correct way to switch dog food?

[trigger1989]

First post on here but to bad its not a good one... I have a 7 month old gsp, I've been feeding him blue buffalo puppy forever but just recently switched him to diamond extreme athlete. My buddy recommended it to me and everything about it seems good. I've been giving him 3/4 cup of blue buffalo and 3/4 cup of diamond. Both in the morning and at night. That's below what the recommend on the bag but my buddy said to give smaller portions because its so rich I believe 32-24 if I'm not mistaken. But yesterday he had the runs the worst he's ever had his whole life! Any help would be great, thanks!

[ezzy333]

If you have been feeding half and half for several days it may not be the feed causing the problem. Regardless, cut it way back for a day or so till it gets over the runs then start feeding again but start small and work it up gradually as long as the stool stays firm. That is an awfully hih percentage food fo any dog that isn't being worked hard almost everyday. Good luck!

Ezzy

[trigger1989]

How much total dog food should I be giving him each day then? Maybe 2 cups instead of 3?

[Will]

If he is still very loose...maybe consider taking him off food completely for 24hrs....then feed new feed 3/4 cup twice a day for a couple of days...if stools firm up...increase to 1 cup twice a day...monitor stools....then adjust and feed to condition. Diamond EA has alot of protien and fat and you could see extremes (no pun intended) in pretty short order. If you feed too much...or it's just plain too "hot" for him...he'll get loosey goosey. If it's working for him you'll see him adding weight in a few days probably.

Best guess for that age pup is that you'll be in the ballpark of 2 1/2 - 3 cups per day with moderate activity level. Your mileage may vary, of course. I'm keeping two adult males on EA at 3 cups a day with moderate activity level right now and they're doing good on it.

[phermes1]

Agreed with taking him off food completely for a day.

Also - if he doesn't get better, it might be a matter of that food just not agreeing with him. I've had that happen before. Perfectly good food, nothing wrong with it, just one of my dogs didn't do well on it. Switched him to a different food and he cleared up right away.

[mcbosco]

I would put him back on BB myself.