Food formula change

mnm

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Wanna run this by y’all and ask for input .
Molly, (12), was eating great .. very healthy but after opening a new bag she wasn’t herself… nibbling here and there .. a throw up once every few mornings … then could tell she was laying around on my lap not feeling herself so was planning a vet visit then hubby noticed her food didn’t smell right so opened a new bag . She began eating better, then boom! Made a huge change and perked up. Even ran thru the house😊. That night though she had diarrhea and into the morning. I checked the new bag of food Purina Proplan Essential (dry) and the packaging changed which after searching , the formula did too!
I now feel she did have a bad bag that made her sick but then we replaced it with a new formula that now is new to her, causing diarrhea as well as one vomit . So now I don’t have the original formula to mix in with this new for easier adjustment! Hubby is gonna go look at the store in case but then what if they don’t have her old formula? Just hope she adjusts in a couple days? (She will not eat wet food… tried in the past)
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. You don't have a lot of choices here. Theoretically, the stool changes with the 'new' food should subside within the next couple-three days. But make a note of the formula changes, in case there is an ingredient that was added that doesn't end up agreeing with her system longer term. You could call the vet and ask what they would suggest you try to help reduce the diarrhea while Molly adjusts to the new food. And keep your eye on other changes in her as well (vomiting, for example).

The other thing to consider is testing some other dry foods (gradually, over time, and after this adjustment is resolved) so that you have more than one option in the future should this happen again. If you can find some that she will eat, you might alternate these foods as well to help prevent digestive issues down the road.

If she is willing to eat - and has previously eaten - some human food, such as boiled/cooked chicken, it might help to give her some over the next few days just to help with transitioning her system to the new formula.
 
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mnm

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Thank you.. appreciate your input. She won’t touch human food or even lick tuna juice from a can 😊. We got her when she was 8 so she was pretty set on her ways. I do like that idea of getting her used to different brands. Thanks again!
 

Kieka

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Great advice so far. I'd add that I keep my dry food in a small storage container in the house for easy access. When I get a new bag I top off the small container with the new bag and mix well. I usually don't let the small container get below half full (with periodic dump and cleans to make sure there isn't bacterial build up of course). This makes it so I am always mixing new food and slowly increasing the ratio of new to old food. I started doing it for the exact reason of formula changes so if it changed between bags it wasn't a huge shock to their systems. The only downside is if the formula change gives them issue I have to dump more food but my house container only holds a few days. The big bag I keep in an airtight container outside (just folding up the bag inside it so I don't have to clean the whole thing frequently).
 
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mnm

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Thank you for the tips!
Whether she had a bug or bad food batch, she bounced back and we were able to find a fresh bag of her old formula to gradually mix in the new and no more diarrhea and she is back racing through the house! Whew!!!
 
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