[Liz S]

I have a 2 yr old female chihuahua ( Nala ) and a 5 yr old male italian greyhound ( Oreo. ) Instead of rambling on about what we’ve tried, I’d like to ask for some suggestions.

I’d like small bites. Chihuahua has hard time with bigger ones and IG’s have sensitive teeth. Not all. But they are known for teeth issues. Science Diet isn’t an option.

I’d like to leave the dry out all day as well as give each wet food for dinner ( 5-6ish )

We also have a 5 month old female BUGG. My last pug passed a few years ago so I do understand their needs to a point. The dry food she eats now she gets 2x a day. The gas she has is horrible. There are no words LOL. Thing is, there are many times throughout the day where she will pass gas like every 1-3 minutes. She is also become tough at feeding times. She is sticking her nose up and there have been some mornings we’ve had to leave bowl in her pen and she picked through it. I tried mixing it with a bit of pretty warm water and that worked a few times but she’s figured it out and still is just picking at it. Not everyday, but many days I need to be able to put a bowl down in the AM and have her eat it within a half hour. Dinner feed isn’t as important for her to finish quickly.

I’d like to switch her to a different dry puppy and I’m thinking I could mix a little wet puppy food with it to get her to eat it at least within 30 minutes.

I tend to ramble so sorry in advance!
Liz

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Liz S.

[matt n]

I suggest looking through the thread the others are suggesting. That’s what I’ve had to do with the absence of response to my own questions.

I might be wrong but these are the conclusions I’ve drawn for what to feed my puppy (poodle/GR mix).

A raw food diet is probably the “best”…if you have unlimited funds. For myself, I tried to find a balance of affordability, healthiness, and convenience. As a result I’ve narrowed it down to these dry foods…

Annamaet Grain-Free Aqualuk
Annamaet Grain-Free Salcha Poulet
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis
Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain-Free
Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch
Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast
Nature’s Variety Instinct
Victor Select
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Puppy

I’ll eventually try all of these and see which my puppy does best on. If that’s too much trial and error for you, I’d go with Dr. Tim’s Kinesis.

As far as I can tell, grain free vs grain inclusive usually only matters if your pup has issues with grains or if you’re into the “fads.”

But once again this is just my observations from perusing the forums.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by matt n.

[Trey W]

I have had my Lab puppy for over 2 months now and we can’t seem to get his stools regularly normal. At first we were feeding him Blue Buffalo Large Puppy Breed Chicken and Rice flavor and he was having diarrhea almost every time he would poop. So we switched his food to Simply Nourish Large Puppy Breed Chicken and Rice and for about the first week he was eating that his poops were pretty normal, but now they have started to soften up again. Many days his poops will go from decent to worse throughout the day, but he does not have an increase in poops it is just that when he does poop they tend to be very soft stools if not diarrhea.

He does not have any worms nor blood in his stool even though today I did find some gravel looking stuff in his stool. We have feed him boiled chicken and rice on days that his tummy has been real upset, and when we do that his poops are always better, but I cant feed him boiled chicken and rice forever. He eats, drinks, plays, and acts perfectly healthy. My vet recommended switching his food to Hills Science Diet because that is the softest on dogs stomachs. I am weary of this because I have heard that vets just push that on the customers because that is their sponsored dog food.

I am open to any suggestions, and just hoping to get my boy all better.

[Boerboel Daddy]

Hound Dog Mom

My Boerboel ( South African, Mastiff Type dog) is four months old.
He was fed Royal Canine Giant Breed Puppy by the breeder i wish to switch to Coastal catch as per your recommeded foods lists… but Im a bit confused with the feeding guide.

Usually one would feed for the dogs adult weight but is tht the same with Large breed puppies… all large breed formulas differ from the adult feeding guides until the pups reach a certain age…

is that true for Eathborn Ocean Fusion as well? i have used the calculator but the 6 cups of food just seems too much for a four month old pup to be eating… are they refering to a standard sized cup? if so how much is said cup in grams?

[Jenny F]

I started to experience some of the issues posted here with my 2-year old Frenchie. He has been on Wellness dry and wet food since he was a puppy. About a month ago, he started vomiting bile in the morning before breakfast and had diarrhea for two days. First day, he didn’t want to eat anything during the day -no even cooked chicken which he loves – but will eat at night – right on schedule at dinner time. On second day – same thing vomited bile in the morning first thing then didn’t want to eat so I let him fast till dinner time. Around noon on second day, he was running out to the yard every 20 minutes or so due to diarrhea and I saw he was having trouble eliminating and when a little bit of it came out it was dark like dead blood. I rushed him to the vet and on our way there I could hear and feel his stomach rumbling with gas. At the vets run all sorts of tests for virus and x-ray since I thought he had something stuck in the intestines (he has a history of been a little vacuum cleaner since puppy) but since vet could not determine what was making him sick they gave him antibiotics in case it was some sort of virus until the culture came back. He tested negative for everything and did not have anything blocking his intestines. Vet also put him on IV since he was getting dehydrated and as we all know that is life threatening. In the meantime – I was feeding him just cooked chicken and brown rice with grated carrots and some fried eggs with just a pinch of olive oil – you can also fried eggs with water; that’s all he ate for a week. After that, I started cooking his meals and added some more veggies (chicken, green beans, brown rice, grated carrots or ground beef, chopped celery, spinach and potatoes boiled together – drained chicken/beef broth since too much can cause proteins to enter his kidneys – and put it in a container in the fridge I make enough for 6 meals breakfast and dinner for 3 days) and he has been doing better since then. Has puked probably twice since then – early morning – but just a little bit of white foam not bile. I know it is hard sometimes to cook even for ourselves due to busy schedules but I figured that I can make two meals with the same veggies and the basic chicken and ground beef for me in my dog by just adding salt. Makes me feel better to know that my little guy is eating fresh and natural food. Now, I am on my search for a good probiotic and enzymes to add to his meals since I know he definitely needs that and feel like that’s why he is having issues with his digestive system. In the meantime, I’m adding oatmeal gluten-free and a bit of barley to his diet. I would only feed barley during the day since tents to be heavy a night – even for humans. We’ve also found a store for treats called The Bone Appetite Barkery shop in New Jersey by accident. Their pumpkins treats are also good for digestion and taste delicious – yes I tried it! Lol they are all made with natural ingredients – I highly recommend it. Tip: ice cubes are good for when dogs are not drinking enough water. Hope this comment helps : )

[GSDMom]

Hi all, just saw on the HK website that they are introducing a mix that is fruit, grain and potato free…just add meat. Any opinions on this? I’d like to try it for my GSD instead of feeding dry food.

Also… would LOVE opinions on this after you’re done shaking your heads (haha!) Growing up we had a GSD boy that refused “dog” food since he was a puppy. So, my Mom cooked for him…for 12 years! We didn’t know anything about proper nutrition back then and certainly didn’t know about supplements. So, our King ate a bowl of cooked steak, or chicken or chicken/gizzards until he was 12. He had colitis and all he took was some kind of capsuled medication, 1 a day. That’s all. How would that go over today? 🙂

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by GSDMom.

[Naturella]

I did feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness with great success for 4 months to my terrier mix. It made a lot of difference for him, coming off of Purina One (what the people who rescued him fed him), and Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (what we were initially advised to feed him at PetSmart the day we got him). His coat got shiny, he had good appetite, good stool, no problems whatsoever. I do know people who feed Blue in rotation, and some who feed it exclusively, day in and day out, so far no problems.

I think for us, I will keep an eye on it and the cases surrounding it, but maybe in 2 years, when I have had a bunch of other foods I want to rotate Bruno through, I may go back to it if I get a good sale on it, lol. If not, I will stick with some favorites – Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Annamaet, Earthborn Holistic, and hopefully Wellness, Wysong, Canidae, Fromm, Orijen, Acana, 4Health (yet to feed those in our rotation).

