[Lauren]

Thank you all for the replies and the guidance!

Here is an update 🙂

We are finally about to run out of our first bag of kibble – a 12 pound bag lasted about 3 months. We started with Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Puppy – here are the details of that one again:

Main ingred: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Peas,
Natural Flavor, Turkey Meal, Chicken Fat, Potato Protein, Deboned Salmon,
Chicken Liver, Apples, Blueberries
PROTEIN 30.0% / FAT 12.0% / FIBER 3.5% / O6 3.0% / O3 .3%

It went over well, I believe. He always happily ate it up. For the most part he regularly had firm stools. Over three months he two small bouts of diarrhea that passed, and he puked twice – but who knows what caused those. As a puppy he attempts to eat every piece of fuzz or litter on the city sidewalks. So I think those are normal for a puppy. That said I think I wouldn’t know for sure how to tell unless a food was definitively causing trouble. But, as far as I can tell this one went over fine!

So, for the next bag, I think I’ll go down to 4 pounds, which should last about a month. And I think I’ll switch the main ingredient (from chicken to beef), but stick with the same brand for this next bag. Then for the bag after that, I’ll switch brands, and stick with the same main ingredient.

Here’s what I’m thinking for the next combinations:

Merrick Real Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Puppy Dry Dog Food
Main ingred: Deboned Beef, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Lamb Meal, Potatoes, Pork Fat,
Pea Protein, Potato Protein, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil, Deboned Salmon, Flaxseed Oil,
Apples, Blueberries
PROTEIN 28.0% / FAT 12.0% / FIBER 4.5% max O6 2.0% / O3 .3%

then one of the following:

Victor Active Dog & Puppy Formula Grain-Free
Main ingred: Beef Meal, Sweet Potato, Chicken Meal, Peas
PROTEIN 33.0% / FAT 16.0% / FIBER 3.8% / O6 2.8% / O3 0.4%

Instinct by Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Puppy Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken
Main ingred: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Chickpeas
PROTEIN 34.0% / FAT 18.0% / FIBER 3.5% / O3 0.4% / 3.8% min

Instinct by Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Small Breed Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken
Main ingred: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Chickpeas, Turkey Meal
PROTEIN 37.0% / FAT 16.0% / FIBER 3.5% / O3 0.3% / O6 2.5%

I’d like to test out a higher protein percentage since he’s a very active pup, but again I’m not really sure how to “tell” after he eats the food whether it was more or less beneficial than the others, and if so, why.

How do you all decide whether a new food is a step up, a step down, or just neutral?