# How do I slow down her fast eating



## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

So, this is actually a 3 part question lumped into one. I didn't want to write out 3 different questions in 3 different forums, especially considering they're all within the same category. Bare with me.

1) My puppy Roya is now 16 1/2 weeks. She weighs 33.5 lbs and is growing fast. The vet said she's on the thin side of normal, but he's never seen an overweight puppy so he said to up her feeding a bit. I'll get to that later, but my concern right now is that she eats RIDICULOUSLY fast. I know GSD's are exceptionally prone to bloat, so obviously this is starting to become a slight concern (fear) of mine. My question is, how do I slow her down and have her take her time? Is this normal for puppies of this age? At what age does bloat really become a factor in her feedings/health? Any and all responses/stories/advice are certainly welcome.

2) During our vet visitation, I brought up the fact that she always seems to be itchy. Constant gnawing/scratching on different parts of her body. Not to the extreme where she's doing it to the point where there are patches of skin showing or anything, but you can clearly tell she's irritated. The vet said she may or may not have a skin infection because he noticed a rash on her stomach, put her on antibiotics with some hyroxyzine, but didn't want to rule out allergies. He was extremely reluctant to say allergies though, because of her age, but if it is indeed allergies, does that have anything to do with her diet and what she's eating? How aggravating is it to have a pup/dog with allergies, because he was making it seem like it was terrible lol. I tried scouring a few forum threads but didn't exactly find the info I was looking for. So again any weigh-in's on that would be greatly appreciated.

And finally 3) With a 33.5lb, 16 1/2 week old puppy, how much should be really be weighing? She was getting 3 cups of Science Diet Large Breed Puppy daily up until monday, in which case I upped it to 3 1/2 cups Science Diet daily (she was formerly on Diamond puppy, due to what the breeder had her on smh). How much are you feeding your puppies? How much should she be weighing?
Breeder said she's slated to be between 80-90lbs, but my uncle (retired Philly PD K-9), in his experience, insists she'll top out at 75lbs because she's a female. Sorry for the long thread, just have lots of questions haha!


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Slow feeder bowls are your best friend! Amazon has a variety of them from basic bowls with notches to bowls that are shaped like a maze. They're great.

Allergies... I don't know much medically, but I do have a dog who has had moderate allergy issues since young puppyhood. Part of why it's so hard to find information is because people's experiences can differ really dramatically. Echo's allergies are primarily food related- grain, and most common proteins like chicken and beef. He was extremely itchy as a puppy, and often got rashes around his mouth. Going grain free helped some, and then ruling out proteins was also really helpful. Science Diet is a poor quality food- try a grain free food that's a bit higher quality and see how she does. 

As for weight, it's hard to say by numbers. My female weighed much less than yours at 16 weeks, but she's a smaller dog in general- she'll likely top out at 60 lbs at the absolute max. It's really hard to say how big she'll get based on her current size- the best (and really only) indicator is the size of her parents. For her current weight, go by body condition, instead. What did your vet say about her current weight? A good gauge is feeling her rib cage- you should be able to feel her ribs as you would feel your knuckles with your palm laid flat. They're there, but not very prominent.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I had the same problem with Delgado so I started adding warm water to his kibble (just enough to have it show through the kibble) and it worked great. Slowed him down and both my dogs now enjoy their food better with water added compared to dry. Otherwise you can look into slow feeder bowls, or toys that are treat dispensers which will make her work for every bite. 

Delgado came to me eating Purina, I switched him to Authority and he didn't do well on it. His coat was dull and a few weeks later I switched him to Fromm Gold LBP and he did fantastic on it. Much better energy, coat, and overall health. After really looking at the ingredients I think it was the corn that I felt caused him the issues, since he's eaten other brands and done ok on them. There are a lot better foods out there than Science Diet, especially for the price they charge. Have you tried switching her to another kibble, specifically a LID (no chicken for example) to see if that may help her itchiness

I feed my dogs based on their health and appearance, so while Delgado was eating two cups of food a day at 16 weeks if I saw his ribs a little too much I added half a cup extra. Same if I saw him getting pudgy I took half a cup away. Even now I do the same, he eats 3 cups some days and 4 cups other days, depending on what we're doing that day.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Drewbacca said:


> Breeder said she's slated to be between 80-90lbs, but my uncle (retired Philly PD K-9), in his experience, insists she'll top out at 75lbs because she's a female.


