Best Food For Gr Puppy

[kwirky]

Hello,

We are picking up our new adopted Golden Retriever puppy in 7 weeks so am busily starting to make preparations.

We have details of feeding from the breeder however are very keen to go with a quality eating plan for her.

We went to Petbarn and were blown away by the choices.

Can anyone recommend the best diet (wet & dry) for the little one?

We lost our elderly golden after 15 wonderful years so it's been a long time since there has been a puppy in the house There are so many choices now :)

thanks

[persephone]

how exciting :)

Sometimes, stress of leaving home, settling with a new family- different water ..AND a different diet can mean upset stomachs, trouble with housetraining, and weight loss in a baby puppy ...so, initially the BEST food for the first f weeks is what she has been eating at the breeders . .

If you really need/want to change , then you can do it gradually - so there is no need to rush out now and purchase food other than what the breeder suggests . Once you have her home- then you are the best judge of how she is growing on that food ..and if she is healthy and happy :)

there are HEAPS of threads on here about food.

General opinion is that the best food is what a particular dog does best on ! :D

some links for you- discussion on different ways of feeding puppies ...

LINK

LINK'

LINK

LINK

Edited March 9, 2014 by persephone

[kwirky]

Thanks for all that info. Would ypu (or anyone else) know why Science Diet seems to be frowned on?

[tdierikx]

I've never had a dog do poorly on any of the Royal Canin kibbles. Used to feed the foster pups RC Junior exclusively, and they all did great on it.

My own dogs do really well on Nutro... or just as well on Supercoat... go figure?

The most expensive is not necessarily going to be the best for an individual dog... sometimes cheaper is just as good.

T.

[persephone]

Think it's to do with what one pays for what one gets ....

[tdierikx]

Have never been fussed on the Science Diet kibble... it gave ALL of my dogs the squirts straight up... and they weren't overly fussed on it taste wise either.

Ever seen a Labrador pick at their food? Mine does NOT like Science Diet at all and will literally eat one piece at a time... *sigh*

T.

[dotdashdot]

I get this question a lot as a pet shop worker, and I always tell my customers what I learnt on here - the best food for your dog is what your dog does best on.

I heartily back staying on the same food as the breeder for a little while, I only used half a 3.5kg bag of Supercoat with my new puppy before totally switching her off but that got me through a week - mixing with new food.

My older dog I switched straight away (3 years ago, I was new to DOL), and there were no side effects.

I will say though, my older girl is currently on Science Diet because she has issues forming bladder stones (it's a Dalmatian thing) and she's doing well. Her coat is still shiny and she eats well enough - she's just as into the SD as she is with every other brand we've tried (we've tried them all)

My puppy is currently on Advance and growing quite well. She's also had Black Hawk puppy and did excellently, but I switched after I became concerned regarding the purine content (again, the bladder stones, something no other breed really needs to worry about)

[kwirky]

Thank so much :)

[Dogsfevr]

If your breeder is a good one there diet sheet & knowledge should be your first discussion point.

What is best is what suits the dog & even the breed not all food work well with all breeds so what people may suggest could be a nightmare for your dog.

Is there any reason you don't want to follow the breeders diet chart??

[Steph M]

Have never been fussed on the Science Diet kibble... it gave ALL of my dogs the squirts straight up... and they weren't overly fussed on it taste wise either.

Ever seen a Labrador pick at their food? Mine does NOT like Science Diet at all and will literally eat one piece at a time... *sigh*

T.

That's quite impressive! Haha.

[Nekhbet]

Read the label and see what's actually in it. A dog needs good protein, a healthy balance in it's diet. Hills labels read

Chicken Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Oat Groats, Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Pork Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Dried Beet Pulp, Fish Oil, Lactic Acid, Pork Liver Flavor, Iodized Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Oat Fiber, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, L-Carnitine, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Natural Flavors, Dried Apples, Dried Broccoli, Dried Carrots, Dried Cranberries, Dried Peas.

Wheat, oats, corn, sorghum make up the majority of the product. They also add to the total protein % of the food and bulk it out. That's a lot of money to spend on something with an ingredients list that reads like this.