Supplements & food for my new akita pup
I was looking for suggestions as far as supplements & food for our new akita pup. I have read that a kelp supplement is recommended for akitas, as well as multivitamins & fish oil. I was wondering if anybody could recommend what exactly to give to a puppy, & if there are any brands that would be recommended. Also, I have purchased a bag of Blue Buffalo Wilderness for puppies. I am looking for any recommendations as far as the food as well. How long should he be on puppy food?
Comments
If you go back a little further there are some shiba/Kai folks who were discussing feeding raw too
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/8066/question-about-dog-food-for-4-months-old-ja-pup
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/8098/dog-food
The kelp supplement we use is Proden PlaqueOff
http://www.amazon.com/Proden-PlaqueOff-Dental-Care-180gm/dp/B000QAEQXQ
Omega supplement is Omega Tri-V Caps
http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Tri-V-Large-Breeds-Count/dp/B00552LD86/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1357916478&sr=1-3&keywords=omega+tri-v+caps+for+large+breeds
The basic consensus is to stay away from calcium supplements, which isn't even an issue from I can tell.
Not every dog does good on same kibble Saya did great on wellness puppy kibble, but Bella had loose poop.
I agree fish oil or salmon oil is good supplement to give good for dog's coat kibble has fish oil in it, but I think adding fresh kind is nice and more effective.
Eggs are yummy and adds some variety to things could give as a snack, kibble topper or makes nice training treat.
My dogs like them scrambled, fried, or hard boiled either way. Saya gets her eggs raw since she is on a raw diet, but she likes cooked kind too makes yummy high value treat hard boiled..
Eggs are rich so don't give them when you first get your puppy as I'm sure he/she is needing time to adjust, but once doing well in the house you can try them. One egg once a week be nice at first maybe split the one egg feed half one day and other half the other to help get the dog used to it.
There is various supplements with kelp in it solid gold seameal, missing link, plaque off, I think nupro supplement has it too.
Cranimals vibe has kelp and spirulina in it.. Saya had cranimal vibe and the very berry formula once I liked it and she liked the cranimal vibe would lick it up with it in water though very berry she needed it mixed in stuff as it was more bitter as it's fruity.
Depends on the type of supplement you want. Choose one don't want to give too much kelp supplement.
I give joint supplements to Saya for preventive, but for a puppy it's probably not needed.
I ask this detail b/c we also have very different reaction of the same kibble between our J-Akita and our shiba. The shiba seem to be able to handle all kinds of grain-free kibble, the JA pup seem to have a sensitive stomach and does better with slightly lower protein-kibble.
Saya can handle different kibble, raw items or cooked items fine.
Bella can, but needs to be introduced slowly.
Some dogs do better on lower protein contents.
Orijen is pretty high I know some shiba who do fine on it and some who had issues with it.
Orijen isn't sold near me so never tried it.
Fromm and wellness core works pretty good. I've tried merrick before grain salmon before they changed their formula Bella did good on it.
I rotate kibble with Bella she has been on Totw kibble and did fine on it luckily she wasn't on it during the recall few months back.
Saya when I first gotten her she was on chicken soup for puppy lover's soul food her breeder fed her. Once she was done with that I switched her to wellness puppy.
I think Bella did fine with wellness puppy, but at certain point developed loose poop.
Though thinking back to something my dad did when she was on wellness core ocean he did start giving her way more kibble then she needs..
Bella was a bit lean as a one year old boxer, but not skinny she was fit and trim I seen other boxers go through the lanky phase. at two years old she filled out a bit then now she is four she is full of muscle and looks great.
Maybe he did that on her puppy kibble when he fed her instead of my mom.
I know too much food can cause loose poop so maybe he gave her too much puppy kibble or maybe she developed a sensitivity to something in it.
Luckily she was close to year old so she was switched to wellness core ocean and did fine only had loose poop episode when dad fed her too much in am meal.
We had her checked and sample tested couple times no parasite and when ever she was fed bland meal of chicken and rice for few days she got better.
Either way She doing fine.
She does fine with the change of kibble as long as she is transitioned slowly.
I like to make miso soup from time to time and I use seaweed I get from Asian market yummy soup. I've also made other types of soups with udon noodles and added the seaweed to it.
When I made the soups I gave Saya a tiny bit of it after rinsing the seaweed and then soaking it in warm water.
She only got tiny bit as I didn't want to over do it.
She actually liked it and ate the seaweed without it being hidden in something.
Saya also likes unsweatened natural coconut flakes she thinks they're a treat. I put them on my salad and she walks over thinking I'm going to give her couple each time. Silly shiba.