[Rockporters]

I know the food thing has been beat to death, but I'm looking for suggestions specifically for a puppy.

Jasper is 14.5 weeks, 27-28 pounds and somewhere between 17-18" at the shoulder. Although it doesn't sound it, he's quite the boney boy under all that hair.

Jas came home eating Innova Adult with proteins mixed in several times a week. (cottage cheese, chicken...) I wasn't so impressed with Innova and decided to try something new. For about a week now he's been eating (mixed in with a little Innova) EVO Herring & Salmon. I didn't realize it had Glucosamine in it so I will at least switch to another formula. Not to mention that the Toy Poodle and kitten have snuck bites so now every critter in this house is suffering with various intestinal issues from it :wacko:. Jasper and the Toy Poodle suddenly have really runny eyes though which could be from anything I guess, but Jas is scratching more so I suspect the food. Needless to say I'm working hard to keep everyone's nose in their own bowl LOL.

I know most on here like feeding low or no grain food. Since Poodles can be prone to kidney problems is that really healthy for them? Also, I'm a little confused over supplementing for a puppy. I always feel unsure that he's truly getting all the nutrients he needs. At this point I'm considering just going back to Innova for now and continue supplementing.

What do you feed your puppy/puppies? Are you happy with the condition of their coat, eyes and growth on it?

I don't want to feed raw, but I don't mind continuing to supplement if needed. Our local pet store can't get Orijen. However, they do have:

Innova (adult and puppy)
Taste of the Wild
EVO
Chicken Soup
Evanger's
Solid Gold
California Natural

I think there are a couple of brands I'm missing, so I'll check again next trip.

Thanks for any suggestions! I'm looking forward to hearing other options and suggestions before I make a decision.

 

[desertreef]

This is just my personal opinion...
With your choices, I'd try either Solid Gold's Barking at the Moon or Taste of the Wild.
I would still rather see them on a grain free diet.
They will be rich so you would have to transition very slowly.
Oh, and Evanger's does have a low grain... fish formula... is it white fish and sweet potato? That might be a good one also.

Is he a good eater?

Karen

 

[Olie]

I am new to taste of wild and it seems to be fine. (prairie)

I went to this to try and improve Suri's belly issues and I have not seen a change yet.....but I have had no issues with it either. I was on Blue Buffalo - which my dogs really liked so honestly all the good things have stayed, good coat, and poos and they seem to like it (but not better then BB)

 

[desertreef]

I am new to taste of wild and it seems to be fine. (prairie)

I went to this to try and improve Suri's belly issues and I have not seen a change yet.....but I have had no issues with it either. I was on Blue Buffalo - which my dogs really liked so honestly all the good things have stayed, good coat, and poos and they seem to like it (but not better then BB)

Add to that, using probiotics and digestive enzymes will be very beneficial as you transition. (using them actually ups the nutritional value of any food by 71%)

Karen

 

[plumcrazy]

Is there something wrong with glucosamine? My older dogs who are getting a little stiff in the joints get glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement and they help them immensely... I never have any digestive issues or tummy upset, either. JW what was the aversion to a joint supplement? I prefer to give a joint supplement than a pain reliever (like rimadyl) and they seem much more flexible when on the supplement...

Lucybug has been on Chicken Soup for the Large Breed Puppy Lover's Soul for almost 4 months. She'll be 22 weeks old on Monday the 22nd of February and she's a little over 20" at the shoulder and weighed 36.8 pounds last Monday when I weighed her at the vet... She's not a voracious eater (ArreauStandardPoodle can tell you our feeding ritual :doh, but is obviously holding her own. She's not boney and her coat, eyes, teeth, skin are all great.

I will be changing her food from puppy to adult at some point, and I've been looking at the limited ingredient diets (Natural Balance or California Natural) but I haven't decided yet... I'll be watching this thread!

 

[Olie]

Add to that, using probiotics and digestive enzymes will be very beneficial as you transition. (using them actually ups the nutritional value of any food by 71%)

Karen

I have had her on that as well after her first week with us

 

[desertreef]

I have had her on that as well after her first week with us

And still her stool is loose?
Refresh me again... is she on TOTW or Origens?
My pups have been on raw and Origens and their stool is really nice.
My adult is on TOTW (but he loves the Origens so I'll be switching him over. Course the puppies loved finding his kibble and eating it!)

Perhaps you should add some pumpkin for a little while and see if that makes any difference.

I really love the Horizon, if you can find that food. If weight is needed, try the puppy formula.

 

[Rockporters]

This is just my personal opinion...
With your choices, I'd try either Solid Gold's Barking at the Moon or Taste of the Wild.
I would still rather see them on a grain free diet.
They will be rich so you would have to transition very slowly.
Oh, and Evanger's does have a low grain... fish formula... is it white fish and sweet potato? That might be a good one also.

Is he a good eater?

Karen

Thanks for the suggestions, Karen.

He's not really a good or bad eater, I guess. He's not particularly enthusiastic about eating, but he eats. I just bought two new treats (Dr. Becker's Bites and Pro-Treat Beef Freeze Dried Liver) and that was the first time I've seen him get excited over food. He gets those in very limited quantities so I'm sure they're not interfering with his appetite.

With the two brands you listed, would you supplement as well? And is there a particular variety of Taste of the Wild you would recommend for puppies?

