puppy diet????!!!

[bdfoop81]

I have a 3 1/2 month old rottie and im not too sure what to feed him. With our other rott when she was about 5 months our vet told us to start giving her adult food because she was growing to fast and that was the reasons for her muscle or bone on her front leg its like her shoulder if she had any, well she would limp and it would hurt her and it would get swollen. I dont know if anyone on here knows what im talking about...theres a medical term for it but im not too sure of it.

well our male puppy was on the puppy science diet, but do to money strains, we were unable to get him the science diet brand anymore so we started to give him the food for our other dog, which is by purina.
My question is this; Will giving him adult food in a way stunt his growth? or should we start him up again on puppy formula food?

[KrystalBallard]

A lot of people have their own opinions on food and this is a touchy subject to everyone. I do think that one thing that is consistant is that puppies defaintely need the extra nutriants.

When you have a budget like a lot of people INCLUDING myself, you cant afford to feed all raw diet or the "top of the line" foods. I feel all of my dogs Pro Plan. Each of them is on a different version of it. My 17wk old is on Pro Plan Performance. That is what my breeder suggested and my vet agreed with my breeder.

Again...dog food is a touchy subject on this forum. So do some of you own research and talk to your breeder and vet. There are pros and cons to everything it seems.

[brunie's mom]

Don't feel bad that you cannot feed Science Diet, it's an overpriced, poor quality food...you could be feeding so much better for less money.

Your puppy is probably suffering from Pano, and you should not be feeding puppy food...but a good quality adult food or an all life stages food.

Most Purina foods are poor to mid-quality, and for the same amount of money you could try a better food. Canidae is a good quality food and can be fed to puppies and adults and the price is probably the same or less than Science Diet.
You will need to feed far less food, so price per feeding is probably the same.

Many stores have deals, where they keep track of how many bags you buy, and after buying 10 bags you get one free.

I don't think food is a touchy subject here....we have years of experience feeding our dogs....and get to see what feeding a super premium, or raw or homecooked diet can do for our dogs.

Gina

[Shelby427]

Science Diet is crap - do a search on here and find a better food to feed. It's really not that much more money for a bag of Canidae. For a 20lb bag, it's 21.99 and it lasts me about 2-3 weeks (feeding two dogs). And they have a punch card - after I buy 10 bags, I get one free. I can feed less food per meal, since it has higher quality ingredients, and less food = less poop. Oh, and I have a 7 month old and 4 year old and they are both on the Canidae All Life Stages. I don't feed puppy food at all.

[jlhnokc]

I am also on a pretty tight budget and for a brief period was feeding Kibbles n Chunks, after I read up about Canidea I decided to try it. I buy a 40 pd bag for 32.00, the Kibbles n Chunks was 15.00 for a 40 pd bag, I feed 1/2 the amount and her poops are way less. So, I'm feeding a way better quality food for essentially the same money. My mom has 4 dogs and has found it more cost effcient to also switch to Canidae. AND all my dogs LOVE IT! My blue heeler didn't really care much wether he ate or not, now he looks forward to meal time and slings his bowl around if I'm not on time filling it up!!!!

[sweetlee]

I think most people will agree on one thing around here, and that is not to use puppy food. It's not necessary and really not good for the puppy either.
I don't know what kind of Purina you are feeding, but how many cups are you using in a day?
I tried different foods to save money, (plus my boy has a very sensitive tummy) and found that when I compared the calorie content it was just as cheap to feed Canidae as it was a mid-grade brand, because I could cut from 5 cups to 3 1/2 a day and keep the calories the same, and that the calories came from healthier ingredients.
You really do need to compare per serving or per month costs when choosing a food, some of the bargain foods really aren't a bargain at all.
And the Science Diet really isn't a great food and it's way overpriced, the vets get a large commission for selling it.
Do some hard research on dog foods and I am sure you can do better AND spend less money.

Sharon

[daaqa]

i, too, have a VERY VERY limited budget, so i feel your pain! i work part time and my husband is a full time student. there is no room in our finances to move an inch. however, i did some heavy research into foods when we adopted our dogs, and discovered that it can actually be much more cost effective to go with high quality [and i don't mean science diet].

first, while everyone here may not agree on what exactly to feed your dog, i think everyone could agree that the most cost effective thing is to have the healthiest dog possible. more health problems means higher vet bills in the long run. i think it's awesome that you are doing your own research and trying to discover what is best for your dog! good job!

another thing most on here will agree with is that they don't feed puppy food to their rott puppies. that was my question when i first came here, too! i now have my pup on adult innova.

this is what i have found in my personal research/experience: buying a cheaper-priced food may save you money at the store, but may not save you money in the long run. dogs generally need to eat way smaller portions of higher quality foods [such as canidae, innova, etc] because the nutrient levels are higher and easier for the dog to absorb [more digestable]. so, as someone else mentioned, the price you pay per serving can actually be comparable. plus with smaller servings of food and higher nutrient absorption, comes less poop-scooping [which is always a bonus when you have a dog this big!].

