Is it safe to switch my dog to better quality food even though she's eaten bad q

1. 52

   mdeck72posted 15 years ago

   Is it safe to switch my dog to better quality food even though she's eaten bad quality for years?
   
   I'm just not sure if there could be any possible adverse effects to switching off the Purina dog food my 5 year old Black Lab mix has been eating for most of her life to a better quality food.  I've heard certain dog's digestive systems can be very sensitive to changes in their food and I don't know how to balance the danger of that with the danger of her eating the horrible quality food.

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2. 59

   zzronposted 15 years ago

   I think it will be ok to switch to better food but to be on the safe side I would ask your vet to make sure.

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3. 60

   Paul4552posted 15 years ago

   I have two healthy dogs due to what I feed them. I can make an important suggestion for your dog. First, ANY dog food on the market is basically poison for your dog. STOP feeding him dog food right away. Then, put your dog on a complete vegan diet. That is a vegetarian without the dairy products. Here's what I do. I feed my dogs a combination of cooked lentils, brown rice,carrots and peas. That's it. I take a half pound of lentils, half pound of brown rice and rinse them a few times. This is to get off any pesticide residue. I put them in a pressure cooker and mix in 3 cans of peas and two cans of carrots. I fill it up with water almost to the top and let it cook on the stove at 20psi for 45 minutes. Take the lid off after it settles down. I then cook up a pound of pasta shells and mix it in with the ingredients in the pressure cooker. This will feed two dogs about three days of regular portions once a day. The combination of the lentils, veggies, and rice is ALL the nutrition your dog needs. Don't listen to anyone else, especially your vet. This is the ONLY diet you should be feeding your dog. I have been feeding my two dogs this since 2002 since they were pups. And, they are extremely healthy, they are just like healthy puppies. Also, don't feed your dog any dog biscuits. They contain some nasty unhealthy ingredients. I give my dogs pretzels for a snack. If you have any questions for me, you can email me at: Paul4552@hotmail.com.
   
   If your dog does have a reaction after switching him to the vegan diet, it's probably his immune system getting rid of the poison that is in his body now from the bad dog food.  I don't think a life threatening reaction will occur by switching him to a vegan diet. Dog's seem to have a very good digestive system, and can react to foreign matter in their digestive tract better than humans. Just keep an eye on him to see if there is a reaction. In the long run, your dog will be healthier on the vegan diet.
   
   By the way, if you don't have a pressure cooker, I suggest you get a good stainless steel one. It is well worth this small investment for the health of your dog.

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4. 79

   Joni Douglasposted 15 years ago

   When transitioning from one brand to another, make it a gradual change.  Mix the two brands together and slowly decrease the the dog food you are weaning the dog from.
   This will aid the dog's digestive track and lessen the sensitivity to the change.

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5. 60

   MickSposted 15 years ago

   your dog is naturally a carnivore, that is how Mother Nature made dogs, they eat very little vegetable matter, and don't naturally eat canned or pouch foods.  But dogs, being dogs and the great fun they are, they'll eat anything, ' mmm, chicken vindaloo and chapatis, bung some in my bowl please.' :-)  Sorry, got off the point.
   Imagine, dragging an old tramp off the street who's been eating scraps out of rubbish bins, I bet he's going to say, 'nah, I don't fancy that steak and chips, it'll make me ill, give me a dry old bit of bread and a lump of mouldy cheese.'
   Your dog will eat the good food you give it and lick its lips and say thank you.  If the food is richer in content, you may wish to slowly introduce it, but if your dog is healthy, it should be fine.
   To get a real answer, go to the vet and ask.

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