[Joanne R]

I would like to see options that I can feed my large breed puppy. I have just finally decided on a good food for him, and now wonder about treats. I am giving him carrots and bananas right now and also pieces of his food, but would love to know about more options. Thanks for any light someone can shed for me.

[OnyxMom]

After I brought my Newfypoo puppy home I realised that he was having anal gland problems – which was super gross for me to find out about. I tried to call groomers to ask about expressing his glands, but no one would do a puppy.

I read stuff online and found out about pumpkin puree. You have to be careful and not by the sweetened canned stuff that people use for pies. You have to make sure it’s simply pumpkin puree. I gave him a tablespoon that day and I can say that I was amazed with results. The nasty smell, the itching, biting all went away by the next day. So, I continued feeding him a tbsp of pumpkin puree everyday for about two months. He loved the stuff, licked it right off the spoon.

I stopped cos I ran out and then I realised that he was now expressing his glands on his own. But I always have a can handy just in case. I even gave some to my neighbour once for his little dog and it worked for them as well. I only hear good things as far as I see it no harm in trying.

His poop didnt get fixed with the pumpkin puree though – for that I had to start giving him digestive enzymes with his food. http://www.amazon.com/NaturVet-Digestive-Enzymes-Pets-1-Pound/dp/B009O31QXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407154566&sr=8-1&keywords=digestive+enzymes+for+dogs

[Heather D]

Hello members. Thank heavens I have found this site though have done nothing this morning with regard housework as just been reading.
We have a Spanish Mastiff crossed with a German Shepherd, rescued from a filthy pen some 4 weeks ago when he was just 6 weeks old. Riddled with parasites internal and external. Has been to the vet’s three times now but doing very well.
previously we had a couple of English Pointers so I was aware of the growth/calcium issue and they were reared to be 14 years. Dusty the bitch, spayed, died with skin cancer. We live in Spain and she was mostly white and was a momkey for lying in the sun with her legs splayed and stomach bared to the sun, she contracted skin cancer and sadly had to be put to sleep aged 14.
Bracken her pal, though not from the same litter, died just 6 weeks after Dusty with a heart attack.
They were reared for their first 18 months on Hills prescription for large breeds and did really well with it.
Now to our new little, well quite big puppy.
He couldn’t tolerate Hills so the vet advised Eukanuba food for large breed puppies and I give him two small additional feeds of cooked turkey each day to add to his protein as the dry food is 26% and wanted to increase it. He is tolerating it well, but I want him to have the best I can afford, and buy. We are pensioners and though not destitute we have to budget.
Spain is not known for it’s care of dogs, and sadly, living in the heart of Andalucia away from the Costas most dogs are raised on dry bread, yes dry bread and anything else they can find. These are the conditions our puppy Max was born into. Locked in a large fenced and gated pen, the owner coming only once per week to bring a sack of dry bread rolls and fill their water bowls. So we have adopted the family and go each night to feed and water through the fence.
The parents and the 2 other pups are doing well, and the owner as a thankyou gave us Max.
There are just 2 pet stores within a couple of hours drive that do sell some varied brands.
We want the very best for Max and from your lists I just don’t know if I am going to find any of the foods you mention.
My question is, sorry after this ramble, if I cannot find any you mention will Max be ok continuing on his Eukanuba for large breed puppies along with his cooked turkey, and are there any other things I can give him to supplement if he has to stay on this diet?

[Akari_32]

Hey guys. Just updating. No baths in a few weeks, but his hair is growing back really well (new growth is about an inch long), and his skin is no longer red all over. Still red at his paws and up his hind legs some, and around his nose, but his body is back to pinkish-white, and he is chewing and scratching much less (and doesn’t smell nasty all the time). I’ve been giving him 3/4 of a can of By Nature 95% one day, and the next day he gets the rest of the can, and 1/4 cup of THK, mixed with however much water it needs to thin it back out to the consistency of just canned food.

He does need a bath right now (some one *cough* mom *cough* cleaned up pee in the hallway around his cage and then thought it was a good idea to put the pee towel in the cage because she didn’t want to walk it to the laundry room…), and I’ll use his medicated shampoo, and then wash him with his new shampoo and conditioner (supposed to be really good for their skin and coat, and has keratin in it– I’ll get the name of it in a bit).

I’m looking at some other foods to add in to his diet. I’ve emailed several companies and asked for the as fed carb values of their foods. My answers so far:

Purina Pro Plan:
“We appreciate your interest in our products. Please know that this information is not something we have readily available and takes time on the part of our nutritionist to determine. We cannot provide it for each and every one of our products.

However, if you can narrow your choice to a particular flavor or two, we’ll be happy to fulfill your request. Please understand it may take some time to process this information. We appreciate your patience.”

What the crap is that?? You don’t keep this info on hand?? Yeah, ok. Anyways, I went through the review side, and picked out all the four star formulas. More than they asked for, but whatever. My thought on the Pro Plan is that maybe an “average” food rather than a “fancy” food would do him some good. Some dogs don’t do well on high quality foods– we all know this. One of those if its ain’t broke sort of deals. Just an idea for a back up food. It’ll take some time to get an answer from them, I’ll assume.

Hill’s:
“Thank you for visiting HillsPet.com and sending us your message.

Due to your special pet’s medical condition we would suggest that you speak to your veterinarian for a food recommendation. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. offers a full line of therapeutic products which are formulated for the management of certain health issues that can develop in pets. The product that will work best for your pet depends upon his or her individual circumstances and is something that your veterinarian will have to help you to determine.

We appreciate your interest in Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. If we can help in any other way, contact our Consumer Affairs Department toll-free at 1-800-445-5777 8AM-5PM CST, Monday-Friday or revisit HillsPet.com.

Sincerely,

Consumer Affairs
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.”

I was hoping to get some values on Ideal Balance. Another “average” food sort of idea. But looking at the values on the can today at the store (they have dry matter basis on the Hill’s website), I’m ditching this food. Way too low protein and just 4.5 and 5%. And toooooooons of carbs. Each can has a protein source, and then three or four carbs sources. No thanks!

Nutro:
” Dear Danielle,
>
> Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Our canned food for dogs average about 5% carbs. Canned food is low in carbs because they are primarily water or broth (around 78%). We do not make anything that will have lower values than 5%.

……

Hi Danielle-
None of our dry foods will have a carbohydrate level as low as 15%. They average 30-45%. Canned food, by nature, will have the lowest carbs, as they are primarily made of water/broth. The Ultra™ and the Natural Choice® Chunks & Gravy formulas have the lowest amounts (approx. 4%). Hope this information helps!”

All of the Nutro Natural Choice and Ultra cans are right in our price range, at $21 to $28 a 12 can case. The Large Breed recipes seem to be the best looking as far as how much to feed, and protein values. And if the carb values they gave are correct, they are right where I want to stay. Very nice looking line. I don’t tend to follow the whole dog’s size and age marketing thing, but he’s only 8 pounds. Would a large breed (puppy and adult food) be fine for him? He’s two years old, and should be about 8 pounds (he’s probably 7-ish).

And theres always EVO. Good price point, but high fat. Not a food I’d have him on all the time. Maybe I’ll use it to keep his weight up. I’m having trouble keeping his weight up with out him eating us out of house and home. I’m trying to do the best by him and by moms budget. $20 a case where he’s eating the whole can every meal is not helping the budget issue. The By Nature is great, but its not high calorie enough, and I don’t think high fat enough, either. He’s an active little guy, and needs something that can keep him beefed up.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts or input or anything, throw it out there!

