Switched dog food - need advice - Page 1

I have used Canidae all stages for almost a year and after reading all the comments about dog coats/stools I decided to switch to Royal Canin GSD. 

My one year old male has become very lethargic since the switch a week ago (I did it gradually, and a week ago it was at the full switch).  My female is still bouncing off the walls energy-wise.

Do you think that the switch is causing his lack of energy?  He was always high drive before, altho he has had pano for a couple of months.  Even in pain however he still would play and be feisty.

He has a very thick wiry coat and sheds alot is why I switched, and of course, who wouldnt want smaller piles of poop everywhere...

Thanks for any help in figuring this out.

Maxmoo - in my opinion it isn't the food as evidenced by your females reaction and RC24 is good quality.  Do you feed him RAW?  And on a previous thread about PANO it was noted that a product you can get from a health food store called Pcynogenol will help with the PANO.  But in my opinion again, you need to make sure he is getting RAW in his diet.  In my opinion the RAW helps dogs grow in a more balanced way and helps avoid the "growing pains" like PANO

Here is a link to what I use - I like the mix and I have 2 very healthy 2 years olds that never saw a day of PANO : http://www.lizzyshealthypetfood.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=33

I dont feed the brand RAW but on Sundays they both get raw venison instead of the dry food.  I dont know if its the same thing exactly or not.  I live in a small town and no one carries it here.

Maxmoo,perhaps i can give you something to think about.I do have much knowledge in regards to the R/C24.First of all it is a formulation with higher fat levels than most in an attempt to lower the starch of the diet and give the GSD a better energy source without the problems of too much grain.The fibre sources and amounts also are unique to the formula.Having said that,Are you aware they JUST RECENTLY changed the formula?It should be released in the USA already.They have done better for the formula,IN MY OPINION.Now just to clear the air,I DO NOT WORK FOR THEM OR ANY PET RELATED ESTABLISHMENT.Your dog may of gotten switched to the RC24 and then AGAIN switched to the NEW formula unintentionally.Also ,are you aware of the caloric differences in the 2 foods?Could he possibly need a little more food?Hope this helps in some way.Please do not hesitate to e-mail me if you need any more info as I dont wish what my dog and i went through to no one.

I typically feed Royal Canin GSD Maxi 24 and have experienced no problems other than a dodgy bag once. I sometimes use Bil-Jac Large Breed food in case I cannot get the Royal Canin. I have no problems with this food.

One (1) question I have is this; are you sure the young male is eating as much as he did before? He may not like the Royal Canin and your female is eating what he is not. Probably a dumb question on my part, but this comes from someone who has to police every feeding of my dogs due to the competition.

Domenic-interesting comment about the slight change in formulation. I have a female who does not seem as eager to eat Royal Canin as she once did, but the others seem happy with it. Perhaps she is touchy about the change in smell/flavour. I appreciate your mention of this.

Good Luck,

Bob-O

I am feeding the same quantity cupwise, I had lowered his food intake when it was determined he was a tad pudgy and I was told that he would be better with the pano if he lost a little weight.  But, the canidae is small ration sized so it looked like he was getting more, and the RC is much larger so maybe he does need more.  I feed them seperately, there is no chance that they are eating each others dinner.  They both eat it just moistened with water but he can be a picky eater.  I thought I got lucky since I had to mix egg with the Canidae and he eats this plain.

I think the recent change was done in part cause dogs were just walking away from the food and something the breeders were saying about the stool quality.It will now have 3% less starch and the new formula will have Chicken Meal as the first ingredient instead of chicken with the water weight and they have added oatmeal and greentea extract.Im hoping this will entice our dogs to eat it with some gusto for a change.Try to get the new formula if you can find it.The US website reflects the change already,ours in Canada does not yet.Bob -O its always a pleasure reading posts with your input.Good luck with all the GSD'S

Maxmoo - I sometimes add a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt and that gets their old tastebuds jumpin' and its inexpensive and good for them.  I have not moistened it though, sometimes I will add freeze dried RAW also (same company AFS) mixed with water then added to the dry. 

I do think his energy level though is directly related to pain he may be feeling from the PANO, but if it is worrying you (and only you really know your dog) take him to the vet for a checkup to make sure nothing else is wrong.