Dog Food

What is food rotation? It means changing what you give your dog to eat, from switching foods every few months, to weekly or daily.  I start feeding my dogs a variety of foods almost as soon as I bring them home. Cautiously at first—just a pinch of something new—and then increasing variety over time. Once they are used to switching, they never eat the same thing two days in a row. I call myself the Queen of Rotation and I don’t expect anyone to go to the extremes I do, but I do think there are several benefits to rotating dogs’ diets: The gut “learns” to be more adaptable so it can handle the naughty something from  grazing in the backyard or a successful counter surf. What goes in comes out without a trip to the ER. The dog remains interested in meals. Although I’ve never met a picky schnauzer, some dogs tire of eating the same thing day after day. Switching foods periodically can be more satisfying to the dog. Perhaps most importantly, nutrition is most complete and better balanced by rotating. And not just flavors of one brand of food—rotate brands, too. (Our Frequent Barker program was designed to reward you no matter what foods you buy—you’re not limited to one brand to get the rewards.) I operate under the assumption that every dog is unique—there is no single Best Dog Food for all dogs. And though there might be an ideal food for an individual dog, how do you know what that is? Hedge your bets and feed them everything! Every dog food manufacturer has their idea of what should go into a recipe, from protein-to-fat ratio, to vitamin-mineral constituents, to add-ins [...]