[keri f]

My 4 mo.old puppy has had an eye problem about 3 wks now and today I took him to get vaccines at a non profit. The workers/volunteers said it looked like demodec but im not 100 percent sure if it’s that or allergies. The hair around his left eye is half way gone and under the eye, there’s a patch of thinning hair and there’s a small bald spot towards his left ear.
It hasn’t gotten worse and not much better. I’ve been applying eye drops with borax in it and eyebright. No improvements yet.
He’s also itchy, off and on so that’s why I’m thinking it’s allergies and I’ve been feeding him grain free food which is diamond naturals and before, natural balance.
Any helpful advice would be great especially a natural way to get rid of what ever he has.
thanks,
miko

[pugmomsandy]

He doesn’t need to switch to adult food. Personally I feed puppy food to all ages. Adding a multi-strain probiotic and digestive enzymes will help him to digest better even though the food has them in it already. Sometimes they lose their potency with the kibble making process. And kibble is just hard and dry and can take several hours to break down and the dog digestive system is fast so dense kibble sometimes doesn’t get broken down enough. And the undigested protein makes powerful gas! My pup used to have terrible gas too. After being on probiotics for a while he should get more efficient with digestion. I’d give the supplement with each meal for several weeks and see how he does. My group only gets supplements once or twice a week and only if they eat kibble.

[Susan]

In Australia our dog rescue group has big bin baskets outside Woolworths supermarkets so when you go shopping you can buy a bag of kibble or can food…normally on F/B they ask for “My Dog wet” Puppy formula as they say it doesnt give diarrhea to their rescued puppies, the bin always has donated food in it & is emptied once a week, the food is given to foster carers that have helped rescued puppies & dogs from pounds thru the rescue group & cant afford to feed the rescue dogs but have saved their lives & givin them a tempory home until they’re adopted out..

[FrenchieBourdeaux]

Hi,
I am new to the forum and I know this question my have been answered and if so I am sorry. I just recently got a Doug De Bordeaux mastiff and I also have French Bulldogs so I am struggling to figure out what the best food would be to feed I feed my Frenchies a Nature’s Logic which they love and do great on mixture of there raw and dry. Ludo the new boy the mastiff came from the breeders eating TOTW which I don’t like to much or trust. Well he loves the Logic and wont eat the large breed puppy food the horizon complete he wants to eat what the girls eat (Frenchies) and the girls want to it his food which they cant. So I was wondering which food I could feed them all with were they would all be happy is Nature;s Logic calcium levels to high for him and if so which one on the list would be good for both to eat the Frenchies have a lot of allergy issues so I get nerves switching but it is not working feeding two different foods. Is the Now Calcium levels to high? And if so which one on the list do you feel would be the best for both breeds. He is 10 Weeks my Frenchies are 1, 5, and 8 years old. And is there any supplements that I should have him on? Sorry for the book..lol.

[Karen D]

Hi everyone! My name is Karen and I have an almost 4 month old mini dachshund. I am brand new here and hope you can help me out!

He is eating Blue Buffalo with some cooked chicken breast now. I have 3 cats that have eaten raw for 5 years…2 years ago we moved them to Blueridge Beef. We have to keep him separated from them or he will race over there to gobble it up faster than you could believe LOL!

He starts in August and my question is how much should I feed him? He is almost 6 pounds now..projected to be 10-12 pounds according to what his parents weigh. I read 2.5% of that….so does that mean about 2.5 ounces per feeding (3x’s a day)?
Also, BRB only has 1 organ meat in it (liver). Do I need to add something else? This is the total break down of their puppy mix: ground beef, chicken, green tripe, beef heart, chicken bone and beef liver. I add a supplement to my cats’ food too (Kitty Bloom). Should I add the Dog Bloom to this?

Thanks in advance!!

[Lilmonster]

Hi everyone!

Another lurker here eager and (almost) ready to make the switch to raw. Like other newbies, I have so much respect for everyone here for not only committing so much time and effort to their fur babies, but also taking the time to answer endless, potentially stupid questions from nervous dog moms like me! I would never even have known about raw diets, let alone been able to work up the nerve to take the plunge if it weren’t for this forum, so thanks to all of you!

Some background info: My fiancé and I just adopted our little one, Lily, two months ago from a rescue. She’s 41 lbs and the vet estimates her age at around 1, much younger than the rescue thought – her teeth were pretty yellow when we first got her but presumably because she wasn’t given anything to chew on to clean plaque, so they thought she was 2 yrs 8 months (!), which leads me to think she sadly may have been malnourished as a puppy since they were feeding her as an adult. As soon as we gave her bones and chew toys her teeth became pearly white. Anyway, we switched her to Fromm’s Surf and Turf kibble when we got her, but we noticed she started itching more and more. Took her to the vet to ask about the itchiness as well as a suspected UTI, but the diagnosis for the itching was understandably vague. We’re not sure if it’s a food allergy or environmental – she doesn’t have fleas, and we’re pretty sure it’s not a yeast issue. She doesn’t smell yeasty at all and I think the vet would have picked up on that. So after a recent bout of diarrhea due to too many high fat treats after a training session, I figured it would be a good time to begin the transition to raw after her system cleared up. I fasted her for a meal then fed her a mixture of white rice and pumpkin for two meals, which brought her poos back to normal, then began feeding her a 50-50 mix of ground turkey and pumpkin with the See Spot Live Longer mix added in. The vet is holistic and also trained in Chinese medicine, and she suggested that I switch to beef instead of turkey since chicken and turkey is considered “hot” and could be contributing to the itchiness, so yesterday I made the switch to ground beef and her poo was still fine this morning. But then I remembered reading somewhere (I think on preymodelraw) that it’s not recommended to start with beef, but I think for the time being I’ll stick with it just to avoid changing her diet too many times (unless anyone here would strongly advise against starting with beef?). At the moment, her daily food (divided into two meals) is 1 lb 90% lean ground beef + 2 tbsp SSLL + 1/2 tsp hempseed oil + 1 tsp coconut oil (just started adding it) + 1 human probiotic. She is also currently on a one week course of antibiotics for the urinary problem.

I have Steve Brown’s Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet, ordered the Dr. Becker’s book, and have read through many of the threads on this forum but like other newbies I’m getting lost in all the information and feeling as overwhelmed as Cyndi was in the thread where she first started, lol. I’m thinking of sticking to the ground boneless meat with the See Spot Live Longer mix for a bit while I figure out all the supplements that are needed and place my meat orders. A few questions that I’d really appreciate if someone could help out with:

– I know you can’t add the See Spot Live Longer dinner mix to bone-in meats, but am I also correct in assuming that if I begin adding RMBs in the PM and continue to feed boneless ground meat + See Spot Live Longer mix in the AM that it would be too much calcium? Ideally I’d like to continue using the SSLL simply because it’s the easiest way for me to not have to worry that her nutrition is unbalanced while I’m still learning to balance her meals myself. I did see the most recent topic mentioning CarnivoreRaw but that’s a bit out of my budget. Hound Dog Mom, do you use the Twinlab Daily One with or without iron? Also, I noticed the Twinlab does have calcium in it, does that not matter because the amount is so low? If I choose to go the multivitamin route, can I then add other things like fruits and veggies and such without worrying about overloading on a specific vitamin/mineral or will I have to be careful with what I add?

– This may be a bit much to ask, but if one of the veterans has the time to respond I would be so grateful. Could someone make a list of the essential vitamins/minerals (or alternatively, foods that will provide those vitamins and minerals) that MUST be added to a diet that consists of boneless meat in the AM and RMBs in the PM, and the approximate amounts? This is the part I’m feeling especially in over my head with. Vitamin D, vitamin E, fish oil, manganese, so many different things I’m seeing that they need, it’s hard to not feel kind of scared to do it all from scratch, which is my eventual goal. I think I’m having a hard time figuring out what is absolutely necessary vs. optional but ideal.

