The Change, Part 3

Well, here we are again at the start of a new food transition process. Parts 1 and 2 are here and here.

When I first decided to switch Shadow and Ducky to The Farmer’s Dog, I knew it was expensive. More than we could really afford for both dogs. I just had to hope it would make a big-enough difference for them to justify the expense. And, in some important ways it did make a difference, especially for Shadow.

With the recent recalls by HillsPet of the dogs’ former food – for potential excessive Vitamin D levels – I am extremely happy I made the change to The Farmer’s Dog when I did. But now it’s time for another change to a more affordable option. And, actually, I have two options but for now I’m trying one at a time.

First, let me tell you that I am not transitioning the girls from The Farmer’s Dog for any reason other than cost. They both love the food, it’s easy to prepare and feed, it smells a helluva lot better than the Hills crap, and it doesn’t turn Shadow into a fart machine. In fact, since fully transitioning both girls in early December, Shadow’s digestive system has been able to handle emotional stress much better and she is not nearly as lactose intolerant as she had been on the Hills crap. The only thing I was getting concerned about was the fact that both girls seemed to always be hungry, even though I finally got their daily calorie amounts to an appropriate level for them. And Shadow even seemed to be losing weight. She looks now like she may have put some weight back on though so maybe she’s back on track.

Anyway, over the past few weeks I’ve been looking for more viable, affordable options. I want to stay with 100% human-grade food, but I wasn’t having much luck. Then, on Thursday night while I was surfing Chewy’s website, I found it.

The order arrived on Saturday afternoon, so I started the transition process on Sunday morning. For these first few days I’m going to just use it as a “food topper”, but I’ll mix it in and use some warm water to hydrate the veggies and fruit a teensy bit (and soften the carrots and other veggies in the TFD food). I noticed almost immediately that even though Ducky tends to “inhale” her food, she hasn’t had any of it get stuck on its way down her esophagus (like the kibble used to do, causing much anxiety and obsessive behavior). That’s a BIG plus in my eyes!

If this transition goes well – and I fully expect it to – I might switch to buying it direct from Only Natural Pet; but I don’t have to decide that right now. For now I’m focused on getting my girls on a healthy yet affordable food plan. Keep your fingers crossed. 🤞

15 thoughts on “The Change, Part 3”

  1. Jodi Stone says:

    Oh boy, I’m sorry on two fronts. 1) that Hubby is still having issues and 2) that you are going through food transitions again.

    I really wish there were a good quality, affordable dog food. I spend over $200 a month to keep my guys on raw and I think I get a decent deal. Keep us posted!

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    • My Golden Life says:

      Thanks, my sweet friend! Unfortunately, dementia is not a disease that goes away with treatment. But, I find that as long as I remind myself of that fact, I can deal with it for myself. The poor dogs can’t understand that, though, so they look to me for stability.

      As for the food transitions? Oh well. This too shall pass. I’ll find something if this doesn’t work out, even if I have to make it myself. I don’t have “the stomach” for raw. And neither of our vets is sold on its benefits anyway. Speaking of making it myself, do you remember the name of the book you sent Mary H. a few years ago when she got her InstantPot? I’d really like to go a similar route myself, but I need a good book to go by. (Hubby said he’d help me with the prep work if I was serious about it.)

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  3. My GBGV Life says:

    My mom struggles with the food jungle daily. She has no interest in raw. We love Halo, but it is still kibble, although probably the best kibble around. The good stuff is so expensive, especially if you don’t have a tiny dog, or have multiple dogs. Farmers Dog was good, but we didn’t like the packaging and it was too expensive. ChiDog was really great, but the price thing again and having to keep storing it was a hassle as we don’t have a spare freezer. We are going to try switching to Dr Harveys this weekend. It is priced between kibble and the ChiDog, but the thing is Mom has to cook the protein to add to it. Not sure if that part is going to work out as it is a lot of protein that we need daily, but we invested in a bag of the dehydrated part that will last about a month, so we will give it a try. Good luck with your switch.

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  5. Pamela says:

    Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I’m very interested in what you think of Only Natural Pet. It looks like a strong option.

    I’ve been switching Honey’s food around a lot to give her a good nutritional balance and to avoid any downsides of a particular food. Fortunately, she has a strong digestive system and tolerates switching with no issues.

    I can’t even imagine how your girls’ sensitivities make a challenging issue even harder.

    This month, since we’re docked with access to a fridge, I’ve been topping her kibble with chicken gizzards and hearts.

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    • My Golden Life says:

      Hi Pam! Thank you!! It’s a little early to tell yet from my girls’ reactions to it, but my initial impressions are (1) that even in its dehydrated state, this stuff smells pretty good as dog food goes. (2) any food that does NOT get stuck in Ducky’s esophagus (due to her inhaling it) and cause her extreme anxiety as a result must be of excellent quality. Considering she still likes eating bird seed and assorted other yard “treasures” (but thankfully not poop), I tend to stick with the blandest meat I can. (3) my go-to quick source for referrals on healthy foods for the girls is our friend, Jan K @ Wag-n-Woof Pets. Jan gave it the thumbs-up, so I’m comfortable with that. She’s been feeding her pups healthy food for a LONG time, so…. and (4) I’ve looked at some other ONP stuff in the past and thought it might be good, but they weren’t available through Chewy and they were pretty expensive as well. When I found this on Chewy, I was elated. Anyway, as I get the girls transitioned (again), I’ll post a part 4.

      Happy for you and Honey that she can handle food changes so well! I have noticed though, that Shadow’s sensitive tummy has gotten slightly less sensitive since I switched her off the prescription food.

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  6. derrycats says:

    It’s always a challenge (for pets and people) to balance what is good for us and what we can afford. I hope the new food works well!

    Liked by 1 person

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