There are so many different type of puppy and dog food out there, I find it a little overwhelming! There is also a lot of conflicting information...I don't know which path to go down haha Haley is our first puppy so this is all new. The breeder used and suggested Royal Canin (she is sponsored by them which is why she recommends it) she also said you shouldn't change food brands for a puppy...is that true or is she saying that because she deals exclusively with Royal Canin and that is what she wants to promote? I noticed the first ingredient is chicken by product, and have heard that is not as good as foods that use actual chicken or beef. would a food that uses only real meat, and is perhaps grain free, be better for a dog?
Re: Thoughts on food Harley started off on A really poor food from the breeder, I changed her to Royal Canin gastro as she had a sensitive tummy. After a few months we found out she had a bad reaction to wheat. I now have her on Bob and Lush dry and wet food. She is thriving on this. The ingredients are really good I think a lot of it is personal choice. I wanted a good diet for Harley and her sensitive tummy kind of forced us to change her food. Ive never heard that you shouldn't change food as a puppy, just do it over 1-2 weeks to not upset their tummy any further. Hope this helps
Re: Thoughts on food I'm no expert but I do believe that you shouldn't change the food the puppy is used to unless there is a good reason (for example, if the pup is obviously not happy or has sensitivities. And if you really want to change it then change it slowly over several weeks. We're on CSJ, because that is what the breeder used and Pongo seems very happy on it! Rosie
Re: Thoughts on food Rosie is right,any change should be done very gradually.at 5 months I changed Dexter over from the eukanuba his breeder had him on ( we didn't get him until that age) to an RC puppy ,then we went to RC gastro because of his sensitive tum.it didn't suit Harley I know but Dexter is perfect on it so whilst I am aware it's not THE best.....I can't bear taking a chance and changing him. This conversation comes up fairly frequently...and the thread can get as confusing as the reading up on all the foods out on the market can,there's so many brands out there and I think they are all,represented on the forum x
Re: Thoughts on food Hi Meg13, Our breeder had Kailey on Eukabana large breed puppy food so that is what we started her off on. She started having tummy issues soon after her first shots and we weren't certain if it was from that or food. She also was an avid acorn and twig eater.....so go figure with tummy trouble. Anyway after making the bland diet (chicken, rice, and squash) to deal with the diarrhea I decided to try the food (Natural balance lamb and rice) our older dog had always eaten and that seems to have stopped the problem or the problem went away and it is coincidence that her tummy is better on this food. The breeder now is changing to Fromm Gold this fall with all of her dogs so I am looking at that and trying to compare. I have found this website helpful: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com I am investigating raw food from Stella and Chewy because it looks as close to real food as possible (no meal or by products listed) but it is expensive. However, it probably would cost me more to buy the quality organic ingredients and make it myself so I am going to be doing some number crunching and thinking a lot about this topic as well. I am not ready to give up my daughter's college fund for dog food just yet though ;D biorus
Re: Thoughts on food I was having serious digestive issues with my puppy when she was 8-12 weeks old. Constant very, very soft stools and lots of them! In discussions with my vet, I mentioned the grain issue and her response surprised me. She said the allergic reactions are more due to the type of protein in the food, not the grains. She's a new graduate of veterinary school, so she is inexperienced, but also very up to date with the latest research. She looked at the package info on the two foods I was using (Science Diet Puppy and 4 Health Puppy) and said either one would be fine, and that the stool issue was probably something unrelated to the food. For example, she said if a dog has loose stools on a diet with beef as the main ingredient, the owner should try a food with a different meat ingredient (assuming there was no other cause for the loose stools). Also look at the other protein sources to see if there was any overlap that might be the culprit, like eggs. My puppy's problem turned out to be a persistent case of worms, and once that was treated again, she was fine. I have gradually made the change to a mix of 4 Health and Drs Foster & Smith Puppy food (both rated 3.5-4 stars on the food advisor website mentioned by Biorus). I'm looking for that magic combination of decent food at a sustainable price. I can't afford to feed the absolute best available, but I do try to get to the "very good". I seldom feed moist food of any sort. I've always fed a reasonably good quality kibble. Other than the puppy's worm-related soft stools, I've never had digestive or allergy issues with any of the 11 dogs I've owned over the past 40 years. Sometimes I think we overthink these things...
Re: Thoughts on food Hi, we switched Meg to Eukanuba Large Breed puppy food when we got her at 8 weeks over a week from what the breeder had her on with no problems. I have fed all my other (4 giant breeds) on it and been very impressed how steady they have grown. My vet also approves of it. Meg is doing really well on it. She is sleek and shiny with super poos...a very happy owner and dog !
Re: Thoughts on food You can definitely change a puppy's food as long as you do it gradually as mentioned Just gradually change the proportions of old versus new food till it's 100% new food.
