[Megan]

The breeder I am getting Riley (a Papillon) from has him eating Science Diet Original Puppy for Small and Medium Breeds. After doing my research, I would really like to feed Riley Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken and Rice formula.

How would I go about changing him from one food to the next? The breeder is giving me a small bag of his food so I can transition him if I would like...

Also, do you all think this will be good food for him? Eagle Pack does not have a 'Puppy' formula for smaller breeds, so is the regular Holistic Chicken and Rice formula okay for him?

Thanks so much for any input you can give me!!

[Meghan&Pedro]

Eagle pack DOES have a small/medium breed puppy formula. That is what I would be switching him to.

But I would NOT switch him until he's been in your house for a few weeks, and after then I would switch it gradually over a week to a week and a half.

The stress of leaving his mom and the breeders house and coming to your place is allready quite great, and in switching his food you're just adding to his greif for the first few weeks.

You also won't be able to tell if his stools are 'normal' for him if you switch his food right away - you will just be dismissing any vomiting, loose stool, or gas for "oh, it's the new food"

You want to make sure you make this transition as easy as possible for him, and you want to know that he comes happy and healthy.

[Curbside Prophet]

Have you been to the eagle pack website? Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. They do have a formula listed as a small/medium puppy food. I looked it up under the product selector. You can also call them and they will recommend the best formula for your dog, and I'm sure they will tell you exactly how you can make the transition. Good luck!

**looks like Meghan&Pedro beat me to it, lol**

[Megan]

Thank you for both of your advice.. when I said they did not have a small/medium puppy formula though, I was referring to the Holistic formulas as opposed to the regular 'premium pet' formulas.

[Megan]

And Meghan&Pedro, that definitely makes sense... He'll be almost 12 weeks when we get him, and the breeder says he should not have 'detachment' problems, but I want to do everything to make his homecoming as smooth as possible so I will follow your suggestion. Thanks!

[Curbside Prophet]

Well, if it means anything (and again I would recommend calling the manufacturer...they are very helpful), but I know of a breeder that feeds all her dogs, pups and adults alike, the exact formula you mentioned...and she has over 30 years of breeding experience. But your pups requirements may be different, so I highly recommend calling the manufacturer. Good luck!

[Meghan&Pedro]

I would feed the Eagle Pack medium/small breed formula when she's a puppy.
Puppies do best on puppy foods for many reasons ( you can switch to an adult earlier than a year - you could switch as early as 6 months, though it definatly depends on the condition, weight, and development of the puppy), and then switch to the holistic select formula for an adult.

I sell a lot of eagle pack at my work - they've made a lot of changes to all of their foods within the past year - and when it comes down to it there is VERY little differences between the holistic food and the other food when it comes to ingredients and quality. I think it would benefit your puppy the most to do it this way

SD is not a BAD food in any way, shape or form! It's definatly a good food, but in my opinion you pay too much for what it is. I think that the Eagle Pack is a 1/2 step up in quality from the SD, and it's almost always cheaper!

Meghan