Feeding Question

[Cuchulain]

Max has been eating reasonably well until a couple of days ago. He is on 120gm of Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy/Junior 3 times a day. I am using a couple of sample packs of RC Large Breed Puppy in his food cube which I think is what has caused the problem He prefers the RC to the Eukanuba but the breeder requested I keep him on the Eukanuba for 18 months.

He has started refusing the Eukanuba. In desperation after he'd missed 2 meals I put a little milk in with the kibble - the dregs of a box! I was making coffee at the time and there wasn't enough milk left to warrant putting it back in the fridge. If there's even as little as a tablespoon of milk present with the Eukanuba he will scoff the entire meal without problems.

I have been told not to wet the kibble. Is adding a little milk to his food going to cause problems for him?

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

Hi Cuchulain

this is one of the better dry foods , admit that all my dogs eat raw , milk can upset tummies and some dogs are sensitive to it , the occasional missed meal is not going to hurt max , change in weather or activity levels can dictate how hungry the pup is , if you think he may like a little change youghart is a good additive and good for them , but I would avoid milk while he is still so young and kibble should be left dry where you can

good luck with max

[Cuchulain]

Hi Cuchulain

this is one of the better dry foods , admit that all my dogs eat raw , milk can upset tummies and some dogs are sensitive to it , the occasional missed meal is not going to hurt max , change in weather or activity levels can dictate how hungry the pup is , if you think he may like a little change youghart is a good additive and good for them , but I would avoid milk while he is still so young and kibble should be left dry where you can

good luck with max

Thanks, Schmoo's boss. He loves yoghurt - I'll get him his own tub of Bulgarian live culture and skip the milk. Raw would be nice but I haven't the time and to be brutally honest I'm lazy. I did investigate it as an option for the cats but finding suppliers is a mission, especially a supplier where I can buy meat without worrying about the hygiene or if they're selling me stuff that's going to make my animals sick. Perhaps, if I move to a bigger center and stop working all the hours God sends it may become an option.

[Nekhbet]

why only eukanuba? I see RC as a superior food. You feed your dog what it does well on as long as you're not going downhill in the quality

[Cuchulain]

why only eukanuba? I see RC as a superior food. You feed your dog what it does well on as long as you're not going downhill in the quality

I never thought to ask! It is what she feeds and when she said to feed Eukanuba for 18 months I thought nothing of it. My cats get RC and love it in preference to either Hills or Iams so I wouldn't have an issue feeding it. Do you think I should change? I am quite happy to phone Cheryl and ask if I may change him over as he obviously is not 100% about the Eukanuba.

[FionaC]

RC also make a Large Breed Puppy & Junior food - we swapped our boy over from Euc after the first packet he came home from the breeders with was finished as we believe it is a better food - he's been on RC since and loves it ... we do dry with other food - veggies, raw chicken frames & other bones, yoghurt, whole eggs, sardines etc - a mix of a few things here and there to keep it interesting ....

[Guest Ams]

why only eukanuba? I see RC as a superior food. You feed your dog what it does well on as long as you're not going downhill in the quality

I never thought to ask! It is what she feeds and when she said to feed Eukanuba for 18 months I thought nothing of it. My cats get RC and love it in preference to either Hills or Iams so I wouldn't have an issue feeding it. Do you think I should change? I am quite happy to phone Cheryl and ask if I may change him over as he obviously is not 100% about the Eukanuba.

Unless you co-own the dog with the breeder I wouldn't bother getting permission to change his diet. Most breeders will recommend they stay on the food they have been used to but really you can change and RC and Euk are both premium brands. I used to feed mine RC but then went off it, I changed to Hills but when they started to turn their noses up at that i've just recently I've discovered they love Advance so I will be feeding that till they don't like it any more.

It is a good idea to slowly change the food over a week or so by blending them with their original kibble and changing the percentages until you have gone to all the new food. This helps reduce upset tummies.

[Cuchulain]

Unless you co-own the dog with the breeder I wouldn't bother getting permission to change his diet. Most breeders will recommend they stay on the food they have been used to but really you can change and RC and Euk are both premium brands. I used to feed mine RC but then went off it, I changed to Hills but when they started to turn their noses up at that i've just recently I've discovered they love Advance so I will be feeding that till they don't like it any more.

It is a good idea to slowly change the food over a week or so by blending them with their original kibble and changing the percentages until you have gone to all the new food. This helps reduce upset tummies.

I haven't received his registration papers as yet, but on reading the letter which came with him, I do co-own him with Cheryl and should anything happen that leaves me in a position where I am unable to care for Max he is to be returned to her. So I'll have to ask before changing his diet...

Thanks for all the advice guys, I'm most grateful. I'll contact Cheryl as soon as I get back from obedience classes this morning.