I'm sorry this is just silly. That's like saying I should weigh 125 pounds because I'm a human female. Female German Shepherds come in all sizes, from 45lb to 110lb. 

It's been my experience that K9 handlers don't know any more about dogs than the average Joe. K9 trainers do, but not your average run-of-the-mill handler. 

The best way to know what size she'll be is to look at her mom, aunts, and female ancestors. Pedigree Database is a great place to do this.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

LoveEcho said:


> Allergies... I don't know much medically, but I do have a dog who has had moderate allergy issues since young puppyhood. Part of why it's so hard to find information is because people's experiences can differ really dramatically. Echo's allergies are primarily food related- grain, and most common proteins like chicken and beef. He was extremely itchy as a puppy, and often got rashes around his mouth. Going grain free helped some, and then ruling out proteins was also really helpful. Science Diet is a poor quality food- try a grain free food that's a bit higher quality and see how she does.


I never even thought of that. What's your protein source if you're ruling out both chicken and beef? I can try grain free for sure, just gotta get through this 33lb bag first lol. And thats interesting that science diet is a poor quality food, I had 2 vets (in the same animal hospital) both recommend science diet, or hills, and eukanuba for food.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

Shade said:


> I had the same problem with Delgado so I started adding warm water to his kibble (just enough to have it show through the kibble) and it worked great. Slowed him down and both my dogs now enjoy their food better with water added compared to dry. Otherwise you can look into slow feeder bowls, or toys that are treat dispensers which will make her work for every bite.
> 
> Delgado came to me eating Purina, I switched him to Authority and he didn't do well on it. His coat was dull and a few weeks later I switched him to Fromm Gold LBP and he did fantastic on it. Much better energy, coat, and overall health. After really looking at the ingredients I think it was the corn that I felt caused him the issues, since he's eaten other brands and done ok on them. There are a lot better foods out there than Science Diet, especially for the price they charge. Have you tried switching her to another kibble, specifically a LID (no chicken for example) to see if that may help her itchiness
> 
> I feed my dogs based on their health and appearance, so while Delgado was eating two cups of food a day at 16 weeks if I saw his ribs a little too much I added half a cup extra. Same if I saw him getting pudgy I took half a cup away. Even now I do the same, he eats 3 cups some days and 4 cups other days, depending on what we're doing that day.


Great points, I shall definitely try a few of the things you recommend.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

Emoore said:


> I'm sorry this is just silly. That's like saying I should weigh 125 pounds because I'm a human female. Female German Shepherds come in all sizes, from 45lb to 110lb.
> 
> It's been my experience that K9 handlers don't know any more about dogs than the average Joe. K9 trainers do, but not your average run-of-the-mill handler.
> 
> The best way to know what size she'll be is to look at her mom, aunts, and female ancestors. Pedigree Database is a great place to do this.


Well, that's why I came to forums! :help:


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Why vets recommend Hills & Science Diet - that's a easy answer - they get a kickback. There's no easy answer for nutrition, each dog thrives when their needs are met, and those needs vary. Some dogs do great on grain free, some don't. Personally, neither of my dogs do very well on pork so I avoid it when I can. Chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, bison for example are probably the most common but there are even kibbles that use kangaroo as their protein source. So what may work best for my dogs may not work for yours, you may have to try a few before you find the right one.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

Shade said:


> Why vets recommend Hills & Science Diet - that's a easy answer - they get a kickback. There's no easy answer for nutrition, each dog thrives when their needs are met, and those needs vary. Some dogs do great on grain free, some don't. Personally, neither of my dogs do very well on pork so I avoid it when I can. Chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, bison for example are probably the most common but there are even kibbles that use kangaroo as their protein source. So what may work best for my dogs may not work for yours, you may have to try a few before you find the right one.


Very interesting. I'll definitely have to do alot of trial and error in the future.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Drewbacca said:


> I never even thought of that. What's your protein source if you're ruling out both chicken and beef? I can try grain free for sure, just gotta get through this 33lb bag first lol. And thats interesting that science diet is a poor quality food, I had 2 vets (in the same animal hospital) both recommend science diet, or hills, and eukanuba for food.