add to that the costs of grooming [higher quality foods means healthier coats, nails, ears, eyes, etc] and cleaning up shedding [lower quality foods seem to have a direct effect on increased shedding and other issues].

many people around here are passionate about feeding the best they can because they have seen the benefit in their dogs. i for one can say the same. one of my adopted dogs was on purina before i got her. once i switched her to a higher quality food, her coat was better, her energy levels were better, she acted happier and more alive, her limp started to fade, her eyes were less goopy.

bottom line, though, is that it's your decision and your responsibility to take care of your dog to the best of YOUR ability, not based on everyone's opinions! so i'd recommend doing some reading and continue asking questions [like you are!] to educate yourself.

a website i found to be really helpful in understanding what the heck all those ingredients and percentages and whatnot mean on a bag of dog food is:

The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

[KrystalBallard]

I agree that puppy food is not necessary. Canidae is no where to be found in my area for some reason. There are a couple store that are not too far from me that have small bags but dont get the large ones. Maybe i'll double check and see if i cant buy in bulk. Ive actually considered it because its is only a +$5 & -5lb difference...but i am not going to pay for shipping on dog food.
Good luck in your search!

[KrystalBallard]

Ok so all this talk about Canidae---I called the local feed store and they said they could get it in for me. Do you guys prefer the original or the lamb & rice?

[bdfoop81]

Well i dont know how many cups i feed. The vet told me to feed him as much until he doesnt want to eat and when he stops take the bowl away. But i can estimate about 5-7 cups a day and he weights,last time was 15lbs now maybe 20 around there. But thanks everyone. It was a lot of helpful information and im not gonna buy the science crap anymore. Im going to try innova or canidae sorry if i misspelled anything.

[Shelby427]

Originally Posted by KrystalBallard

Ok so all this talk about Canidae---I called the local feed store and they said they could get it in for me. Do you guys prefer the original or the lamb & rice?

I use the All Life Stages that has turkey, chicken, lamb and fish for both my 4 year old rottie and my 7 month old greyhound/mastiff - they are doing great on it. Before I acquired Hudson, I had Shelby on the lamb and rice - she seemed to like it.

[Shelby427]

Originally Posted by bdfoop81

Well i dont know how many cups i feed. The vet told me to feed him as much until he doesnt want to eat and when he stops take the bowl away. But i can estimate about 5-7 cups a day and he weights,last time was 15lbs now maybe 20 around there. But thanks everyone. It was a lot of helpful information and im not gonna buy the science crap anymore. Im going to try innova or canidae sorry if i misspelled anything.

I'm quite surprised your VET would tell you BS like that! Most dogs will eat if there is food available. Use a measuring cup, and measure out exactly the amount you need to feed. Leave the bowl down for 10 minutes, then take it away. The next time puppy eats is the next scheduled feeding. Put puppy on a schedule. Your puppy will learn to eat when the food is there. 5-7 cups is an awful lot to feed! Feed your puppy 3 times a day. You need to base how much to feed on how your puppy looks and feels. You should be able to feel the ribs by lightly touching the sides. Get a new vet too.

[KrystalBallard]

Originally Posted by bdfoop81

Well i dont know how many cups i feed. The vet told me to feed him as much until he doesnt want to eat and when he stops take the bowl away. But i can estimate about 5-7 cups a day and he weights,last time was 15lbs now maybe 20 around there. But thanks everyone. It was a lot of helpful information and im not gonna buy the science crap anymore. Im going to try innova or canidae sorry if i misspelled anything.

Wow....if i ever let one of my dogs just eat until they stopped they would be balloons!! LOL I keep them all on a certain amount of cups a day.

[KrystalBallard]

Originally Posted by Shelby427

I'm quite surprised your VET would tell you BS like that! Most dogs will eat if there is food available. Use a measuring cup, and measure out exactly the amount you need to feed. Leave the bowl down for 10 minutes, then take it away. The next time puppy eats is the next scheduled feeding. Put puppy on a schedule. Your puppy will learn to eat when the food is there. 5-7 cups is an awful lot to feed! Feed your puppy 3 times a day. You need to base how much to feed on how your puppy looks and feels. You should be able to feel the ribs by lightly touching the sides. Get a new vet too.

Thanks Shelby-
I have been looking for a feed store for awhile...and although I dont see eye to eye with people about raw food diets and such, I do agree with a lot points you make. I might switch to Canidae if this feed store will get it in for me. Im glad the bottom line with this forum is that we all want whats best for our dogs!

[bdfoop81]

well thanks for the info...its just hard to keep all 3 dogs on a eating schedule, with school and work and all. Its hard to keep up to see if my mom fed them or not. But i will look real deep into the food issue and might even consider changing the VET LOL!!!!