Joint for Small Dogs (They each get half of a chew daily)
Recommended to support joint structure, function and flexibility to dogs of all ages.

Product Facts:
Active Ingredients Per Approximately 2 Soft Chews:
Glucosamine HCl . . . . . . . .200 mg
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) . .100 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate . . . . . .100 mg
Ascorbic Acid (Stay-C®) . . . . 25 mg
N,N-Dimethylglycine HCl (DMG) . 25 mg
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) . .7.5 mg
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) . . . 5 mg
Manganese (Mn Proteinate) . . 1.25 mg

Inactive Ingredients: brewers yeast, chicken liver flavor, corn oil, fish oil, glycerin, natural mixed tocopherols, propionic acid, soy lecithin, SureSweet™ (maltodextrin, sodium alginate and calcium sulfate), whey.
Directions For Use:
Up to 20 lbs: 2 soft chews daily.
21 - 30 lbs: 3 soft chews daily.

Healthy Select Enzymes and Probiotics (I was thinking about giving them each 1/4 per meal)
Active Ingredients per 3 gram tablet: Alpha-amylase (aspergillus oryzae var.) 2200 SKB, Lipase (aspergillus niger var.) 200 LU, Cellulase (Trichoderm longibrachiatum) 70 CMCU, Protease (Ananas comosus) 21000 PU, Probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus) 95 Million CFU.
Inactive Ingredients: Dicalcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, maltodextrins, microcystalline cellulose, natural flavoring, non-fat dry milk, silica aerogel, stearic acid, vegetable oil, and whey.
Suggested Use: Give with every meal. Up to 20 lbs. 1/2 tablet, 21-40 lbs. 1 tablet, 41-80 lbs. 1 - 1 1/2 tablets, 81 lbs. and over 2 tablets.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

lucidity said:


> I used to give him 1 every other day, but it didn't seem to be doing anything for him so I just upped it and he's doing well on it..
> 
> Sachi: I think you should go with a high quality kibble and supplement with Ziwipeak or raw. Cadence loves his raw, it's like a treat for him and he gets variety


My dogs get kibble, canned, raw medallions, or The Honest Kitchen. It really depends on what's thawed, what's available, etc. This morning both dogs had medallions with canned chicken, tonight it'll probably be kibble, tomorrow morning maybe THK with more canned chicken, etc. I mix it up.


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## George&Charlie (Sep 27, 2010)

I have a shih tzu with a very sensitive stomach. He used to get very severe diarrhea with blood in it. The vet ran every test imaginable and we could never find out what was wrong. After doing some of my own investigating, I discovered that most dog foods with any kind of poultry product have a high chance of also having salmonella in them. Some dogs are very sensitive and don't have the ability to fight off the salmonella and get moderate to severe diarrhea. I decided to changed his diet and checked out every kind of dog food imaginable trying to find one without any poultry or corn (corn is just a useless filler and has no nutritional value for the dog). I now only feed him Sold Gold (the kind with lamb) and he hasn't had any problems since. This food doesn't have any chicken or corn in it and is organic. It might be worth a try!


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

Today my dogs just got the Healthy Select Enzymes and Probiotics - no Daily Best. But they didnt poop this morning before I went to work. (We'll see what kind of surprises I get when I go home) My plan is to try to find a high quality dry kibble/canned that they both like and do well on. Then I'm going to try adding in some dehydrated/Ziwipeak/premade raw. My box of samples and trial bags that I ordered from Luke's should be coming in today. I cant wait to see everything.

To those that give a variety of food to their dogs - how often do you change their diets? Daily? Weekly? Each meal? Rotate between dry, canned, raw, and dehydrated? Are you dogs tummy's okay with that? Do you guys buy different brands of dry and canned foods? Or stick to the same brand?

Thanks again for all the replies. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Another thing - my girl loves carrots and apples. My boy will eat one or two pieces then just spit out the rest. He does the trick and wants the attention not the food. This morning I was eating a banana and offered some to them. My boy took his piece and spit it out - the girl ate both their pieces. My son dropped a few cherrios and the dogs walk passed them about 5 times before the girl finally ate one.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

calpapmom11 said:


> Lucidity, you said you give Cadence salmon oil to help with shedding and coat. Is that a capsule or do you put that on the food? Does it give Cadence really fishy breath? Calvin has been shedding like crazy the last month or so. I was thinking he was going to have this amazing coat. Now I'm thinking he is going to be a naked pap if this doesn't quit soon.


