Another Evo question...

[One Beagle Girl]

Parker has been switching over to Evo RM from Wysong Anergen. This is day 13, and yesterday was his first day of just Evo. I also feed him canned Wellness with each meal.

Soooooo, since the switch over started, his stool has been rather huge. About twice what it was and it's also quite alot darker. It's not loose, but not overly firm either, (sorry it's graphic), not to mention stinkier! As well, over the last couple of days he's had kinda bad breath - he's always had good breath.

I supplement his food with probiotics, digestive enzymes, and Dr. Maggie's skin & coat (omegas 3,6 and 9). There have been no other dietary changes other than the Evo RM. He had a full blood panel, fecal testing, and physical exam before I began the switch, and everything was normal. I don't think anything is physically wrong with him. He's acting completely normal.

Any thoughts? Is it just a matter of his body adjusting to the change and I need to be patient? Or do you think the food doesn't agree with him? Maybe I just worry too much! Any input would be valuable

[Prin]

Yeah, that's normal. It should lessen soon, and if it doesn't, cutting back can help a little too. Oo and digestive enzymes or probiotics might help speed up the adjustment, too.

[One Beagle Girl]

Thanks Prin! Will the bad breath go away too? It's really unusual for him!

[rainbow]

EVO RM is a great food but not all dogs do well on it. Just like any other top quality premium foods......not all dogs can tolerate the same food.

Since you are already giving him probiotics and digestive enzymes to help ease the transition, I would consider changing his food when you are almost finished the bag.

[Spirit]

It shouldn't take more than 5 days to successfully switch a dog's food. But since EVO is so rich in protien, not all dogs will do well on it. If you're switching from a food with a lower feeding guide, it makes sense that the stools will be larger. However, nobody likes stinky poops or bad breath, and unfortunately both are usually a result of diet (unless of course your dog has bad teeth, which isn't related to poop).

If there's no change after a week or two, it might not be the best food for your dog.

[One Beagle Girl]

Why is food always such a problem? :sad:

I will probably keep him on it until he finishes the bag, give him some more time to adjust. I'm currently feeding him the same amount of Evo as I was with the Wysong Anergen. I know Evo's higher in calories, but he was starting to get a little thin on the Anergen. Anergen seems to be pretty low in calories at about 350 per cup. Hmmmmm, perhaps the higher caloric content is responsible for the mega poos (light bulb going on in head)!

His teeth are pearly white, and his oral health is fine. He's chewing a raw beef neck bone right now - they really help with his teeth as he tends to get tarter build up fast.

Sigh. He seems to have a sensitive tummie! I'd hate to have to switch foods on him again, but obviously I will if need be.

I will be receiving a box of Ziwipeak kibble and a case of their venison canned food tommorow, so if the Evo doesn't work out I'll likely try that next.

[Spirit]

What was wrong with his old food? If there's no reason to switch... don't.

[One Beagle Girl]

Originally Posted by Spirit

What was wrong with his old food? If there's no reason to switch... don't.

It's a looong story, but here's the short version .....

Wysong has had some quality control issues, no one at the company would return my calls. Rather than risk the little dood's health, I decided no more Anergen. I was so incredibly dissappointed with the company.

Switched to raw, didn't work out well for him. Evo was what I decided on. We are going to make another stab at raw in roughly 6 months, hopefully it will work out then.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by One Beagle Girl

Switched to raw, didn't work out well for him. Evo was what I decided on. We are going to make another stab at raw in roughly 6 months, hopefully it will work out then.

As you probably know, EVO was forumlated to be close to the raw diet, so you're definitely on the right track. If EVO doesn't work with your dog, another choice you have (that's even closer to the raw diet) is NRG (dehydrated).

Good luck!

[One Beagle Girl]

Thanks so much Spirit!!

NRG is a great idea, and I can get that through work. With the Evo, I have to get it at another store. When I had to make my choice, the NRG website was down, and I don't know anyone who feeds it. I've since read some things about it here, and its sounds like a good option.

[Spirit]

It's still down... NRG is what my customers buy when they travel (the ones who feed raw). IMO, I'd go straight to NRG if raw is your ultimate goal. Much easier transition than EVO.

[geisha]

Hi. I talked to the people @ NRG via telephone and they were very informative. She recommended how much to feed and what to expect as far as stools. My dogs sampled the dehydrated cooked beef and really loved it. Remember they are on Pacific Time as they are located in Armstrong, B.C. Their phone # 250 546-8969.

[geisha]

NRG e-mail: info@nrgpetproducts.co

[Prin]

IMO, 5 days is ideal, not a standard for switching dog foods. I've never had a dog who switched that easily and Jemma and Boo both take much longer than 5 days to adjust to a new food.

When the calories are different, I switch gradually using the same quantities (i.e. 2 cups of old food = 2 cups of new), but then as soon as the doggy is completely on the new food, I start to cut back to the usual calories/day.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by Prin

IMO, 5 days is ideal, not a standard for switching dog foods. I've never had a dog who switched that easily and Jemma and Boo both take much longer than 5 days to adjust to a new food.

Wow. I've switched dogs over in 2-3 days (on average). I've even had customers tell me that their dogs get sick on all new foods, but once I figure out what works with their systems, I've had no problems switching to an appropriate food within days. But with some foods, it can take months... I don't have time to fuss with foods that take months for their body to "adjust" to, so I've always found one that I can switch to right away. Even if it means adding probiotics to their diet (eagle pack makes a good powder).

And some dogs can't take two foods mixed together, but if you put down a new food (no mixing), they do just fine. His sister took almost 3 months to switch to Wellness, until I got tired of watching her "count kibbles". (I can't believe some people actually do this lol). His brother also just went through 3 weeks of diarrhea, so we finally said "Screw it... it can't get any worse" and stopped mixing it, and just went straight to the new food. The diarrhea was 100% gone by the following night (and hasn't come back). Sometimes you just have to let it go and stop fussing.

This is what I do for a living though, so maybe I just have more experience? *shrug*

[Prin]

Or maybe you've been lucky. Most dogs I know are easier than Jemma and Boo, but very many still can't do it in 5 days. My dad's can do it in one day... With Jemma and Boo, I'm already very limited so if I can't make a particular food work, I become even more limited and that doesn't help either.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by Prin

Or maybe you've been lucky.

It's possible, but all our dogs get switched in just a couple days (no time to fuss) and we've only had problems with a couple of the rescues (throwing up/ diarrhea) and even they were switched successfully in under 2 weeks (3-4 days has been average for us). But when you're dealing with triple digits, I don't think luck's a factor. lol I dunno!! But that's not what this thread's about, so let's get back on topic.

[Prin]

Or maybe I've been very unlucky.