– So from what I’ve read so far it seems to be a good idea to start her on chicken backs and quarters, then begin alternating boneless meat every other meal. How many meals should I feed the backs and quarters before I begin incorporating boneless meals? Also, should I already be giving her supplements during this time, or should I wait until she adjusts then begin adding supplements. As for stuff like organ meats, heart, and green tripe, how long should I wait before beginning to incorporate those? I promise I have read the other threads, but I’ve seen a few different recommendations on timelines so I thought I’d pose the question again just so I can be clear about it.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to take the time to answer my questions!

[spaniel39]

hey Mom, I had a post and needed your advice-Thank you!

Hi
HDM et all
My sophie the Komondor is now 17 months old and I’ve switched her large breed puppy
food to Adult large breed, still with the lower calcium and phosphorous levels
around 1.4 calcium and 1.0 phosphorous
But I can’t seem to find any information on if I can feed them higher levels once full grown
and adults. I have 2 springer spaniels and even though I rotate their diets, would like not
to have to get so many different kinds of dog foods
is 2.2, etc too high a cacium level for an adult large breed? Does it even matter.
The spaniels are doing well on Wellness Core Ocean (and great stools) and would love
to put Sophie on that
Thank you all
Michael (and Sophie and Samuel the Spaniel and Charlotte)

[spaniel39]

Hi
HDM et all
My sophie the Komondor is now 17 months old and I’ve switched her large breed puppy
food to Adult large breed, still with the lower calcium and phosphorous levels
around 1.4 calcium and 1.0 phosphorous
But I can’t seem to find any information on if I can feed them higher levels once full grown
and adults. I have 2 springer spaniels and even though I rotate their diets, would like not
to have to get so many different kinds of dog foods
is 2.2, etc too high a cacium level for an adult large breed? Does it even matter.
The spaniels are doing well on Wellness Core Ocean (and great stools) and would love
to put Sophie on that
Thank you all
Michael (and Sophie and Samuel the Spaniel and Charlotte)

[Marcus P]

Hey All,

Wondering if anyone can help out. I am looking at getting a new Mastiff puppy and dont know what the best food choices are for a giant breed. I do know that the breeder has been feeding him Victor Super Premium since 7 weeks. He is now around 8 weeks. From my research on the Forums so far I have found that the calcium levels in this food may be to high? I was looking at Earthborn Holistics (meadow feast and/or costal catch). Is that a good substitute for the Victor, or am I way off base? Is it necessary to add anything to the dry food like some kind of wet food? Also, I had always believed that big dogs should be fed from elevated bowls, but I have found that this may also not be the case as it may increase the chance of bloat? Due to the need to regulate a giant breed dogs calcium intake what type of treats and bones can they have? Is there anything I am missing that I also need to know about feeding a giant breed? Sorry about all the questions, I just want to make sure I do right by the little guy and he is with us for as long as possible. Thanks for any help.

[Dawn R]

Does anyone know which 5 star dry foods have small kibble? I bought Orijen and Acana and it’s way to big for my new puppy, she stared at it confused after eating Stella and Chewys dehydrated for a few days. I want to be able to feed the new puppy as many types of food as possible ( raw, canned, dehydrated, dry).

Please let me know if you have suggestions. Thanks….

Dawn

[Susan]

Hi Melissa & Iusol, Im not pushing no one to take Predinsone, I hate the drug..Its a band aid drug that covers the health problem, it just supresses ur immune system, puts you in remission but with IBD it does help with some dogs when the bowel is so badly inflamed…. as long as the dog is only on the steroid for 1-2 months, no longer… I have had so many arguements when I join a group called IBD about this drug these ladys dogs were dying from IBD & steroids were the only thing that helped save their dogs, well that’s what they told me & now Im starting to understand the drug a little bit more… like my vet says she hates the drug but it does save some dogs lives when nothing else has worked….I have Auto Immune Disease LUPUS & I was put on Predinsone in the begining of my illness when I was younger & it made me very ill…..If I was Lisa I would be asking my vet so many question & yes Iosul Patches vet 1-2 months ago wanted to put Patch on Prednisone, I said NO.. I even posted a post 1 month ago asking for help on forums, in the end I ended up doing my own research about IBD & I join a group that have dogs that have IBD & Im starting to undersatand this rotten disease a bit better now…a dog just doesnt get IBD & then you change its diets & oh he’s all better now, he can eat anything now…if that has happened with anyones dog (like I have read on this site a few times) then their dog has never really had IBD, it either had something else wrong (parasites) or he had IBS.. there’s a big difference between IBD & IBS, I think people get this mixed up as Im learning..also alot of dogs owners on this site are very blessed & have very healthy dogs & their dogs can eat a high protein diet or a high fat diet.. when I first join this site I’d read people were feeding their dogs this & that I thought WHY cant my boy eat that or eat this so I asked the vet about putting Patch on a raw diet, my vet nilly had a heart attack as Patch was very sick at the time & I didn’t understand that his bowel needed to heal & rest not put more fat into his diet… then I’d read on this site that vet diets aren’t good, so I tried changing Patches vet food, then Patch went back down hill again, that’s when the vets wanted to cut him open, I said NO….Finally I though stuff it, the vet prescription diet has helped my boy get better it may have corn in it but it has made him poo normal, he’s playing, he wants to go for his walks, he’s a happy 5 year old dog acting like a puppy & he’s not crying in pain….I still dont want him on his Eukanuba Intestinal but sometimes they do need the balanced vets diet just for a little while to get better, then you can slowey change their diets but on this site ur made to feel guilty cause ur dogs on a vet diet….sometimes there’s some people that come on this site so desparate for help they will do anything they read… giving vinegar to a sick dog is not a good idea, I google info on ACV its good for some dogs with minor problems but not real sick dogs..but until you have a really sick dog, I think no one should really being saying do this or do that, like I wrote ASK ur VET about Metronidazole or Prednisone the vet will either say, oh NO he doesnt need that or no we think chewy has this.. I always write what has happened with Patch & what did worked with Patch on post, if that person wants to try what made Patch better good-luck to them, I wish when I came on this site 1 year ago I got some good advise, I think a couple of ladys did help a little Paddy & Crazy for Cats had some real good advice but I couldnt get that kibble being in Australia.. When I read Chewy’s story it sounded just like what Patch & I was going thru last April 2013…sorry for the book

[Andrea B]

I have a 9-week old puppy who currently weighs a little over 7 lbs. We were told by the breeder (mini Goldendoodle) to give her about 1-1.3 cups per day. She is supposed to be between 20-25 lbs full grown. She was pooping 5-6 X per day on that much food and the vet suggested it was too much and that we cut it back by half, so now she’s getting about 2/3 cup per day total. She poops 3-4 X per day now but she seems like she is starving all the time. How do I know how much to feed her? She is getting Earthborn Holistic puppy vantage? Any ideas?

[Dawn R]

My vet just did a puppy exam on my 9 week old bulldog and the fecal test came back with giardia. This is totally new to me so we are giving her panacure for 6 days. Anyone else ever experience this?

I’m concerned if it could spread to my 5 and 6 year old pugs, so trying yo be careful.

