I got my pup saturday, she is an 8 week old GSD, her breeder had her on Nutro and a little canned food. When I got her I switched her to Purina Puppy Chow for some reason I've always used that with puppies. I don't think I switched it gradually enough because she has dirrhea now that she didn't have when we first got her. I went out and got some Nutro but she won't eat it now... she seems to like the Purina better but I'm wondering how long it will take her system to adjust to it, I don't like this dirrhea thing, it makes me nervous. So should I just stick with the purina and let her adjust since that's what she likes? Also... is purina puppy chow a good food in general?? I want to find a good quality food... but I cannot spend $30 a bag either.. any suggestions?? Thanks
Kasey
*Belle*Scotty*Sophie*
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Puppy Food
Replies (18)
Anything you can buy at a grocery store is no good- this includes Purina. Feeding costs are something that go with dog ownership, and $30 a bag isn't unreasonable. Innova Evo is good. They have kibble and canned. Nature's Variety, Natural Balance, and Merrick are also good. You can make your own dog food for pretty cheap, too, if you're willing to do lots of research and make the effort to cook (unless you feed raw, which is very good for dogs). Cheap dog food ends up costing more in the end after your puppy starts getting sick from eating it. It ends up being cheaper to just go with either a very, very high-quality food or making your own, plus the dog doesn't have as high a chance of suffering with cancer or joint problems, skin issues, or other health problems. Get a good brand, make some sacrifices so you can afford it, and your puppy will be much healthier in the end than he would eating cheap stuff. It's definitely worth it.
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Kadee Sedtal
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey
you can just mix the nutro in with the purina for a couple of weeks. don't give in if at first she's stubborn and doesnt want it, she'll eat it when she gets hungry. Her stomach will adjust slowly.
as for choosing a good food, looking at the ingredients helps a lot. look for a food thats lists a meat product as the first ingredient, not corn or grain
Abby Road is right. Here's a good link to read & you can see the rating's for pet food's.
A good food, will cost you less in the long run. ( A Lot Less )
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/foodchoices.pdf
Thank you all for the advice.. I really do appreciate it. Her dirrhea was pretty bad so I took her into her vet and she was put on flagyl and she is on a science diet bland rice canned food for 6 days until her stool gets back to normal. I will go down to the pet store and get a good quality food to begin her on in a few days. Her doc said after stool gets more solid, slowly start to mix in the dogfood of my choice, with the science diet to let her adjust. We will start fresh with this whole food thing!! Thanks so much!
Yeah, there's a reason your dog is having trouble -- Purina is a much poorer quality food than the Nutro. She may like it better, but that may be because it's different, or has more sugars, or more taste enhancers (as compared to quality ingredients).
GSDs are notorious for their weak digestive systems -- just go over to the GSD health board:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php
and do a search for diarrhea, loose stools, epi, etc. and you'll see how common problems are. Stick with a better food and be happy if you can get away with paying $30 for a bag of food with no troubles. If you can't afford that, then you probably can't afford a GSD I'm sorry to say.
First of all.. I went back to the nutro.. and just because a person can't buy a $30 bag of food every week doesn't mean I can't afford a german shepherd.
Food costs- *good* food- should have been thought about and budgeted for before the dog was brought home. Make some sacrifices. It's not fair that the dog has to eat junk food and eventually get sick and not live as long as he could have just because his owner would not make the sacrifices required to give him a better diet.
Homemade food is an excellent compromise. It can be cheaper than commercial food, and just as good or better than the expensive brands. Just look at prices on things- you can get frozen chicken wings sometimes for 30˘/lb. You can get a 28 oz. bag of brown rice for around a dollar. Your dog gets nice fresh food and you don't have to pay too much for it. I feed my girls homemade and it's really great for them, and for me. Do lots of research, find the absolute best thing for your dog, then find a way to afford it.
Make absolutely sure you will be able to afford a vet visit if it's ever needed. If you can't afford a $30 bag of dog food every month, how will you afford to treat arthritis, cancer, and dental work? Those things might well be necessary one day, as a result of feeding cheap, inadequate food. I have found that it is much easier and more practical to budget for dog food every month than it is to all of a sudden have to come up with $500 when an emergency happens. That "expensive" food will pay for itself one day when your dog doesn't have to deal with arthritis, cancer, and dental disease (among other things). Something to consider.
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Kadee Sedtal
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey
I meant $30 a week first of all... and vet bills aren't a problem for me.. in fact i just dropped $80 on her at the vet's because she had an upset stomach. I do plan on feeding her a very good quality food.. and I take wonderful care of my pets, so maybe all you who feel like offering snotty opinions... should keep them to yourselves.
If that's how you're interpreting things, that's your problem. No one on this board is going to recommend feeding your dog cheap garbage, regardless of what you can or cannot afford. This particular board is for "canine health and care," not "bank account awareness." If you find an *excellent* quality dog food for very little money, I do hope you'll share it with the board because I'm sure we'd all love to save a little money feeding our dogs. Till then, most of us just aren't going to settle for anything that's going to make our dogs sick down the line- for them, and for us. I'd really suggest looking into a homemade diet. It can be really great for your dog if you do it right, and especially if you buy things in large quantities you can get many ingredients very cheap. I don't think anyone here has attacked you, we're all just giving our opinions. You came here asking what people thought, and we told you. Don't act like we did something wrong. You asked, we answered, and you didn't like the answers we gave and you attacked us. I do hope you'll take what we've said to you into consideration and get that poor dog off that Puppy Chow. It *will* cause problems one day. We are trying to help you- take the advice or leave it, just don't pretend we did something wrong. We're not the ones stuffing Puppy Chow into our animals.
