[Dori]

All my dogs (three toy breeds) are fed commercial raw diets as of about 1 1/2 years ago. I rotate brands as well as proteins. I can now rotate them from meal to meal without a slow transition but that took quite a while to accomplish. Their guts are now at the point that changing from protein to protein doesn’t bother them in the least. My favorite of the commercial raw brands are Primal Pronto (although any of their complete “Formulas” are great), Natures Variety Instinct Raw, Answers Detailed Raw (a bit hard to find), Darwin’s Natural Selection (that’s an auto delivery food only from their web site or by phone), Vital Essentials Raw. These are the brands that my dogs have thrived on. Some of the others are pretty popular also such as Stella & Chewy’s, etc. my dogs haven’t faired as well on the other brands. Since being on raw they no longer has goopy stuff coming from their eyes, tear stains are gone, no more yeasty ears, their skin and coats are healthy and very very shiny. Oh, also no more gas, gurgling tummies, no more smelly poops. You’ll find that their poops are much much smaller and firm enough to easily pick up and dispose of. Their bodies utilize more of the nutrition in raw than they do on kibble. Added benefit of raw is that they are grain free. Dogs don’t have a necessity for grains, white potatoes, corn, soy, etc. One of my girls is allergic to all things poultry (anything with feathers) so I avoid all of those.

Many people start their puppies right on raw after a couple of weeks being home. Usually when you bring a puppy home it’s best to keep them on their same food for a couple of weeks that they were eating at the breeder. Theory being that they are stressed enough going home with a stranger to a new environment with no familiar scents, missing litter mates, etc. But then you do a slow transition as if you were transitioning from kibble to kibble. Initially you may find that the puppy has some diarrhea but that will pass. What I did was purchase a product from The Honest Kitchen called Perfect Form and while I was transitioning them to raw (good for transitioning any foods really until they get healthy enough to transition without issues) I would add the recommended dose to each of their meals. Gets rid of the diarrhea almost instantaneously. At least that’s been my experience with the product. I no longer feed dehydrated foods because to me they’re not strictly raw. Not crazy about freeze dried either.

Commercial raw is more expensive than kibble but you’ve already been feeding ZiwiPeaks which is an expensive dog food already so it shouldn’t be too shocking. I believe raw is much healthier therefore you save a ton of money at the vet which makes up for the more expensive diet.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Dori.

[Brittany D]

Acana does not offer puppy food and I know my two dogs really like Acana so we will eventually switch to it when Dexter is fully grown but I need a puppy food for him he is only 7 months old. We recently rescued him and he was emaciated when he was rescued by the orginzation and he was still quite underweight when we adopted him just a few weeks ago. He is doing much better now and is only still slightly underweight but he is growing well (rib cage is actually looking more normal instead of very thin and small). Dexter appears to be a Scottish Terrier+Poodle mix. I haven’t weighed him recently but I know he’s at least 8 pounds.

I am only buying high quality food such as Acana, Orijen, Wellness Core, etc. I am going by the rating system here on DFA and am choosing 4+ star dog foods only. It seems odd though that all of the 5 star foods that DFA has reviewed do not offer puppy foods. Is this common?

I’d prefer to have a dog food that is completely gluten-free as I myself have Celiac Disease and am very sensitive to gluten so handling the food and receiving doggy kisses puts me at risk of having a bad reaction if they are eating foods with gluten in them.

So I’d prefer a grain-free OR one with Rice/potato/sweet potato, etc but no other gluten-containing grains.

Dexter and Bentley (who is 6 years old, Yorkie) both itch a lot and have atopic dermatitis. Dexter’s is on his face and I have not seen any spots anywhere else, and Bentley’s is mainly on his back but he did have it practically everywhere on his body (just not a full blanket rash). We switched to Greenies Pill Pockets Allergen Formula and it does seem even better now with much less itching for Bentley. So he also may have an allergy to wheat (gluten) as one of the main ingredients in all of the pill pockets minus the allergen formula is wheat.

So I think I need:
1) gluten-free
2) 4 or 5-star rating from DFA or one that hasn’t yet been reviewed but is on the same level quality-wise as 4 or 5 star foods DFA has already reviewed
3) Prefer smaller kibble as my dogs are small/toy size.

Kind of off my own topic but Bentley (6 year old yorkie) vomited whenever he ate Orijen 6Fish so I think Orijen itself is too strong somehow for Bentley so I tried Acana and they both ate it without any issue. Maybe the Orijen is too protein-rich for Bentley?

I am hopeful you (all) will be able to help me narrow down a puppy food to give to Dexter. I prefer kibble over canned only because it is more cost effective and less work to prepare and we won’t have to worry about how long that can was in the fridge.

I look forward to your responses. 🙂

[Robert R]

My toy poodle, Her Royal Highness, Princess Poodle Puppy, Coco Chanel (who’s been to Paris 3 times) loves Orijen 6 Fish and Orijen Puppy. I also feed her Pure Balance canned about 4 times a week and has sardines about once a week. She has lots of energy and looks great. My mini poodle Jefferson eats the same food and is also doing well.

[pugmomsandy]

It depends on the size of the dog. For large/giant breeds, picking a food with the proper amount of calcium and phosphorus and proper calcium:phosporus ratio is more important than picking a food for “growth” or “all life stages” during the first year to 2 years. Large/giant breed pups need controlled amounts, where as toy/small or medium does not require the controlled amounts. You can be feeding too much calcium and phosphorus even though a food is rated for “growth” or “all life stages” during the large/giant breed puppy phase. So I would feed a large/giant breed pup a food with proper Ca/Phos for a year or two.

I deal with toy dogs so I would hypothetically switch as young as 8 months to “adult” food, but personally, I feed “all life stage” or “growth/puppy” food all the time to my toy dogs, even to seniors.