Is there anything else I should be giving her. I’m using probiotics max with her food and feeding 3x’s a day

Let me know…..
Thanks, Dawn
Aka PugsonRaw

[Susan]

Hi Lisa, Chewy reminds me of what my Patch was doing 1 year ago, vomiting early hours of the morning, having diarrhea, vet diagnosed him with Pancreatitis & IBD, he had to be put on a low low fat diet, nothing over 10% fat & a lower protein % so nothing over 24% protein, he was put on vet prescription Eukanuba Intestinal diet & a dog probiotic this helped with his pooing problems, he does perfect poos now but he still vomited maybe once a week or once every 2 weeks, so I started to cook him boiled chicken breast & 2 tablespoons of boiled pumkin for breakfast, this stopped his vomiting of a morning & his licking & licking his lips after eating but he was still having his pain on his right side under his rib cage, so I stopped the boiled chicken & now I give him tin tuna in spring water, I drain the small tin of tuna & mix with about 2 tablespoons of pumkin & I warm in micro wave the amount I need to use that morning & put rest in fridge for next morning, I then spread the tuna & pumkin on 1 piece of toast, there’s enough for 2 breakfast, I cut the toast (white bread no grains) into 9 squares & hand feed, so he doesnt gulp it all down too quick, the toast seems to keep everything down when he burps, he doesnt seem to have his pain like he did with the boiled chicken, all his vomiting has stopped too….
I’d see a new vet & start with a new low fat diet & see how things go, when I first started the pumkin Patch did have soft poos for 2 days know its perfect, Im also adding the Wellness Simple Duck & Oats to his Eukanuba Intestinal, the Wellness Simple has been good as it digest easily & isnt a hard hard kibble, I also add water to Patches kibble then drain, then add water again, then drain to wash off excess dust from kibble & to soften kibble, the Eukanuba Intestinal is a low residue kibble it breaks up real easily so its easier to digest there is a puppy formula awell, the Wellness Simple also soften real easliy when water is added, Patch was also vomiting up undigested kibble about 6-8 hours later 1 year ago, I forgot last year Patch when Patch was real sick he was put on Metronidazole for 2 weeks, its an antibiotic for their stomach & bowel its stops the diarrhea, ask ur new vet can you have a script & try the Metronidazole, I just go to my chemist & only pay $9.20 instead of the high vet charges, I wouldnt do raw as it high in fat & bacteria ur boy mighten be able to digest raw at this time until you work out whats wrong, something is wrong, alot of puppy foods are real high in fat, you mite need to try a low fat adult kibble just till you stop the pooing & vomiting..or get a vet precription diet just till u get everything under control as ur boy is probably starving with the vomiting & diarrhea…..Good-luck

[Lisa C]

I’m sure this has been talked about numerous times on here, but there’s no search box to try and find answers in the forum. Sorry!

We have had our Chewy since December of last year. We got him at eight weeks. He is a Pekingese/Chihuahua/Cocker Spaniel/ mix (we did a DNA test!) So he’s not quite a year old yet, but later in the fall he will be. The first month or two we had Chewy, he had no problems. We fed him dry puppy Nutro (the pink bag) that was recommended by someone who claimed to have researched foods. after the first 1-2 months, he started vomiting EVERY day. At least once a day. It’s now mid-July, and yes, he still vomits EVERY single day! I think there’s maybe been six total days since Feb that he hasn’t puked at least once. We’ve had numerous tests done at the vet. Blood tests, X-rays, stool samples. Everything is negative. They have no answers for us! The next step would be putting a camera inside him — which I’m sure is an expensive procedure that I cannot afford. He acts normal – he still loves to go outside and play, gets excited when we come home, plays with toys. But he always acts so hungry. We’ve tried so many different kinds of foods, wet and dry. At the vet’s request, we tried two different brands of prescription food (dry only), (which is expensive) 🙁 first Hills and then the Purina RX. The vet also made me buy the $30 box of RX Purina probiotics. None of that fancy overpriced crap did anything but make him vomit even more, and even worse, all undigested.

This week I’ve started to keep a daily journal of everything he eats, and his daily puking habits. The vomiting occurs in the early mornings. Occasionally at night, but mostly mornings. He seems to do alright on the Nutro Puppy Chiot wet food, last week he went maybe 1-2 days without puking on that alone. But I know he can’t just live on wet food, at least from what I’ve read they also need dry food for their teeth. For a few weeks we tried feeding solely cooked chicken, which is LOVED, but still puked out that, too. The other problem is obviously is switching the foods so many times gives him baaaad diarrhea. Yesterday I decided to try yet another food, Solid Gold wet, and going from the Nutro can to that has made him diarrhea two days in a row. We have to keep him locked up in the kitchen the last two nights because he just won’t stop pooping. Of course most of the time his poops are normal, but every once in a while that one food will tip him off and it’s all downhill from there.

I’m so, SO tired of waking up early every morning to scrub vomit off of our apartment carpet. (It’s already ruined.) but most importantly, I just want Chewy to be a normal, healthy dog, and not have such horrible vomiting problems. and of course because of this, you can feel all his bones. We recently took him to get groomed and they said they noticed he was really skinny. He’s skinny because he vomits every day! My boyfriend says we should try him on a raw diet, but I don’t want to do something too drastic without help first. I guess our next step could be getting a second opinion at a different vet, but we’ve already spent a lot of money. I appreciate ALL comments and suggestions. Please help us and our Chewy 🙁

[Katie J]

Paula – I do agree that I feel like I have been very lucky with how he has handled transitions. I panicked when he stopped eating like a chow hound! Fortunately he has handled switched very well, and I was lucky enough to get several samples of particular foods to give him time to adjust. All in all, he seems to like having something new. And I keep careful watch because I know I am throwing a lot at him.

Amy – Some may say he’s small even for a Shiba. Though their normal weight is around 20 lbs. I think we are coming close to 10 lbs. he gets weighed again next week. I would guess he’s put on 3-5 lbs in the month I’ve had him.

As for his feedings, we scaled back to 2. His AM feeding with me seemed lackluster with an extremely enthusiastic dinner. After my boyfriend asked me one dinner feeding if I had even fed him that day, I decided that especially on fun, high activity days (going to the barn or taking trips to pet stores) he probably needs a lunch/snack. I cut his breakfast down the next day and gave lunch before heading out to play. Dinner was gobbled down and then some. By the looks of him, I think we’re hitting another growth spurt. My boyfriend and I both agreed he looked bigger since the morning! And now my terrier has acceptable his role as puppy playmate so it’s a nonstop cycle of playing until they pass out so they are both looking for more food!

At this rate, I think we may hit 30 lbs by adulthood. Though I think that’s the max we could possibly do. Personally I am happy with anything as long as he is happy and healthy. So far that’s the case! My boyfriend wishes he would get bigger though. This little guy reminded him of his favorite childhood dog, a 100 plus Akita. I just had to break the news to him that Gichin will grow to a certain size regardless of our presences. Heck I like small dogs! We’ll just have to love him nonetheless! 🙂

[Travis A]

Ok i will check those threads out in the Raw section, but I have 2 pit/(boxer/lab) mixes, I’m guesstimating the boxer/lab part as i took them off a friend’s relative who was in a bad spot so didn’t really have all the background info i wanted, she said pit/boxer but they are for sure pit/ either Lab/boxer mix or may just be lab their snouts are narrower and longer than our other pit. But they are in the middle of their 5th month and about 35-40 lbs. Also on the first bag i did feed our other pit some of the time too so that didn’t help in conserving but that was temp. Unfortunately my roomies don’t care what they feed their dogs so he gets stuck with the worst of the worst Purina Puppy Chow…. 🙁 They just don’t care to buy a better brand i give them plenty of info but still no changes. And i can’t afford the better food for 3 big dogs.

[2manycats]

I have 6 month old English Mastiff/Saint Bernard mix (fixed). She had stomach issues and is currently on Hill’s I/D from my vet. I want to switch her back to a Giant Breed pet food but unsure which one to put her on. She was on Precise Giant Breed when her issues started. Has anyone feed their Giant Breed puppy the Pet Valu Large Breed puppy? Any suggestions on puppy food for my little …. I mean big girl .. she is 60lbs. Thanks.

[Dfwgolden]

Hi everyone!

Ok so I have serious question for xx large breed dog owners.
I have a 12 week old male Great Dane puppy.
When we got him he was on Diamond Puppy formula and doing iffy.
We feed ourdogs a grain free rotational diet.
And they have done awesome. However Bane has seemed to decline since we got him.

