fudge Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Our pup arrived last week and we have kept her on the same diet as the breeder suggested. She is a 9 week old Cav. She has: Breakfast - farex and puppy milk with a little Yuccult Lunch/Dinner - a mix of Royal Canin, Pedigree puppy and Optimum Puppy The breeder also suggested cooked mince, pasta, rice and veges although the vet said not to bother as she wouldn't need it. As a child our pet dogs always had canned food. It feels a bit strange only offering Misty dry food. Is this right?? Any advice is very appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) Discuss your concerns with the breeder.There diet is given too on there past experiences & some will void guranatees if changed to a diet that will knowingly harm a breed I will say though we wouldnt suggest a cooked meal but each to there own & its important not to change the diet to quickly. Each breed often has certain needs & what diet may be good for one could cuase all sorts of issues for another & that applies to dry & even some raw meets. Edited February 14, 2009 by settrlvr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 I never feed my dogs wet food (or cooked for that matter). So I don't think that's a main concern I would have regarding your breeders diet. I also would not waste my money on puppy milk. Why don't just feed her Royal Canin (the best one out of the 3 you are to mix)? There is a lot of threads about proper nutrition for puppies. I think your best choices would be dry super premium only (like Royal Canin, Eagle Pack Holistic or Artemis) or raw only diet (do a search for raw, BARF and prey model). Whatever you decide to feed your dog, make sure you make a very very slow switch to the new diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboyz Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) If it were me I would totally drop the farex with milk - not needed and a waste of a meal in my opinion. I feed my 12wk chi baby 1 chicken neck (crushed with mallet and chopped up into about 3/4 peices) for breakfast. Maybe a little premium dry food for lunch, raw pet mince with fruit & veg mix (bought frozen from a pet food supplier) for dinner. This is basically the same diet for all my dogs, but tweeked for size/age. For example my shar pei pup of the same age gets 3 chicken necks (chopped not crushed) for breakfast and dry/mince mix for dinner. My adult chi gets the same as the pup - generally they steal each others. My adult pei get a chicken wing/frame/turkey neck for breakfast and the dry/mince combined for dinner. Once or twice a week I will add in some tinned fish or the occasional egg. Not at all sure why she would recommend mixing all those different brands of dry food. Mine will only get an occasional tin of Natures Gift if I run out of mince - I usually keep a tin for emergencies only. Edited February 14, 2009 by badboyz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hi- she doesn't really need milk/farex. She also does not need her food cooked! Pasta is not needed by dogs.. Most canned food is not worth the money... As suggested.. any diet change.. go slowly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudge Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Thanks so much! I've kept her diet the same on advice from her breeder - we didn't want a stressed out, upset-tummied pup but after chatting to the vet it looks like the Royal canin is the one to go with. I'm not sure why her breeder gives her a mix of all three dry foods but apparently the supermarket ones aren't very good so I think we'll wean her onto full time Royal Canin. To do that, should I just put smaller amounts of the other foods in the bowl to slowly wean her off them? To drop the farex, do I just stop or mix in some dry food with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) I would be stopping the farex/milk completely.Replace it with the Royal Canin.. Then, over the next week or so... put a little bit less of the other food, and a bit MORE Royal Canin... add whole, raw chicken wings, to help with her teeth/jaws and pieces of lamb flap, and she will be a happy baby Edited February 14, 2009 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboyz Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Why don't you giver her chicken necks in the am and royal canin in the pm. Simple and uncomplicated. She should already be used to the RC so should not need too much weaning. Just increase the quantity of RC in your current mix until the other dry is used up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudge Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 I have a heap of chicken wings and necks in the freezer but after I bought them the breeder said never to use them in case she choked. I'm rather confused as I thought puppies would love them! I might give them a go and just watch her closely. I think her breeder was rather particular - she also said to only give Misty bottled water. The vet said 'she's a dog, not a person! Tap water is fine' What's lamb flap? Can I get that from the butcher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboyz Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) I usually advise boiled or bottled water for the first few days if puppies are going to live in different areas, as a change of water can upset tummies. Has happened to me whenever I've been to Sydney - so no doubt would bother a baby pup. But that is only for the first week while puppy settles. As I said earlier - if you whack the chicken necks with a mallet and/or cut them up into smaller pieces with scissors, puppy will soon learn to chew. If a 10wk old chi can handle it so can a cav. I would not feed wings till puppy was at least 4mths old - and that is for my shar pei. Have never given my chi a wing. Edited February 14, 2009 by badboyz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Chicken wings will be okay for her but if you want to feed them now I'd be giving them a good beating/bashing with a meat cleaver or mallet. As she gets bigger she will cope with chewing them up just fine. As far as necks watch her closely and if she is a gobbler attack them before feeding too. I have two pups - one is really good with chewing and the other swallows things whole! That's when you do worry about choking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 PUPPY BARF DIET •Currently being feed approximately 10% of their body weight, 80% of which should be Raw Meaty Bones and 20% vegies, offal & dairy, divided up into 3 meals a day. As they get older this should be cut back with them getting fed 2% to 3% of their body weight in either two or one meal a day when they are adults. If you see that they are getting to fat then cut the percentage back. •Breakfast & Dinner consist of Puppy mince/minced chicken carcasses, Barf veggie slops & full fat yoghurt. I will prepare a bowl of it in the morning mixing together the mince, veggie slops and yoghurt. Lunch consists of a raw meaty bone. •Twice a week I have been adding sardines to their food & once a week offal. You could add other things like kangaroo & beef from time to time but it is important that the bone to meat ratio remains ok. •Lennard’s sells the Puppy mince/ chicken mince which they have been fed on. It is made up of minced chicken carcasses. If you have to source the mince from somewhere else make sure it contains meat as well as the minced bones. It is important that dogs when dogs are fed meat (phosphorus) that they also have the right ratio of bone (calcium) with it to balance out nutritional needs. If dogs are fed meat without bones then serious health problems can occur. •Lamb bones are the best for them as they are soft enough for them to eat the whole bone which is important. Other bones that can be feed are the ones from non weight bearing parts of the body. Weight bearing bones are often to hard for dogs to actually consume both the bone and the meat throwing the phosphorus/ calcium ratio all out of whack and ruining dogs teeth in the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 My current Cavalier litter are 8 weeks old & they eat whole chicken necks, and have been doing so since 6 weeks of age. Mine start on raw chicken wing tips to learn to eat them..... I dont feed any commercial products at all, and find Cavaliers do no good on grains!yeast infections in the body breaking out as ear infections, itchy skin , hot spots ,paw licking etc........ farex is not something I would feed my litters, I do use cooked oats, goats milk to wean them mixed with raw minced chicken carcasses or beef mince......... What ever you decide to do , you must do it slowly, as the worst thing you can do to a Cav baby is change diet, tummies are very sensitive at young ages! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiqview Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 I would not waste my money on farex either. Their is absolutely no nutritional value in it. You are better to soften dry dog food with water (I use boiled water and then let it cool - quicker than cold). If you wish mix some biolac or something with it. You can even buy goats milk or lactose free milk from the supermarket to mix with it.. cheaper than dedicated premix puppy milk" Dogs dont need their food cooked either. Raw is better. The nutrients aren't cooked out of it. It is a human thing to cook food. I have used tinned food only ON OCCASION as a stir through sauce if they are being picky. It is normally only a tablespoon or something mixed through the dry food as a kind of gravy only. Other than that, raw chicken necks, raw hamburger mince (its the cheapest) is perfect as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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