New food and new problems...... Maybe

[4WHLN]

Ok so I've been feeding Dooley Victor for the past few weeks. That's what the breeder had him on and I wanted to keep him on that till he got use to his new home. I've been doing the slow transition to Fromm puppy the past 3 days because he was pooping A LOT on the victor food. He had solid poop, but was going 4-8 times a day, and the quantity was also a lot for a puppy. I am up to 1/2 and 1/2 combo old food and new, and his poop is still solid.
So this is where my question comes in. The last two days I've noticed his face getting pinker than it has been but goes back to normal coloring after a while, a small bump/pimple on his chin and he has started licking his front paws by his dew claws. Now I've checked his paws and they don't smell. Is my boy allergic to his new Fromm puppy food? Should I continue to feed him the new food or is it to early to tell? Should I go straight to an all stages food? What do you the experts think?

thanks in advance!!!
And now pics for your viewing pleasure

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, I'm not familiar with the Victor brand of food, but it could be a reaction to the Victor brand, or it could be a reaction to the Fromms puppy food, as this food is a chicken based food, and a lot of bullies have allergies or sensitivities to chicken. My female Blossom came from the breeder on Royal Canin puppy food, and I wasn't happy with the ingredients, it has too many fillers and corn and grains, which aren't very good for dogs, so I started to research dog foods, which is how I found this site, and we started experimenting with different brands of food, we switched to the Fromms Puppy in the pink bag, but she had skin reactions such as pink face, ears, and chin. Then we switched to Go Natural which is an all natural, organic food, but was also chicken based, as it turns out she is allergic to chicken, and my male Bulldozer got the diarrhea from the Go. We went back to the Royal Canin because we didn't know what else to try, and then I started reading the dog food ratings here on EBN and read that most people fed their bullies the Fromms brand, and I switched them at 7 months old to the Fromms Beef Frittata, and they are both doing really well on this food. They are now 16 months old, and have been eating Fromms for 9 months, they have 2 or 3 poops a day, and they are firm but soft, and they love this food. I haven't tried any other of the flavours yet, for fear of Blossom getting a reaction, we can't try the chicken or the salmon one, because she is allergic to both of these, and I'm leery about trying the duck and turkey flavour because I'm not sure if it would be like chicken, but I may try the pork and peas in the future and see how she tolerates it. Good luck on finding a food that Dooley can tolerate, it's mostly trail and error, plus it takes about a month for the old food to leave their systems.

 

[Shahster]

I'm sorry I can't help you but your Dooley is so cute!!! I'm sure someone with good advice will help you soon, good luck!

 

[2BullyMama]

[MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] [MENTION=1714]Sherry[/MENTION] [MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION]

 

[4WHLN]

The Victor has some chicken but its like 5th on the list. Beef meal is the first ingredient. I guess I need to compare the two better and see if they have any common ingredients and go from there. He was doing fine with the current food but was going #2 a lot. Some days 3-4 times, and some 7-8 times. There was no real consistency in his bowel movement and that was leading me to think his system wasn't agreeing with something in the food. Im feeding him 1/2 cup 3 times a day. I know so many are having great success with Fromm so I wanted to get him on that asap.

 

[Davidh]

Well let me first say your baby is just too cute and I loved the pics of him. I have heard of the Victor brand and have a friend who also is a breeder and she likes Victor food. We tried it once but had soft poop on it so we stopped using it. We put all our pups on FROMM Puppy Gold in the Pink bag and have had good luck with it. There may be an ingredient in it, maybe the chicken, that does not agree with your pup. FROMM 4 star foods are and all stage food, meaning you can give them to a pup and they get the nutrition they need, so you might try a small bag of one, maybe one of the grain free ones and see how your pup does. Feeding 1/2 cup 3 times a day should be fine for now, and just increase a little the older he gets, but you knew that anyway. [MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION] fed her Jake one of FROMM's 4 star foods when he was a pup. It's really a guessing game on which food your baby will tolerate. We are using the new flavor from FROMM the Pork & Peas and are having good results. Please keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi , I was just wondering how old Dooley is? If he's still a puppy, then 1/2 cup 3 times a day seems like it may be too little? When my guys were young we fed them 1 cup 3 times a day, until they were 7 months old. Then we switched them to 1 cup twice a day. It's better to feed a puppy 3 times a day, and they also need the extra calories, fat, and minerals for their rapid growth and development. They can be switched at 6 or 7 months old, and the food can be reduced at this time too.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Hi , I was just wondering how old Dooley is? If he's still a puppy, then 1/2 cup 3 times a day seems like it may be too little? When my guys were young we fed them 1 cup 3 times a day, until they were 7 months old. Then we switched them to 1 cup twice a day. It's better to feed a puppy 3 times a day, and they also need the extra calories, fat, and minerals for their rapid growth and development. They can be switched at 6 or 7 months old, and the food can be reduced at this time too.