It is somewhat confusing and not as black and white as just “puppy” or “adult” food. If you have a large/giant breed pup, there is a forum topic for that:

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

and there is a link to a document created by Hounddogmom with foods appropriate for large/giant breed pups in there. I think around page 15 and an updated list around pages 34-35. I haven’t looked in that topic for a while since I have only toy dogs!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Naturella]

Good job, Harper’s Mom! 🙂

Ok, guys, so my donation includes:

TOTW High Prairie Puppy – 5 lbs – $13 from PetLand
TOTW Pacific Stream Puppy – 5 lbs – $13 from PetLand
NutriSource Grain Free Lamb – 5 lbs – $14 from PetLand
NutriSource Grain Free Seafood Select (Salmon really) – 5 lbs – $15 from PetLand
2 free Castor&Pollux Organix Adult Samples – free from a health food store
4 cups of Bruno’s food mix – Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch:Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension:Victor Yukon Salmon in a ratio of 3:1:0.5 in the overall mix – free-ish from my stash, lol
4 J&W Small Chew bones (the nylon ones) – @ $.97/piece from PetSmart
3 rope toys – @ $.94/piece from WalMart
3 chew/rope toys – @ $.94/piece from WalMart
3 tennis balls for fetching – two @ $.99/piece and one @ $.01/piece from PetSmart
2 clickers – @ $.99/piece from PetSmart, but I already had them, so free-ish, lol
1 frisbee – @ $.99/piece from PetSmart
1 stuffed turtle toy – free gift from Petland
1 Small Greenie – free gift from Petland
8 Meow Mix Souffles – @ $.49 or $.50 from Target and PetSmart respectively

All for: $38 (includes also 12 more Meow Mix Souffles for friends’ cats, not the shelter ones)!

Here’s how it adds up: for the PetLand foods I had a coupon for $10-off a $25+ purchase, and they have a one-time promotion of buy-any-TOTW-bag-get-one-NutriSource-Free! So hence the cost of the NutriSource is nulled and for about $17 (with tax and stuff) I got 20 lbs of good food! And added the extra stuff, that can be used as treats! 🙂

Now, I just pray TSA doesn’t raid my bag and snatch it all up, cause I’d be sad… And hope the animals in the shelter like it all! 🙂

For reference – 4 bags of food, plus 2 plastic bags of toys, samples, and cat food, cost me under $40, while 2 non-full plastic bags of gifts for the family and friends cost me over $70. So I think I did good! 🙂

P.S. I think PetLand hates me though… sigh… Meh. lol

[Akari_32]

He’s like a baby. He’ll sleep anywhere when he’s tired lol I’ve got pictures of him passed out on mine and moms homework, our backpacks, belly up between my leg and the arm of the couch, draped over legs and toys. He tucks himself in under the covers, too. He never grew out of his sleepy puppy habits lol Play hard, sleep harder! :p

[cindy q]

I think if you could just tell us nothing has changed with the way Honest Kitchen is making their food, that everything is the same as when they did make the list then we would feel better. I think we are all here for the same reason, we want the best for our babies. I very much appreciate this forum and I am still trying to figure out what to feed my Standard Poodle puppy, my toy will eat anything (except kibble) the Standard was a good eater but suddenly has gotten quite picky. So I have been checking all the 5 star foods on here trying to find something she will eat. Thanks for all the time and work that you put into this.

[Trang L]

Hi everyone, i really need help choosing the kibble for my little Pokey. He is a toy poodle and 5 months old. I was feeding him Fromm puppy food and currently switching to Acana Paficia. When I mixed the two, his stool was soft until I completely gave him the Acana one yesterday and he didnt bother to eat the food again today. He was so in love with it at the beginning. He would only ate the Acana when I mixed it with the Fromm. However, today he does not want to eat. And he had firm stool following with watery stool. I dont know is it because of the Acana that giving him the problem. I am thinking about try something else better for him. Does anyone have the same problem? Please help me! I am really wrr about my little guy. Thank you!

[pugmomsandy]

You can try feeding them a regular food. There are quite a few that come in small bites – Amicus, Nature’s Logic, Nutrisource small/med breed puppy, Nature’s Select High-Pro, Simply Nourish Small Breed, Wellness Toy Breed and of course several other brands. I would look for something moderate in protein to start since they are eating a low protein food currently. A big switch might upset their tummies. And the mom and pup and eat the same food rated for “all life stages” or “growth/puppies”.

[Ray C]

I have adopted two healthy (toy dog) puppies which are now 12 weeks and I want to give them the best and healthiest food possible. I’m still overwhelmed with the editor picks and product lines and whether puppies require a different diet or if its all the same? Any thoughts from those of you experienced would be greatly appreciated.

[Bobby dog]

Jakes mom:
Even though the bones were cut small I think they were weight bearing bones as well. Oh well, all is well and now I know better.

I was sad when my JRT outgrew her toys and jealous when my friend’s dogs never outgrew that phase. Now I have Bobby and I think he will forever be a puppy. He loves all of his toys; in the house he carries them around all of the time. He goes absolutely nuts at Christmas when he gets them. I wrap them up and he goes crazy tearing off the paper because he knows what’s in there. I always tell him to grow up! lol

[Matt C]

