Looking for Opinions on California Natural Puppy Food

dreboogie · 10-20-2009, 11:43 AM

I just got my puppy last friday and have been feeding it california natural. He eats it, one kibble at a time. It seems like a very hard food. I just got the feeding instructions from the breeder and he fed it 1/2 at morning and at night eukanuba puppy formula.

I have been serving him the same quantity, but he doesn't eat neatly that much in a sitting.

THe only time he ate that much was when I added 1/2 a raw egg yolk to each serving, and had softened the food by soaking it in water till the "snap" of the food was gone.

What do I do, or where do I go to make sure he is eating enough?

Kina_A · 10-20-2009, 11:48 AM

Natura pet (makers of Cali naturals) has a feeding calculator. http://www.naturapet.com/tools/feeding.asp

SandyPuppy · 10-20-2009, 12:09 PM

The only way to judge if he is eating enough is to monitor his weight and body condition.
How old is your puppy?
Is he less active now than he was at the breeders with all the other puppies to wrestle around with 24/7?

Oh, to answer your question, I hear its a great food.

dreboogie · 10-20-2009, 12:31 PM

thanks for the calculator, that is the amount I figured at first but didn't know if it should change based on switching kibble.

He seems to be very active. no problem running around. I am going to the vet tomorrow who was recommended to me by the natural pet store I go to the for the first time. I guess I'll wait to see what the vet says.

I was just worried since i never weaned him off of the other food.

Do you recommend set feeding times and amounts, or to you let them eat all day, but only the daily total amount?

Michiyo-Fir · 10-20-2009, 12:37 PM

Well I guess you can just feed in excess until you finish weaning him off the other food.

Depends on the breed regarding free feeding or set feedings. For my Papillon I can free-feed all I want and she doesn't over eat at all. Not even a tiny bit.

For our Cavalier we can dump a bag of food on the floor and she'll probably eat it all so for her she has set amounts and set feeding times.

As for California Natural, you feed less than Eukanuba because it is higher in calories and the nutrients are more digestible than Eukanuba. So if he's eating a little less of the CN, don't worry. Also if you want to, you can add some warm water to the kibble to soften it up a bit. Some puppies especially if they're teething prefers a little bit of softer food.

I wouldn't really worry about it. Does his ribs stick out, can you see them? Feel his ribs and make sure you can easily feel them but not see them. If he doesn't seem to be losing weight, then I wouldn't worry. Most dogs know to eat enough and when to stop.

Kina_A · 10-20-2009, 02:55 PM

I have both Sadie and Kina on set schedule. This way, I know when they need to go to the washroom. They are both like clock work! It also helps when you have to give them medication on a full stomach.

The amount is, I give them 1/2 of what they are suppose to eat in the AM and the other half in the PM.

MoonStr80 · 10-20-2009, 10:39 PM

lmao I just tried that Feeding Calculator. It looks like they want you to feed MORE then they really need it! I agree with SandyPuppy! It's about the portion of how much your dog really need?

What breed is your puppy btw that might help a lot too

Also, Cali Natural is best tops food but expensive

SandyPuppy · 10-20-2009, 10:42 PM

There are different opinions on whether to have scheduled feedings or to free-feed. I free-fed Sandy until recently, and that worked just fine for us. But she just turned 5 months old and is starting to look chunky so I just switched to scheduled feedings yesterday.

MoonStr80 · 10-20-2009, 10:46 PM

Awesome Sandy! Now don't suck up to those sad eyes

I don't agree with free-feeding

SandyPuppy · 10-20-2009, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonStr80

Awesome Sandy! Now don't suck up to those sad eyes

I don't agree with free-feeding

Hehe, no. She did fine with free-feeding, but she is also doing fine now with her schedule. Shes a pretty easy going little girl

I'm a very lucky dog mommy.

dreboogie · 10-20-2009, 11:52 PM

I have a Toy Manchester Terrier. The calculator recommended 3/4 cup for the day. He probably ate 2/3 a cup. I never put more than half the days amount in the dish, and he only eats a little bit of it at a time. I guess my main concern was wether the hardness of the food was making him want to eat less at a time.

I think I will attempt to put him on a schedule of 3 feedings, and try softening the 1/2 of the food in each serving.

In a scheduled feeding, how long should I have the food available before I take the left overs away?

SandyPuppy · 10-21-2009, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreboogie

I have a Toy Manchester Terrier. The calculator recommended 3/4 cup for the day. He probably ate 2/3 a cup. I never put more than half the days amount in the dish, and he only eats a little bit of it at a time. I guess my main concern was wether the hardness of the food was making him want to eat less at a time.

I think I will attempt to put him on a schedule of 3 feedings, and try softening the 1/2 of the food in each serving.

In a scheduled feeding, how long should I have the food available before I take the left overs away?

I think most people recommend 20 minutes? Please correct me if thats wrong. I wouldn't take it up if he is still actively eating though.

Jennyfur · 10-21-2009, 02:04 AM

I feed my Chinook puppy the California Natural Puppy Chicken and Rice kibble. It does seem to take some time for her to chew it, but honestly, I figure that's good for her teeth. I stopped soaking it a few weeks ago.

I did free feeding with my older dog, but I started putting her on regular meals about a year ago after it was evident she was gaining some excess weight.

With this pup, I'm doing regular meals from the start. Right now we feed the dogs at noon and 6:00 p.m. I don't want Tana to linger over the food too long (she tends to be a muncher and walker), so I'm only giving her ~15 minutes with the food. If she's still actively eating then, I'll leave it a bit longer; however, if she's walked away from it and acting disinterested, I take the food up.

The California Natural food calculator says she should be eating 2 5/8 cups per day, but Tana isn't eating that much. We cut out the 6 a.m. meal because she wasn't eating any of it. Right now she eats about 3/4 cup at noon and *maybe* 1 cup at 6:00 p.m.

SandyPuppy · 10-21-2009, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreboogie

I guess my main concern was wether the hardness of the food was making him want to eat less at a time.

Could be. But a lot of dogs just like to snack like that.