He’s growing normally and everything however he has had soft stool since day one.
And these past two weeks it’s literally been water/patte.
Two days ago He had to go CONSTANTLY. And just explodes I kid you not it’s like an explosion.
A norm poop just falls even if it’s diarrhea however his blows like a gun. Splashing everywhere.
Including in our new car… Three times within two hours.
And it’s not just a little it’s A LOT.

He’s been on-
Diamond Puppy
Whole Earth Farms
And recently Diamond Naturals Large Breed chicken and rice.
This last food is when he hit his worst.

After two weeks of this I took him off the food sunday afternoon. And only gave him canned pumpkin salt, plain crackers, plain yogurt (live culture) and some probiotic human capsules.

Last night I finly have him some solid food:
Wellness Simple Salmon formula.
This morning he finally pooped and it was solid! But very orange defiantly could tell it was from the pumpkin! Haha!

He has since pooped three more times all of which have been mostly solid but could be better.
Shaped but mushy.

I’m wondering if it’s poultry and the Petco guy recommended it as a way to start into a LID and see if that helps. (The simple)
He had his ears cropped about 3-4 weeks ago and was on antibiotics which could possibly play a roll? And he is down on his probiotics?
He was only on them for a week though and this didn’t start up to water until recently.

He is on dewormer and flea/tick. Sintenal. And has received his last round of puppy shots. No rabies yet.
My dad brought up the possibility of Giardia and Coccidia. Had a fu work up done today he he’s clean as a whistle on his fecal Giardia and blood.
Our vet is a dane breeder herself

Bane is eating and drinking normally and has shown no signs of “illness” he’s just his goofy self as always!

My biggest
Concern however is the fact that if he does do good on wellness simple that we won’t be able to keep him on it.
It’s $68 for 27lbs.
And with him already eating 6 cups a day and is having 4 other dogs.
You get the gist.
I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area and believe it or not my food choices although broad are limited to either $&!+ or high dollar.

We’ve done 4Health and Diamond and Proplan and purina one (which believe it or
Not the weight loss formula did fantastic for out over weight senior golden)

The vet said it’s possible he has a grain and poultry allergy.
Which limits my choices even more as even “duck and oatmeal” formulas contain chicken fat.

I leave for a month long Vacation with Bane to Poplar Bluff Missouri on the 15th white it being so Rural that lowers my availability even more.
Meaning I don’t have time to try a raw diet for him.

I need something that’s no more than $45-$50 a bag that can basically “hold him over” until I get back In 4 weeks.

I’m in need her Hound Dog mom! Lol.

[Katie J]

Thanks guys! I was wanting to introduce all of the potential raw ingredients through his puppyhood before making the leap. I keep reading that making the switch to raw is a lot easier than it seems. But boy, it sure looks awfully complicated going through this thread!

In reference to SSLL, am I missing the serving size guide on the website? My iPad doesn’t zoom the bag picture correctly. I see that it’s highly recommended, but I want to see what it’ll actually cost me to feed.

$90 for a grinder is very reasonable. I hadn’t started looking yet, but I was thinking that would be quite the investment. I could supplement with grinds from another source and grind chicken in house. I am just looking to be as inexpensive as possible. I may not be factoring everything right, but it sounds like feeding raw could be cheaper than the kibble I have been experimenting with. We haven’t settled on a kibble that the pup loves. And my terrier has been taking a liking to wet food over his kibble.

I have a sample of Steve Brown’s book saved. I have been debating on purchasing as I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it yet. The other book sounds promising.

Maybe I’ll get some things from the co-op to try. Also I think I saw someone say that they buy from the grocery store. I work at an Aldi. Not sure if anyone is familiar with the store. We don’t have a butcher but have a decent selection of pork, beef and chicken prepackaged. Is that safe for dogs?

[Katie J]

So I have went through this entire thread (skimmed a tiny bit) and couldn’t find my answer surprisingly enough. I have been toying with the idea of going raw for my new pup that I mentioned in the Editor’s Choice forum, but worry that I could screw him up if I get the balance off. The puppy stage is too important to screw up. I keep researching raw anyhow because I want to switch to raw eventually for him and my terrier mix. I even recently found a co-op that delivers close by.

My bug question, as I see most people are feeding medium – large dogs, is how I maintain balance for small dogs? My terrier is 15-20 lbs (just guessing but I can weigh him), and my pup is 8-9 lbs (he weighed 7 lbs about two weeks ago at the vet). For those who haven’t read the other thread, he’s almost a 4 months old Shiba Inu/Akita Inu that I purchased secondhand but was a pet store pup. Yes, he is very small for his age, and no, I have no idea how big he’ll be. He seems to be growing like a weed though! Anyhow to maintain the proper balance for the pup, would I have to rely mostly on grinds? I assume I can find a proper balance for my terrier without solely using grinds. I haven’t even looked into the cost of a grinder yet. If I were to use a premix like See Spot Live Longer, do I give these little guys 1 lb of boneless meat? Seems like an awful lot! And on the topic of supplements, I know a lot of puppy foods have added DHA. Would I want to add that in a puppy raw diet? I was also toying with the idea of placing an order with the co-op for a few things to try to add in to the current diet of kibble and wet my pup is getting to help him transition. Is it safe to use raw as a topper on kibble? Or should I feed raw as an exclusive meal?

Thank you for all of this information! I discovered this website about a week ago and have since made it my personal mission to find out how to give my dogs the best!

[Gregory C]

Hello,

I have recently adopted a dog — she is an older (they think about 7-8 years) mix, probably some lab, terrier, and who knows what else. She is about 40 pounds. The rescue organization is keeping her for 2.5 weeks, as I already had a vacation planned prior to the adoption, but before I leave I am preparing my house, buying food, etc.

The rescue org is feeding her some pretty terrible food, from everything I read on here and elsewhere. They are feeding her mostly wet food (I think because she likes it, and they have too many dogs to worry about to force the issue) — they are using Pedigree “meaty ground dinner” (ick!). Depending on who feeds her, they are also mixing in some Science Diet Advanced Fitness (small bites dry).

Clearly, I want to switch her to a new food when I get her. After a lot of research and some recommendations from friends, I have settled on Wellness Complete Health for dry food, and will try a variety of Wellness wet foods to mix in.

My question/concern is this: How best to transition her to the new food? It is tough to do the usual transition “formulas” I have seen online, because she is basically on only wet food now, and I want to switch to a combo. I have heard from several people that they have had success at switching “cold turkey” when adopting a new dog, but others seem to swear by transitioning. I figure as an older dog, her stomach is not as sensitive as a puppy’s would be, but I don’t know whether it’s a bad idea to switch “cold turkey” or whether I should just try it and see what happens. On the one hand, I’m switching to a *much* higher quality product, but on the other hand, I wonder how she’ll handle the different nutritional value.

Any thoughts/recommendations on this? If you suggest transitioning, any ideas how I might do it, given her current diet of mostly wet food? (I was thinking of mixing in some new dry with some old wet, and then slowly transitioning to more new dry and less wet, and then to the new wet. But honestly, I’d love it if “cold turkey” was everyone’s answer — less stressful! 🙂 )

Thanks in advance!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Gregory C.

[Katie J]

He actually watches the other dog eat. So I asked my boyfriend, who he apparently eats better for, if he bring my terrier in for feedings. He does not. I thought he had been being that I told him to… Lol. I had been separating the pair in the bathroom of all places. It was just a convenient place at first. It is quite crowded with the three of us. But I do have to keep any dog getting something special out of sight of the spaniel as she is very territorial over food/treats/anything special. Perhaps the extras I having been giving my terrier will just have to be after I feed the pup for now. I don’t have an ideal situation currently. Eventually they will have special places to eat.

I had planned to switch to 2 meals and found out that the boyfriend fed lunch today. I will just give him a very small dinner to hold him over. We’ll go to 2 tomorrow. I am nervous about having him eat just dry as he hasn’t been forced to suffer that torture in about a week. 😉 Would doing a mostly dry meal in the AM and a mostly wet meal in the PM be a good compromise?

