Boxers and Gas

Question
QUESTION: I have a 10 month old boxer who I adopted and brought home 3 days ago.
His gas is terrible and frequent.  A vet suggested Iams or Science Diet (for
puppies). His foster family was giving him Nutro Lamb. I don't know if the
change in food is causing the gas or if it is something else. He has been
wormed already. Do you think it's the food and we should wait and see how
his body adjusts? And what brand of food do you suggest? thank you.

ANSWER: Hi Kate...

What food are you using and how did you make the switch?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am using IAMS  Smart Puppy Proactive Health.  He was eating 4 cups of Nutro
(2 in morning, 2 at night), so I have been giving him 1 cup of Nutro and 1 cup of
Iams in the morning and the same thing at night.

Answer
Ok...thanks :)

These are the first 6 ingredients of Nutro:

Chicken, Ground Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Bran, Chicken Meal,

And the first 6 of Iams:

Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Grits,

The only thing either food has going for them is a protein source as the first ingredient.  

That said, foods are listed by weight and 'chicken' means the chicken...including water which is why it gets first billing.  Following that there are mostly fillers (corn products and wheat).  Boxers don't do really well with either (itchy skin and gas).  And for the price you're paying, you're getting ripped off.

Vet suggest Iams and SD because they support vet schools and both have prescription diets which are often sold in the offices.  :)

My dogs do well on Chicken Soup for the Soul Dog food.  The first 6 ingredients:

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice

You can see the difference :)  And it's comparable in price.  

At 10 months, he's also ready for the adult formula.  And you don't need to worry about the 'large breed' choices.  It won't hurt but you don't need it.

Here is the CS website if you'd like to look:

http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/products/dogs/dry_food/adult_dog_f

Quickly...

A 40 lb bag of Nutro is about $50   $1.25/lb
A 40 lb bag of Iams is about $48  $1.20/lb
A 35 lb bag of Chicken Soup is about $37 $1.06/lb

A general rule of thumb is that if you can buy it in the grocery store or 'super' store (Kmart, Wall Mart, Target) it's best to avoid it (Iams).  

Some other good foods are Nature's Recipe (no corn, wheat or soy), Solid Gold (one of the more expensive) and California Natural (great for allergies).

Dog food is a very 'hot' topic.  No matter what you feed, someone will always be feeding something better.  :)  What works for your dog is what's best.  You do need, though, to pick something and stick with it (barring any issues).

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.