He gets a venison and bison-based kibble right now. There's also a kangaroo (seriously!) based kibble that he did really well on. A lot of vets recommend Science Diet because a lot of the training they go through is basically sponsored by it. It's what's shoved down their throats from day one. Nutrition is not a big component of veterinary training and they don't really cover beyond the basics. It's not necessarily that Science Diet is BAD.... it's mediocre... but for what they charge you can get much higher quality.

This forum has a TON of great nutritional advice in the feeding section, as well as great resources for finding a food that works for you and your pup.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

LoveEcho said:


> He gets a venison and bison-based kibble right now. There's also a kangaroo (seriously!) based kibble that he did really well on. A lot of vets recommend Science Diet because a lot of the training they go through is basically sponsored by it. It's what's shoved down their throats from day one. Nutrition is not a big component of veterinary training and they don't really cover beyond the basics. It's not necessarily that Science Diet is BAD.... it's mediocre... but for what they charge you can get much higher quality.
> 
> This forum has a TON of great nutritional advice in the feeding section, as well as great resources for finding a food that works for you and your pup.


Any brands you recommend?


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## kelbonc (Aug 25, 2014)

Gator was a fast eater as well. For him the slow eater bowls did not make a significant difference. I had read online where someone recommended a 12 cup muffin/cupcake pan. It was worth a try so I filled a muffin pan I had with his food and the result was very impressive. I was surprised how much it slowed his eating down and that he totally did not mind eating out of the muffin pan. I didn't like him eating out of an aluminum pan so I purchased a stainless steel one from amazon. I have to admit it is not the most attractive dog bowl but works well for him and that all that matters to me.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

this is her btw, go eagles!


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Drewbacca said:


> Any brands you recommend?


Right now he's getting a Merrick grain free formula. I've also had good luck with Acana, and okay luck with TOTW.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

My hound mix was a shelter pup. When I first got him, he inhaled his food. I hand fed him. He had to do a command or trick for each handful. He ate directly out of my hand, or I put it in his bowl. This corrected the problem, pretty quickly - plus it provided a nice training session.

My previous GSD was allergic to chicken. She did well on fish based formulas. Many brands have one - Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Taste of the Wild. Both of my shelter pups came to me eating Science Diet. Apparently, that is what shelters feed. Science Diet is horrible. My most recent puppy arrived the end of October. She was just 8 weeks old. I bought the Science Diet, so I could transition her. She wouldn't eat the Science Diet. The Science Diet was so bad the hound wouldn't even eat it. I mean the hound eats things that are not even edible, so obviously a problem with that food.

I currently feed Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream adult to the hound and TOTW Pacific Stream puppy, to the puppy. Both are doing well.

There are all kinds of rashes puppies get on their bellies. My puppy had a rash too. I wiped her belly with peroxide and put antibiotic ointment on it. The vet said it looks good and to keep doing what I'm doing. She prefers to not put her on an oral antibiotic.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

1. You don't have to pay for this; a BIG rock in the middle of her food bowl will slow her down.

2. Definitely change her diet...

3. Amount of food depends (IMO) on type of food you feed and how active your pup is.

Best!


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

She is adorable. My pups' ears are doing the same thing.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

There are two trains of thought on the fast eating business- I've read several articles by vets and animal behaviorists that say dogs are not equipped to eat slowly. Their jaws only move up and down and their teeth are made for tearing food so eating slowly and chewing the food is not natural- ripping and biting and gulping it down is. So there's no reason to slow down the eating, let them gulp it. 

I feed Fromm- it's a great food, a family owned business that only makes dog and cat food. My dog eats the pork and applesauce formula because he's sensitive to chicken. they have a wide variety of protein sources- lamb, duck, fowl, pork besides beef. Check it out. Oh and the lamb and lentil formula kibble is shaped like little lambs, it's really cute.


