My older doggie might need a different food?

Hi all!

Maybe someone can help me out here. I have a 14 year old lab and sheba mix. He was fed on mostly Purina One his whole life until we decided to "stop feeding him that garbage". We switched to Wellness senior. I should mention that he did seem to be doing well on Purina, but we didn't want him eating byproducts. The Wellness brand has not seemed to do well for him, his stool is not as firm, he seems to be shedding an obscene amount, and the past few days he has been throwing up bile and been less interested in eating when I feed him. We gave him a month or two to get used to the new food, which never seemed to happen. He may be sick (not much change in his behavior), but I think we'd like to start with trying a new food. Any suggestions, and why do you recommend that kind?

Hi and welcome to the board!:)

The change in food might the reason for your dog's symptoms, but it could be coincidental. When was the last time he had a vet check?

You need to take him in for a complete checkup, since there are many medical problems that could cause what you are seeing - the vomiting, lack of appetite, etc.

If there is nothinng physically wrong, then change him back to what he was eating before, since he is 14 years old and should have what he feels good with eating.

Yes I agree with Lucky Rescue, I know your trying to better his health by switching his food but at this time in his life if it made him happy and you didn't notice any problems before - change him back, a vet appt is still a must because you want this old man to be comfortable and well in his senior years, and if that means 'feeding him that garbage' do so, if it ain't broke don't fix it;) Keep us posted and good luck:fingerscr

If you want to change to something less drastic, you can try Purina ProPlan sensitive stomach formula (the one with salmon). It's not the best out there, but he might be able to handle it better, and it's still a step up.

How gradually did you do the switch? The switch from commercial foods to holistic foods can be hard on some dogs, so you have to do it really slowly (over the course of more than a week). Also you have to reduce the quantity you feed slowly, as most of these foods are more dense than the commercial foods.

Throwing up bile, if your vet says it's nothing else, is likely due to the food. This particular food (the wellness) just isn't right for him.