I had a sneaking suspicion that I was totally getting played with the spoon feeding. And there is a reason that I have furry kids and not the human kind. I guess I would be that mom forcing food down her kids’ mouths! It’s been several years since I’ve had a puppy as opposed to an adoloescent or adult. I have been extremely paranoid and concerned with every bit of him.

I did a bit of online vet work to see about his water habits. And I was figuring that he just hadn’t understood that water isn’t just a boredom thing. His potty training has been coming along so I was thinking about letting him get a few more water breaks so he can get the hint. I will discuss his habits with our vet just to be sure as he acts like a normal puppy.

We just picked up some new goodies for him tonight: 2 samples of Signature and two cans of Wild Calling. And since the price was good on the Orijen Treats, he got those too. We almost picked up a small bag of the Stella raw, but we were wanting to try a small bag of the rabbit before committing to a big bag.

Crazy4cats – Thank you. He’s my little special man. I just want the best for my little guys!

[latis2270]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,

First of all, thank you so much for your dedication to, and excellent work in filling in some of the gaps in the grey area that is proper giant breed puppy nutrition. Finding this forum has eased a lot of the stress I’ve accumulated in looking for the right food for my puppy after hearing/reading conflicting opinions of what he should be eating from our vet, Saint blogs and non-giant puppy info sources…

I have a lovely 9 month old fixed male Saint Bernard. He is hovering around 85 pounds and growing fast with lots of energy, the appetite of a lion and a very healthy, lean body shape. Unfortunately he is having problems with digestion of his current food as his stool is consistently soft/diarrhea on the tail end of going to the bathroom (it always starts out solid). He is currently on Wellness Large Breed puppy formula and after reading your article and lots of reviews of other people having issues I see that it’s time to switch.

After researching some of the food on your list, I have my eye on the Earthborn Holistic brand, possibly the coastal catch variety. I do have a couple of questions and wonder if you might have an opinion-

1) I have read several of your responses for people asking about portions to feed a puppy on an adult food and understand, of course, that it is based on individual needs. But I am trying to ballpark where to start him based on his age as an older puppy with higher energy levels and a good amount of activity. His appetite is monstrous as well, I feel like he could eat way more than what we give him but of course I am respecting a healthy diet and trying to maintain a safe weight for his growth. We feed him a bit more than what the Wellness bag recommends because he seems so hungry and it has not affected his weight at all. Should I start him off at 1 1/2 of what the chart says? Not sure if 2 times the amount is too much as he’s not such a small puppy anymore….

2) Although your list has the EH varieties listed as 5 on DFA, the DFA website itself lists them at 4. I double checked to see that the calcium percentage is still the same as listed on your chart, and it is. But do you think the 4 score is a negative reflection on the brand if it dropped from a 5 to a 4?

Thanks so much for all of your help!

[Katie J]

A little over two weeks ago, I brought home a new pup for my boyfriend. He’s a Shiba Inu/Akita Inu mix and coming up to 4 months old. I have very little background on him as he was a pet store pup that I bought second hand. It’s a long story for another thread. I know the stigma with pet store pups as well though I have a 13 year old English Springer Spaniel that was purchased at a pet store that has never had anything but a routine vet visit and lives on Purina of all things. Anyhow back on topic. My little guy is little. He weighed at 7 lbs about a week ago at the vet’s office, but I am guessing he’s sitting closer to 8-9 now. Yes, I know he is shockingly small for his supposed breeding. But everyone that meets him guesses either one of this mix, but no one knows why he’s so small. We’re guessing that it could have a lot to do with his pet store past.

Now that that’s out of the way, time to talk food. I got him with a bag of Eukanuba puppy. He ate that fine until he caught wind of the Purina. Our adult dogs (the spaniel and my terrier mix) are free range because we lead a very busy and random life at the house. This is something I plan to change for my terrier and this pup when my boyfriend get our own place. I knew that I didn’t want the pup to eat adult food as he has special puppy needs. I nearly just bought the puppy formula for Purina until I food this website. Since then I have done more reading than I would care to admit on dog food. I decided to pick a food that wasn’t going to be a big jump in quality or price and bought 4Health Puppy. I know some people are leery of Diamond. But at the price and star rating, I grabbed a bag along with one of each of their rice free cans. My plan was to do kibble and a can topper. He licked the bowl clean for three meals. Meal four, he ate half and walked away. I switched the topper to a new flavor. Same result. We were trying two meals a day but broke it down to 3 thinking that I was trying to feed him too much at a time. No change. Though I was able to get him to finish if I spoon fed the last half of his food.

Three days ago I stopped by a local dog boutique and came home with several samples and goats milk as a probiotic. His stools had been soft too pretty loose due to the changing in foods trying to find something he liked. After the milk thawed I gave him a little in his nornal meal with the same result: ate half, spoon fed rest. Stools have firmed up since. The night before last we started samples. I have a lot of Earthborn as I had went to another store and got even more samples most of which was Earthborn. I think it was the prairie formula first that he nearly finished on his own without the milk. I only give the milk once a day. Apparently he nearly finished his next two meal with my boyfriend. I wasn’t there as I was working. But I know that he will not spoon feed. With fireworks last night, the pup didn’t get his dinner. It was too late, and he had a late lunch. I expected a hungry puppy today! Nope. Same result with goats milk. This was his second feeding on a new flavor of Earthborn. I forgot the flavor. But it was blue packaging. I still have the primitive flavor left to try from Earthborn. I also have Halo, two flavors of Fromm, Acana and Orijen puppy. I wanted to get through all of the cheaper stuff first in hopes of finding something he likes.

A few extra things to add, I am feeding him separately from the spaniel who is very food aggressive. But I feed him with my terrier as I want to start transititioning my terrier to a better diet as well for when we move out. Sometimes the pup seems distracted because the terrier gets something different (4Health adult and the same topper the pup gets). But he does want to eat the terrier’s. He gets awfully burpy when he eats. I am looking to add sardines and perhaps switching to plain Kefir for the probiotic. Switching to raw right now is not something I want to do. I am unsure about getting the right balance, and his puppy stage is far too important to screw up. I do plan on introducing him to all the raw elements I want to use in the future, and at around a year old, we may make the switch. And I cannot afford to do commercial or dehydrated food. I love the guy, but I can’t justify spending as much to feed him as to fees me not to mention it’s not in the budget.

Boy that was long just to get to what I wanted to ask. Is he training me to spoon feed him? It seems like all of my meals with him end with me begging him to finish so much so that I grab the spoon. His nutrition is so important to me. I can’t stand him missing a meal or wasting that food! Any ideas?

[Gail W]

I have a rescue organization and just took in 4 pups that were abandoned on a railroad track. I have been feeding my adult dogs Victor Professional and have been extremely happy with the product. I purchased Victor’s puppy blend for these guys. Their stool is always soft bordering on diarrhea. We have had two sets of fecals done, three rounds of Panacur and a 5-day flagyl round. Today my vet suggested that the food simply may not agree with the pups. Too rich. I have talked with several vets over the past 2 years saying that they are seeing a lot of problems with diarrhea with Blue. Just too rich for many stomachs.
Does anyone have any recommendations for me to try with these pups? I am wondering if the Victor Professional that I feed my adults might work. The info on the bag says it is good for all life stages, but can I depend on that? Thanks.

