[Sarah]

Hello Dog Experts!

I would love to get your suggestions on what would be the best food to get for our new puppy Pearl who is 3/4 Golden Retriever and 1/4 Border Collie mix that the breeder refers to as a Coltriever. We have had her since she was 10 weeks old and is now 13 weeks and weighs 12 lbs and is a very active and happy pup. She is currently on Taste of the Wild Puppy which was what the breeder was feeding and we have switched between the Wild Prairie and Wild Pacific Salmon formulas and she has done well on both but seems to like the Wild Pacific Salmon formula more. She has a long and very fluffy puppy coat still and the Vet suggested having her on a fish based puppy food for both her longer coat and to help with the cancer that is so prevalent in Goldens. My understanding is TOTW is a good food for the price point however, I am looking to find what the best food would be for her. I joined the Editors Choice but the large breed Puppy foods listed were not fish based. I don’t mind paying more $$ as it is important to me to have her on the best food possible. Our vet is not pro Raw food and we currently are not looking to go that direction except for possibly supplementing. If anyone has suggestions on supplements we should be adding I would love to hear those as well! I am also scratching my head on whether I should be doing all dry or a wet/dry combo for her food.
These are some of the suggestions we got from Mud Bay for her dry food (a local high end pet store):
1. First Mate Puppy
2. Instinct Salmon (it’s not a puppy formula but they said that it has the same protein and fat ratios as a puppy formula would have)
3. Acana (they didn’t carry but said was great)
4. Orijen (they didn’t carry but said was great)
I appreciate the help, the more I research the more confused I get and would love to hear from people’s personal experiences!
~Sarah

[Julie L]

You can also try Wild Calling not to be confused with the other. They have a great selection and I started my 8 week old on it and my 2yr old. They have White Fish, White Fish Elk Salmon, Turkey, Beef etc. Those are just 5 of them and you can rotate without any fear of loose stools. Right now before Jan 1, 2015 go to their site grab a coupon buy one get one free (4.5 lb) that way you can try a couple of different ones and if the pup doesn’t like them (which I doubt) the store should take them back. Gee I sound like an ad..lol

[DogFoodie]

If it’s your hope to use a fish based food for the Omega 3’s, you’re better off adding sardines, fish oil or another form of Omega 3 supplement to the food you’re feeding.

Here’s an article written by Steve Brown, who many consider to be one of the authorities of raw feeding: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html

[theBCnut]

If you really want the benefits of omega 3s for her coat and cancer fighting properties then you want to stay away from fish based foods and only add fresh or well protected sources or omega 3s. Omega 3s oxidize quickly when exposed to air and oxidized fats are more in the line of cancer promoting than cancer fighting. You are better off feeding a good food and adding omega 3 right before feeding.

Since you aren’t sure what size your pup will be, you should also read the first few pages of the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition thread in the Diet and Health Issues forum.

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