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Dog Food Q - Large Breed Food for Smaller Dogs?

  • 06-05-2011 6:34pm
    #1
    trio
    Closed Accounts Posts: 494 ✭✭


    Hi,

    We've been feeding our JRT Red Mills Leader Adult. It suits our budget and he likes it.

    Only problem is that he's been breaking wind on it since Day 1. We soak it, but it hasn't made any difference. He doesn't eat anything else, and he's extremely fit and very active. Perfect weight and everything.

    I'm wondering if it's the fibre content, which is 2.50%.

    So I'm looking at the Red Mills site and trying to find a formula that has less fibre - but they're all around the same EXCEPT for the Large Breed variety, which has 2.00%. It also claims to have a shape that slows down the speed of eating to reduce bloat (our little one is definately a gobbler).

    But would it be harmful in any way to consider switching a small breed to a Large Breed food?

    Tks!


Comments

  • #2
    andreac
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    To be honest i wouldnt recommend it as the large breed foods are designed for larger dogs with more of everything put into it so might not be really suitable for a very small dog like a JRT.
    Would you not try another brand as it sounds like this one isnt suiting your dog.


  • #3
    lorebringer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,712 ✭✭✭lorebringer


    I bought a bag of Red Mills for my guys and ALL of them farted like there was no tomorrow - one of the reasons we didn't buy it after that!

    Farting can be one of the first signs that a food is not agreeing totally with your dog so switching to another brand may be a good option. Burns is around the same price as Red Mills (maybe a bit more) and tends to agree with dogs very well.

    If your dog is a very fast eater, he may be taking in quite a bit of air with his food - thus the gas problem - so it would be a good idea to try to slow down his eating. There are bowls specifically designed for this (similar to this bowl --> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Large-Slow-Feeder-Gulp-Plastic/dp/B003TOQ0CG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1304709559&sr=8-8) or you could be something heavy in the bowl so your dog has to eat around it. If slowing down the eating doesn't work, changing to a different brand is definitely worth a try. Switching to a "large breed" food will not help with your problems, and may even make them worse, so stick with a food that is suitable for your dogs age and weight.


  • #4
    trio
    Closed Accounts Posts: 494 ✭✭trio


    Thanks, I didn't think that the entire brand might be a problem - just the formulation of the actual food type. But if it would be a brand-wide problem, then I'll check out Burns as you said. We can't afford the really dear brands like Orijen et al. but I have no objection to another brand in the same price band.

    Thanks!


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