Advice For Feeding New Puppy And Existing Dog.

[Suzistar]

Just wondering if I could get some advice on how to go about feeding both my dogs. My existing dog is a 2 year old corgi x and although I started him on the best quality kibble I could afford ( earthborn holistic) plus barf patties he decided he would become the fussiest dog ever and after many frustrating weeks he has settled nicely on a diet of optimum adult dry food and natures gift wet food ( the small trays which he just gets 1 of a day) he eats this really well and is in great condition weight wise and coat wise. However I have noticed the optimum now contains wheat, which it didn't previously and he has started to get a bit itchy like he did on pro plan ( also contained wheat)

We are bringing home our new beagle puppy this weekend, and currently they are feeding super coat puppy ( still moistened down) I'm not over keen on super coat as a feed but have bought a bagas obviously don't want to change diet until she is settled in but then I was planning on changing her onto a better dry food.

Obviously for the next year both dogs will need different diets due to age but was wondering if worth trying new puppy on raw barf alongside a good quality dry food and seeing if my fussy corgi x will take it too. I'm hoping having a second dog there at meal times ( hopefully she will have the classic beagle trait of being a good eater) will encourage my other dog to eat a little better.

Any advice from anyone please

Thanks :-)

[sheena]

Contact BlackHawk Pet care for some free samples. Their food doesn't contain any corn, wheat or soy & most dogs eat it readily. :)

[persephone]

..and please do not feed them together - a new puppy will more than likely go investigate, as she did with mum or littermates - and your dog will be within its rights to snap at her ! Don't encourage this - feed them out of sight of each other to avoid any hassles :) It is good for puppy to learn to eat alone .... :)

[Rebanne]

I feed supercoat and optimum to my greyhounds, pups and adults. They do well on it. No reason you can't keep your pup on it.

[RuralPug]

..and please do not feed them together - a new puppy will more than likely go investigate, as she did with mum or littermates - and your dog will be within its rights to snap at her ! Don't encourage this - feed them out of sight of each other to avoid any hassles :) It is good for puppy to learn to eat alone .... :)

Sorry but don't let either of your dogs dictate their diet! Believe me, the corgi cross, will not allow himself to starve to death just because the food on offer is the wrong flavour - eventually he will eat because he is hungry. Put the food down for 10 minutes only. If he doesn't eat it in that time, take it away and don't offer anything else until the next feed time.

Personally, I would encourage you to go raw or BARF and yes, you can put a little kibble in their diet as well. If your dog has been itchy on wheat based kibble, then of course go for a grain free or unusual grain kibble. :)

ETA - the Nature's Gift canned food is just as good and better value than the individual portions. It is the only canned food that I have in the larder for emergencies.

Edited January 23, 2015 by RuralPug

[Dave-o]

Hmm... Supercoat... can't say I'm a fan.

Personally I'd feed a properly formulated diet for the puppy, and no harm mixing in raw to get them used to it from an early age. Maybe something like Canidae Pure Foundations or Earthborn Puppy Vantage?

Here are the AAFCO minimum requirements for a puppy vs adult, so it's worth noting a full raw diet might not cover all the nutrients your puppy needs.

[trifecta]

Here are the AAFCO minimum requirements for a puppy vs adult, so it's worth noting a full raw diet might not cover all the nutrients your puppy needs.

Plenty of breeders & members of this forum raise their puppies from weaning on a totally raw diet, it's not that hard!

If you want to feed raw and kibble, feed the two elements of the diet seperately, eg raw in the morning & kibble at night. Raw & kibble are digested & absorbed quite differently, feeding together may predispose your puppy or dog to digestive upsets.

[Yonjuro]

Here are the AAFCO minimum requirements for a puppy vs adult, so it's worth noting a full raw diet might not cover all the nutrients your puppy needs.

Plenty of breeders & members of this forum raise their puppies from weaning on a totally raw diet, it's not that hard!

If you want to feed raw and kibble, feed the two elements of the diet seperately, eg raw in the morning & kibble at night. Raw & kibble are digested & absorbed quite differently, feeding together may predispose your puppy or dog to digestive upsets.

This 'no mixing' was a theory that I had previously and vigorously subscribed to. From my research I can find no evidence that this is in fact an absolute rule. All of my breeders pups were raised on kibble and raw, as was Ronin. Huskies are renowned for having a sensitive stomach, but in my experience this hasn't been the case. He is now on fully PMRD.

But I agree that it may not be right for all puppies. One thing that the potential mixer must be aware of is to make sure that whatever you mix is balanced. Regular mince for instance may throw out the calcium phosphorus ratio as it will be high is phosphorus and will be a calcium inhibitor, so this would need to be balance with some edible bone (like a chicken neck)

Anyway, these are just my thoughts and I respect other peoples opinions on this controversial subject :)

I also agree that pups can be raised on a fully raw diet :)

[Dave-o]

Oh, I agree a pup can be raised on raw, my point was the owner needs to have a full understanding of what's required.