What dry food Do/Did people feed their puppies?

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

I'm wondering about this since I was fooled by proplan with Dal. I'm considering Solid golds Hund and flocken puppy but, I thought I'd ask.

[r b m]

I started out with Nutro Ultra then moved to Solid Gold. Sienna has done well on both. Her coat looked slightly better with the Nutro, but there is less "clean up" with SG.

[BigD]

Sheryl - no need to use the puppy formula - just go right to Hund and Flocken Adult. That's what both my dogs get and have been on since they came here (Marzipan at 8 weeks).

 

It has been discussed MANY times before (try doing a search for it) that puppy food my cause growth spurts that could injure the pups. In my case we did not feed Marzipan puppy food - just adult - and she has done very well on it and continues to thrive. One thing that may or may not be related to this is that she is the smallest of her siblings - less than 17" at the shoulder and she's almost 3 years old now.

 

Denise

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

I thought the added calcium is a danger to them?

Gosh this stuff gets confusing.

 

Can I give the pup Neura meats canned food with everyone else since it's almost pure meat?

[Meg's mum]

I've been using Precise, and supplementing with lightly cooked chicken, chicken livers, canned fish, raw whole egg etc and treats. She has a beautiful coat and seems to be doing well.

[fooshuman]

Ack! No Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul puppy food? This whole food issue confuses the hades outta me as well Dally's Mum.

[Kat's Dogs]

Most of us here don't do puppy food - rather, go right to adult food. It is really your choice though - you vet will usually say do puppy food but there is nothing wrong with not doing puppy food.

 

I feed "Science Diet" to the Dazzle (now and when she was a pup) and "Blue" to the shih tzus

[lucieluv]

Mine have always ate Science Diet. The three older dogs are now on Science Diet Senior 5+ Large Breed. I lived in Topeka, Ks for about 5 years where Hill's was and one of the Vet's I used was a Vet there. She would bring me "trial" stuff and the Senior 5+ has worked wonders with Lucie.

 

As for puppy Mattie, I tried to feed her puppy food. She refused to eat it. The other dogs loved it, though. She wants the Senior 5+. Due to her injuries, I don't feel the least bit bad about feeding her the Senior dog food because of the added stuff in it. My new Vet even said its okay also. But, just to make sure she gets what she needs as a cute puppy, I mix it with puppy food.

[kelpiegirl]

As long as you go with a top of the line brand, you don't need puppy food. I feed Canidae to all stages, and have been very happy with it.

Julie

[Hector]

I feed Beaverdam Pet Food to Bailey and Sadie. This product is made and marketed by a family business in Delaware. I buy it at a Mennonite Feed Mill in Loveville Maryland for a cost of $17 per 40 pounds. I think it is a premium food at a regular price. There is no meat "by products" in the dog food. My dogs have done very well on it.

[Carson Crazies]

My future puppy will be started on Canidae all life stages.

[bcalaska]

I used Nutro chicken and rice for sensitive tummies for puppies, and have now switched to the same for adults. It works well for my guys.

[BustopherJones]

Shadow was on Eukeneuba Puppy Formula up to the age of 4 months (this was the food that the breeder used, and was approved by our vet) mixed with some Pedigree moist food for flavor, then gradually switched to an adult mixture of 1/2 cup each of IVD Control Formula and Innova (Shadow weighs 32 pound), which she has been on ever since. The dry food is mixed with a bit (roughly 1/8 can) of Pedigree moist food in the morning, and small pieces of either unseasoned baked chicken or Celentano's Italian meatballs in the evening (roughly 1/4 cup), mixed with some watered-down low-sodium beef or chicken broth for both meals. At the moment, she is going through one of her occasional sensitive-stomach phases (which seem to occur whenever we have a major climate change, typically twice a year here in New England), so she is temporarily on 3/4 cup of IVD Sensitive dry food as well as 2 tablesppons of IVD Sensitive moist food, mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of plain yogurt, no chicken, no meatballs, and warm water instead of broth.

[juliepoudrier]

Originally posted by fooshuman:

Ack! No Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul puppy food? This whole food issue confuses the hades outta me as well Dally's Mum.

FoosHuman,

My pup is eating the adult version of Chicken Soup.

 

J.

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

How is chicken soup in Dry? I had the canned here and the dogs didnt like it(poss too many meat mixes) and I thought it was a bit gross too.

[juliepoudrier]

Originally posted by dallys mom:

How is chicken soup in Dry? I had the canned here and the dogs didnt like it(poss too many meat mixes) and I thought it was a bit gross too.

All I can tell you is that even my cats beg for the Chicken Soup dog kibble.

 

J.

[fooshuman]

Yeah i gotta watch my kitties, they'll eat the dog food over their own. I notice i use alot less cat food since Zag has arrived. Them darn kibble stealing kitties :mad:

 

I haven't tried the canned, I use Nutro Natural Choice puppy food. I heard good things about them. I try to feed Zag "wet" at least 3 times a week. (All because of a silly urban myth i heard about feeding nothing but dried food to a male dog.)