Jesse James Hagen-Daazs
D.O.B. December 14, 1995 / D.O.D. January 01, 2011

“PALS”
Jesse James was a very special friend to me during our time together. We came together at a time in my life when I was just starting out on my own, and in need of a loyal friend. He was such a friend to me throughout the 15 years he was by my side.
He & I shared many adventures together. Sometimes it was just a quick trip to the corner store for a soda. Other times it would be week long road trips; camping, hiking and fishing our way throughout Arizona. His favorite words to hear were: “Jesse; wanna go for a ride in the Jeep?” He loved visiting family or friends for an afternoon barbeque and a chance to test out their swimming pool. Or a quick trip to the Salt River, to go swim out to greet the passing Tubers; usually with a stick (sometimes ½ a tree) in his mouth as an invitation to play fetch with him. And sharing my dinner with him when there wasn’t enough money for dog food until payday. (He didn’t mind of course) Or just sitting on the front porch at night with me, watching the rain for hours. And in his later years, helping us to raise our Scottish Deerhound girl “Sheba”; now 6 years old, and missing her big brother. Her gentle cries and whimpers continue today still as she constantly looks for him, waiting for him to come home.
I was blessed to be there as this little Yellow Labrador took his first breath as he was born. Fifteen years later I was there to hold him one last time in my arms as he took his last breath on our way to the emergency vet. This after coming home to find him unexpectedly coughing and unable to stand. As it became ever more apparent that he was quickly dying as we rushed to the hospital; I will never forget the wagging tail, and the absolute trust in his eyes as I spoke to him to try and comfort him in what would be our last moments together. As I held him in the back seat of the car; I silently prayed, “If you’re going to take him anyway Lord; please take him now.” My prayer was immediately answered. He lay there silent and peaceful. His suffering had just ended. Mine had just begun. I gently; reluctantly closed his eyes with my hand. My old friend was gone. Time stood still for what seemed an eternity.
He was buried very early yesterday morning, wrapped in my Wife’s old baby blanket that he loved to sneak off with and curl up in; despite the scolding that would surely follow. I tucked a new Rawhide bone and his favorite toy between his paws and under his chin; just how he’d often sleep with them. He was buried in a 2 acre pasture under an old cottonwood tree between Murphy Brown, his mother, and Wheezie, his sister. Jesse was the last of 10 siblings to pass.
He lived a long and happy life, and the memories of our time together will be forever etched in my soul.
You will be deeply missed my dear friend; but never forgotten. You are part of me.
January 3, 2011
———————————————————————————————————————
I just received a phone call from my close friend this morning, who owns the property where Jesse was buried 3 years ago. He was faced with no option but to sell the property today; due to the divorce he is going through. A divorce he did not ask for. Despite his best efforts to keep the land and the house he built 14 years ago, before this marriage, there were no options. This, the home where both his children were born and raised. The pasture where our dogs often played and were laid to rest. Where I would visit Jesse beneath that cottonwood tree whenever I came by. Where good friends always came together to enjoy life and share stories. It is a special place to me as well.
After my friend moves out his home by the end of next month; I know I will not likely get to visit Jesse in his final resting spot again. This saddens my heart today. But I know my friend’s pain far outweighs anything I am feeling right now. He has countless memories of what was once his home. The last home he ever really wanted. Now he must move on in his life against his choosing. So must I.
January 24, 2014

I found a way today to make it by one last time to put 12 Yellow Roses on Jesse’s grave. I sat here for quite some time today, lost in the memories of a great dog. It started getting dark and I headed for home; where another Labrador, Wyatt James of Willowynde would surely be waiting for me; wondering where I’m at. February 22, 2014

Where to Bury a Good Dog
I am thinking now of a retriever; whose coat was golden in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a
mean or an unworthy thought. This retriever is buried
beneath a cottonwood tree, under four feet of pasture loam, and
at its proper season, the cottonwood strews its leaves upon the green
lawn of his grave. Beneath a cottonwood tree, or a fruit tree, or
any flowering shrub of the garden, is an excellent place to
bury a good dog.
Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy
summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted his head to
challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in
life, or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and touches
sentiment more than anything else. For if the dog be well
remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams
actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing,
begging; it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long
and at last.
On a hill where the wind is unrebuked, and the trees are
roaring, or beside a gentle stream he knew in puppyhood, or
somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land, where most
peaceful cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one
to you, and nothing is gained, and nothing lost — if
memory lives. But there is one best place to bury a good dog.
One place that is best of all.
If you bury him in this place, the secret of which you must
already have, he will come to you when you call — come
to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the
well-remembered path, and to your side again. And
though you call a dozen living dogs to heel, they shall not
growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he is yours and he
belongs there. People may scoff at you, who see no
lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no
whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who
may never really have had a dog. Smile at them then, for
you shall know something that is hidden from them, and
which is well worth knowing. The one best place to
bury a good dog is deep in the heart of his master.
In Memory of; Jesse James Hagen-Daazs
December 14th, 1995 – January 1st, 2011

[Akari_32]

Just add a little bit of water to dry food. Let it sit for a few minutes, mix it up, and let him at it. I used to have to that for my 8 pound Jack Russell mix.

If you want to go the grain inclusive Wellness route, the Complete Health Small and Toy Breed recipe is the best looking one, and super high in calories (meaning you feed even less than the others). It has a puppy counter part, as well, that is a bit lower in calories. I don’t know if the first one is All Life Stages or not. Thats now to say the rest of the Complete Heath recipes are bad foods, but those be my first pick of the Complete Health line. But I’d still go for the CORE recipes over the Complete Health ones. 🙂

[Julie]

Hi Rachael,

We’re getting our golden doodle in two weeks and have been doing a lot of research, too. I found this thread invaluable: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

There’s a list of foods on page 15 of the thread.

Labbies are wonderful!! I grew up with them and we lost our 14 year old lab last summer. Have a lot of patience and give him a lot of exercise. They are fantastic with kids and quite energetic. Just keep the shoes off the floor and give him proper chew toys :).

[cindy q]

I never tried Wellness but my 6mos old standard poodle and my 8 year old toy poodle are on merrick & they love it. I just switched from Blue Buffalo Wilderness. Merrick does give the puppy gas, but so did Blue Buffalo.

[kvee]

Susie was horrendously gassy when I had her on Wellness Puppy. Maybe because of the rice and barley? The food was obviously not agreeing with her. So perhaps finding ingredients in your dogs diet that could be causing some chaos internally.
She is also a gulper, so I got her a busy buddy squirrel (the kong “beehive-looking ” toy dispensed the kibbles too fast. The Busy Buddy squirrel has some tabs to have the dog actually work for his/her food.

