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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on April 24, 2011 at 10:09pm

I transition just to be safe but don't do a very long transition like from one brand to another. When I switched Frank from the bison to lamb I did it in less than a week and he did fine. Salmon and lamb (high sierra) are the lowest calorie of all the TOTW formulas so if calories are a worry for you then stick with one of these two. .Remember to transition slowly because not only are you increasing protein you are taking out grain so its a big hit for your pups digestive system. Be patient and take at least 2 weeks for the transition.

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Permalink Reply by Guy & Kolby on April 25, 2011 at 10:35am

I have been using taste of the wild (all flavors) since my Zoe turned 1 (she is 3 now). I wanted to keep her on the puppy food, until she was a year old, just to make sure that she got all that quality nutirtion that a puppy needs over an adult dog. Now I have a male (Kolby) who is 16 weeks and I am doing the same thing with him, except he always gets into Zoe's food and absolutely loves the TOTW. So, when I feed Zoe, I always put a little bit into Kolby's food dish as well so he will leave her food alone. But, bottom line is, I am still giving him his puppy food until he is a full year, then I will make the switch to the TOTW full time. A gradual switch of about 1-2 weeks has worked for me in the past. As for the different flavors, when I reach the approximate half way point of a bag of TOTW, I slowly start to mix in the new flavor until the old bag is gone and the new bag is now half full and I start on a new flavor. So, as you see, it's a pretty constant switch thing, but I truly believe that the different flavors keep them interested and happy. I also mix in raw chicken, beef, venison and fish to keep them healthy, happy and it really helps to keep their teeth really, really clean.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on April 25, 2011 at 11:16am

There's really no need to keep him on puppy food until he's a year. Most breeders recommend using a large breed puppy or an all life stages food, because regular puppy food makes them grow too quickly which can affect their bones and joints. TOTW is an all life stages food so you'd be fine feeding the same thing to both your dogs.

 

I feed Fromms and rotate the flavors every bag, but they are specifically meant to be rotated. I only transition over a couple of days but the proteins levels and such are very similar in each formula. I think with TOTW you'd want to make the transition a bit longer.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on April 24, 2011 at 10:18pm

I agree with Melissa!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on April 25, 2011 at 7:42am

Hi Katy, Yes, you will still need to do the one - two weeks transition with a different flavour.

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Permalink Reply by Peggy Woods on April 25, 2011 at 11:12am

If you are switching Brands of food, then a transition is order - especially from a grain-based to a grain-free. I used TOTW with no transition needed between flavours - other than I dumped them all together. Salmon makes the coat shinier because of the extra fish oil, & I think Bugsy likes that flavour best. I've had good results with all the flavours! The most recent was the fowl, duck one... what ever flavour always gets a squirt of cod liver oil for good measure :)

I do like Guy & Co & mix meats it & try it mix it up to keep it from being the same & the added bonus of transitions are a non-issue. some meals are just a little meat followed by kibble in the ball later...

I got one of those large Rubbermaid cereal pitchers to put the kibble in - keeps it fresh & easy to pour! (spout perfect size for kibble ball)

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Permalink Reply by Katy on April 25, 2011 at 2:52pm

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I will make the transition a little longer from the Fit & Trim to TOTW but I don't think I will really transition from one flavor to another, except maybe mixing the two together a little once the bag gets low.  At first, I gave Sam a few pieces of the TOTW to try it and she spit it out! She's been eating it mixed in with her current food though. I just hope that once she is on TOTW she likes it and she will eat it.

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Andersen on April 25, 2011 at 3:42pm

I use TOTW all flavors for my three corgis and the five cats (feline version for kitties, of course) and swap between the flavors.  They all love it and don't seem bothered at all with the change of flavors.  The basic makeup of the food is the same, I imagine.  I've very happy with TOTW.  Was feeding the dogs for a while on Chicken Soup for the  Dog Lovers Soul but it gave one of the pooches really horrible gas (not fun...phew!) but on TOTW no little clouds of stinkiness anymore!

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