2 questions...

[miller060905]

I have 2 questions and they are kind of related.

right now Wesley is eating Iams. I plan to switch him to Taste Of The Wild food next week. There are either 3 or 4 taste of the wild foods though. How do I decide which one to switch him to?
Also. He has got terrible terrible gas here the last month or so. He also doesn't always have real solid poop. Could this be from the food he's eating? Like maybe a sign of an allergy or something? He does occasionally get into some people food but very rarely and I don't think it's ever enough to cause so much gas or runny poop. He acts totally normal otherwise.

[underHISwing]

 We started our GSD out on Iams large breed puppy formula.  He had the same symptoms you describe, plus itching... The vet, after ruling out other conditions, decided it was allergies.  We now make sure his diet is free of wheat, corn and beef.  He does much better ;)  ( we even have to watch treats :)

[miller060905]

Ok. Yes he itches a lot too and I know he doesn't have fleas. I have also read that bloodhounds are very prone to wheat allergies! Part of why I decided to go with taste of the wild.

Quoting underHISwing:

 We started our GSD out on Iams large breed puppy formula.  He had the same symptoms you describe, plus itching... The vet, after ruling out other conditions, decided it was allergies.  We now make sure his diet is free of wheat, corn and beef.  He does much better ;)  ( we even have to watch treats :)

[miller060905]

Anyone have any advice on how to pick which TOTW?

[3totsinabox]

I just looked at those today, but I got native instead. I think that It might depend on what you are
Looking for; energy, weight, allergies to certain meats (ie chicken). I went up and down the isle four times before I chose , one that was good for us. Mainly i wanted something i could always afford but had quality. Maybe try looking at their web site and see if they give more info on the the different choices? It soo much more complicated now. When I was growing up we fed our dog kibbles and bits, not so shocking now to know why she died of heart attack at seven unexpectedly.

[miller060905]

Well see this is where I'm stuck. I don't really know what I need for him at this point.

[CollinBayleeMom]

It could be the corn in Iams that he is reacting to. If so, any of the TOTW formulas will do being that they're grain-free. Another thing to think about...what was the meat source in the Iams? If it is chicken, maybe start with one of the TOTW formulas that does not contain any chicken. When I feed TOTW, I like to rotate formulas with each new bag. I also rotate with a few other brands such as Canidae & Blue Buffalo. Rotating prevents boredom & can also prevent allergies.

[furbabymum]

Ignorance alert:

I thought rotating was bad for thei digestion. No?

Quoting CollinBayleeMom:

It could be the corn in Iams that he is reacting to. If so, any of the TOTW formulas will do being that they're grain-free. Another thing to think about...what was the meat source in the Iams? If it is chicken, maybe start with one of the TOTW formulas that does not contain any chicken. When I feed TOTW, I like to rotate formulas with each new bag. I also rotate with a few other brands such as Canidae & Blue Buffalo. Rotating prevents boredom & can also prevent allergies.

[CollinBayleeMom]

If a dog is fed the same thing day in/day out for its entire life, it will be more likely to develope allergies. Plus I feel that, just like with humans, dogs get bored eating the same thing everday. As long as you make the switch slowly anytime you feed something the dog has never had before, it should be fine.