dogfood

This post is a little off-topic but I feel it’s so important that I just had to let you know.

My precious little fur-baby just recently died so I got a new puppy to help with the grief and because I just hate to be without a dog – in fact we have always had 2 of them. We already have a Japanese Chin but he is sick with an enlarged heart so it’s only a matter of time before he leaves us too. It’s been 14 years since I dealt with a rambunctious, playful little puppy dog. Boy, do I have a lot to learn. New ways of feeding, training, housebreaking. I tell you this so you might understand my ignorance.

I wanted to rescue a little dog, preferably a Pomeranian mix, and preferably a girl. I thought it would be awhile since they are hard to come by and the area we live in is so sparsely populated that I didn’t expect to find one within days of losing my Chica. But, I found her through a link that my daughter sent me so we headed off to McPherson, Kansas to pick her up. That’s about a 4 hour drive from here. She was/is well worth the drive because she is Papillion/Pomeranian, cute, smart, and such a sweetheart! That’s been a month ago.

My Dog Roxy

I wanted to start from the very beginning feeding her good food. I want her to be around for a good long time! The former owner sent her along a little of the food Roxy had been on (Rachel Ray’s Nutrish). I didn’t even think about asking what variety it was. So I began by doing a little research on the internet. I wanted to find a good food that wasn’t too expensive and ready made since I don’t really have the time to make food for my dogs and I wanted to find one that was available in my area (I have very limited choices out here). Was Nutrish the best? What was the best I could afford? I had been hearing that dog food should not have grain as the main ingredient. My Giz (the Japanese Chin) has been on Iams wet and Beneful dry for years without any trouble. He likes it, his coat is beautiful, he has no tummy troubles. I had heard from my friends with dogs that Beneful wasn’t very healthy so now would be a good time to switch him to a healthier food, too.

The first place I went was Dog Food Advisor . Of course I had seen all of the advertising for Blue Buffalo, about how great and natural it is. On Dog Food Advisor the food is rated 5 stars. I know its available close by – I have limited choices: Orscheln Farm and Home, Wal-mart, and the vet. So, I checked further at various other websites and Blue Buffalo got pretty good recommendations. Sounds good, I thought. Great, healthy ingredients and fairly available around here.

I should have looked further but I didn’t. That was my first big mistake. We drove off to Goodland (40 miles) and picked up some from Orschen. Alright, now I am going to feed my dog good food!

That is when the trouble began. I made the second big mistake. I just switched them to the new food. I should have switched them gradually I find out later. Once the trouble began, I started looking for an answer. Petsmart , VetInfo. The 6 month old puppy began having loose bowel movements and then diarrhea; the older dog seemed fine at first. I am also in the midst of housebreaking so you can imagine the trouble I was having getting the puppy regulated and on a schedule. She was getting up and making messes 3 or 4 times a night even though I had her on a feeding regiment of early morning/late afternoon. It helped a little when I began tethering her to me at night so I could get up and let her out. I chalked it up to the new diet – they say when you switch them suddenly that it takes about 2 weeks to adapt to the new food. No problem, I thought. I’ll just put up with this until she gets adjusted.

That never happened! 3 weeks later and she is still having problems and then the older dog started having trouble, too. What is going on? What am I doing wrong? Back to the internet to try and find some answers………

First place I check is Consumer Affairs . Oh, my. Do those complaints ever describe what is happening around here! It became clear that the food was causing these problems: Not the switch, the food. There are all kinds of reports about dogs becoming sick after eating the latest batch of Blue Buffalo. Cats are also getting sick. Not just digestive problems, either. It is causing urinary trouble and issues with energy levels. They are getting seriously ill. I didn’t look any further because the complaints described what was happening to my dogs to the T.

I immediately switched back to the Beneful because they were in danger of becoming gravely sick. Overnight the little one became normal, the older one took a couple of days because the Blue Buffalo had killed his appetite. Once he went back to his old food, he was cured, too. The housebreaking is going much better now. I can predict when she needs to go out. She goes before bedtime and there are no issues at night so far. It’s a big relief, I was becoming so frustrated.

I know Beneful is not the best food for them but it’s better than the Blue Buffalo until I can get new food for them. Our vet recommends Iams or Hill’s Science Diet. Since the Hill’s is a little expensive for us right now, I am going with the Iams. I will be switching the right way: gradually.

I feel so guilty that I was poisoning my dogs. Please don’t make the same mistake.