Switching my puppy's food

[Dieselrott]

Hello, I have been feeding my 8 week old male puppie (Diesel) Eukanuba large breed puppy food, and from what I read, I should switch. I found that a local pet store carries Canidea, and I think I am going to switch. What benefits does this other dog food have? Will this Canidea food help my boy grow to his full potential? Also why is this Euk frowned upon by everyone here?
Thank you for the help.

[claudia]

Hi Dieselrott!

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on the new baby!:D
Not too long ago I was in your situation myself ;)
I'm new to this as well but here you are going to find tons of helpful info and tips.

In response to your question let me tell you that you are not alone I did exactly the same! LOL
Now I've read that canidae is one of the top brands in food all natural as of Eukanuba its a pretty expensive and not a good quality its got lot of chemical and animal waste.

The following links will answer alot more for you
http://home.comcast.net/~mstraus/dogfeeding.html

http://www.arescuemom.org/Eukanuba,IamsDogFood.html


Here in nutrition and grooming its all the info that you need just do a lil' research!

Any pics of your baby yet?

Good luck and enjoy him a lot :D

_______________________________________________

Proud mom of chico (13 weeks):D

[Rott-Wiley]

And here is a link to a site that will give you more information: http://home.attbi.com/~mstraus/index.html

We all want what's best for our dogs and for them to grow into their full genetic potential. For that to happen, we need to decide on a diet that is right for both them and ourselves. I like to feed a portion of kibble (about one third) along with a natural raw diet.

[Dieselrott]

Ok, I just got back from the pet store. They carried both Canidea and Innova. I went there with intentions of buying Canidea (I see Rott-Wiley recommends it), but I came back with Innova. The guy explaind that both were very good foods, but the Innova was a little better, so I bought the Innova. Hope this will satisfy him nutritionally.

[Rott-Wiley]

LOL The funny part here is the fact that I feed Innova myself. I do recommend Canidae because it does seem to be very good but my dog simply doesn't like it and doesn't do well on it. No matter how good a food is, if your dog won't eat it or they don't do well on it, it won't do. I do feed about 1/3 Innova to 2/3rds raw and natural foods.

Don't forget to introduce the Innova slowly to your pup. I start out by mixing a quarter cup in with what they are eating now. In 2 days mix in a half cup and 2 days of that then mix in 1 cup. Then I just switch over or use up the rest of the bag. Keep us posted on how you make out and how you like the Innova.

[mmgy]

Both are great foods, but one consideration. Innova has a lot more ingredients and a richer meat source than Canidae, and some dogs do better on a simpler formula. If the Innova doesn't sit well with him (i. e., loose poop that won't go away) then try Canidae.

[Rott-Wiley]

Funny I saw just the opposite when I tried to use Canidae. Plus the fact that she didn't like the taste at all. She would leave as much of it in her bowl as possible and I knew she was still hungry even right after eating.

But as you say, they are both good foods and I don't mind feeding Innova at all. I can buy Steve's where I train but I have to make a special trip out of my way to get Innova or Canidae.

[Dieselrott]

OK, why the raw food if the good kibble (Innova) is so nutritionally sound? Is it just for the variety, or is there a health and nutritional reason.
Should I add a little raw food to his diet? I wouldnt be able to do all, but maybe one of his meals if its best for him.

[Rott-Wiley]

This is why I feed raw food:

Kibble is about 65% carbohydrates, and a better ratio would be up to about 50% meat. A good kibble-based diet might be 1/2 meat to 1/2 kibble, plus flax seed oil and/or fish oil for the fat needed. Added meat might include canned fish (mackerel, salmon or sardines), hamburger or beef chunks (including heart), ground turkey, and organ meats. Then you may add some veggies , but make it a tablespoon or two, at best (since kibble already has so much fiber). Adding whole milk yogurt (a tablespoon or two) and a raw egg is also fine! Be sure to balance the added meat with ground eggshell (1/2 tsp ground eggshell to a pound of meat) for the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio (not needed when you add canned fish, as it includes bones). Good supplements to add include vitamin C, vitamin E , kelp, alfalfa and Probiotic Powder .

That quote was taken off the BowChow.com site and it sums up a lot of research on the subject.

[Dieselrott]

So a meal of just meat would be good? Would he decide to like the meat better, and then hold off on the kibble? Would the canned Innova dog food count as a meat meal?
If not, I saw a post that puppies should eat 4% of their weight, so if I was goning to give him 1 meal I would do 1% right?

[claudia]

You've mention that puppies eat about 4 % of their weight and if you were to feed him 1 meal its like feeding him 1%, if you want to see it like that then yes. You have to remember that during his first year of life a puppy needs to eat 3 - 4 times a day. And that their first year its critical for good nutrition, health and good development. I've had dogs all my life and I've never feed my dogs on kibbble, cooked food or raw diet alone, a combination of both its the best. I think Rott-Wiely agrees with me. You want to feed a good kibble brand and keep it natural as well by including protein (eggs) for instance. He'll be getting the best of both worlds. Sometime I do not heve enough time to cook his meat so I do count the can food like it however If you are going to be feeding him can and dry food, mix both together and you may want add a little bit of water since he is only 8 weeks and do the same when it comes to raw food. I don't think he will only pick the raw food and leave the kibble if you getting used to both from now. What I did with chico was sometimes put a piece of both on my hand and encourage him to eat from you hand them direct him to his bowl and now he's got no problem eating whatever I feed him. His bowl its always clean!

By the way thanks guys Rott-Weily and mmgy for the tip on Canidae and Innova I didn't knew that!

_____________________________________________

Proud mom of chico 13 weeks

[Rott-Wiley]

Yes, I agree with Claudia. But I would not consider canned dog food a substitute for adding meat to the kibble. I have used it to encourage a dog to eat in the past. I always mix kibble in their bowl with whatever I'm feeding.

That percentage thing was developed as a guideline of how much RMB (raw meaty bones) to feed an adult dog. That is 2% and a growing puppy would require twice that.

An 8 week old pup should be fed 4 times a day. Depending on the brand of kibble he may be eating as much as 2 cups per meal. Actually the total food for the day would be more like 6 to 8 cups of food. I would start out by feeding less kibble and replace it with meat. Gradually working up to half kibble, half meat. I would also skip the meat on some meals and feed fat free cottage cheese or a raw egg.

If you do decide to feed lean hamberger as a meat, it is high in phosphorus so I would supplement that with human grade bone meal or crush up some egg shells for the calcium.

[BostonRott]

I feed Innova, but will soon be switching to Healthwise......fewer carb sources (cancer cells are thought to feed off of carbs). In addition, my dogs eat raw.

Why raw with a supposedly high end food? Because cooking kills enzymes, and I feel there are valuable nutrients and vitamins found in raw food which can't be gained through feeding kibble or adding powdered supplements.

[mmgy]

Originally posted by BostonRott
I feed Innova, but will soon be switching to Healthwise......fewer carb sources

Whaaat???

[BostonRott]

Cancer cells are thought to thrive on carbs, and be starved by fats/proteins. With all the CA in this breed, anything I can do to help thwart it in my dogs, I will. :)

Innova has a lot of veggies, as well as potatos and white rice, Healthwise does not. HW is lower kcal per cup, but higher fat/protein % (only slightly, but higher none the less).