Yes..as Davidh said..Jake was on Fromm four star from 11 weeks on. My vet doesn't do puppy food or Bully's..only because she thinks the rapid growth is hard on their hips and joints. They mature later than most breeds and so do their bones! But it's an opinion thing. Jake and all his brothers did very well and have all grown up to be healthy guys.

If you want to stay away from chicken, you will need to try the beef Fritatta. The surf n Turf also has chicken.

As far as amount..Jake and most here feed 1/2 cup three times a day ..until about 6 months old. Then go to 1 cup am and pm.

The whole food thing is so hard! Good Luck and your Dooley is adorable!

 

[4WHLN]

Hi , I was just wondering how old Dooley is? If he's still a puppy, then 1/2 cup 3 times a day seems like it may be too little? When my guys were young we fed them 1 cup 3 times a day, until they were 7 months old. Then we switched them to 1 cup twice a day. It's better to feed a puppy 3 times a day, and they also need the extra calories, fat, and minerals for their rapid growth and development. They can be switched at 6 or 7 months old, and the food can be reduced at this time too.

He is 10 weeks old. The breeder was feeding him 3/4 cup and his stool was soft and he was going #2 more than he is going now. I had him tested for Coccidia and he was clear. So i backed him down to 1/2 and his poops have hardened up but the amount and frequency has not subsided. He also takes sure grow 100 and nu vet everyday.

 

[4WHLN]

Yes..as Davidh said..Jake was on Fromm four star from 11 weeks on. My vet doesn't do puppy food or Bully's..only because she thinks the rapid growth is hard on their hips and joints. They mature later than most breeds and so do their bones! But it's an opinion thing. Jake and all his brothers did very well and have all grown up to be healthy guys.

If you want to stay away from chicken, you will need to try the beef Fritatta. The surf n Turf also has chicken.

As far as amount..Jake and most here feed 1/2 cup three times a day ..until about 6 months old. Then go to 1 cup am and pm.

The whole food thing is so hard! Good Luck and your Dooley is adorable!

I guess Ill get a small bag of the Beef Fritatta and stick him on that in a week or two and see how that goes. I may cancel the fromm puppy (pink bag) transition for now.

 

[4WHLN]

ok dumb question, if I cut bait and go back the the origional (Victor) food for a couple weeks do I need to transition back to 100% food? I was 50% new/old with the fromm. Can I go straight back to 100% Victor?

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

ok dumb question, if I cut bait and go back the the origional (Victor) food for a couple weeks do I need to transition back to 100% food? I was 50% new/old with the fromm. Can I go straight back to 100% Victor?

If you were only 50/50.. I would just go back to his Victor food..I would stay on that for a few weeks and let his tummy rest. Then do a transition if you decide to. One thing..puppies do a lot! I think they think they have to! Lol! Jake is 2 1/2 and just now only goes twice a day! If he is doing well other than that..and it's not soft..I would stick with it until you need to switch! And odds are...you will!

 

[4WHLN]

Well just got home and he 3 times in a two minute period. And not just a little, but a lot. But it was solid so at least he has that right. Lol So I'm taking him off the switch and back to Victor.

Thanks for everyone's help and I'll keep y'all posed on what I try next.

 

[Sherry]

it seems to me you have a pretty good handle on him, lets us know how the licking going? if he's still pink and licking his paws

he is way too cute, I seen him in some pictures somewhere before, his marked eyes are dreamy , a mark you don't soon forget

 

[bullmama]

OMG toooooo cute!

It is kinda early to tell, but it is certainly possible the new food is not agreeing with him. Sometimes when making a switch they can react to the new ingredients until they become accustomed to them. But I would certainly be ready for a switch back just in case things continue to go south on you!