Good luck!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Barbara –

A new puppy, that’s so exciting! 🙂

I’d urge you to head over to the review section and check out Dr. Mike’s list of “best” puppy foods. Some brands that I know to have small kibble sizes (suitable for a toy breed puppy like a yorkie) are Nature’s Variety, Victor, Nature’s Logic, Fromm, Amicus and most any formula that specifically states “small breed.”

/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/

I’d also recommend this article on diet rotation:

/frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

[Haywood U]

Thanks. With all the recalls and other things going wrong with things we give our pets (treats and toys), I just get worried. I read some of those things where the dogs stop eating because the food is causing problems, but eventually the dog is going to get hungry and eat. Then I look and see the other dog is eating the same food and no issues…but each dog is different. Of course the kicker was seeing her have no problems eating the same exact food from the other dog’s bowl.

I do sort of rotate food out – we buy several different brands and mix the food.

Previous dogs were always fed the “bad” food – Alpo, Ol Roy, KnB. All lived to 12-15 years and never had any vet tell me they were anything other than healthy. Somehow we managed to miss all the food recalls.

The new dog was quickly transitioned from Hill’s (rescue shelter said that is what they used, but she never seemed interested, always ran to the other dog’s food), to Puppy Chow, to finally forcing me to renew my Costco membership to get Kirkland.

So now it’s basically a 40lb bag of Kirkland and a 20lb bag of other stuff and mix it up in a 2:1 ratio (good to “bad”). Used to be out of financial necessity, but now it’s basically just for the variety. I guess we could just as easily mix up the Kirkland Chicken with the Kirkland Lamb and get the same results, but it’s also nice to know that if we ever run out, or are out of town, we can just run to the closest Walmart and grab a bag of food.

I’d like to stick with the twice a day feeding – seems to work the best for the older dog, and no need to upset the routine. I know I wouldn’t want to have to eat my entire daily food in one sitting and have it all sitting my system trying to digest.

[Shasta220]

Sooooo awesome that you’re from Australia!!! I’ve always wanted to go there!!!!! 😀

I’m on the Oregon coast (west USA). I have 3 dogs:
Cassy, 1/2 Lab 1/2 GSD (since the mother’s GSD didn’t show up in appearance, we just call her a lab), she’s 12

Shasta (left) is a 6yr mutt. His dad was a lab/wolf, and his mom had some of everything. I know he has some hound and possibly border collie (he’s smart as a whip and has a great big sorrowful “bail”)
Loki (right) is a 3-4yr Kelpie/Aussie.

Then I have cats, chickens, ducks, a miniature pony, and my biggest puppy-dog, Inigo Montoya (he’s about 15mo), a Holstein steer. Nope! He is NOT beef! He’s my lawn-mower, companion, and future mount 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

For tiny kibble, look at Nutrisource small/med breed puppy, Amicus puppy, Nature’s Logic, and Nature’s Select Hi-Pro/puppy, and By Nature Organics. I’ve used all of these. I also know that Simply Nourish small breed is tiny kibble. Wellness also has a toy breed kibble.

[Dori]

So Patti. Are there any type or specific supplements that you can think of that might help Hannah? I’m having a hard time dealing with the fact that I can’t believe the years have passed so quickly. Seems like last week that she was a puppy. She’s totally healthy with everything. I mean, she runs around, plays, barks at anything that moves, plays with her toys and the other dogs. She runs up and down the stairs. The only thing she can no longer do is jump onto the sofa or the bed (our bed) so I’ve got the little doggy stairs all over the house so she can get to all her favorite places. Thanks for any help and advice. I know swimming would be good for her but I’ve been bathing her for over 14 years every 7 to 9 days and she has never ever been great with her baths. Actually she hates water, before we moved to this house we used to have a pool but the trauma she would undergo when I would have her swimming with me with incredibly difficult for her so I stopped. Now we don’t have a pool. She also hates going out in the rain.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys!

I had a little bit of time to kill (yay for 3 am…?), so I went through and refined my list to 25% protein and above, and 450 calories per cup and above. There are also three that were close and cheap enough for me to maybe one day consider, which are separated at the end. This really helps me narrow down my food choices! There were so many I really didn’t even know where to begin, other than with Nutrisource because it’s available locally now. Anyways, heres my list!

Dr. Tim’s Pursuit Active
Merrick Classic Puppy Real Chicken, Brown Rice and Green Apple
Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
Nutrisource Performance
Nutrisource Super Performance
Nutrisource Small and Medium Breed Puppy Chicken and Rice
Nutrisource Grain Free Chicken
Nutrisource Grain Free Lamb

Precise Endurance Formula
Precise Small and Medium Breed Puppy
Eagle Pack Power

Also on my mental list is Diamond Naturals and Grain Free (BIG maybe. That one will depend on finances, really), Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Toy, and Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Puppy. I plan on going to the local pet store tomorrow and seeing what of these they can order, and how much they would be. I also have to go to Pet Supermarket and confirm that they have the two Wellness foods, and their prices for the small bags (which I will only purchase with coupons, given the price), because their website SUCKS.

Why is it that small breed foods always look better than large breed ones? Dog food should be dog food, I’m just sayin’!

[Shasta220]

I feed my dogs Diamond Naturals, solely because it’s the most affordable 4-star food we have around here. I really hope your dogs do well on it. My younger ones are doing great on it, the older lab is starting to get a bit of extra grease again. She did better on other foods, but we just can’t afford them anymore.

If you have a Costco nearby (assuming you’re able to get the bigger bags), and your dogs do well on Diamond Naturals, then try looking into their Kirkland food. It’s made by Diamond, and the ingredients are very similar. About 25-30$ for a 40lb bag, and DN for me is about 33-40$ for a 40lb bag – very affordable 🙂

Ah good, I’m glad dchassett agrees with me that toy breeds do NOT need the breed specific food.