I get the human capsules. He loves loves loves them. I make him do tricks to get it so he thinks the salmon oil capsules are treats  Nope, it doesn't affect his breath at all.. for some reason, only feeding him raw affects his breath. I have to brush his teeth on the days he gets raw because ewww his breath stinks after! How old is Calvin now? He might be shedding his puppy fur... Cadence sheds a LOT during spring and fall (like right now). In winter he barely sheds at all. The salmon oil helps a bit with the shedding but mostly with the quality of his coat. Without the oil his coat is pretty dry.



LazyGRanch713 said:


> My dogs get kibble, canned, raw medallions, or The Honest Kitchen. It really depends on what's thawed, what's available, etc. This morning both dogs had medallions with canned chicken, tonight it'll probably be kibble, tomorrow morning maybe THK with more canned chicken, etc. I mix it up.


Lol, Cadence gets a whole bunch of random things too  And he gets table scraps. I know it's bad, but oh well. He NEVER begs. All he does is sit at my feet and stare at me intently... so I give him some. His favourite food is plain steamed white rice. Haha, weird dog. I've been thinking of feeding him THK in the future.. is it expensive?


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

lucidity said:


> His favourite food is plain steamed white rice. Haha, weird dog.


That's my boy's favorite also. I got him from a Korean lady and I'm Japanese. He must think he's asian too haha


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Lol! I'm Asian too.. you know what they say.. dogs are a reflection of their owners?? Must be some truth in that saying.. haha.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Hey I'm Asian here too but Nia won't touch rice! Even if I put chicken on it she picks out the chicken only!!

I love rice though...<3


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

My two are currently informing me that papillons REALLY like noodles, lol!



Michiyo-Fir said:


> Hey I'm Asian here too but Nia won't touch rice! Even if I put chicken on it she picks out the chicken only!!
> 
> I love rice though...<3


Mmmmm....brown rice....:::homer simpson drool::: (_8()
I'll cook up brown rice and mix in fresh chicken, green beans, and carrots, and the dogs and I eat good for 2 straight meals


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

LOL I <3 rice too. Yuuumm. All sorts of rice. Long grain, wild, brown, whatever it is, it's good  Cadence would nod his head and agree!


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

And let the tasting begin..... 

I think I'm going to start with the Merrick BG's since theyre already on the regular Merrick dry/canned and we'll see from there. Also not sure if I'd be able to get Orijen, Acana, or Fromm locally.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

OMG that's unbelievably amazing! I'm so jealous 

Oh by the way if you email Ziwipeak, you can get samples from them too! I emailed them and they sent me 3 different flavors, a couple small packs of each! And then 2 or 3 months later they sent me another set of small packs!


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

Today was like Christmas - and im not even the one thats going to eat these. Tonight my dogs each got 1/4 of their probiotic/enzyme tablet. I mixed the Merrick BG Chicken with their regular Merrick Turducken. My girl picked out ALL of her BG and spit out the Turducken. She then took over my boys bowl and proceeded to do the same thing. He just looked at me... I felt bad and gave him a little more BG. I guess its going to be a "cold turkey" switch like when they eat the regular Merrick dry formulas (not BG). We'll see how things go tonight/tomorrow morning. It's usually her that has the stomach problems. 

Tonight was the first night in a LONG time that they ate all/only dry food. I didnt have to add/mix/doctor it up. My dogs usually eat about 2-3 tbsp dry and 2 tbsp canned per meal - 2x per day. Anything more than that and my girl leaves some in her bowl.

Does anyone use/used Merrick BG canned? I know I've seen 6 different blends/flavors. One of them was tripe... Maybe I wont have to use/buy canned. (But I probably still will)


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I tried the BG canned once... I think it was the buffalo flavour. I have to say, I was NOT impressed. It was by fair the most watered down canned food I've ever seen! It consisted of mostly water and not very much meat.

