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What is the best first food to transition to?

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1.2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  CharismaticMillie  
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#1 ·
The breeder has been feeding a grain free kibble to the 8 month old but it's not available near me. She will be sending some with the dog. I know there are tons of posts about food which is helpful but in a way too many choices.

Can someone recommend a good kibble to transition to at the begiining? I assume it doesn't have to be puppy food since he is 8 months.

Also, for the first day home, should I just feed him the kibble he is used to without mixing? I've seen some people give chicken and rice too.

I would like to give him some treats at our first meeting at the airport. Are there any good treats that are not hard to digest?

I think he will be shipped tomorrow, breeder hasn't sent all the info yet, and I am really excited but very nervous too. First dog ever! Sometimes I think what the hell am I doing. I only ever had cats.
 
#2 ·
I would go to dog food advisor and pick the best food (doesn't have to be puppy) that is available near you that is roughly similar to what the breeder has been giving. For the first day I would give just that and maybe feed a light portion since travel can stress out their guts. For the airport meeting give a little water (just enough to whet his whistle) since he won't have had any during the trip and give something very simple as a meet and greet treat and again not too much. I would probably use plain boiled chicken or a few little bits of cooked ground beef or a few little strips of string cheese. Any of those is a grand treat for our dogs and would win over almost any dog being newly met.

You will be just fine! I know this is your first dog and it is nerve wracking, but we have your back and your children will be thrilled.
 
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#3 ·
I agree - have something very bland and digestible like chicken and rice in reserve (a few packs in the freezer are a good idea), choose a food close to what he is already used to, and transition gradually over a week or so, starting with just the food the breeder sends. I am a great believer that it is a good idea to get pups used to eating a wide variety of foods as early as possible, but if he has grown up eating just one food I would play it safe during the first few days, and not overwhelm him with too many changes at once.
 
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#4 ·
I got my Spoo at 8 mo also. She has a sensitive digestive system. After trying umpteen different dog foods, I enthusiastically recommend WELLNESS CORE GRAIN FREE OCEAN FORMULA. It has a 5 star rating on Dog Advisor and my dogs love it! I buy it on Chewy.com. Congratulations on your first pup!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
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#5 ·
Well the ingrdients on the breeders kibble was chicken meat by product and corn for its first ingrdients so I ended up buying Fromm chicken rain free 4 star. Man, there are so many different brands my head was spining.lol
 
#6 ·
I have nothing to add except HAPPY GOTCHA DAY!

btw glad you are changing foods.... 'by products' and corn are bad bad bad IMO!
Also be careful of really high protein content because some dogs can't handle it and will get diarrhea!
 
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