Anyone use Wellness dog food?

[BattyDem]

My 4 month old schnoodle is becoming very finicky. He's very bored with the Royal Canin dry food. He doesn't get any table food, so that's not the problem. My vet suggested adding a tablespoon or two of Iams canned food, which I did and it worked for a couple of weeks, but now Ozzy's bored again. :-(

I got a free sample of Wellness dry food at Petco and I gave him a few pieces this afternoon. He loved it! My vet's not familiar with the brand, so he couldn't offer an opinion of it.

So ... has anyone tried it? Any info would be appreciated. Also, if anyone has any ideas about getting a finicky schnoodle to eat, feel free to share them :-)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I can't offer any info about the dog food, but my cats love Wellness cat food.

It seems to be good quality stuff, no grains or other crap. I assume the dog food is of similar quality.

[BattyDem]

5. Thanks for the info.

Even though your experience is with the cat food, I'm sure the quality is the same. I like the fact that it doesn't have all the usual crap and fillers in it.

[MiniMe]

2. Wellness is an excellent food

It is a bit on the expensive side though.

[BattyDem]

6. It is expensive ...

but it costs less than the Royal Canin I've been buying, so I'll actually be saving money, LOL! Thanks for the info. :hi:

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. I have a dog that has eaten

prescription K/D dry kibble for five and a half years. Renal dogs are very finicky eaters with notoriously poor appetites. The dog is not particularly fond of the K/D. With vet approval we have experimented with some alternative prescription diets. None were well received. Still, I manage to get the dog to eat well - and to enjoy his food. The trick is offering a wide variety of food enticements to make the K/D more appealing. Over the past several years I've developed an arsenal of different enticements to mix into the K/D. A crumbled vanilla wafer. Crumbled vitamin supplement dog treats. Diced apple or carrot. A spoonful of warm rice. A chunk of mashed cooked sweet potato. A spoonful of canned dog food. A bit of lean shredded meat. A bit of low or no sodium broth. A little bit of skim milk. A rotation of different flavors of dog gravies with a single spoonful mixed into a half cup of dog food. With diligent and persistent effort and a wide variety of food enticements you can get a dog to eat kibble he does not otherwise like - and you can get him to enjoy it. Good luck.

I can't comment about the Wellness brand as I have no experience with it.

[BattyDem]

7. Thank you for the ideas!

He seems to get bored with the food pretty quickly, so changing things up a bit should help. I'll definitely give it a try. :-)

[dropkickpa]

4. My dog is doing fantastically on it and she LOVES it

With her allergies, I am stuck with expensive foods, BUT, the high quality ingredients mean she actually eats a much lower volume of food with a better nutritional punch, so the cost is actually not bad at all. Whitefish and sweet potato, and no noxious farts! The ingredient quality os very good and it seems to be quite tasty!

About the finicky-ness - Do you free feed? Also, how much/often do you feed, and for how long? Put the food down for only a short set time (10 minutes or less), then take it up and do not give it back. In a short time, the dog will learn that eating instead of fussing for treats is vastly preferable.

Changing diets often is not the best thing for their digestion. As a healthy and enticing additive, try green beans, frozen carrots, spinach, etc., Agatha LOVES frozen carrots and green beans (uncooked fresh, I just buy em in bulk when they are on sale and freeze 'em, same with carrots, I wash and cut into sticks and then freeze). Adding fish oil (I add the contents of one capsule per day for my 65-70lbs girl) can also be a yummy enticement, with the added bonus of giving the dog a really nice coat and skin.

[BattyDem]

8. He's still young, so he eats three times a day

The vet said I can cut down to twice a day if his appetite can't handle three meals anymore, so I may try that.

He has a daily feeding schedule and I don't leave it down for more than 15 minutes. Usually, I don't have to because he eats right away. If he doesn't eat, he doesn't get any treats.

I don't want to change diets on a regular basis - I know that's not good for him - but I certainly don't mind adding different ingredients to the dry food in order to keep things interesting for him. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give them a try. :-)

[spooky3]

9. My cats like Wellness cat food.

It's expensive but the ingredients are high quality. There are several varieties; maybe your dog isn't finicky, but just likes variety.

Paul Newman cat food is also very good for them, and I know they make a dog food as well.

They also like Purina EN dry food for cats. If there is a comparable product for dogs, you might try that, if your vet approves.

[BattyDem]

10. I think you're right about him wanting variety.

Simple changes make him happy. :-)

When we first got him, he was eating Royal Canin dry food with nothing mixed in. When he stopped eating, I mixed a little water with it and he loved it! A couple of weeks later, he got bored again and I mixed a little bit of canned food with it. It worked! Now here we are again ... he picks at his food, he plays with it, etc. :-(

He ate almost nothing yesterday, so this morning, I went back to Royal Canin dry food with a little water (no canned food) and he ate about half of it. This evening, I gave him 2 parts Royal Canin dry food with 1 part Wellness dry food and added a little water - and he ate the whole thing! :D

[spooky3]

11. glad your plan is working!

[sweetroxie]

12. It has an excellent reputation

I've had several dogs on Wellness and they have both done well.