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Rotating foods??

Writer's picture: Heather GrabbeHeather Grabbe

Dear Fellow Dog Lover…

I'll be the first to admit it.

I've never been a big fan of feeding my dog the same food every day for life.

It's just too risky.

And there are lots of reasons WHY I feel this way.

Here's one alarming example.

Since 2009…

At least 63 different dog foods have been recalled for the exact same defect.

Each was found to contain excessive levels of vitamin D.

Which meant that dogs eating one of these defective foods were at grave riskof kidney failure.

Even death.

Unfortunately…


The pets in greatest danger were those eating one of these defective diets… continuously.

At every meal.

For week after week.

Here’s the point…

There’s no such thing as a “perfect” dog food.

In fact…

It’s best to assume that any food you feed your dog could possibly be defective.

Too much of one nutrient… too little of another.

Or the food may contain hidden toxinsor industrial contaminants.

Flaws not yet discovered by the manufacturer.

Or the FDA.

And you’d never even know it.

What’s worse…

The effect of consuming any defective food tends to be magnified and compounded… whenever you feed the same food continuously

Day-after-day.

For a lifetime.

Use Diet Rotation

to Lower Risk

Unlike a regular feeding plan where the same food is fed endlessly year after year…

Diet rotation involves switching to a different flavor or brand on a periodic basis…

Which can help lower the hidden risk of accidentally feeding an imperfect dog food.

Of course, as you'd expect...

Diet rotation is not for every dog.

That's because some animals can't tolerate diet changes as easily as others.

But for those who can…

Diet rotation can help lower your dog's risk.

It keeps you from putting all your eggs in one basket. - And all your trust into a single recipe.


Diet Rotation Helps Lower Risk

Diet rotation is a safer way to feed your dog.

That’s because…

Any dog food can contain hidden flaws and defects.

Too much of one nutrient…

Too little of another.

Or the food may contain hidden toxins or industrial contaminants.

Imperfections not yet discovered by the manufacturer.

Or the FDA.

And you’d never even know it.

What’s worse…

The effect of consuming any defective food tends to be magnified… whenever you feed the same food… continuously.

Day-after-day. For a lifetime.


Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most common questions we get about diet rotation for dogs.

What is diet rotation?

Unlike a conventional feeding plan where the same food is served at each meal, diet rotation involves intentionally switching your dog’s food on a planned schedule.

Why should I consider diet rotation for my dog?

Since there’s no such thing as a perfect dog food, it’s reasonable to assume every product you buy is deficient (or excessive) in some crucial way.

By periodically switching dog foods, the unhealthy consequences of serving the same imperfect products can be minimized.

Isn’t changing my dog’s diet dangerous?

Diet rotation is not for every dog. That’s because some animals can’t tolerate diet changes as easily as others. While others are on special “prescription” diets that should not be switched without the advice of your dog’s vet.

In any case…

We’ve never been able to find a single scientific study proving diet rotation to be unhealthy or detrimental to a dog.

Does diet rotation mean mixing 2 dog foods and serving them at the same meal?

No. The benefits of diet rotation are optimized only when cycling between different products on a periodic basis.

How often should dog foods be switched?

There’s no rotation feeding plan that works better than the others. It all depends on your own personal feeding preferences.

Some dog parents switch foods monthly. Others more frequently. Most prefer to empty one bag of kibble before beginning the next.

Is there a downside to diet rotation?

There are 2 potential problems with diet rotation…


  1. Digestive upset

  2. Maintaining product freshness


Since some dogs have sensitive stomachs, the potential for GI upset can be an issue for certain pets.

And because alternating between two or more kibbles can make each bag take longer to use up, it can be difficult to maintain the freshness of each product.

How can I switch to a new food without getting my dog sick?

It’s best to switch your dog to new food gradually.


Be patient and don’t rush the process. Take your time to minimize the chance of GI upset.



I personally like to do:

day 1 2 3 4 5

then 5 4 3 2 1

using an average food and a 5 ⭐️ food, because lets face it none of us are rich! I keep my average food for 3-4 weeks then slowly switch to another company’s average food for a few weeks, and keep an eye on what is #1-5 on the food advisory sites


this months #1 food


The Best Dry Dog Foods May 2022

Here are The Dog Food Advisor’s best dry dog food for May 2022.


Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Wellness Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken and Oatmeal is one of 13 dry recipes included in our review of the Wellness Complete Healthproduct line.

  • First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, ground barley, peas

  • Type: Grain-inclusive (oatmeal, barley, brown rice)

  • Other recipes: Senior, puppy, large breed, small breed, whitefish and sweet potato, lamb and barley, turkey and oatmeal and more

  • Price: $$

  • See all 13 available recipes

This Wellness Complete Health formula derives the bulk of its meat protein from chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis reveals the product contains 27% protein, 13% fat and 52% estimated carbs… creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.

One of the best grain-inclusive kibbles on the market. Highly recommended.




Ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, ground barley, peas, ground brown rice, chicken fat, tomato pomace, ground flaxseed, tomatoes, carrots, natural chicken flavor, potassium chloride, choline chloride, spinach, vitamin E supplement, taurine, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols added to preserve freshness, sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, zinc sulfate, calcium carbonate, niacin, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, vitamin A supplement, glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulfate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, copper proteinate, chicory root extract, manganese proteinate, manganese sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, Yucca schidigera extract, garlic powder, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, calcium iodate, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, rosemary extract, green tea extract, spearmint extract

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%. bold= denotes controversial items.



Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The third ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

The next ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fifth ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The sixth ingredient is ground brown rice, another name for rice flour. Ground rice is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.

The next ingredient is chicken fat. This item is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The eighth ingredient is tomato pomace. Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.

Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.

Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.

The ninth item is flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Wellness product.

With 5 notable exceptions

First, we find taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Next, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

In addition, garlic can be a controversial item. Although many favor the ingredient for its claimed health benefits, garlic has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.1

So, one must weigh the potential benefits of feeding garlic against its proven tendency to cause subclinical damage to the red blood cells of the animal.

We also find sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium in this recipe. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Wellness Complete Health Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 13% and estimated carbohydrates of about 52%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 51%.

Which means this Wellness product line contains…

Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat. So why not splurge once in a while and buy a 5 start food and try adding it to your dogs’ food. I recommend instead of switching to it, use it as a topper! We do the 80/20… but we soak the 20% in water over night till soft then mix the soft food to 80% of their regular food they see it as a treat. I see it as a healthier meal.

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