dog food help
I am in the process of picking some new dog food to start giving my 17 week old puppy. I plan on switching every 3 or 4 months. The brands i'm thinking about using are Canidae - Grain Free ALS
Evo Small Bites
Instinct Chicken Meal
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula
Orijen Puppy
GO Natural Grain Free Canine
I was reading the dogfoodanalysis site and it said that foods with high protein are for adult dogs only. These foods all have high protein but are either puppy food or for all life stages. Do you guys think these will work for my puppy? Another question a little off-topic is that i have a yorkipoo that is getting a little overweight. she doesn't eat a lot so i don't know why she's getting fat. she is a little lazy but she started gaining the weight when i put her on barking at the moon. is the high protein amount causing the weight gain? thanks for any help
Evo Small Bites
Instinct Chicken Meal
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula
Orijen Puppy
GO Natural Grain Free Canine
I was reading the dogfoodanalysis site and it said that foods with high protein are for adult dogs only. These foods all have high protein but are either puppy food or for all life stages. Do you guys think these will work for my puppy? Another question a little off-topic is that i have a yorkipoo that is getting a little overweight. she doesn't eat a lot so i don't know why she's getting fat. she is a little lazy but she started gaining the weight when i put her on barking at the moon. is the high protein amount causing the weight gain? thanks for any help
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Comments
Assuming it is not a terrible disease, I would maybe guess the dog is just getting a lot of good nutrition. I always thought that higher protein diets contributed more to weight loss than gain as a rule, so check the fat content. This diet is also designed as a performance dog/diabetic dog diet and may have higher fat content so if your dog isn't burning it...Solid Gold makes Wee Bits which you could consider as an alternative (it has grain and is made from bison/fish) but I would want to rule out medical reasons for excessive weight gain 1st.
what is a good percentage of fat content? most of the foods i'm thinking about are around 20%, is that too much for an overweight lazy dog.
High protein foods that say they are formulated for puppies or say "all life stages" are safe foods for puppies (I hope).
High-protein diets are generally suggested for dogs with high stress, high activity lifestyles. Can you maintain that for your shiba (which are high activity/energy)?
Don't be surprised if any bloodwork done turns up with an elevation in BUN.
The larger concern is calcium content. This is particularly important for large breeds. (Just ask Brad what the breeder told him about feeding the Anderson Pack's new CO! He was sort of horrified, initially!)
Puppies raised on various levels of protein (ranging from 18-32%) with the same energy and calcium intake, did NOT have any differences in incidence of bone abnormalities.
However, feeding different levels of energy OR calcium (but the SAME protein levels) DID produce differences in incidence of developmental bone disease.
Orijen appears to have 1.4-1.6% !! Calcium in their puppy diet.
Some good suggestions have already been posted about the Yorkipoo. Rule out any medical conditions first, then cut her back and exercise her more. In my opinion, most recommended feeding guides on the sides of dogfood bags are way too generous. Of course, they are in the business to sell more bags
You can also give her things like cooked green beans and plain canned pumpkin. Most dogs enjoy them and they will help her feel full so you can decrease caloric intake.
What is your rationale for changing the foods every 3-4 months? Changing foods will not prevent the development of a food allergy and may limit your options if and when your dog does develop a food allergy.
An animal can only be allergic to a protein which the animal has been previously and continuously exposed. (Food proteins can also be from plant sources.) One can not have an allergic reaction to a fat, vitamin, mineral, carbohydrate, or food additive. Pets sometimes have food intolerances which are difficult to distinguish form food allergies. It is possible to have food intolerance to anything in the diet, including additives.
Good luck
Evo Small Bites - Comes in red meat and white meat (Boo likes red meat) I REALLY like evo/natura products. My dog does excellent on this food. Made by natura in their own factory. They have never had a problem with any of their foods. Grade A Top quality product in every bag. Very high protien. Binder is Potato
Instinct Chicken Meal - Simpler formula than the others. Good one for sensative tummies, diabetic dogs ect because they use tapioca as a binder which is easier on the tummy. However it does tend to crumble allot because the tapioca doesnt bind so well. I like that Instinct has salmon in it Boo's coat looks better when there is fish in his food. Has a raw bio-coating which also helps with digestion. Great food!
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula - Made by Diamond :-( Has allot of ingredients, doesn't have as high of protien as Id like however it is a good price. Potato is the binder
Orijen Puppy - I dont know much about Orijen except that it is made in Canada. I have heard good things though.
GO Natural Grain Free Canine - Also made in Canada. Good formula I have many customers that like it allot however its very similar to Evo white meat and instinct chicken. They also have a Turkey & Duck formula which is EXCELLENT for allergy dogs. Potato is the Binder
Others not listed that I like,
Honest Kitchen - Raw Dehydrated Foods Boo loves all of the flavors. It is less expensive than canned or raw and more convienent.
Addiction - Same as above however harder to find.
Core - I have some customers who LOVE this food however I havent tried it yet.
Ziwi Peak - Boo LOVES this stuff it is more expensive but its great food and Boo thinks its a Treat.
I like switching Boo's food every few months and I think he likes it to. I also add variety to his diet by adding canned, raw, dehydrated raw and anything else I can find.
Good luck with your pup, listen to our advice and then go with your gut you know your dog and whats best for him.