Innova EVO questions.. My dog is tired after eating & has gas! :(

The only side effects I'm seeing since feeding Stogie Innova EVO for several days now are, he gets very tired soon after eating. Like humans do after eating a big meal? I'm assuming thats his system adjusting to processing the denser protein in the Innova EVO vs the Purina Beneful he was eating before?

And he's got gas!!! OMG does he have gas. Hard to believe that much stink can come out of a tiny 8 lbs weenie dog.

Are these symptoms normal after abruptly switching his food? (beneful one day, innova evo the next)... or are these signs of something I should be worried about?

Did you immediatly switch over, no transition period?

the gas is more than likely from the change in foods. It should go away once he adjusts, Hannah was really bad after switching to Evo. I don't know why he would be tired though.

Yes, that is a huge leap of quality, so expect a few days of "detox" & adjusting. I do not know about the tiredness, though?

Within a few days, his health & energy should definitely improve! I recommend adding some good probiotics (such as yogurt) or some canned pumpkin just to help with digestion.

Dump the Beneful - just get rid of it. Arm yourself with some canned pumpkin in case of runs, add some probiotics temporarily and a yogurt snacks wouldn't hurt. Just like iHeart said - he's detoxing. Best that he goes ahead and cleans out.

This too, shall pass

Oh, and you can give him a Phazyme simethicone gelcap for gas . . .

No transition period... the switch was cold turkey.... 1 day beneful, 1 day Innova.

The beneful is already gone... tossed it in the trash when I got the EVO.

When you guys say Yogurt? Like real yogurt? human yogurt from the store or something else?

I'm gonna wait before I give him a phazyme or any other kind of drug... he's only been on the Evo for less than a week, so I'm expecting him to adjust some.

I can't explain the tiredness... Since he's been on the Evo, he's napping alot.... which he napped some during the day, but not much... not since he was a puppy - where he'd play for 10-20 mins, then crash for 2+hours

I guess I'll wait out the next week and see if it improves. I notice I think he's eating LESS of the EVO then of the Beneful before. He's eating about 1/3 of a cup per Innova EVO meal instead of 1/2 of a cup or more per Beneful meal before.

He should be eating less of the EVO. My big grrrls only eat around 4 cups a day

The yogurt is human

Thats the problem right there! Too late now, but you should have slowly switched over a week or so. His poor little GI tract is in shock. Time for pumpkin and yogurt!

Should I do this??? and how much? He's only about 8 or 9 lbs, I have read about a table spoon or so of pumpkin to help with diarhea, which he doesnt have thank goodness. Should I still give him some? or how should I mix it???

So him going from 1/2+ cup per meal, to less than 1/2 cup (about a 1/3) is ok? Thats good.....thanks.

Stick pretty close to the amount recommendations on the bag. It's really remarkable how little of the stuff it takes!

Stick with yogurt that has active cultures. A lot of people don't like to let their dogs have the flavored yogurts because of the sweetening - I really don't think a little is going to hurt as far as a treat goes. Mine have a real "thing" for Yoplait's vanilla, lol!

IMO, I would skip transitioning. The two foods are incredibly different in quality, and I would be scared of how they digest together... =P. I also feel that a Raw switch should be done cold turkey, for similar reasons.

Use plain yogurt, add a spoonful to his kibble. I use natural yogurt, because it's supposed to have more active cultures. Most dogs really love the taste, too.

I was thinking about the energy thing... and I checked out the full ingredients to Beneful, and it is pretty obvious just by looking at it. Your little guy has been jacked up on corn syrup, starches, and carbs for all this time, so of course it is a bit shocking to go from that to a great kibble that is full of natural energy from meat! I noticed when switching my dogs from kibble to Raw, their energy also dropped at first. But, within a week they had much more stamina and better energy... if that makes any sense. It's like the difference between a kid who is bouncing off the walls from eating a bunch of Fun Dip, and a kid who eats fruits & vegetables and is active. With a kibble that's full of sugar, you're seeing a high-strung energy from the dog; while with a kibble that provides natural fuel for the canine body, in meat form, you will notice a more balanced, less erratic energy after he adjusts. That is my take on it, anywho.

Excellent points, Iheart!

Something else that occured to me is that you WANT your dog to rest after eating. Let the food digest. It's one of the more important things you can do to avoid bloat problems and it's just generally a good health practice.

Absolutely, Renee! =) You definitely don't want them doing zoomies on a full stomach, which is the affect that sugar gives anyone/anything!

I need to start more accurately measuring his kibble I give him. He eats along the same schedule as me, which is very spontaneous to say the least. I'm trying to keep him fed on a schedule and around the same amounts everytime - but sometimes thats hard.

What I have noticed over the last several days, at first he was gobbling the EVO up. eating all we gave him and wanting more. Now he's tapered off to the about 1/3 of a cup per meal - which honestly seems like enough given his size/weight. (may not sound like enough, but when you see it in the bowl, it looks about right)

I'm going to agree with the switch in food causing the naps/energy difference in him. Going from candy to real food, there's going to be a transition.

The gas is another story. He's still got gas!

Toaster, I highly recommend that you always measure out the food for your dog. Especially dachshunds suffer from a lot of health problems if they get overweight and their long back is vulnerable enough without that. Your best insurance is keeping him lean and developing his back muscles to support his spinal column.

I can tell you from experience that dealing with disc problems is not fun at all and it can get expensive if it ever gets to the point where a dog needs surgery. (My own dachshund was lucky enough that we had a vet who was a dachshund breeder herself and knew just exactly what to do at the first signs, so no surgery was needed.)

So keep a close eye on body condition and reduce your feeding amount if needed - calories don't come from the main meals only, but every snack, treat and extra you feed adds onto that.

Our vet told us that when we got him, the biggest problem with Dachshunds is becoming overweight. He's a lean dog right now. Which is one of the reasons I wanted to get him on a better quality food.

As I recall the bag says for dogs under 10 lbs feed them 3/4 to 1 & 1/4 cup per day. He's eating closer to the 3/4 cups per day right now.

Toaster, I checked on the website (www.naturapet.com). Under "tools" you will find a wizard that tells you how much to feed. I put in 9 pounds and EVO dry food and the amounts ranged from 2/3 cup for an inactive dog to 1 cup for an extremely active dog. A moderately active dog - where Stogie probably fits in - is 3/4 cup. Since Doxies tend to have weight problems and controlling their weight is so critical to their well-being, you might want to try going with a little less than 3/4 of a cup and then adjusting from there.

It sounds to me like you are feeding him too much. Have you thought about cutting him down to 3/4 cup per day total?

I have to say that EVO goes a long way! My pugs range from 16 to 20 lbs and they only get 1/2 cup EVO a day TOTAL per dog and that keeps them at show weight! I bet your little guy is just full and overfed right now. I would cut him back a bit.