Mixing Brands?

So I have a bit of a dilemma. I will be getting some bags of dog food this week, all new brands (Wellness, Instinct, Go & something either Innova/Evo or whatever from NaturaPet). All have 6 star ratings Here (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showcat.php/cat/8). I will also be getting the cat food of those brands as well (whichever ones have it, I don't really remember).

Anyways, Byron has an iron stomach. The only time he has runny poops is when I give him an apple as a treat. So, I am not too worried about him having adverse reactions to the better foods (of course I will transition slowly, to see how his body handles it, if there is no bad reaction then I will go right over).

Now, Byron is currently on a grocery brand (bad, yes I know). He was on a Chicken and Rice formula, but he has bad reactions to that (very dry, itchy skin and yeast infections in his ears). We switched him over to Lamb and rice and so far so good. He gets approx. 3 cups per day, split into 2 servings (2 cups when he wakes up, and 1 cup used as treats while training).

I know he won't need that much on a better food, so I was wondering how much he would eat? He is a Labrador, however he is tiny, at only 40lbs/21" tall. He is 11 months old, and has never eaten puppy food. His dry kibble is soaked in water prior to feeding (so he slows down and doesn't gulp). His treats (other than the kibble while training), are chunks of carrot. He was wonderful muscle mass, is lean and has energy to spare. If I cut down on the cheap food, he gets a bit too lean (being easily able to feel and see ribs).

Lastly, is it ok to eventually mix the brands of food (quality ones I've mentioned), so that he gets a variety and to be sure I can always have his food on hand? I'm not worried about prices right now, as Gary and I decided to invest in better food in hopes that we can reduce the amount of waste (both animal and wasting of food - cats waste a TON of food), and improve their health. Plus I have free bags/cans/cases coupons coming out of the yin yang from the companies (they are wonderfully generous when you mention your dog is a Service Dog in Training) :)

Besides once I know how much they go through per month, I can buy accordingly ;)

So, any and all input is greatly appreciated!

TwinTails,

I would think that 1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups split into 2 meals a day should suffice. You could always use the bag as a guideline and adjust it accordingly from there.

I have a boxer who is 45 lbs and quite active, who eats about 1 3/4 cup a day split into two meals (when she is fed all kibble, usually I do half raw and half kibble). Any more or less and her weight fluctuates too much. This amount maintains her weight and keeps her fairly muscular and lean.

I don't see any problems switching kibble to give variety. I quite often do it with my dogs, although I usually buy in the same brand (i.e. if I am buying Orijen I will buy a big bag of 6-Fish, then the next time buy Regional Red etc). Still, I think it should be fine... I would transition carefully though still, maybe gradually changing him over to the next kibble you want to put him on over a period of 4-5 days, slowing mixing in the new kibble.

Hope this helps!

Awesome, thanks for the input :D We ended up picking up some Go today, for both cats and dog. Byron loved his and the cats ate theirs without vomiting it up :thumbs up:

So, I actually measured the dish I use to scoop Byron's food. It's actually 1 1/2 cups, not 3 :P So, do you think I could reduce the Go kibble amount without making him too skinny?