Good food for puppies?

Durbkat · 07-01-2007, 10:14 PM

I know its a good idea to get the same food the breeder feeds the puppies so it would be one less thing thats different. But what if the food the breeder feeds isn't what is really good for it? What kind of food should I get, kibbles n' bits, purinia puppy chow or what?

RonE · 07-01-2007, 10:25 PM

It's probably best to forget about any food you've seen advertised on TV or can buy at Wal-Mart or the grocery store.

There is a lot of reading for you on this dog food sub-forum. What I feed a 2-year-old 75 pound Plott hound isn't necessarily what you'd feed a shih tzu puppy.

Durbkat · 07-01-2007, 10:30 PM

Umm... thanks I guess...

Well then I guess I'll wait for someone who has a shih tzu and see what they say.

RonE · 07-01-2007, 10:36 PM

You don't have to sit around and wait.

I was suggesting you do your homework. There are dozens of threads with opinions about quality dog foods. And there are links to sites with even more info.

Nobody is going to say, "Oh, you have a shih tzu puppy? You should feed it ABC brand because that is the only good food for shi tzu puppies."

What you WILL get is plenty of opinions about what NOT to feed, and that would include both the foods you mentioned.

Durbkat · 07-01-2007, 10:40 PM

Well I know that, but I haven't seen any threads that was asking what to feed there shih tzu puppy. I just pm'd Haidden what he feeds his shih tzu. I'll google it as well. The reason why I asked on here was so that I could get people's personal experience with what worked best with their shih tzu.

briteday · 07-01-2007, 10:56 PM

I guess you are looking at it conversely as Ron has explained it. There are many foods that would be appropriate for a shih tzu. And just because a certain food works well for one shih tzu doesn't mean that it will work well for your shih tzu. It is completely up to you to do the research work and figure out which one(s) would be the best for your particular dog, price range, and local availablity.

As suggested, there is a food sub-forum here that would be very helpful to you in your research. Check out the sticky notes at the top of the page. Some forum members have already "digested" the ingredients and statistics on some of the most popular premium foods, which, BTW, cannot be bought at the grocery store or large chain pet stores. All you have to do is look at the scoring system, develop your own short list of preferences, find a local independent retailer, and check in with them for some free samples. Try a few out with your dog to be sure he likes what you buy as it won't be the cheapest dog food. Some have chunks that will be too big, some may contain ingredients that your pup doesn't prefer, etc. The folks who work at the dog food stores are usually very helpful and knowledgeable about the variety of foods and what is most likely to work best for you, given a bit of information from you.

Initially most breeders should tell you what they've been feeding. In fact, they should have already given you this information knowing that you are probably anxious to have a supply on hand when you bring the dog home. I would leave the dog on the breeder food choice for a week or two, until you've done your own check in with a vet and the dog is comfortable in its new surroundings. Then you can start transitioning the puppy to a different food if that's your decision.

Have you received or seen a copy of the purchase contract for your dog? The health guarantees/checks done, current food being fed, spay/neuter requirements, vaccinations given, transportation arrangements (even if you are picking up the dog most breeders require you to transport the dog in a crate for safety reasons), and return policy should be included in the contract.

all4thedogs · 07-01-2007, 11:09 PM

I have a Shih Tzu. I recommend feeding a high quality food. There are many threads on diet. Tzu's are known for their weight problems, so be sure you dont over feed your new baby.

Some good quality foods include (but not limited to)
Canidae
Innova
Solid Gold
Pinnacle
California Natural
Timberwolf Organics
Raw/Barf diet (this is NOT a kibble)

Durbkat · 07-01-2007, 11:27 PM

Thanks all4thedogs and briteday. But isn't this the dog food forum, so why do you keep saying there is a dog food subforum when I am already posting in it?

briteday · 07-02-2007, 12:57 AM

Do a search for past threads regarding quality dog foods or look at the sticky notes/threads at the top of the main dog food sub-forum page.

all4thedogs · 07-02-2007, 09:49 AM

Threads are the actual posts, not the section. I recommend reading other peoples posts on dog food and go from there. Your question has been asked many times (in many different forms), and you could get many answers that way.

Durbkat · 07-02-2007, 12:59 PM

Well I see no search bar in the dog food forum so how can I do a search?

dansamy · 07-02-2007, 01:13 PM

Oh for pete's sake! Look at the top of the screen. There is a Search function with a drop-down arrow next to it. Click it and get search happy.

Durbkat · 07-02-2007, 01:20 PM

Well excuse me, but nobody told me that. It should be more visible like it is here.

Durbkat · 07-02-2007, 08:34 PM

Well I just got off the phone with the breeder and she says she feeds them Purina puppy chow.

Dieselsmama · 07-02-2007, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durbkat

Well I just got off the phone with the breeder and she says she feeds them Purina puppy chow.

You were just told a couple posts up this is NOT a quality food. That said please don't just up and switch foods, the change over needs to gradual over a week or twos time so as not to cause stomach upset and diarrhea. Several suggestions were made and if you go all the way to the top of the forum You'll find break downs of many different foods, lots of the work has already been done for you, but you still need to show some level of initiative and reasearch on your own. MJy personal favorites for my lab is Orijen, however it's not cheap and hard to come by. You'll need to narrow you choices down to a few different quality foods from the nutrient breakdowns and then see what's available in your area pet food stores, believe it or not Agway carries Canidae, Innova and Calif. Nat.

Durbkat · 07-02-2007, 09:18 PM

I know that, I hate when people just assume that I'm gonna feed this to the dog for its entire life or something. I'm going to gradually change it over to a premium dog food.

redox · 07-03-2007, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durbkat

Well I just got off the phone with the breeder and she says she feeds them Purina puppy chow.

Not to get too far off topic, but this isn't the kind of food I'd expect from a quality breeder. Are you sure this is the type of person you want to give your money to? I hope you have visited this breeder more than once and are sure that they treat their animals humanely. It seems you have not really done much research at all for someone who is getting a puppy very soon. I hope I'm wrong.

Durbkat · 07-03-2007, 10:39 AM

What would a "quality" breeder feed a pup in your mind?

redox · 07-03-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by all4thedogs

Some good quality foods include (but not limited to)
Canidae
Innova
Solid Gold
Pinnacle
California Natural
Timberwolf Organics
Raw/Barf diet (this is NOT a kibble)

All of these are quite good. I personally rotate Innova, Calf. Natural, and Canidae, but I'm always on the lookout for new foods. I think the next I will try will be Nature's Variety. Try checking out this website. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

Remember this is just one person's opinion, but his opinions are sound in my opinion and based on good logic about canine nutrition.

Durbkat · 07-03-2007, 10:50 AM

Alright, thanks.