# Changing puppy food



## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i made the mistake of switching as soon as i brought my puppy home...please dont do it as they have enough stress going on as it is.. i had to make a vet visit due to chronic loose stools from switching and he had to be put on meds. keep her on the food the breeder gives you for quite awhile, i wouldnt switch til months down the road...congrats!!!


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## Molly's Mum (Apr 1, 2011)

Thanks oakleysmommy, I appreciate the advice. I'll keep Molly on the breeder's brand of food for a couple of months before changing. I was worried that if Molly became unwell from the vaccination I wouldn't know if it was the food or vaccine that was the cause. I'll wait until she's well settled in her new home before changing her food brand.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

you are welcome! its best as i have learned the hard way to leave them on the food they come home with. they are going through enough  good luck with her!!!


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

I got my puppy at 8 weeks of age. Kept her on the same food the breeder had her on until she was 3 month old. That is when I started changing her over to an adult food and had no problems. During that first couple of months however, you can research foods and find a few options to consider for your budget as well as your dogs palatability and gastrointestinal compatability(meaning, doesn't get your dog too gassy or give her diarrhea). Dogfood is not a one size fits all sort of thing. Good luck.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Molly's Mum said:


> Our little Molly will be coming home with us in two and a half weeks time, she'll be 8 weeks old. The breeder will supply us with a couple of days worth of her food and I've decided that we're probably going to switch to a different brand. Is it sensible to switch immediately over the first couple of days that she's home with us or would this be too much change all at once i.e. new home, no mummy and littermates, new food. Would it be better for me to buy in some of her current brand of food and then make the switch a few weeks later. She'll also be getting her first vaccination two days after she comes home to us. Either way, whenever we make the switch to the new brand I'll make sure we change over gradually as per the instructions on the packaging for changing to a new food.


You trusted the breeder enough to buy a puppy from her, why don't you trust her enough to continue feeding her what she's been fed?

Unless the breeder is feeding a truly poor quality food (like, in a white bag with black lettering that says "Dog Food" or something) why would you plan to switch even before you have the puppy?


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## Molly's Mum (Apr 1, 2011)

The breeder is feeding a good quality food, it's nothing to do about me trusting her or not. I do trust that she's selected a good food for the puppy. The reason I'm considering a change is because the brand of food our cat eats is also a very good premium brand and their dog food has come highly recommended by other members/breeders/friends and it's a very local firm. I try to support local wherever possible with everything I buy so it's a brand I would prefer to buy. I also like their business philosophy and ethics. Of course our puppy's health is important so if my chosen brand didn't agree with her then I wouldn't use it. Keeping our puppy on the breeder's choice of food is not a problem at all and I will do that until our puppy is older and there are less changes happening in her life. Perhaps when it's time to move onto adult food I'll look at making the change.


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## babbs (Feb 9, 2010)

I switched after 2 weeks at home (got her at 8 wks.) with no problem. Yes I mixed old and new over the 3rd week's time. I think a lot just depends on the pup as well and how sensitive they are.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

I would wait- continue to feed the breeder's food until the pup has been home for 4-5 weeks. Lots of stress, changing environments, and so on in addition to potty training. No one wants to deal with a puppy having diarrhea and making it outside!


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