Puppy or Adult

Hi everyone

I know this topic has been discussed time and time again but I really would like an opinion that is breed and brand specific. Ollie is 11 weeks old and is on Purina puppy at the moment as well as natural yogurt, chicken necks, vegetables, eggs and fruit. I would like to switch him over to Nurtrience when the Purina finishes but am hearing lots of mixed messages about Puppy or Adult.

1) Small breeds should eat puppy food
2) Puppy food will speed up growth and damage joints
3) All puppies should be on puppy food so they are supplied with the right amount of nutrients

I don't know what to think Nutrience has puppy food in sizes (small, medium, large) but has adult food in different flavours.

What do you suggest I feed him?

Also in regards to mixing raw with kibble. I mix Ollie's kibble with yogurt or egg or vegetables everyday, is this alright? He won't eat veggies on their own so its an easy way to get them in him, also i think it makes it more interesting for him.

Thanks in advance

Emily

An all life stages adult should be fine. Puppy food is not good for large breed dogs as you don't want to rush their development.

And I think it's great that you add extras to his food.

Thanks I wouldn't feel right if I just scooped dry biscuits and plopped them in his bowl day in day out

Personally I would find a better food than either Purina or Nutrience- neither is very good quality.
If price point is a big issue, the cheapest good quality food for Americans seems to be Canidae -- Natural Balance is alao now available at Petco is availability of high end food is a problem.

If you are wanting to add to your dog's kibble (which is a great idea) I would worry more about adding a fresh protein source than veggies or yogurt-- those are fine but I would first and foremost want to add meat, poultry, fish or eggs-- kibble is comprised of lots of grains which a dog doesn't need and is low in meat based proetin which dogs DO need.

Thanks Sam but I live in Australia where we do not have many choices here and around my area Nutrience is the best. I have not seen Innova, Eagle Pack, Canidae or Natural Balance and I do not want to buy over the internet. Actually I've seen Innova but the ONLY chain that stocks it is Pets Paradise, a horrible overpriced puppy prison with 20+ puppies at a time!

In regards to the fresh protein, Olie gets about 2 eggs a week and 3 chicken necks. He gets 1 or 2 salmon oil tablets a week and I'm planning to add beef mince and salmon or tuna to his diet as well.

Thanks for the help

Emily

Here is info on Nutrience small breed puppy:

http://www.nutrience.com/australia/dog/d-7056_junior_3kg.html

It does have ingredients like ground corn and salt but it is almost the only decent food in my area

When it comes to toy breeds, I would recommend that you do feed puppy food. In fact, toy breeds actually benefit from the extra protein and fat in puppy foods. They have a much faster metabolism than the big guys and need more fat and protein in their diets. I feed puppy food to my adult and senior dogs all the time because of the added fat and protein content...

I must add that the Nutrience doesn't look that bad and it's quite a step up from Purina...

Thanks for the advice showpug I've started him on the Nutrience small breed puppy now and I've started adding fish and beef mince which he loves!

Everyone on here is always talking about Canidae, Innova California Natural etc! I just wish I could get to these products too