Come to think of it, DN foods are 4-star, then Extreme Athlete and Small Breed Puppy were 5-star (I haven’t looked at the ingredients to compare with other varieties yet). I wouldn’t see what would be wrong with feeding the puppy formula to other dogs, even larger adult dogs – if all the ingredients are quality and the nutrition is balanced.

[Sheltie_Pom]

Okay,
so I think I may have narrowed it down tom these brands, Pure Balance, Iams (Because they have a kind specialized for toy breeds) and Purina Pro Plan (Because that’s what he’s on now). The reason I pick these is because Walmart carries Iams and Pure Balance and the puppy is on Purina Pro Plan. I live over an hour from the nearest pet store and don’t go to the city very often so I can’t just get in the car and run and get a bag of food for it once I run out.

[Shasta220]

I just thought it’d be fun to add a thread so I can hear about what kinds of dogs and other critters y’all have! 🙂

I have three dogs. Cassy is a 12y.o. Labrador/GSD (her mama was the spitting image of the GS, but not one of the 6 pups resembled GS whatsoever. It’s virtually impossible to see it in Cassy. She’s all lab, I guess!)
Shasta is a 6y.o. Heinz 57. I got him from someone I knew (I’d rather say I rescued him from them…). His dad was a lab/wolf, and his mommy came from a long line of mutts. He has the black/tan coloring like a hound or GS, floppy ears, a fluffy curly tail, loooooong legs, and the biggest prettiest brown eyes ever! He’s an amazing athlete, quite the looker, a sweetie pie, and he loves to learn new tricks! His only downside is the fact that he’s grumpy around any new dogs.
Loki is a 2-3y.o. Rescue dog that I got almost a year ago. He’s Kelpie/Aussie, and is quite a piece! He’s a crazy, bubbly, anxious spaz! Poor baby, I can’t do any competing w him, and can’t take him in public much as he has severe fear/anxiety-driven aggression to new dogs (not even a group class helped)
Otto was only 2 when he was tragically killed…we actually got Loki shortly after his loss, so Shasta would have a kennel-buddy (Shasta went through severe depression, I honestly wasn’t sure if he’d make it. He acted very ill). Otto was an APBT/Lab/Rott mix. He was an absolute dork, but he sure was handsome (perfect golden/apricot colored. White toes and tail-tip.), and the most loyal dog I ever knew. I remember once, he broke out of his kennel run while I was away. He was out of it for over 12hrs, and it turned out that he sat by our back door the entire time, waiting for us to come home!

I also have some cats, chickens, ducks, a pony, and my 600lb puppy dog… Inigo Montoya was my birthday present last year (dad said no to a horse since he doesn’t like them, but he loved working on a farm w cows…so he got me a calf for my birthday! Quite the odd present, I’d say!). Inigo (Iggy, for short) is an amazing little yearling steer. He loves to cuddle and play, and he knows “come” as well as “wait”. He’s in the process of learning to ride, believe it or not! Cows are amazing creatures…hand-raised pet cows are truly an entirely different SPECIES from your typical herd-bovine.

Alright, now you know about my critters… What about /your/ wonderful furry (or feathery…or scaly….) family members?

[Akari_32]

There is a mail in rebate for a 15 pound bag of Nutro Natural Choice available, and I’d like to use it, but I’d also like to pick the best I can. I’ve narrowed it down to a few foods, but I can’t decide which I want to go with. This will be for an older dog that has some troubles keeping weight on, and doesn’t like to eat in excess (remember Haley?). I know both calories and protein play a role in food consumption, but thats about it. So I need you guys to help me narrow my list down further, so I can pick which one I’ll buy.

Here’s what I’ve got:

Toy Sr 4*
Wholesome Essentials Puppy 4*
LID Puppy 4*
High Endurance 4.5*

The first three have lower protein (in the 26-28% range), and both fresh and mealed meats, but have higher calories. The High Endurance has 30%, has only chicken meal, and slightly lower calories than the other three. Thoughts?

I’ve also got two other dogs that don’t need anything special, if none of these would work for Haley.

[raylene5]

Hi all,

So we are about to get a puppy in a couple of weeks and I’m wanting to try Dr. Dunbar’s “Before and After Getting your Puppy” advice and pretty much feed all meals from the Kong. He believes that keeping the puppy entertained and exercised with the chew toys will help with sleep, separation issues and keep them from chewing up other things in the house.

He says to measure out your dog’s kibble for the day and just stuffing it all in the Kong and let the dog eat from that instead of the food bowl, until they have been found to be trustworthy in the house. It’s important to use their allotted amount of kibble rather than treats because the treats are full of more fat and calories (some treats are fine). My problem is that I’m going to raw feed the dog. So what would I stuff the Kong with that they can eat all day without gaining too much weight?

Thanks!

[yellowlabbaby]

Hi,
Ive grown up w pets but this will be my first time being responsible for this type of living being myself. Ive been doing a ton of research since i paid my deposit and have realized theres much more than i knew to it and i dont think google can educate me with all i need to know. So im hoping some of you fellow dog owners can help! I pick my male yellow lab puppy up on Feb 2 and he will be only 6wks old (born dec 22). My research has shown this to be definitely at least 2wks too early but the breeder insists this is fine and will not keep him another 2-3wks with his mother. So I’m hoping I can give him the proper development tools during those few weeks and any advice would be appreciated! I have purchased a metal kennel with dividers for his growth (blue in color because I read they see that color somewhat better?) and have researched crate training (again any additional advice would be great). I also purchased an extra large dog bed so he will grow into it without having to change/replace his known comfort area, and a metal 8 panel exercise pen for the living room because my research said not to allow him full access of the house during training and this allows him to not be secluded in his more appropriate spaced living area (do I really have to keep him from the whole house for at least 6months?) I’ve printed the food list from hound mom but does anyone have any suggestions and reasons to the best choice? I have a food store fairly close by that carries most of the listed options. I think ive gotten pretty good training guidance online but as ive said advice is welcome. Ill be looking for a vet i like but would like some feedback as to fle medication, heartguard, whats the best shampoo etc for this type of dog and age, supplies such as right brush, teeth care, toys, etc. Also i read he can not be outside or around other dogs until like 12 weeks but that socialization with other dogs is crucial during the time before that as well as walks and outside play, so any suggestion/feedback on that? I have three kids 8, 6, and 5 who are a bit wild and im concerned will interfere with the correct training/ pack order our puppy will need, amy help with that? I am taking this very seriously, i want to raise this dog properly for his mental, emotional, developmental, and physical health. Ive learned that i wont be able to love him like a member of our human family as planned but instead love him as a member of his dog family in us. So any and all help, advice, information, and suggestion is requested and much appreciated!!! Thank you all so much!!

