[tonisaysss]

layla is going strong on her second bag of blue buffalo chicken & rice puppy kibble. she loves it -- but i don't. 2 bags and she's still has some pretty troublesome gas and her stools are consistently loose.

i switched from iams puppy formula because she wasn't eating it and i wasn't fond of the ingredients.

there is a store near me that sells california natural and other higher-end feeds.

does anyone have experience/know the ingredients well of california natural? i'd like to know which formula i should purchase -- the sweet potato/herring looked interesting. should this be easier on digestion?

i know there's around 21% protein in CN to blue buffalo's 27%.

i'm considering switching today or tomorrow.

 

[LifeOfRiley]

I've had good luck with the CN herring & sweet potato. It's supposed to be a good food for dogs with allergies and/or digestive sensitivities.
We had tried several different high-end foods with Riley and his stools were never what they should have been. I think a lot of the higher-end foods can be too rich for some dogs and most aren't recommended for dogs under a year old.
We started the CN and I noticed a difference almost immediately. It is a very limited-ingredient food, so eventually we went to a mix (about half and half) of CN and Fromm's 4-star duck and sweet potato, and he's doing great on it.

Another one to think about is Wellness. It's supposed to be another easily-digested food. (Though Riley never did particularly well on it.) I know a woman involved in GSD rescue who usually ends up with the ones who have digestive issues. She puts them on Wellness immediately and swears by it.

 

[jwemt81]

We feed California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato because of Tucker's corn allergy and we love it. He hasn't had a single ear infection since we switched to it and his coat looks better than it ever has. He even has smaller, less frequent bowel movements than he did on any other food he has been on. I highly recommend it.

As far as protein, the CN Herring & Sweet Potato is 21%. As long as your dog isn't extremely active, and I mean constantly on the go, then 21% is perfectly fine. We keep Tucker pretty active with running and lots of walking and hiking and he has done great on this food. His energy level is right where it should be for a 17-month-old golden. I also like how lean he looks. The average adult pet dog only needs a minimum of 18% protein. More active and working dogs need a bit more. There is actually such as thing as too much protein. If a dog is getting too much of it, they will usually excrete the excess protein in their urine and the rest will be converted into fat. Some dogs even have very messy, loose stools and more gas with higher protein foods. Tucker had that problem.

 

[tonisaysss]

Thank you all so much. I will be switching undoubtedly now. Out of curiosity, how on earth do people feed acana and other40-something percent foods? Are there dogs really that active? More protein because it's grain free I guess? Hmm...

 

[tonisaysss]

well i just went out and bought her california natural lamb/rice puppy kibble. it has 26% protein, probably because it carries the "puppy" label.

i'm hoping that won't be too much, considering blue buffalo was too rich.

 

[jwemt81]

Puppy food always has more protein than adult food. At her age, I would be getting ready to change to adult food very soon. Hopefully it works out.

 

[tonisaysss]

what age would you suggest putting her on adult food?

i'm debating if i'd rather return this bag for adult food. i feel like she needs a little vacation from chocked full of protein food and loose poops.

 

[jwemt81]

In all honesty, if you can, I would see if you can exchange the bag of puppy food for adult. A lot of people switch to adult food anywhere between 4-6 months of age to slow the growth down a bit, which is beneficial for the bones and joints. It's perfectly fine to start feeding an adult formula now. By doing it now, it will also prevent you from having to make yet another food change in the very near future.

 

[tonisaysss]

very true.

i took the bag back and exchanged it for sweet potato and herring. when the bag says fish, they really mean fish. what a smell.

i've started mixing the foods tonight. hopefully things will improve.

thanks for the help!

 

[zeke11]

I tried switching Duffy from Purina One lg breed puppy to Blue Buffalo lg breed puppy and he also had extremely loose stools - really bad. I took him off the BB and am now switching over to Purina Pro Plan lg breed puppy. So far, so good. I've heard others had very good luck with Pro Plan.

Kris

 

[goldengirl09]

It seems like loose stools/gas/upset stomach are fairly common with Blue Buffalo. It's a shame b/c I think the ingredients are good but Harvey didn't do great on it either. I've heard great things about California Natural. We recently switched from Wellness Large Breed Puppy to Natural Balance (sweet potato and fish), which is similar to California Natural and he is doing great on it!

 

[tonisaysss]

it's only been two days and we're seeing improvements. not only does she love the food, but her stools are already firmer and they don't smell absolutely HORRIBLE anymore. not very gassy at all either.

i'm very happy with this new food. i don't know if it's the food or the fact she's not on puppy formula anymore, but it's a miracle.

thanks all!

 

[LifeOfRiley]

That's great! I'm glad it seems to be working for her.
It's wonderful when you find the right food, isn't it?