Changing brand of Dog Food

One of our rescued dogs is a small 8 pound Maltese mix. Bella came into our home last year being fed the same brand (Natural Balance Duck & Potato) that I've always fed my 20 pound Lhasa but in the "small bites". I successfully transitioned her to the regular sized kibble, mostly because of the availability (lack thereof) of the small bites. She does just fine with the size of the food, I mixed what the rescue group gave me with what we had and she transitioned.

I'm wondering if you could mix the sizes together for a little while and see how your dogs like it or if they have any issues with the larger kibble?
If you do change the brand or formula of their kibble I would suggest making it a slow transition, mixing the new with the former brand and increasing the amount of the new brand over a number of days. Much less chance for stomach upset that way.

Good luck...

The Cockers should do just fine on regular sized kibble, and I bet even the silky would as well. Try a bag and see.

Thanks for your response!

I neglected to mention the reason we have the Small Bites is that the Silky is the oldest and has dental issues. He only has a few good teeth and he is very small. There is no way he could handle the regular kibble. We have no issues leaving food down 24/7 as none are overweight and in fact the one cocker will scracth and fuss if watter and food are empty. He may not even eat or drink when you fill them but he wants food and water there.

I discussed with a Nutro rep at the store and they did not have any advice or could explain why the Small Bites is rarely on sale. She did give one $2.00 off coupon but that has been it.

So if you know of a high quality dog food that comes in a small kibble that is also affordable please let me know.

Try adding water or broth to the larger bits for the little Silky, maybe that will help......

You could buy the regular sized Nutro kibble, put some in a Ziploc bag and crush it up a bit with a rolling pin. Or use a blender or food processor.

As far as other more affordable brands . . . I don't know off the top of my head how much Nutro costs. But you might look at Authority, which is Petsmart's store brand. The ingredients seem pretty decent. Simply Nourish is also a Petsmart brand whose ingredients look pretty good. It's probably considered a step up from Authority, and I believe it costs a bit more. Since they're Petsmart's own brands I'm guessing they may put them on sale frequently.

I don't know how much it costs at Petsmart or Petco for Nutro but I know I get my brand from Amazon for cheaper with subscribe and save. I have it delivered every 6 weeks and save 20%. My pugs are on Avoderm which is the only food one of my picky pugs will eat and it also comes in small kibble size so my food addicted pug doesn't choke when she inhales it. It isn't a cheap brand however but keeps their coats and skin nice and soft.

Nutro at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Max-Dog-Natural-Chicken-15-Pound/dp/B005L1CLPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375814302&sr=8-1&keywords=nutro+max+small+kibble

Our dog food Avoderm: http://www.amazon.com/AvoDerm-Natural-Potato-Formula-24-Pound/dp/B007CJ95O4/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375814153&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=avoderm+beef+and+sweet+potato

Bigger kibble certainly opens up more possibilities, and since only the older dog might have trouble with it:

I second the suggestion above per wetting the food for the old dog- since you feed free choice you might just feed him softened food separately from the other dogs. That way, you'll be sure he's getting enough to eat without shorting the other dogs- or breaking the pocketbook bank!

Right now I'm feeding my Cockers Natures Recipe Salmon and Sweet Potatoes Grain Free, and that comes in small Bites, and I also get it at Pet smart. Doggies love it.

We have had several rescued dogs with dental issues and few teeth. I tried canned food with a couple, but that is expensive unless you are feeding the very smallest of dogs. What we are doing now is Diamond Small Breed Chicken and Rice. These are smaller pieces - no wheat, corn or soy and it's usually $9.99 per 6 lb bag. I soak this in a small amount of water to soften it AND our little one doesn't drink enough so it adds to the liquid intake she gets. It can be purchased a tractor supply, home improvement (like Menards) and does frequently go on sale. I just do a search online as we travel to find a supplier. As fulltimers, I was concerned about finding the better brands of canned food available as we travel. It was not always possible. I have been able to find this everywhere we have been. It may not be the best, but better than switching foods all the time or feeding a supermarket brand.

CatandJim wrote:
One of our rescued dogs is a small 8 pound Maltese mix. Bella came into our home last year being fed the same brand (Natural Balance Duck & Potato) that I've always fed my 20 pound Lhasa but in the "small bites". I successfully transitioned her to the regular sized kibble, mostly because of the availability (lack thereof) of the small bites. She does just fine with the size of the food, I mixed what the rescue group gave me with what we had and she transitioned.

I'm wondering if you could mix the sizes together for a little while and see how your dogs like it or if they have any issues with the larger kibble?
If you do change the brand or formula of their kibble I would suggest making it a slow transition, mixing the new with the former brand and increasing the amount of the new brand over a number of days. Much less chance for stomach upset that way.

Good luck...

Double ditto. Another option would be to get the regular sized kibble and reduce it in a food processor. FPs are so cheap now you can keep one just for the dog food.