[OhBichonPlease]

I would also suggest [when your dog has settled a bit] taking her to a smaller pet store [Petco and Petsmart might be a bit overstimulating, especially during the holiday season] and showing her several different toys. She may enjoying browsing the aisles with you and may even pick out her own toy that appeals to her. We pull things off the rack for our girl to inspect; when she tries to take it from us or looks excited, we tend to get it because we want her to play.
There is also a toy that may bring your dog some comfort – I think it was designed for weaning puppies, dogs with separation anxiety or mourning pets, but it is a plush toy with a warming pack and a “beating heart” powered by a battery. There is a popular brand available at online retailers and Amazon called SnugglePuppy from Snuggle Pet Products. It is kind of expensive [you may be able to find another brand/model for less] for an experiment, but it may comfort her and help her transition her to her new environment and to liking toys/playing.
I would also recommend wrapping a plush toy in an old tshirt or stuffing it inside a sock that has your scent on it – you’re her pack/people now and she wants to smell like you so she won’t have to be alone again. [Our girl likes to jump in our dirty laundry and thrash under our bedcovers after her bath, probably thinking we won’t recognize her. She also takes off her Doggles whenever my fiance reenters the car]. Making the toy smell like you by putting it in the dirty clothes hamper will help reinforce that this toy belongs in the household, toys are fun and playing with you is a nice thing to do. Some non-plush toys can also have food smeared on them or treats stuffed inside to help get entice her to interact with them.
Playing is a great way to bond with your dog and give her a chance to exercise and feel comfortable inside in her new surroundings. Keep trying to teach her to play – no dog is too old to learn to have fun.
The most important thing to remember is to go slow and have a really positive attitude when dealing with toys – even if your dog’s behavior is upsetting – don’t get upset! Dogs read our emotions and getting worried and stressed over her reactions might be causing more of an issue. If you feel like crying over her reactions, take a break, take her for a walk and then just try to cuddle with her and her toy quietly. Rub her and pet her with the toy if she doesn’t act scared. If she wants it in her crate, let her have it there. Maybe she wants a toy to cuddle and protect and you could get her another toy for tossing, pulling and playing with you in the living room.

[theBCnut]

You have just described to a T a puppy mill breeder. How sad that greedy people do this to precious puppies.

[karink]

Hello everyone! I have an 11 week old lab puppy I’ve had for two weeks. After reading all the great information on here, I decided to feed him the Annamaet Salcha. So far everything is great.

My question now is regarding peanut butter. Is it safe to give puppies, and if so, what kind and how much. I’m having a lot of issues with him barking in his crate when I leave for work and would like to give him a kong toy with frozen peanut butter hoping it will keep him busy during the first moments that I leave, that way he won’t be so anxious.

First I want to know if it’s safe for puppies, and then if giving him a small amount (to fill the kong) daily would off-set any of the calcium / phosophorus %. It would then defeat the purpose of all the research done with the food.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He barks forever and I want to find something that will calm him during my absence. Can’t be toys (other than kongs) as he already chewed one up and swollowed a little piece the other day! Almost had a heart attack – and he hasn’t even starting teething yet! I’m in SO much trouble!!! LOL!!

[pugmomsandy]

You can find a similar food to Life’s Abundance for less $$ like Nutrisource grain inclusive line small/med breed puppy formula (yes, for your 8 yr old). If you’re willing to feed something better than kibble though, look into some dehydrated/freeze-dried foods like The Honest Kitchen or Grandma Lucy’s or Dr Harvey’s Oracle. These are less processed than kibble. If you can home cook for your dog, then those brands I just mentioned have a Pre-mix where you just add your own meat and some oil. I give my dogs probiotics, sardine/krill oil, super greens powder supplement, colostrum, Springtime’s Bug-Off/Longevity and some joint supplements. Mine also get fresh food like raw meat, scrambled eggs and raw sardines and leftovers of meat/some veggies.

[lmgarrett]

I want to change my toy poodle to a grain free puppy food. I am overwhelmed by this site – which would be best? She only weighs 4 pounds right now.

[gixx0r]

Hi all,

I just picked up an 11 month old Bichon Frise and want to do my best in ensuring it eats quality foods that help its coat and mitigates the potential for allergies that Bichons tend to have when messing with their diet.

He is currently on Life’s Abundance Premium Health for Puppies and Adults. We got him as a dog that needed a rehome after the breeder had sold it to family that realized they couldn’t handle him. That family had been feeding it Purina Pro Plan Focus Toy Breed Puppy kibble.

Any suggestions for a good rotation as it enters adulthood?