 

[Rockporters]

Is there something wrong with glucosamine? My older dogs who are getting a little stiff in the joints get glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement and they help them immensely... I never have any digestive issues or tummy upset, either. JW what was the aversion to a joint supplement? I prefer to give a joint supplement than a pain reliever (like rimadyl) and they seem much more flexible when on the supplement...

Lucybug has been on Chicken Soup for the Large Breed Puppy Lover's Soul for almost 4 months. She'll be 22 weeks old on Monday the 22nd of February and she's a little over 20" at the shoulder and weighed 36.8 pounds last Monday when I weighed her at the vet... She's not a voracious eater (ArreauStandardPoodle can tell you our feeding ritual :doh, but is obviously holding her own. She's not boney and her coat, eyes, teeth, skin are all great.

I will be changing her food from puppy to adult at some point, and I've been looking at the limited ingredient diets (Natural Balance or California Natural) but I haven't decided yet... I'll be watching this thread!

No, there's nothing wrong with Glucosamine. My older (15 year old) Toy Poodle gets it in his food. And you're right, it makes a BIG difference. I just don't think a puppy needs it, so I'd rather not have it in the food. Personal preference is all.

I have a friend that feeds Chicken Soup for cats and LOVES it. I haven't heard much about it for dogs so it's good to hear about your experience with it.

 

[Olie]

No, there's nothing wrong with Glucosamine. My older (15 year old) Toy Poodle gets it in his food. And you're right, it makes a BIG difference. I just don't think a puppy needs it, so I'd rather not have it in the food. Personal preference is all.

I have a friend that feeds Chicken Soup for cats and LOVES it. I haven't heard much about it for dogs so it's good to hear about your experience with it.

CS - I tried it and my dogs didn't want to eat it......they were a bit snobbish! I have heard good things about it though and the reviews are pretty good.

The T.O.W that they are eating now is the prairie blend venison. It is supposed to be good for those that have stomach issues like IBS.

 

[calidani]

Ivy has eaten both the TOTW Prairie and Pacific Stream formulas, and I like them. She gets kibble in the am (I rotate between a few g/f foods) and RAW at night. Her eyes did seem runnier on the Prairie formula, so I have taken that out of her rotation for now.

As much as I love EVO, the products have too much calcium for a Spoo puppy. I think some of the CA Nat products do as well. You want the calcium to be below 1.5%.

btw: Ivy just turned 8 months and is a bit over 24" and 34 lbs. Very thin, but she is a growing puppy and will hopefully fill out later on.

 

[desertreef]

Ivy is very thin.
I wonder if it might be good for her to have a bit more carbs in her diet.
Are you happy with the amount she is eating? I think if she'll eat more, go for it!
Are you feeding 2 or 3 meals a day?
I have girl I was going to show, perfect in everyway, but she is too thin... 34# at 22 1/2" tall. So knowing how she feels, your girl must be worse.
Amelia is a pretty decent eater but she's got to put some weight on.

Good luck!

 

[Poodle Lover]

As much as I love EVO, the products have too much calcium for a Spoo puppy. I think some of the CA Nat products do as well. You want the calcium to be below 1.5%.

I've never heard that, why does calcium have to sty below 1.5%????

 

[desertreef]

I've never heard that, why does calcium have to sty below 1.5%????

It's the calcium and phosphorus ratio that is important.

 

[desertreef]

As much as I love EVO, the products have too much calcium for a Spoo puppy. I think some of the CA Nat products do as well. You want the calcium to be below 1.5%.

What I don't like about Evo is the % of fiber... too low.

 

[Rockporters]

Karen, do you feed the puppies adult versions of the kibble? If so, do you recommend supplementing in addition?

I'm going to visit the pet store today to make sure what my options are but this is great info to have going in.

Thanks so much everyone for your help! The food things is entirely too confusing!

 

[desertreef]

Karen, do you feed the puppies adult versions of the kibble? If so, do you recommend supplementing in addition?

Yes, Adult formulas.

I'm going to visit the pet store today to make sure what my options are but this is great info to have going in.

If you want to go to my website I have a page on dog food.
You might be able to print it out (the kibble section) to take along with you to the store.

Yes, it's confusing... but it's rather fun to research!
Karen

 

[partial2poodles]

You have a very nice website. I went there to see about foods. I also am really opiniated, you could say, about dog foods. I have a big long page about foods as well. I see Dawn Omboy has your little white girl puppy. Have you seen her lately. She is gorgeous and a different color all the time.

 

[Rockporters]

Karen, do you feed the puppies adult versions of the kibble? If so, do you recommend supplementing in addition?

Yes, Adult formulas.

I'm going to visit the pet store today to make sure what my options are but this is great info to have going in.

If you want to go to my website I have a page on dog food.
You might be able to print it out (the kibble section) to take along with you to the store.

Yes, it's confusing... but it's rather fun to research!
Karen

Thanks so much for your help! I did look at your website, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

Fromm, Wysong, and Pro-Pac are other brands they carry btw, along with a whole slew of raw brands.


I ended up buying a small bag of Innova just to get him off the EVO. The store sent me home with lots of TOTW samples. We'll see how he does. If all goes well I'll likely get TOTW next trip.

 

[desertreef]

Glad to hear it. I hope you'll like the results!
Karen