This will be a running log/blog of how I am doing on my new dog food. First, a little bit about me...I am about a year old and was rescued by a great family from the Sauk County Humane Society in Baraboo, Wisconsin. I weigh 13 pounds and have a clean bill of health (now). I have been eating Purina Little Bites for indoor dogs and it's been decided that I will switch over to Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit for Adult Small Breed dogs. The remainder will be written by my "pack leader".

Special THANKS! to AskSusanPeters and her Dog Food Review for inspiring me to change the dog food I had been feeding my dog. The link to her page is:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Dog_Food_Review

This will be a "diary" if you will of things noticed since this dietary change. Check back now and then for an update! My new diet officially started at my PM feeding on September 22, 2007.

Day 1, PM: Tonight was the first time Cinnamon was fed the new dog food, "Solid Gold: Just a Wee Bit" dog food for adult small dogs. This stuff is amazing. I tasted one of the pieces. As soon as I opened the bag, I could smell the salmon oil, but it wasn't overbearing. With all the other great ingredients, I thought, "Well, if I want my dog to eat it, and I am going to be paying a little extra for this, I want to see what it tasted like." I was not disappointed. Let's just say this...I wouldn't pour a bowl of it and have it for dinner, but if I was starving and this is all that was available...I wouldn't hesitate to eat it.

I then tossed a couple pieces to the floor just to see if she would eat them. No hesitation at all. She ate them and quickly looked for more. I hand fed them to her, about 10-15 at a time, so she wouldn't eat them too quickly. It was a very enjoyable meal for her. It will be interesting to see how this changes her digestive track functions, her coat (which is just very mildly flakey), her energy level (which is already pretty healthy), and other attributes.

Day 2, AM: This morning we had a nice walk. Cinnamon's stool sample was a mixed blend of the old dog food and the new dog food. It was formed, which is good (meaning the new dog food is not upsetting her stomach...and this was a total change, not mixing half and half and weaning her off of the old stuff. This is usually not recommended.) The amount seemed the same. If you are a dog owner, you can appreciate this entry as most of us know that keeping an eye on what comes out of our dogs is a sign of what is going on inside of our dogs. I am hoping to see a little less "come out". I know she was passing a lot of the fillers that are used in the old brand. I am hoping that her system will use more of what is in the food. Time will tell. And, just in case you are wondering...she is 13 pounds and she gets a 1/2 cup in the AM and a 1/2 cup in the PM. I am not weighing the stool sample.

Day 2, PM: Nothing spectacular. Cinnamon got to go to the near by state park for a picnic and then we came home and practiced her obedience commands using her dinner as a treat. I want to keep this log related to her dietary changes and changes in her coat, health, energy level, etc. so I will not continue to give an AM/PM count down. I just really want to focus on the dog food and effects of it. If you have any questions about anything else, please feel free to email me. If I notice any changes in Cinnamon regarding her food, I will pass it along to you. As of right now, even though it's only been two days...I highly recommend the food. It might not be because I have noticed any changes, but I really feel better about giving her something that is good for her.

Day 3, PM: Well, there is always a price to pay when you don't do what you SHOULD do. Because I changed "cold turkey" and did not wean Cinnamon onto the new food, she had very loose stools today and many of them. By the later evening, they started to form up again (not perfect, but starting to at least have some kind of shape and not just a puddle) so I am pretty sure she will be alright. But just a word of caution...I HIGHLY recommend weaning off and onto new food. It is very harsh on their digestive systems when this is done...something we, as humans, can tend to take for granted. The bad part about this is I knew better. Shame on me for not adhering to this good piece of advice.

DAY 4, AM: I think we are out of the woods. This morning's walk produced a "back to normal" stool. The good thing about it was that there was noticably less than she used to drop. To me, this is a good thing. It tells me that her body is using what is in the dog food for her muscles, bones, coat, etc. She seems in good spirits, even at 4:30 in the morning!

DAY 5, AM: I don't mean this to be a journal all about 'poo' but it is what it is as this is the only thing that is noticably changing so far. The amount is back to what it used to be and she has become more regular since her bout with digestion transition. It is rather soft and I am hoping that this will get more solid as time goes by. I don't want to make any changes with her with the food thing right now as I am sure her system is still adjusting. I am writing allof this in case you have switched or are thinking of switching your dog over. It's just some things to watch out for.

End of WEEK 1: Cinnamon is doing very well. I believe she is fully adjusted to the new food and is anxious to have dinner each time. Her energy level is great and her temperment seems unchanged. Her coat is very shiny but in her defense, it was pretty shiny before starting this dog food. As mentioned, she did have a few flakes of dander but I don't seem them anymore. Could be the weather or other factors so I will continue to monitor that. Her "poos" have been about the same size as before, but a little softer. That could be the teaspoon of yogurt I give her each morning. Hard to say. I do believe, however, that she does not have to strain as much to go. The "job" seems easier. I know, I know....all in a dog's day. I will continue to monitor her and keep this updated when I see or notice any changes that I believe are due to the dog food. It might be a while as most changes could be slow in happening.

September 16, 2007 (25 days later): OK, I need to just put this out there. I know this is not "table talk" but it needs mentioning. I am not sure if this dog food is too high in something or if Cinnamon's system just cannot handle it. She poos more than any other dog I have known! Last night she went, a good amount at 8 PM. At 12:30 AM...that's right...in the middle of the night...she woke up and had to go out. I took her and again, a very good amount. I just wonder where she stores this all! Then this morning on our 4:30 AM walk, another dropping but not nearly as much. It seems to be VERY soft...pick-up-able but it smears on the grass easily. Everything else about her seems fine, but I don't think it is normal for a dog to go this much! The only other thing I have added to her diet is a small amount of peanut butter and vanilla yougurt, mixed up and placed inside a kong so she has something to do during the day. The amount is small, just for flavor.

I have decided that I am going to be transitioning over to Wellness Dog Foods. It is about the same price, but has been rated very high. I will transistion slowly this time as to not upset Cinnamon's stomach. I will start another hub when I start to transistion to the Wellness Dog Food. I am not saying anything bad about Solid Gold: Just a Wee Bit, and I may very well come back to it someday, but I need to see if she goes a little bit less than she has been since being on this food. It just seems excessive to me and it might just be that her little body can't handle it.

Thanks for taking time to read my review of the "Just a Wee Bit" dog food by Solid Gold.

If you want to see what the result of the new food review for Cinnamon, please click on this link:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Wellness-Chicken-Super5Mix-Dog-Food-Review