Food Questions

Candidheartbeat

a song in my heart
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
97
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Toowoomba, QLD
#1
Ok, so I know I’ve been posting a lot but I’ll be without internet for the next two days due to moving houses and such! So I wanted to get these out here, I am curious in terms of food what would be the best selection to start the littler monster off on when he comes into my care? Is there a specific food you guys abide by religiously? Should I look at raw when he gets older, and if so what is the perfect age to start him on a raw diet? I want to get all my eggs in a cluster so I am ready when he comes home to be a good parent, I know that the shelters I use to volunteer at used Purina and that was the recommendation of the vet technician school. I am just not a huge fan of it myself, so I come to you guys to ask… what dog food should I look at?​
 

Saeleofu

Active Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
9,036
Likes
0
Points
36
#2
If you want to do raw, you can start raw whenever. Plenty of people raise puppies on raw from the moment they start eating solid food. If you can swing it, raw is generally best, so long as you know what you're doing.

Last foster pup I had was on Orijen dry, Nature's Variety raw nuggets, and Nature's Variety canned, depending on the day/situation. Raw was his absolute favorite, though. When he was a bit older I switched him to Taste of the Wild with my other dogs, until he went to his new home. Right now my dogs are on Victor Grain-free ALS.

If you opt NOT to do raw, I'd look for a high-quality, high-meat-content grain-free food. Orijen and Acana are two of my favorites, though it's kind of expensive. I can't feed my big dogs that stuff because it's too expensive. If you feel you MUST feed a "puppy food" Orijen does have a puppy formula, but there's no need to feed puppy food if you feed an all life stages food.
 

ihartgonzo

and Fozzie B!
Joined
May 14, 2006
Messages
5,903
Likes
0
Points
0
Age
35
Location
Northern California
#3
I raised Fozzie on raw, and it's a godsend! I don't think I'll ever raise a puppy NOT on raw again no matter what. Raw meaty bones not only serve as a meal, but they keep your puppy occupied for a good hour, they get all their chewing urges out, etc. I spent drastically less money on puppy chews for Fozzie because every meal was a new chewy. I started feeding raw with pre-made formulas (Primal and Nature's Variety), I'd give him the chunks frozen so he still got the chewing exercise. Once I was comfortable feeding that, I started supplementing his diet with raw meaty bones until I fully transitioned him to prey model. Raw also produces the most perfect, firm, odorless poops. A stark contrast to most nasty puppy poops! And they poop much less on raw, too!

I see dwarf dogs like Fozzie with splayed legs, bent knees and joint problems and I'm reall glad I chose to raise him on a raw diet. It really does grow the healthiest pups! :) I would definitely recommend doing your research now. There's several stickies about raw on this board, preymodelraw.com is a great website, and there are tons of yahoo groups & facebook pages dedicated to sharing information on raw feeding.

My fave puppy kibble for my fosters is Nature's Variety or Natural Balance Ultra Premium.
 

AllieMackie

Wookie Collie
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
6,598
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Ottawa, ON
#4
If you want to do raw, you can start raw whenever. Plenty of people raise puppies on raw from the moment they start eating solid food. If you can swing it, raw is generally best, so long as you know what you're doing.

Last foster pup I had was on Orijen dry, Nature's Variety raw nuggets, and Nature's Variety canned, depending on the day/situation. Raw was his absolute favorite, though. When he was a bit older I switched him to Taste of the Wild with my other dogs, until he went to his new home. Right now my dogs are on Victor Grain-free ALS.

If you opt NOT to do raw, I'd look for a high-quality, high-meat-content grain-free food. Orijen and Acana are two of my favorites, though it's kind of expensive. I can't feed my big dogs that stuff because it's too expensive. If you feel you MUST feed a "puppy food" Orijen does have a puppy formula, but there's no need to feed puppy food if you feed an all life stages food.
^ Agreeing with this. Raw is pretty amazing, but also can take time, especially in the first stages when you're getting used to it. If it's something you want to pursue in the future, awesome. If not, Sael recommended some great diets there. Look for grain free diets that have meat or meat meals as the first few ingredients. You can always post ingredient lists here and we can all help you critique foods. :)
 

CharlieDog

Rude and Not Ginger
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
9,419
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Georgia
#5
I was told raising puppies on strictly grain free foods can be bad for them? Can someone elaborate?
 

Saeleofu

Active Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
9,036
Likes
0
Points
36
#6
I was told raising puppies on strictly grain free foods can be bad for them? Can someone elaborate?
The only bad thing I've heard was with certain formulas. Regular ALS TOTW of some varieties I've heard was bad because the Calcium/Phos ratios are off - that's why they came out with TOTW puppy.
 

Candidheartbeat

a song in my heart
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
97
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Toowoomba, QLD
#7
I think I'll start raw like many of you suggested, I like the idea of it and have read over it a bit on the forums and then did a bit of research outside of here but I do think I'd like to try to give the little man the best diet possible.
 

Kat09Tails

*Now with Snark*
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
3,452
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Upper Left hand corner, USA
#8
I think I'll start raw like many of you suggested, I like the idea of it and have read over it a bit on the forums and then did a bit of research outside of here but I do think I'd like to try to give the little man the best diet possible.
Please please please research the living gills out of doing raw diet before you take that step. It's not a truly difficult way of feeding animals but people going in with the best intentions and without the knowledge can really mess up their pets if they leave out critical things like calcium.

The worst commercial food on the market is still better than a poorly balanced raw diet. However done right raw can produce some amazing results.
 

Candidheartbeat

a song in my heart
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
97
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Toowoomba, QLD
#9
Please please please research the living gills out of doing raw diet before you take that step. It's not a truly difficult way of feeding animals but people going in with the best intentions and without the knowledge can really mess up their pets if they leave out critical things like calcium.

The worst commercial food on the market is still better than a poorly balanced raw diet. However done right raw can produce some amazing results.
I intended on doing my research, and I also have one of my teachers at the university I attended for vet tech training doing additional research on proper balance diet. I would NEVER put my pets life in jeopardy by doing things willy-nilly! Not with all the emotional investment and financial investment I already have him him. :) Better safe then sorry! :D Thanks for posting though, I appreciate seeing such dedication on the forum!! :D :D
 

naturalfeddogs

love the fluff
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Messages
243
Likes
0
Points
16
Location
Talladega, Alabama
#10
I think I'll start raw like many of you suggested, I like the idea of it and have read over it a bit on the forums and then did a bit of research outside of here but I do think I'd like to try to give the little man the best diet possible.
I have been feeding raw for several years, and once you get it its easy. But you do have to do some research first before jumping in.

There are a number of good raw sites, but to me the best I have found with a getting started guide is preymodelraw.com.
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top