# Puppy Food



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Hi, you must be getting very excited! 

What feed the dog is one of the most hotly debated topics on here. But the general philosophy is to find the best for your dog and your pocketbook and stick with it. 

Try to feed your pup the same food for as long as possible--the one he's on now. You don't want him to adjust to new food and a new home at same time. I don't know about vitamin c... I thought most good quality foods were pretty complete. I give salmon oil to my spaniel for her heart so also give to Tucker. It's expensive though. 

I've been feeding Purina Pro Plan puppy food and switched to all life stages in the past month. Tucker just turned one. Many people _never_ feed puppy food but go straight to all stages or adult. Many people feed puppy food and switch at four or six months. I chose to keep him on it for a year because he did really well and was nice and lean. There are many good foods out there and many opinions about them. But unless your pup develops health problems, you should be able to settle on a good quality food at a reasonable price. Also--lots of people here get special food that is delivered free to their homes through Internet suppliers. You might check that out. 

Be sure to announce your baby's arrival with some pix!


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## goldeeloks23 (Feb 13, 2012)

Hi Charmie,

What joys you have coming your way! We have had our Bailey for 6 weeks - he is now 14 weeks old and I had no idea how much I would love our boy 

We too were told to use the vitamin C and fish oil by our breeder and when we took him to the vet, they heavily adviced us to avoid the vitamin C as they should be getting plenty of nutrients in there puppy food and, more importantly, the vitamin C messes with the pH balance of their urine. Apparently it will do more harm than good. A different vet also gave the same advice to our puppy's littermate. They said the fish oil is fine though. We haven't used either yet, but might start the fish oil in a few months.

For food, we are using Purina Pro Plan for Large Puppy breed. Bailey seems to love it, but the vet and all other people we have spoken with are not big fans of Purina Pro Plan. Apparently, it has more byproducts than other kibble. We have heard Innova is a good one to switch to - which we will probably transition to once we are closer to being done with this bag.

Hope that helps!

Good luck and GET EXCITED!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Charmy... I recommend you get a big bag of Nutrisource. If you are only feeding 1.5 cups a day or so, that big bag should get you through 2 months. By the time your puppy is 5 months old, you should be able to wean him onto a new food without causing digestive issues while you are potty training.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Megora said:


> Charmy... I recommend you get a big bag of Nutrisource. If you are only feeding 1.5 cups a day or so, that big bag should get you through 2 months. By the time your puppy is 5 months old, you should be able to wean him onto a new food without causing digestive issues while you are potty training.


I don't think you would feed 1 1/2 cup per day when the dog gets older...maybe when the pup is 8 or 9 weeks, but it grows quickly to 3 and sometimes 4 cups a day...Liza came home with Eukanuba puppy food, like Tess when I brought her home. I intend to switch Liza to Fromm's when she is 6 months old, because I have Tess on Fromm's and she loves it.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

inge said:


> I don't think you would feed 1 1/2 cup per day when the dog gets older...maybe when the pup is 8 or 9 weeks, but it grows quickly to 3 and sometimes 4 cups a day...Liza came home with Eukanuba puppy food, like Tess when I brought her home. I intend to switch Liza to Fromm's when she is 6 months old, because I have Tess on Fromm's and she loves it.


The way I remember it with Jacks, we fed a 1/2 cup three times a day. As recommended by his breeder. 

When we transitioned him to 2 meals at around 5 months, we bumped that up to 2 cups a day. I have never had to feed our dogs more than 2 cups a day. 

Understand that there is a 1-2 cup's worth of calories that you will be feeding your puppy (TREATS!) in addition to their regular food. When you have dogs who will be active for the rest of their lifes and be jumping and so forth, you absolutely want to keep them lean and fit, especially in that first year.

Fromm - reading comments from people on this forum, I really get the idea that you absolutely need to feed more food to keep weight on your dog.