[Cameron J]

Hello,
I’m very new to this and like everyone seems to say, sorry if I’m asking in the wrong place, my lurcher (deerhound greyhound x saluki greyhound) Hunter has just turned 11 weeks. I am currently feeding him Hill’s Science Plan, chicken flavour and have finally decided to switch to raw food. I have found a wholesale butcher where i will buy the meat. My problem is that wherever I look i can only find how much people feed their adult dogs and i don’t want to just guess it. I’m not sure what he weighs until i visit the vets tomorrow and he is about to run out of food so do i just switch completely or mix with current feed and how much (i know I’m asking a bit much without his weight but just an average for his age of a similar breed until i get him weighed)
thanks in advance 🙂

[arwyru24]

I am so glad to read the positive review…it seems like every review I have read has been extremely positive so I am definitely going to get one of these. Our last dog ate more like a cat. He would pick at his food throughout the day so this is like a shock.. Our puppy now doesn’t choke or cough or anything like that after eating but it really does seem like he eats really really really really fast and this would be a really good thing. I try to feed very minimal dry food to my cats, I have them down to about 1/3 cup a day split into two feedings between the two of them(although its the tubby one that eats most of it, he prefers and eats more of the dry food the other one prefers and eats more of the canned food) but I got http://aikiou.com/ and it really seems to help a lot, it slows him down so he can’t just chow down all his kibble at once, and that seems to have him eating a little less. I really want to eliminate all kibble from my cats diet, but Wyatt really really really loves his crunchies and he looks and begs for them. He likes canned food, and he does eat the canned, they get about the equivalent of a 13oz can a day (total for the two of them, split into 3 meals usually) but its been hard for me to completely kick the kibble.

[SaintsDontCarryBrandy]

Have a new Saint puppy at 3 months old who’s apparently been raised on some serious junky food with questionable ingredients (it rates two stars on the DFA list…and I think they were being kind…). Two major questions:
(1) Can I switch him over to e.g. Victor Grain Free or another brand and potentially undo some of the dietary damage?
(2) What can I use as decent dog treats/chews? My parents raised great Saints, but they fed “whatever was cheap”, and I know the results of that path, so any suggestions would sure be appreciated. With the high rate of hip dysplasia in Saints, avoiding overfeeding or overcalcifying is a big focus.
Thoughts?

[Dawn R]

Thanks all!

She is an English bulldog… And will be joining my existing crew of 2 pugs that are 5 and 6 years old. It’s been a while since I’ve had a puppy so want to make sure I start out on the right foot. My pugs have been on raw for years and stay healthy and lean on it. Back when I was a newbie dog owner I used to feed beneful so I’ve come a long way in dog nutrition.

I’ve picked out a few foods…..stella and Chewys raw, some ziwipeak dehydrated, and acana and Origen dry food. The breeder has her on Royal Canine mini starter and not sure if I should transition right away to new food. Any suggestions?

Should I be feeding 2 or 3 times a day….. ?

I saw a few products online geared to puppies, has anyone used Whollistic Pet colostrum, missing link for puppies, or Puppy Gold. They all seem like transition type products.

Getting excited….. I get her in 12 days!

[Trout-lily]

Hi
I am a new mom of a 14 week old bener. My breeder told me the old wives tale of reducing the puppy to adult food after she is 4 months but now I’m reading that this is not the case. Luckily I’ve been feeding her Wellness puppy food since we got her at 10 weeks and I see that it’s on your approved list. I have two questions; 1.) When is the proper time to switch my giant breed to adult large breed dog food and 2.) where do I find most of the dog foods in your approved list? I tried searching for other varietys to mix it up a bit but I’m finding that petco and petsmart don’t carry most of the brands on the list. I’m starting to freak myself out from reading some of the posts of hipdisplasia in young pups but I figure this forum would be a good place to start to gain my sanity back. Thank you so much for sharing your research.

[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, 6 months ago by Dori.

[inov8v]

I brought home a new puppy on 6/5 who was easier to crate train and begin housetraining than I ever imagined. He could hold his pee for several hours through the night for the first several nights but then I noticed that he peed in his crate and had to go way more than even a puppy should. Long story short, three trips to the vet over the next week and three different meds – none of which seem to be working.

My question is has anyone any thoughts on the food being part of the problem. The breeder was feeding him Pedigree can and Iams Smart Puppy. I switched him to Ziwi Peak.

Other than the UTI, the pup is growing and is very engaged in the training we’re providing. Also, it’s a Shetland Sheepdog.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Case]

Have I read too much today and confused myself? It appears that it’s more cost effective to feed raw than high end kibble. Am I overlooking something here?

http://www.chewy.com/dog/grandma-lucys-pureformance-grain/dp/36506
-vs-
http://www.chewy.com/dog/orijen-puppy-grain-free-dry-dog-food/dp/29733

[Omayra R]

Hello there,

My family has a maltese/yorkie mixed 3 month old puppy. From what I’ve been reading online, it looks like yorkies are prone to liver issues.

I was told Science was the best but then I see on here that it is not. So much conflicting responses.

Idk what yo feed our little angel. 🙁 Please help.

Money isn’t an issue with us. We want the best for him.

[Bethany D]

Hi HDM,

Thank you so much for your research and insight regarding large breed dog foods. I have a couple of questions regarding food choices for my golden retriever puppy who will be coming home with me in a little over a week. I currently feed my other two dogs (an adult lab and golden) Taste of the Wild but it appears the TOTW puppy food is too high in calcium. I am investigating other large breed puppy options. I haven’t seen much written on here about Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. I don’t necessarily like that chicken meal is the top ingredient but do you have any other thoughts on that option?

Also what do you think would be the most cost effective food that would be appropriate for a large breed puppy? The Fromm Gold LBP is intriguing. I am on a bit of a budget for dog food, but I also don’t want to compromise my puppy’s health with cheap or inappropriate dog food. Thanks for the advice!

[Liz O]

I posted this in the LB forum and should have probably posted it here, so here it goes:

My 4 month old female lab puppy developed a bladder infection. The vet said to feed her their Royal canin SO for urinary problems. I looked at the list of ingredients and can’t feed her that. Two of the ingredients are corn based and pork meat by products. The first antibiotic didn’t seem to work so yesterday she was put on a different one. She has crystals in her urine but not stones. There’s still blood in her urine after 2 doses of the new antibiotic and she’s still straining to urinate. Any ideas of what would be a reccomended food with 4 or 5 stars for this kind of issue? She is currently eating Kirkland Nature’s Domain Salmon, she was on Wellness Puppy at first but it didn’t really work for her. Thanks.

[Liz O]

My 4 month old female lab puppy developed a bladder infection. The vet said to feed her their Royal canin SO for urinary problems. I looked at the list of ingredients and can’t feed her that. Two of the ingredients are corn based and pork meat by products. The first antibiotic didn’t seem to work so yesterday she was put on a different one. She has crystals in her urine but not stones. There’s still blood in her urine after 2 doses of the new antibiotic and she’s still straining to urinate. Any ideas of what would be a reccomended food with 4 or 5 stars for this kind of issue? She is currently eating Kirkland Nature’s Domain Salmon, she was on Wellness Puppy at first but it didn’t really work for her. Thanks.

[Tina]

Anyone own a Cocker Spaniel If so what do you feed yours?
My Cocker Spaniel American Cocker Spaniel is 9 years old and has these problems;
*Colitis
*dry skin
*itchy skin
*Very gassy
*cataracts
She is on Nutro Natural Choice Senior and Hill’s Ideal Balance Mature Adult mixed. She has only had chicken her entire life. These are the brands that she has tried as a puppy and a adult;
*Purina Pro Plan Puppy
*Purina One Adult
*Hill’s Science Diet Mature Adult Small Bites
*Hill’s Ideal Balance Mature Adult
*Nutro Natural Choice Senior
*Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D

None of these I was happy with and none of them did the trick except Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D. What can you suggest? I’m open to ANY suggestions, including all life stages dog food. She will eat anything and I mean anything at all. My only stipulation is that I can find the brand in multiple stores. She never gets bored of the same brand or flavor. My Cocker Spaniel has colitis so any food that she goes on must be easy on a dog’s stomach and good for digestion. She does well on chicken but definitely no beef. The kibble must be small because she had bad teeth. She’s no longer on Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D.