But WOW!! Where did you order all those samples from?! It's gonna take your pups forever to go through everything, lol.


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

I ordered all of food trial bags and samples from Luke's All Natural. 

This morning my dogs had their probiotic/enzyme and I gave them some regular dry Merrick turducken - dry Merrick BG Chicken - rice (I know, I'm going to feed them grain free but I gave them rice... lol) and some regular Merrick canned. My girl spit out all of her regular dry Merrick turducken (again) and my boy left his in the bowl. Atleast he doesnt spit his out, I guess he'll eat the regular Merrick turducken if he picks it up.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Nia does exactly what your girl does, if I mix it, she picks through and only eats the new food and either leaves and or spits out the old food. That's why I never transition her between foods anymore. She has pretty much an iron stomach anyways and we always go cold turkey and it works out fine.

It may not be that they really like the new food better, it's just that it's new and different and they could like it for now. At least my girl's like that. Any new food she'll love for a week and then stop eating again. I don't bother to mix it up or make it taste better for her anymore. If she doesn't want to eat, too bad she can juts starve. In the end she eats fine, otherwise she gets pickier and pickier.


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

I'll probably do the rotations cold turkey like I used too as long as their tummies can handle it. I never had any problems with rotations until I tried the merrick senior formula. Hopefully all goes back to normal. 

I agree with you partly about the food being new and different... But my girl will not eat certain foods. She wouldnt touch Canidae, Chicken Soup, Pure Vita, or Premium Edge and that was trying to give it to her as a snack/treat from the sample bags. The food could also sit in the bowl all day. And these are dogs that were eating Iams when I first got them... =)

I sent Ziwipeak an email this morning - they replied and said they would send out samples YAY!

Update

I went to my usual dog food store today and picked up a big bag of BG Chicken. 6.6 lbs is a lot - I'm/we're making a commitment here LOL I used to only buy the 1 lb sample/trial bags and rotate between the flavors weekly. I'll be going on vacation starting friday so the food tastings/rotations will have to wait until next friday =( but the dogs dont seem to mind. Theyre still loving the BG Chicken. I also picked up the canned BG Chicken. It really is watery! It was like a gravy to them. I took a couple pics and will upload them a little later. 

I saw the Ziwipeak bag (expensive). It looks like cut up beef jerky, no wonder everyone seems to use them as training treats. The owner also said she would try to get samples of the dehydrated raw foods. YAY! The store had Primal raw - I'm really interested in trying raw - need to read up on it.

Forgot to add - got each of my dogs a 6in dried trachea (mootube) Hope my boy likes it - He's not interested in his flossie/bully (hehe)


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## calpapmom11 (Sep 1, 2010)

Wow - that's a lot of stuff to try! I had no idea you could do that! Like Nia, I also found that Calvin became more and more picky when I tried to mix things up. He had problems with a number a foods. I was constantly cleaning up messy poos from his nice white fur on the back of his legs - blech - because he would only eat some foods with canned mixed in which really disagreed with him. We finally found that he liked Wellness Core, I was happy with the ingredients and it caused no more messes. Now he sometimes will decide he doesn't want to eat for a meal or two, but then will gobble it down the next meal. It can be frustrating to try to figure it all out. Plus you have two to figure out! Good luck!

Lucidity, thanks for the salmon oil tablet tip. I think I'm going to give it a try. I'm thinking that Calvin's coat is kind of dry. He is definitely shedding but it looks like the hair on his tail is breaking off. I don't bathe him that often and am careful when I brush him. Maybe the shedding will ease up now that fall is finally here. He will be one in about 3 weeks so I'm not sure whether puppy fur should be gone yet or not. All I know is that wearing black is not a good idea at my house!


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

lucidity said:


> I tried the BG canned once... I think it was the buffalo flavour. I have to say, I was NOT impressed. It was by fair the most watered down canned food I've ever seen! It consisted of mostly water and not very much meat.
> 
> But WOW!! Where did you order all those samples from?! It's gonna take your pups forever to go through everything, lol.


I agree!

