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Subject: 2 questions about food transitioning - how slowly do you go and

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bluedog

Rat Royalty

05/05/2008 9:46 PM
how long is it normal for BMs to be soft (hard to pick up)? I am transitioning both dogs to the same food - I have plenty of food (they are on different things) to take my time, but I wondered what is a reasonable amount of time to give it? I started about 4 days ago and I have them at half and half. How long until I should be fully transitioned? How long until I can expect firm BMs again? I am switching both to Innova EVO. Thanks!

Christine Mom to Michael & Charlotte Moose (lab), Paisley (rattie), Clark & Lois (tolerant kitties)

Ski

Ratastic

05/05/2008 10:50 PM
I would say a few days at least. I would be more careful about the amount you're feeding. EVO packs alot of calories into a little bit of food so I'd be sure to compare the calorie counts of each. Soft poop is a sign of overfeeding, so keep that in mind if it doesn't improve after the transition. I had to add green beans for filler when I fed Lucky EVO. He weighed over 25 pounds and was getting about a half cup plus a little bit of canned food.

bluedog

Rat Royalty

05/05/2008 11:10 PM
I am figuring that in when I transition. Hopefully I am doing it right. Moose gets 4 cups of beneful per day, but on EVO he will only get 2 cups. So right now at 1/2 of each kind of food, he is getting 2 cups of beneful and 1 cup of EVO. Does that work? I am doing the same thing with Paisley except of course she gets less. Both of them are very lean (Paisley is trying to gain 2 lbs), so I am trying not to feed to little. They are very active, with 1+ hour of brisk walking per day.

Christine Mom to Michael & Charlotte Moose (lab), Paisley (rattie), Clark & Lois (tolerant kitties)

tiggarat

Bratty Ratty

05/06/2008 3:22 AM
I think it really depends on how your dogs are adjusting to the new food as to how quickly you transition. I usually give it nearly 2 weeks of mixing the 2 foods together....adding a lttle more of the new stuff every day. It sounds about right, what you're doing. My ratties get EVO too...they are 27 and 30 lbs, and they get 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup, depending on activity level that day. A lot of times, EVO makes the poo more compact, I think as a result of the higher protien/fewer fillers.

Lisabeth furbabies: Lucy and Molly (1 1/2 yr old decker ratties), and Rosie (3 yr old dobie) Buddy - gone but never forgotten. "I don't think he has any idea he's a dog, really. Of course, he thinks he has a rather odd figure for a man" - Dodie Smith

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