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Kadee Sedtal
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey
I came here asking for types of dog foods available.. not to be told if I couldnt afford a certain amount I am a bad owner
Nobody said you were a bad dog owner. It's just being very strongly suggested that you find a way to feed your dog a quality diet. If you can afford Puppy Chow, you can afford a homemade diet. That is, in my opinion (if done correctly, of course) the best possible diet for a dog. Inexpensive, too.
Try to grow up a little and not take everything like it's meant as an insult. The fact that you cannot afford the most expensive brand of dog food should not keep you from feeding your dog high-quality food. I've made an alternative suggestion- homemade. Don't act like we're all out to get you.
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Kadee Sedtal
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey
>>I came here asking for types of dog foods available.. not to be told if I couldnt afford a certain amount I am a bad owner
It's not that about being a "bad owner", it's just a reality check. There are some dogs that are bound to have more problems than other dogs -- GSDs have a higher percentage of digestive problems, immune system problems, etc. The quicker you get on the right track, the better the odds are that you will be able to avoid more problems down the road, or at least minimize them.
I may have been blunt, but luckily the others here helped explain.
Hi Kasey,,, I was once in your shoes, so I do now how you feel. You have to remember that the people on the board have the lower end of the leash as their priority, which, if you think about it, that's what you want right?
I know you think it sound's harsh, I did too when it was me, but you know what? I learned & it stuck with me.
I was feeding junk, grocery store food in the beginning (did'nt know any better ) & when I first starting posting about chevy, I thought how in the world is food going to ever make a difference in his illness, but guess what? It did...
Chevy was severely Vaccine damaged, diagnosis was Canine Autism, I had my hand's full & food was one of the first steps in the beginning of the healing process.
What the girls are telling you is in the best interest for your pup.... I bet you won't forget now will you? LOL, I know I never did. Please don't be mad, they are trying to help your puppy....
I did appreciate the advice on foods... and as far as the purina goes, she only ate it a few times.. and I sent it home with my sister in law because she happens to not care in the least what her dog eats. Sophie and I went to the pet store today and read labels.. and I ended up deciding on Innova large breed puppy dry food.. and I can certainly afford it. I buy the smaller bags which is what I was referring to when I meant that I couldn't spend $30 a week on a 6.6 lb. bag (which is what I get) I don't know just how expensive dog foods get these days, but I am confident that I have made a good choice for her. I was offended just because I am a good pet owner and I know that, I really care about the quality of her food which is why I posted the question in the first place. I think if everyone who cared about their dogs could afford to feed them nothing but the best, they would.. but fact is some people are on a budget, and do the best they can, it doesn't make them bad owners or unworthy of the dog. There are plenty of dogs who get no food at all. But all who gave advice, thanks I do appreciate it, and Sophie's food will never be switched again.
Kasey, I think we all know you care, if you did'nt you would'nt have posted in the first place & you certainly would'nt have kept coming back... That speak's loud & clear that you certainly do care....
It sound's like you picked a good food..
Please just keep in mind, that when you do post on a Pet Health forum, the answer's ( if good one's ) will be for the pet's best interest. Not alway's what the owner want's to hear. You have just got a lesson in pet food that will stay with you alway's, & will help yu to alway's pick a good food, good treat's & to pass your knowledge on to other's.
GOOD. Innova is excellent. I fed my girls Evo and it was super. All of Innova's food is very good stuff...
You should have specified the size of the bag!! Nobody could afford a 6 lb. bag of food for $30!!
Stick with that Innova. You can even switch formulas each time you buy, just for variety. There are two kinds of Evo, there's the original formula, all kinds of stuff. California Natural is made by the same company and is also good.
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Kadee Sedtal
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey
Hi Kasey... it sounds like you made a great choice to feed Sophie with. Innova is a very good food. Chevy gave helpful insight when posting on open forums such as this. People's opinions can run strong when it comes to our animals health and well being... usually no harm is meant... it's just not being able to hear the inflection used in the written word as opposed to the spoken word.
Having said that by switching to the Innova also gives you the chance to vary the food in the Innova food group. For instance I have 3 Shiba Inus and my female has allergies. I have them all on Wellness Simple Solution and with each bag purchase switch back and forth between the Duck formula and the Venison formula and they do excellent with this.
Please post back with any progress made with the food switch and if the diaherria problem clears itself.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
well... she only started eating the Innova yesterday, but I noticed that she really ate it, she liked it a lot and she seemed satisfied, even though I didn't have to feed her a ton of food. Also, her dirrhea is clearing up already.. when she went potty thismorning it started to come out as dirrhea but then quickly became more solid, I think her system is responding well. To be honest.. I think that little spell of dirrhea was there because when we went to the pet store to get her food.. the lady gave her a beggin strip when I wasn't looking! I was paying at the counter and all of a sudden she's eating a treat (the vet told me to withhold treats until her tummy matures a little and she can handle digesting them better)!! I was thinking to myself... this post wasn't labeled a 'hot topic' but I think it was probably one of the hotter ones I've seen LOL, but I do appreciate the advice, and it did help me make the best choice for her.