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## KathrynApril (Oct 3, 2013)

I use to freeze my boys dry food mixed with a little bit of yogurt, water and/or applesauce and then sealed of the ends with canned food. He had to work for his food and kept him busy. I actually just gave him a frozen bone that was more shallow so it was filled completely with canned dog food for lunch today. Gave him something to do in his crate while I am at work.

My boy use to itch a lot too. I think it's kind of the dry air in the winter time. Lately I have been giving him a couple tablespoons of coconut oil heated up/mixed with pumpkin in his Merrick food and I have noticed he isn't itching anymore. He always got the pumpkin/merrick brand but the oil is new. Though I did switch from Duck Grain free to Beef grain free too so that might be part of it.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

If you only have the one dog, I like to use food to engage their tracking and hunting brain. Lay a track for your dog to follow with the kibble, or scatter it in the yard so she has to search for it. You get some mental stimulation and slow down the eating. Obviously this can lead to fights if you're doing it with more than one dog together.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

Some ideas:

Water added - not soaked, like soup LOL

Split the meal into a muffin pan

Spread the meal on a cookie sheet

Throw the kibble all over the grass, let her track it

Throw the kibble onto packed snow, let her track it

Hand feed for obedience commands


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I'm guessing there must be an obvious answer to my question and I am researching it here first....What are pros and cons as to the pace at which a dog eats?

Does it matter how fast a dog consumes it's food?

SuperG


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

it doesn't matter as long as they aren't choking on it. one of my GSDs plows throung a cup and a half of kibble plus a few spoonfuls of wet in about 15 seconds while my other GSD takes about 3 minutes to eat it.

crap, yesterday rambo crunched through and ate a frozen turkey neck in 20 seconds while julie took 20 minutes to eat hers.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

thanks everyone for your responses. glad to get a nice conversation going here.



SuperG said:


> I'm guessing there must be an obvious answer to my question and I am researching it here first....What are pros and cons as to the pace at which a dog eats?
> 
> Does it matter how fast a dog consumes it's food?
> 
> SuperG


I was just concerned with bloat. other than that, i really don't think it would matter too much how fast they eat.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Drewbacca said:


> thanks everyone for your responses. glad to get a nice conversation going here.
> 
> 
> 
> I was just concerned with bloat. other than that, i really don't think it would matter too much how fast they eat.


Yes, I did a bit of reading just now and there is a school of thought that a dog which eats too fast takes in excess air into the stomach which might promote the production of stomach gasses.....

I was interested to find this in one of the articles I was reading................"_ Veterinarians have no definitive data as to why canine bloat occurs and despite attempts to intentionally recreate canine bloat in laboratories they have been unsuccessful in doing so as of yet._ "

I appreciate your concerns regarding bloat...I try to stay aware of this as well.

SuperG


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

SuperG said:


> Yes, I did a bit of reading just now and there is a school of thought that a dog which eats too fast takes in excess air into the stomach which might promote the production of stomach gasses.....
> 
> I was interested to find this in one of the articles I was reading................"_ Veterinarians have no definitive data as to why canine bloat occurs and despite attempts to intentionally recreate canine bloat in laboratories they have been unsuccessful in doing so as of yet._ "
> 
> ...


yep that was pretty much the same thought i had. especially considering that if it does happen (god forbid), it's an emergency. vet was saying there was also a procedure she could get done, which has two schools of thought as well, called gastropexy, where they attach the stomach to the abdomen so it doesn't happen or drastically lowers the chance of that happening. he was saying since they're already in and up there during her spay (which she hasn't gotten done yet) they could do something like that. again, two different schools of thought. i guess the closer i get to getting her spayed, the more i'll start thinking about it


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Drewbacca said:


> yep that was pretty much the same thought i had. especially considering that if it does happen (god forbid), it's an emergency. vet was saying there was also a procedure she could get done, which has two schools of thought as well, called gastropexy, where they attach the stomach to the abdomen so it doesn't happen or drastically lowers the chance of that happening. he was saying since they're already in and up there during her spay (which she hasn't gotten done yet) they could do something like that. again, two different schools of thought. i guess the closer i get to getting her spayed, the more i'll start thinking about it


My last two GSDs had a pexy done on them during sterilization. I think it's not a bad idea at all....especially during the spay procedure..the less you knock a dog out the better. Get everything possible done if you are going to get her spayed...hip x rays etc....if you choose.