[pugmomsandy]

Justme2,
If the shepherd is a “large breed” then he needs a food with a special calcium level and calcium:phosphorus ratio for proper joint development and to avoid too fast growth of bones and orthopedic disease till he’s at least 18 months old. There’s a section here in the forum for “large breed puppies”. Check it out for sure. As for the yorkies, the smallest kibbles I’ve used are Nutrisource Small/Medium Breed Puppy, Nature’s Select Hi-Pro, Amicus (for toy breeds, grain free) and Nature’s Logic. These are ok for pups and adults and all of them are gluten free last time I checked. Then the next size up kibble but still very small is Nature’s Variety and Brothers Complete, Nutrisca, and Nutrisource grain free Lamb. I’ve used all of these in my house. I’ve fostered over 200 pugs now! On a side note, as Patty mentioned a possible grain mite issue, Purina did have a recall for mold in the recent past. How do you store your kibble? Do you keep it in the original bag and in an air tight container in air conditioning and preferably roll the bag down so there’s not much air in it? Or do you pour it out into a container? Do you clean the container before you refill it?

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[apriliamille]

cdubau
in my opinion
nature’s variety is on the hound dog mom’s 2nd .doc list. dont lose sleep over the royal canin, i fell for that one. our boxer was on the boxer formula for 2 years and our dobe pup on maxi puppy for 2 months and will never look back at it. there is soo much better for less price. innova gives me the heeby jeebies, it seams every time i go to petsmart to weigh my dogs or get new toys that section of the aisle is yanked with recall signs posted (i think 3 times this year alone)
two victor grain formulas are on the .doc list as well
Victor Select Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Formula
Victor Select Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone. I’m looking for suggestions for my 11-week-old Golden Retriever. He weighs 20 pounds, and is a healthy weight- can feel ribs and see a waist. Our vet says that he looks great, and if we weren’t reporting problems she would think him completely healthy. He came from the breeder at 8 weeks with Iams puppy food for small/toy breeds (!) and we immediately started switching him to Fromm Large Breed Puppy. His stools immediately got soft, with frequent diarrhea and a few incidences of bloody diarrhea. Our vet thought it was stress and treated with metronidazole, which showed temporary improvement but never really got his stool firm. A couple days ago I saw what I thought looked like worms in 2 bowel movements: rice-like, segmented, pale yellow, and profuse! Unfortunately, I didn’t think of saving a sample for the vet until after I’d disposed of it, and the later samples I took in tested negative. Based on my description, and the fact that he has already had Heartgard, they are assuming tapeworm, though at 11 weeks old I’m not sure where he would have gotten them. We visited him weekly from 8 days old, and his mom and litter mates never had fleas, and he’s never been off-leash to eat a rodent! So as of yesterday we are back on metronidazole, plus panacur dewormer, and he’s eating Purina prescription diet EN, which is almost entirely rice and corn, with just 23% protein and 10% fat. Only 18 hours after the switch, his stools are completely firmed up. Obviously we can’t keep him on this long-term, though. The vet said after 5 days we should start to transition back to regular food, and suggested perhaps something with fewer protein sources since the Fromm’s has duck, chicken, fish and lamb. So, in your much-respected opinions, should I give the Fromm’s a second chance, or go to another new thing? I want to stick with one of Hound Dog Mom’s recommended kibbles, but am of rather limited means. The breeder had recommended TOTW, but I would really prefer to avoid anything from Diamond. If environment might suggest another problem, we are in upstate New York. Thanks so much!

[BijouMama05]

I’ve had the same problem with my dog eating these treats. I gave him one very tiny piece of freeze dried chicken (less than 1/2″) and within 12 hours he was vomiting bright yellow bile. I didn’t make the connection with ROSEMARY EXTRACT, though until later after I gave him a small bite of boiled organic ground turkey & he had the same reaction about 12 hours later (vomiting bright yellow bile). I dug the package out of the trash & it contained two ingredients (organic turkey & ROSEMARY EXTRACT). These treats also contain two ingredients (chicken & ROSEMARY EXTRACT). My dog doesn’t eat any other food that contains ROSEMARY EXTRACT with the exception of these two items. He used to be fed Nutro Puppy Food & was switched to their Toy Breed Adult Formula when he turned one year old and had no problems with it, either until they changed the formula and added ROSEMARY EXTRACT to it (This brand now has almost 1500 complaints for the same symptoms on consumer affairs). He immediately started vomiting and having diarrhea which became bloody. When he started having Grand Mal seizures & his liver enzymes became elevated we switched his food to an organic limited ingredient diet & his symptoms disappeared. We didn’t realize that the ROSEMARY EXTRACT was the problem until recently with the feeding of the Full Moon Freeze Dried Chicken Treats & the Organic Ground Turkey Meat (both of which had only two ingredients, one of which ROSEMARY EXTRACT). This ingredient is a neurotoxin/neurostimulant, a blood thinner, and also stimulated bile production (which might explain the vomiting & diarrhea). I have done some research on the Internet & there are hundreds of thousands of complaints about dog foods, cat foods & treats that contain ROSEMARY EXTRACT & all of the symptoms are the same (vomiting of bile, diarrhea [often bloody], seizures, itching, elevated liver enzymes, refusal to eat, & weight loss). I believe that this is one ‘natural’ additive that has no place in pet food or treats & probably hasn’t even been properly tested to see if it is even safe or not. Just because it is safe for the majority of healthy humans (not diabetic, pregnant, taking blood thinners/aspirin/NSAIDs, epileptic, etc.) doesn’t mean it is safe for dogs and cats.

[pugmomsandy]

Nature’s Logic, Amicus (for toy breeds), Epigen (this is actually dog/cat food), Nutrisource small/med breed puppy (it’s for all life stages) and Nature’s Select Hi-Pro are the smallest kibbles I’ve used, and Simply Nourish small breed is tiny too.

I actually emailed EVO before asking about the size of the kibble and they actually sent me a photo.

