We have been feeding our 4 month old husky Diamond puppy, and just recently got Taste Of The Wild to try and switch him over.

He will stop eating with food left in his bowl and then he will try and eat the other dogs food, which is considerably cheaper. But he won't go back to his food.

He weighs 27 pounds, we just took him to the vet yesterday for a check up. Would it be okay to mix his food in with some of the cheaper food he likes so much or should we just stick to the ones we are using now?

That all depends on what you want to do about it. Personally I don't let my dogs tell me what they eat, but all of my dogs eat the same food. I would just give him what you want him to eat, give him 20 minutes to eat and if he doesn't finish it, tough, he will just have to wait until his next meal. If you don't mind him eating the other food then go ahead and mix it in.

I would mix it and make the change gradual - the diamond is not a horrible food, whatever people think about the recall history. At least it WAS recalled. And TOTW is made by Diamond (I feed TOTW without issues.) He may just be "used to what he's used to..."

JessicaR wrote:

Personally I don't let my dogs tell me what they eat... I would just give him what you want him to eat, give him 20 minutes to eat and if he doesn't finish it, tough, he will just have to wait until his next meal.

Exactly my sentiments. My dogs eat what I give them, no ifs, ands or buts. And my dogs actually do eat different foods due to sensitivites and one requires supplements, so it is actually important that they eat what I feed them.

If any of my dogs don't eat, I will actually wait 20 minutes and then give their bowl to one of the other dogs while they watch. And they can sit there and watch their unwanted food get devoured by someone else and wait until their next meal for their regular food again. Works like a charm every time I've ever tried it. But that's just me and...disclaimer: I would never do that with a food aggressive or possessive dog.

I fed my dogs diamond naturals (grain free) up until recently (I've been switching to TOTW too since one of my dogs is getting older) and my girl was a little iffy going from diamond to TOTW too at first. I made the transition somewhat slow and she is starting to come around. I had no issues feeding the diamond naturals and was happy with it while I fed it.

I've been avoiding Diamond dog foods as much as possible due to the recalls, but after doing some research, I feel comfortable with it now. The salmonella they're often recalled for isn't bad for our dogs. It's bad for US, and it's one more reason why we should wash our hands after handling our dogs' food.

Anyway, Loki, to answer your question, if you're alright feeding your puppy the cheaper dog food, go ahead and mix it in. If you're adamant that he should eat TOTW, then refuse to let him eat the other stuff. He might refuse to eat for a day or so, but then he'll come around. They always do.

That being said, literally none of my pets ever liked Taste of the Wild. I feel bad making them eat something they hate as their primary nutrition, so I don't buy it anymore.

Maybe he thinks the other dog is getting something better? My dogs always try to eat the others food even though they are both on the same (Diamond Natural extreme athlete).

Jenah wrote:

Maybe he thinks the other dog is getting something better? My dogs always try to eat the others food even though they are both on the same (Diamond Natural extreme athlete).

We play that game here, too. It's called "two dogs, two bones, I want your bone!"

Ami and Archer are crazy about totw.

And I'm glad to see the distinction between "bad for people" and "bad for dogs." Medscape made that exact distinction way back when the dog food recalls first came out.

Amymeme - That's us all day long

From my understanding of kibble (I feed raw) - cheaper food normally adds a lot of things to increase the scent/flavor to make the dog want to eat it more which could be the cause of your dog wanting the cheaper food over the better food. I don't have facts on this but this it what I had been told at some point.

lepp1892 wrote:

From my understanding of kibble (I feed raw) - cheaper food normally adds a lot of things to increase the scent/flavor to make the dog want to eat it more which could be the cause of your dog wanting the cheaper food over the better food. I don't have facts on this but this it what I had been told at some point.

I'm not sure, but I believe its sprayed with "animal digest" - sales people in stores are always trying to give Ami dog biscuits and he typically just drops them on the floor. A few months ago, the Fedex guy gave Ami some biscuits and he LOVED them...I was really surprised and asked what brand. He said his vet told him to get the cheapest ones he could find - they have "animal digest" and the dogs love them. I looked up "animal digest" and am fairly revolted - it is a rendered product of all the leftovers of leftovers. BUt, apparantly tastes terrific if you're a dog