I have yet to get a pexy for my current shepherd as she is still intact...


SuperG


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

SuperG said:


> My last two GSDs had a pexy done on them during sterilization. I think it's not a bad idea at all....especially during the spay procedure..the less you knock a dog out the better. Get everything possible done if you are going to get her spayed...hip x rays etc....if you choose.
> 
> I have yet to get a pexy for my current shepherd as she is still intact...
> 
> ...


yep certainly will, thanks for the advice!


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

UPDATE:
just started transitioning Roya from science diet large breed puppy to canidae grain free pure land, based on the info and recommendations that i got from the entire thread at the top of the forum page. i switched her to a grain free food, considering it's more of a narrow base of elimination. if the itching stops, then it was either A) a skin infection, but now on a better food or B) not a skin infection, and a food allergy to a not good food, but now on a better food. regardless, she'll be on a much better food. thoughts?

btw, the canidae is an adult food, not puppy. based on what i've read on here so far, puppies don't need to be on a puppy food.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Drewbacca said:


> UPDATE:
> just started transitioning Roya from science diet large breed puppy to canidae grain free pure land, based on the info and recommendations that i got from the entire thread at the top of the forum page. i switched her to a grain free food, considering it's more of a narrow base of elimination. if the itching stops, then it was either A) a skin infection, but now on a better food or B) not a skin infection, and a food allergy to a not good food, but now on a better food. regardless, she'll be on a much better food. thoughts?
> 
> btw, the canidae is an adult food, not puppy. based on what i've read on here so far, puppies don't need to be on a puppy food.


I like your process....too many times people change way too many things and then never know what element actually caused the beneficial change. 

If the new food doesn't do the trick, have you ever thought of then trying a raw diet? 

SuperG


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Was the information you read about Canidae current? The reason I ask, I used to feed Canidae and loved it. My dog did great on it. Then, they changed the formula without notice. Many dogs got sick. My dog was off, but not terribly ill. She never adjusted to the new formula. I no longer trust them and would not feed Canidae again. This was several years back, so it might be better now. I did not think as many people were still feeding it, but I could be wrong.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Was the information you read about Canidae current? The reason I ask, I used to feed Canidae and loved it. My dog did great on it. Then, they changed the formula without notice. Many dogs got sick. My dog was off, but not terribly ill. She never adjusted to the new formula. I no longer trust them and would not feed Canidae again. This was several years back, so it might be better now. I did not think as many people were still
> feeding it, but I could be wrong.


A lot of the info was from a few years back. But I did some research online and it got good reviews so I figured why not try it. That's ashamr your dogs got sick, but I would imagine I better luck with my dog because she hasn't been on it before and I'm moving her from a lesser brand food. I guess we'll see what happens but I'll definitely take what you're saying into consideration


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Google Canidae formula change 2008 or 2009. A lot of dogs got really sick. My cousin's boxer almost died. You should also do a check for current recalls. Good luck, whatever you decide.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

On slowing down the kibble consumption -- I use a treat ball - fill it with kibble, dog bats it around and the kibble falls out. She destroyed the plug on that and the Buster Cube - the ball still works without the plug - just not as slow to dispense the kibble.

On allergies - people jump on this way too fast. --especially re itchy skin.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

middleofnowhere said:


> On allergies - people jump on this way too fast. --especially re itchy skin.


how do you figure?


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

SuperG said:


> I like your process....too many times people change way too many things and then never know what element actually caused the beneficial change.
> 
> If the new food doesn't do the trick, have you ever thought of then trying a raw diet?
> 
> SuperG


definitely intrigued by it, although i haven't put a whole lot of thought into it.


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## Drewbacca (Jan 6, 2014)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Google Canidae formula change 2008 or 2009. A lot of dogs got really sick. My cousin's boxer almost died. You should also do a check for current recalls. Good luck, whatever you decide.


yea i looked into it, there was a definite formula change, not once but it seems twice. there were also a few sources that said they bought diamond? (terrible food) and then proctor and gamble owns canidae? idk. i got a 4lb bag, i'll see how she does. i just want her off science diet and on a grain free food. seems there are many a differing opinion


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