[apriliamille]

hello all, i just read the entire thread and whew tons of information. i have a few questions but wanted to also make a few comments if they would help as well.

my 7 month old doberman girl is a rocket eater. so fast she throws up. i found i was able to slow her down by using one of our deep wall cookie sheets for her food. prior to this she would eat so fast that she would finish in time, throw up, eat again and then go and try to ninja the boxer’s food while he was eating. now the boxer finishes first and stares at her eating. a nice cheap solution to speed eating.

i saw a couple posts on high value treats. i live in central utah and we have a meat and game processing locker here called fords. they sell dog jerky treats that my girl goes bonkers over during our track training. i messed up a small ziplock baggie thats in our training pack and whew, the leash harness and toys smelled like the jerky the next session. they sell them on ebay for 15 bucks / 2 pounds free ship

hound dog mom, thank you soooo much for the information docs. one of the pages back i saw where dr tim was removed from the 2nd list but man it took me 3 hours to get through the whole thread. was it due to it not saying puppy or ALS on the packaging? i cant remember. This list came at a very fortunate time for me. we love our food we feed but due to a short term financial crisis emergency i have to reduce costs untill i get back on my feet. luckily i have 70 pounds of her current food available for her to help with a transition. im hoping to find something i can supplement her current with until i get back on my feet (i hope that makes sense). i was starting off thinking after the first doc of either earthborn or dr tim. but then the 2nd doc came out. any suggestions on this?

also we have a facebook group that is for our zip code regional for pets. may i share your doc on that for others to look at?

[theBCnut]

If she came from a puppy mill, she may not know what to think of stuffies. She could think it is a puppy that isn’t acting right or anything at all. At the very least, I would but it away until you know she is very secure with you.

[SheSaid]

Oh.. and Hound dogs Mom… I will be looking into the food you suggested and trying him on the milk substitute to get him stronger. .. I didn’t want to forget to let you know I saw that….
(and I am happy as a lark ..he is barking at a mechanical toy and picked up a ball… just now 🙂 every hour he is getting better..and better.

[Anonymous]

Now you can save on dog toys! Buy least priced unique electronic, rubber & vinyl dog toys at http://www.Bffpuppy.com. We have wide array of dog toys available for sale.

[Anonymous]

At Bffpuppy.com, our aim is to provide the best quality dog products, accessories, toys & dog health products at the affordable prices to all puppy lovers.

The dog products we provide includes dog dresses (puppy clothes), blankets and pillows, dog ramp & stairs. Just visit BFFPuppy.com

[pugmomsandy]

My dog sitter has a maltiepoo or a maltiepootzu. Something like that. Anyways, HDM gave great advise. As far as kibble goes, my pugs and foster pugs eat a variety of foods (mostly grain free except for the puppy food). The foods also have a varying level of protein and fat and they have no problem going from one food to another. The kibble is also small – Nutrisource grain free, Brothers Complete, Nature’s Select grain free and I still have a few small bags of Epigen fish laying around. They have also eaten Amicus (for toy breeds). Since you only have 2 small dogs you can probably keep 2 or 3 different small bags of food around at once to offer a variety. Or heck, I can just mail you some because I always get big bags since I have at least 9 dogs around at once! Currently I have 4 different flavors open.

If you go to some of the dog foods’ websites, you will see that the toy/small breed foods are generally higher in protein than regular and large breed foods.

There are some days my toy breed dogs just get a piece of chicken leg or whole sardine or just tripe. Just protein and fat, no carbs.

[jnconner]

@suztzu @Mom2Cavs
All, thanks so much for the information. I did find the statement from the PetSmart associate hard to believe and I’m glad I was able to get some feedback here. I purchased the ‘Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Puppies’ yesterday afternoon and the kibbles are very small. However, having read your post last night, I’m wondering if I should take the Blue Buffalo back and get the ‘Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula’ since the crude protein content is 36%. You also mentioned supplementing with can to up the protein. Is there a reason you do both dry and can dog food outside of providing the additional protein? I’m wondering if this is something I should consider as well.
Does anyone know if the Natures Variety Instinct brand is sold at PetSmart I would like to stick with a 5 Star that I can purchase locally if possible.

[InkedMarie]

Hey Jan…..do you post to the Dog & Puppy Forums with names of your dogs as your “SN”?

[Mom2Cavs]

suztzu…Core has developed some new formulas now that are different than regular Core. They have Core for small breeds, puppies, etc. I’m not sure about the size of Core Puppy kibble, but the Small Breed size kibble is tiny.

[suztzu]

The associate was very wrong, puppies espcially need a good amount of protein and fat they are both essential to a growing puppy. Both are good foods the Core I thought was an all life stage food and the kibble is quite large for a small puppy if he’s a gulper like mine is. My shih tzu Leo would swallow them whole and throw it up a half hour later gross. Earthborn holistics, Blue Buffalo wilderness Innova prime, Natures Variety Instinct are also all good products. When you transition him over to a different food do it slowly because some of the grain free foods are also high in fat and can cause loose stool. I never feed my dogs anything with protein under 28 to 30 % if I can help it. I also will give them Natures Variety Instinct canned at least once a day mixed in the kibble to boost the protein levels. Have fun with puppy good luck

[jnconner]

Help! First, let me stated this is my first pet ever so I’m new to the dog game, so to speak. I’m an advocate for the healthy, wholefood, holistic approach as it relates to my family and I would like to include our newest addition as well. I have a four month old toy poodle name Coco who is currently on Science Diet. This is what his breeder was feeding him. After recently finding out the contents in dog food, I would like to switch him to a 4/5 Star quality dog food such as Wellness Core Grain Free puppy formula or Blue Freedom Grain Free for puppies asap.
My question is around the amount of protein. Should I be concerned with the percentage of protein for a dog of his size (3.5lbs)? Is 36% crude protein to high?
My question steams from my visit to PetSmart where a sale associate recommended me not to use Wellness Core Grain Free due to the high protein content stating it would be to much for his system to handle and toy breeds don’t need this much protein.
The Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula has 36% crude protein and the Blue Freedom Grain Free Formula has 27% crude protein.
I’m just trying to find the best food for my toy poodle that will aid in his growth to becoming a healthy adult with many years of life. Thanks for your feedback.