The BG cans are sooo gross and watery. I used to buy them and they were never like that, then all the sudden a few months ago, it seemed every can I got was like that so I stopped buying.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I know! I bought that one can and never bought another one. It smells too, and gave Cadence the runs. I threw pretty much the entire can out. -_-


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## LDMomma (Jul 19, 2010)

We feed Honest Kitchen Force. When we fed it exclusively the four pound box would last my two (5# Chi and 13# terrier mix) about 2 months. So it was like $15-20 per month. Way cheaper than Ziwi!

We liked the HK and still feed it in addition to raw foods. Addiction's dehydrated is not as good quality as HK.


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

I just got back from vacation this weekend. While they were at my friends house (i dont know what they ate - maybe her dog's food - maybe the regular Merrick dry/canned foods that I gave to her for her dog) they got the runs and they also came home matted... And their neighbor was watching a few dogs also - those dogs had fleas (and I used to wonder why I paid so much for Comfortis - not anymore) This weekend they were back fully on Merrick BG Chicken dry/canned - and they did great - last night and this morning they had the BG Salmon dry/canned no problems =) I think I might try BG Chicken again tonight or BG Buffalo. They seem to have no problems with a daily rotation on the BG products. Small solid poops - no runs, vomiting, etc. - my boy used to have soft formed poops and my girl used to have huge solid poops - Not this weekend =)

The owner of the dog food store that I normally go to said it was fine to change their food and that I could also try the different brands for the different vitamins/etc that they each offer. I could use Chicken from one brand, Lamb from another brand, etc. As of this weekend they've been doing great on the Merrick BG Chicken and Salmon. After they go through the 3 different BG flavors I think I might try the different flavors/meats from different brands (I have enough samples - lol). 

Does anyone think daily rotations is too much?

Below are the pics I took of the BG canned Chicken and Salmon - They ARE really watery, but after I read the can and shook it before opening it didnt look as bad, but still watery.

Merrick BG Chicken - unshaken









Merrick BG Chicken - unshaken









Merrick BG Chicken - shaken









Merrick BG Salmon - shaken


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

sachi said:


> And let the tasting begin.....
> 
> I think I'm going to start with the Merrick BG's since theyre already on the regular Merrick dry/canned and we'll see from there. Also not sure if I'd be able to get Orijen, Acana, or Fromm locally.


OK, I can totally see Tag passing out from sheer glee if I would bring that home to him...

_
The owner of the dog food store that I normally go to said it was fine to change their food and that I could also try the different brands for the different vitamins/etc that they each offer. I could use Chicken from one brand, Lamb from another brand, etc. As of this weekend they've been doing great on the Merrick BG Chicken and Salmon. After they go through the 3 different BG flavors I think I might try the different flavors/meats from different brands (I have enough samples - lol).

Does anyone think daily rotations is too much?_

*http://www.dogforums.com/dog-food-forum/85243-variety-spice-life.html*


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## sachi (Sep 20, 2010)

I just got 2 coupons for a free 6lb bag of Natura/Innova/Evo cant wait to pick them up. I also got samples of Ziwipeak and Canine Caviar.


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## Pappy Allie (Sep 3, 2012)

calpapmom11 said:


> I have an 11 month old pap that had a lot of stomach issues. I finally found that he does very well on Wellness Core kibble. Plus he really likes it and he is pretty picky. My vet recommended using probiotics every once in a while if his stools started to get loose. I was surprised at how well they work.


Did this happen soon as you got the dog or some time later? We have a almost 13 week old female. We got her when she was only 8 1/2 weeks old. She was doing just fine for a couple of weeks and doing fine. My son would have her on his bed in her kennel to sleep at night until she was potty trained. She would only have an accident(pee)just a couple of times. We then went on a camping trip and half way through our trip, she started pooping in the kennel. It is usually 3 poops in a night. They are real loose most of the time. She can poop from 6 to 10 times a day and about 3 of them are in the kennel at night. She will poop before we put her in but that doesn't help. She could be in her kennel from 9 or so at night until about 6 or 7 in the morning. Does any of this sound like what your dog is/was doing? We are cutting off her food by 7 or so at night. I know we should do it sooner but...We put about 1 measuring cup of food out for her in the morning and she nibbles all day. Maybe that is our problem....??? Any thoughts?? Thank you in advance.


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