[Jean, Josie's Mom]

Has anyone any comments on Natures Praire?

Our Josie loves it, as does our Jack Russell.

[Tex]

No need to feed a ?puppy? kibble-only difference between a pup and dog is the caloric intake! Just avoid the cheap, poisoned kibble i.e. Science Diet, Eukanuba, Pedigree, Purina, etc. Doesn?t pay in the long run to feed those type of kibble to your dog/s!

[feas]

I really like the Evo

[Kerrigan]

I don't feed puppy food. I feed everybody Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance and have been really happy with it for the last several years. I believe Natural Balance is listed in the Whole Dog Journal also. The regular has lamb, turkey and duck as the first three ingredients and it has lots of veggies in it. They also have several varieties including a duck & potatoe, sensitive stomach and vegetarian, canned food and the Natural Balance rolls (lamb, turkey or beef) that are great for training treats. The only drawback is that I think the only store that carries it is Petco.

 

Not really a plug for Petco, but thought I'd mention this in case you weren't aware. What I do like about Petco is that after you purchase 10 bags of food, they mail you a coupon for a free bag the size you normally buy. They also will also give a 10% discount off of your entire purchase (not just the food) if you buy 200lbs (any brand of food) at a time (you have to ask for that discount at the register though as its not advertised) and you can use any other discount/coupon they offer with it. The last time I was purchased food, they were giving a free Natural Balance roll with each purchase. I thought it was just one roll, but when I got to the register with 6 bags, they said I get one for each bag. Plus they gave me an additional 10% off because they had sent me a coupon for 10% off of my entire purchase, so it was a total of 20% off. I was a very happy camper! I don't know if they will give the bulk discount if you combine dog and cat food, but they might. With 5 dogs we always buy 200 lbs at a time .

 

There are a lot of excellent quality dog foods out there, you just have to find the one that works best for your dog.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

A plug for Natural Balance. It's the ONLY commercial kibble Ben can eat - the duck and potato. He eats only meat/bones/animal products (prey model) but it's nice to throw in a cup of the NB duck and potato every so often.

 

I feed pups a variety of raw meaty bones and as many whole prey critters as possible: rabbits, duck, chicken, other small fowl - spread out over the day in three or four meals. After their adult teeth are well in (about seven months) I'll start supplementing with the same cereal or kibble breakfast the grownups are getting and gradually switch them over to the adult feeding schedule.

 

If I feed kibble I switch between Solid Gold Holistique (fish and oatmeal based and more calcium), Solid Gold Mmillenium (beef and barley based and more calories), and Natural Balance Duck (more fat). My homeade cereal breakfast is a blend of oatmeal, barley, and rye meals, and canned fish, egg, and other odds and ends like molasses and sunflower oil.

 

My oldest dog gets Nature's Variety raw because it's easy and she puts on weight really easily if I'm not paying attention (which is difficult right now in the midle of moving and selling the old farm). My Chinese crested also gets this commercial formula because I'm antsy about getting the right balance of nutrients for an eight-pound dog that is something of a freak of nature (or human whim).

 

My pediatrician gave me great advice when we were trying to work with my son when he had failure to thrive. He said "Relax about what you feed him. As long as he gets a variety of nutritious fresh foods over the course of a week or so, and he gets X amount of protein daily on average, he will not miss out on anything important." He was right about PJ (who is in the top percentile of the growth charts now and LOVES his fruits and veggies). And it helped me relax - a little bit - about meeting my dogs' nutritional needs.

 

Read up on what makes a good food good, offer some variety, and you should have your bases covered. Good luck - puppies are great!

[punkrockbc]

Wow, that sounds like an awesome diet, Rebecca!

 

I'm getting my Cardi puppy in May, and her breeder feeds her dogs raw only, so I will be feeding Steve's Real Food (prepared raw meat, with 5% pulped fruits/veggies and some supplements added) and raw meaty bones. I'm in the transition of getting Gonzo used to raw, too! In a few months, I'll hopefully get her used to Evo so I can feed it occasionally, and I'm also thinking of getting freeze-dried Steve's Real Food just for every once in a while. I also agree that puppy formulas are more of a money-making scheme than anything. I have heard good things about Canidae for all life stages for pups! It's VERY affordable too, less than $1/lb.

[Black Watch Debatable]

Originally posted by Jean, Josie's Mom:

Has anyone any comments on Natures Praire?

Our Josie loves it, as does our Jack Russell.

Jean, my gang also gets Nature's Variety kibble (the Prairie line), and I think it's great. Twelve paws up! It was the first brand my holistic vet named when I asked her about kibbles. She also said that, with the best kibbles, there was no need to switch twelve year old Piper to a "senior diet." Cool! :cool:

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

Well I've been computer researching the top foods and although I cant find all of them in the same place. They are all within reasonable driving range.

 

Anyone feed wellness dry?