What brand of food did you feed your puppy?
I read the great food 101 thread on here and was just curious what everyone fed their puppies and how was it. And if you had any suggestions. I'm not getting a puppy for about several months so I still have time to research
Comments
However, keep in mind that food that works for one pup may not work for another. So once you do get your puppy, you may have to change foods a time or two to make sure it works for him/her.
Jesse
i was lucky that kelly didnt have any appetite problems, she used to scarf everything down within minutes. but now that shes older i do have some problems with getting her to eat.
As a comparison for those new to this vast dog food universe (as I was a few months ago), my friend has a male Shiba and he doesn't "believe" that one dog food is better than the other. "It is just dog food," he says. I have tried to explain the major differences between say Orijen and Beneful (who has corn on their bag!) but he doesn't seem to care and always go for the cheapest food available. Nevertheless, he has agreed with me that there are noticeable differences between our Shibas. For one, the shininess, thickness and texture of Mika's coat simply looks better than Ezo's (friend's dog). Also, Ezo has lots of vomiting problems after eating and he frequently burps and farts, as if he isn't digesting good. Mika has experienced none of this except minor burping from eating fast and a SBD fart from time to time, haha.
I understand some people have a price budget but I have always taken my dog ownership more seriously than most of my friends, whether it is justified or not. So, naturally I go the extra mile and sacrifice something I probably don't need each month in order to buy Mika the more expensive dog food. I just wish that everyone would at least realize that there IS a difference and they should consider that when making their decision. Luckily, you're already on this knowledgeable forum then you're already on the right track
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com is a good site that reviews and compares dog foods with an easy to use rating system as well as in-depth information on the ingredients and what they mean. Good luck on your choice of dog food and I hope I have helped at least two cents worth, haha.
Once Bella is an adult I'll probably feed her wellness core ocean and do a rotation of Innova EVO Red Meat if it sits well with her if not I'll try another type of food I kinda like the idea of rotation makes sense so I'll try it.
Lindsay wrote:
"Solid Gold hundchen flocken...."
Which, reading first thing in the morning, looks like, "Solid Gold human flocken..." Oy, what a wake-up call.
Jesse
Lynx - I fed her Natural balance & Bon Chien Raw Dog Diet.
Shoushuu ("Kei") - While still in Japan, he ate Science Diet. However, when we came home I switched him to Evo.
Kotomi - She was fed Science Diet while we were in Japan. Once we came home I switched her to Evo. About a month later I then switched to Wellness Core & Taste of the Wild.
All my puppies were/are fed adult dog food. I never feed "puppy formulated" kibble.
I don't feed puppies "puppy formula" because I believe that they really don't need it. My experience has been that "puppy food" is too rich in nutrients and can cause problems within certain breeds or mixes. I don't want my puppies to grow faster then should. I want them to grow slow and gradual. The adult dog food usually provides a puppy with everything he or she requires. I also feed other food sources aside from kibble and I'll supplement nutrient or give "extras" when or if needed.
I believe the vast majority of pups don't need any "extras" of anything. Another then consuming more quanities of food then an adult dog. That's just been my experience though.
This is what I practice. However, everyone should feed whichever formula works best for their puppy. I wouldn't worry so much as long as one is feeding a "high quality" & "grain-free" brand.
I sometimes mix in some canned Halo Chicken Stew with the dry kibble and wow, she loves it.
When shes older, i'll likely transition over to Orijen Adult kibble...unless, someone can convince me there is something better lol
Corina, I have thought of doing that with pups-the foods are so nutritious now that I wonder if that couldn't actually cause tendon stretching, etc due to too rapid growth. "Puppy" formulas are a relatively new concept anyways, as long as the food is complete, I wouldn't see an issue with it.
I'm reading more and more about how protein doesn't have the effect on developing large breeds as once believed.
http://www.regalwise.com/health/optimal_feeding.htm
I think in the case of smaller-medium breeds, an All Life Stages food is appropriate, or a puppy food with DHA for the first 6 or so months. Larger breeds need much more support in growth and good large breed puppy formulas are designed to support it. Yet, puppies of all sizes can't regulate how much calcium they absorb. So while it's always geared towards large and giant breeds for growth issues calcium could cause an issue for any puppy.
Puppies need a minimum of 2,000 mg (2 g) of calicum per 1000 Kcals consumed with a maximum of 4,500 mg (4.5 g) per 1,000 Kcals consumed.
Studies have indicated large breed puppies fed in excess of 4.5 g of calcium per 1000 calories consumed were more likely to develop orthopedic problems. The National Research Council in their book Nutrient Requirements for Dogs and Cats states that all puppies should eat a diet that is less than 4.5 grams of calcium per 1000 Calories.
More sources:
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/134/8/2151S
https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12421852
Especially with large/giant breeds you need to be very careful with calcium, and protein level.
Too much protein will lead to an over developed muscle mass and stress the growing bones. Too much calcium will consolidate bones too early.
(off topic: this is my main issue with Orijen puppy large and with its 6 star rating)
Orijen Large Breed Puppy
Calcium (min.) 1.4%
Calcium (max.) 1.6%
Phosphorus (min.) 1.1%
Phosphorus (max.) 1.3%
CALORIE CONTENT & DISTRIBUTION - 4200 kcal/kg (483 kcal per 250ml cup)
What do you (with larger breeds) think of a food like Solid Gold Wolf Cub?
I guess there were 3 people who fed the cheaper stuff - "Kirkland (costco brand)", "Iams" & "Purina: ProPlan".
The other 2 people there with German Shepherds & Rottweilers both fed "Orijin". The Rottweiler person kept her pups on "Orijin Puppy" until 8 months, then switched to the adult formula.
The German Shepherd person feeds her 6 month old pup "1/2 Orijin Puppy" & "1/2 Orijin regular (or adult)" per meal.
Anyways, thought that was interesting. Seeing how I'm usually a fan of "mixtures & combinations".