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## Goldenmomma (Oct 15, 2009)

Hi. I have three dogs (2 goldens and 1 basset) and they are all on a different type of food. My vet recommended Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice for my basset because of allergies and we've been on it for 10+ yrs. Scotty, male golden, is on Nutro Natural Sensitive Stomach because once every six months he had tummy troubles. Haven't had problems for over three yrs and don't want to rock the boat. Sully, female golden, is the expensive one. She is on Natural Balance Duck and Potato food and treats. She has a *very* sensitive tummy and this is the only food that has worked. I also add a small amount of green beans for added fiber. That said, my first dog lived to be 16 and she ate Pedigree most of her life. I would start out with a good brand that you can afford and works with your puppy's system. If you have problems, then seek out more specific solutions, but involve your vet. When you switch food, remember to mix the two types together for a few days, so the puppy's system can adjust. Good luck and congratulations!


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I've fed NutriSource kibble to my dogs periodically as part of their rotation - they do very well on it. The company has made dog food for 40 years and has never had a recall. It is also reasonably priced.

If you could easily get NutriSource, I'd say stick with it. On their website, it lists *Davis Ace on G Street in Davis, CA* as carrying their products. Maybe you could give them a call.

Of the other foods you listed, I'd choose Innova to try for your dog.


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## BrycesMom (May 23, 2012)

Hi All,

I have the same query. Pup is 9 weeks old and breeder had him on Taste of the Wild Puppy Salmon. So I fed him that for his first week home. Today, the vet said it is too high in protein (35%) and that big dogs can sometimes get joint pain from that much protein. She recommended Iams Large Pup or Eukanuba Large Pup as both have 25% protein and both are cheaper. Just fiugred I'd pass that on.

Sharon


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## Charmie (May 30, 2012)

MyBentley said:


> If you could easily get NutriSource, I'd say stick with it. On their website, it lists *Davis Ace on G Street in Davis, CA* as carrying their products. Maybe you could give them a call.
> 
> Of the other foods you listed, I'd choose Innova to try for your dog.



Wow! Thank you, I absolutely have no idea how I managed to skip over that. I've been in Ace before when I was doing a big design project, and I saw their pet section. It's tiny, but it did seem to have brands I've never seen before. 

Thanks so much! Knowing it's at Ace definitely solves a lot of my problems. 


Thanks for the feedback as usual, everyone! : ) You guys are seriously the best best best. 

And thanks, Bryce's mom! I've actually never been to a vet for a dog before- for my boyfriend's rats, but it's a much different story there. I hope my vet will have good advice for me, too.


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## kimberly686 (May 25, 2012)

I tried to switch Arya's food after a week of being home. I added just a little of Blue Buffalo and she had horrible diarrhea. It was a nightmare. If you do switch I would do it after a few weeks. Arya is on Iams large breed puppy and I would love to switch her off but I'm kinda weary to now! 
PS I totally lol'ed at your "3.5 weeks away." Those last weeks took forever!


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## Charmie (May 30, 2012)

Ugh those last weeks DO last forever!! Now it's 3 weeks and 2 days away.. the countdown is soooo long. 

Also, I went to Ace today.. no nutrisource, but they did have a lot of foods Petco didn't carry. : D


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

My Goldens get Wellness Just For Puppy until they are four months. Then they get regular Wellness. I also raise mine in fish oil and dasuquin. I do not feed large breed and I have raised some very sound dogs. Some breeders recommend Vitamin C because they think it will prevent hip dysplasia.


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## hunternus (Jun 6, 2012)

When we got Hunter he was on Orijen for puppies. It is very fishy and very rich. It gave him the runs. We are trying to get rid of it, so the vet said to add Science Diet large dog puppy, and his stools are MUCH better. 

Science diet is a lot cheaper than Orijen too! Bonus!
BJ


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

OY! My head is spinning LOL I have 8 more days until I bring puppy home and I'm more confused than ever about what to feed him.
All of my past dogs have been adult rescues and they ate whatever I gave them with no problem. I want the puppy to get the nutrients he needs, guess I'll be on here all week reading up on it.
Sooooo glad I found this site! Thank you all ♥


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## robertshalit (Jan 21, 2016)

this puppy food thing drives me crazy. 4 month old female has been on Wellness Large Breed kibble for 6 weeks, and a little bit of canned food in the morning (I don't know why I started feeding her canned about 4 weeks ago, but she loves it, of course) - morning poops are fairly firm but by night they are runny. No idea what to do. Try this and that slowly change one thing, what a hassle. Maybe I'll add a little Science Diet puppy kibble that vet gave me to the Wellness.


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