Food for puppy

Discussion dedicated to promoting the well-being of your dog through diet, exercise and general health tips.

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apollosdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:01 am

Food for puppy

Post by apollosdad »

Hey

I have a 4 month old boxer puppy that I currently feed Diamond Natural Puppy food. He seems to need to poop quiet often, its very very smelly, and usually not firm. I was told by a colleague that the food was really good. What do you think of this brand, and will my pup benefit from switching to a more expensive brand?
Zeldacorgi
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 10:28 am
Location: Bozeman, MT

Re: Food for puppy

Post by Zeldacorgi »

This is not a good food because it's loaded with corn and wheat which are strictly fillers that cannot be digested by dogs. Their meat product is also a by-product which is not good. What you want is a meat or meat meal that has a specific source (ex. Lamb or lamb meal). We also have a lot of ingredients in the list that cannot be identified as a food. Protein percentage is also high. I believe you want it around 23%.

So yes, I would strongly recommend switching foods. You may end up paying more for your dog's food, but not necessarily. Also, beware that just because a food is expensive, it don't automatically mean it's quality (ex. Science Diet, Iams, etc.-they're very pricey crap). FOR KIBBLE: If a food has any corn, wheat or soy, RUN! That alone should cut down on the amount of poo you see. You should see a named meat or meat meal within the top 2 ingredients (no "animal meal"). If you can read the ingredient list and know what most of the ingredients are, you're in pretty good shape.

Check out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/. And feel free to ask us about foods you may be trying. Also, how much are you feeding pup and how much does he currently weigh?
apollosdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:01 am

Re: Food for puppy

Post by apollosdad »

i feed him one coffee cup in the morning, 1/2 coffee cup at lunch, and a coffee cup at around 6:30-7. He is currently 29 lbs at 4 months.
Zeldacorgi
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 10:28 am
Location: Bozeman, MT

Re: Food for puppy

Post by Zeldacorgi »

Try switching the food. You may notice with a better quality food you won't have to feed pup as much, which may cut down on the frequent, loose stools. Not saying that you're overfeeding. As long as pup is looking sleek, you're fine.
maximoo
Posts: 1111
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:07 am
Location: South Florida

Re: Food for puppy

Post by maximoo »

What size is that coffee cup? It does sound to me that you may be overfeeding. 3x a day is correct but the amount of "one coffee cup" is what I'm asking about. Please use a standard measuring cup. For a 29lb dog 1/2- 3/4 at a time sounds about right. By 6 mths you will eliminate the midday feeding & increase amount to 3/4 to 1 cup for the other 2 feedings. If you are training with treats that amount needs to be counted as well. My 43lb 2yr old gets 3/4 cup 2x a day+ treats & he maintains his weight.
My friend has a boxer & he doesn't do well with grains so he eats Taste of the Wild or some other that is grain free. You can get samples where it is sold or call DIamond & they will send you free samples. Yes Diamond makes a variety of different foods (not just your puppy food) go to their website. Diamond also makes the KIRKLAND brand dog food sold only at Costco. My dog eats this & is doing well on it. Its chicken meal, rice, & vegetables. If you are giving treats check the ingredients. Try to stick to all natural without wheat, or by -products.
You might also consider feeding raw, or maybe give him some raw meaty bones once in a while. (which is what I do) Many people on this forum feed raw exclusively. If you are interested they will help you to get started.
Also keep in mind that "puppy" food & "adul"t food is a gimmick developed by dog food companies. Dogs in nature do not have separate categories. The mom & pups eat the sam.
Good Luck to You & the Pup!
apollosdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:01 am

Re: Food for puppy

Post by apollosdad »

Coffee cup is 11 ounces. My main concern is the smell and frequency of his stool. His weight is fine, he looks great. But if there is a digestive problem with the food I'm feeding him resulting in frequent smelly stool, then I think I need to make a change.
josie1918
Posts: 435
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:57 am
Location: nebraska, United States
Contact:

Re: Food for puppy

Post by josie1918 »

Apollosdad,
Boxers frequently have "touchy stomachs" What you are seeing may also be a food allergy. Now, as far as corn, it is not a filler, it is a cheap source of protien, it works fine for a lot of dogs, but there are many who cannot tolerate it.
High price is not always quality, I have sent samples of HELLISHLY expensive "exclusive" allegedly all natural dog foods to a university lab for analysis and WHOAH, the analysis came back nothing like the label. :shock: Diamond does make some good products such as "chicken soup for the dog" it is a decent food at a decent price. I have tried some highly recommended foods on my dogs and did not have the results I wanted whatsoever. The point is that the persons recommending the food, are telling you what works well for their dog. Each dog is different. I would recommend looking for a large breed puppy food, with a protien level around 22-23%, Phosphorus levels should not be more than 1.6%. Your dog may do well on a novel protien such as lamb, or fish. To run a food trial at home, you would feed the dog on a food for 30 days, if you have good results, well that is that :D If the food is showing things you don't like,
dry skin, volumous stools etc. You would then switch to another food for 30 days. (It takes 30 days to get all remains of a previously fed food out of the system, which is why you try the foods for 30 days) I hope this helps you find what works for your little guy :D ALso beware what you are using as treats, some times it is the treat, not the food that is the cause of the whole problem :D
josie1918
Posts: 435
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:57 am
Location: nebraska, United States
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Re: Food for puppy

Post by josie1918 »

Oh one other thing for consideration, while it is true in the "wild" dogs of all ages eat the same, we develop foods for the longevity, and health of our pets. The"wild" does not. Puppy food is much higher in fat, phosphorus and calcium which a young, growing dog needs for optimun health, an adult does not. So while I respect the rights of anyone to do what they believe is in the best interest of their dog, I must also tell you what I believe :D
maximoo
Posts: 1111
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:07 am
Location: South Florida

Re: Food for puppy

Post by maximoo »

An 11 ounce cup is almost 1 1/2 cups. :shock: Tho his weight may be fine, too much volume in the stomach at once can cause volumeous loose stools. When you find a better food for him it is in dogs best interest to feed from a standard measuring cup. Also with high quality kibble you would feed less anyway, as it is not full of fillers & crap. The labels on bags of kibble always suggest too much so that it will run out faster & so you will buy more.
Chicken Soup for the Dogs Soul is a decent quality for a good price but some dogs aren't crazy about the flavor--my boy wasn't. I usually had to embellish it with gravy/human food to make him eat it. Like I said you can get samples.
He might do well on a limited ingredient kibble like Natures Balance by DIck van Patton. They have flavors like fish & potato, I think Wellness makes similiar types of kibble.
Well you have lots of reading to do. You will find what's right for him.
Zeldacorgi
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 10:28 am
Location: Bozeman, MT

Re: Food for puppy

Post by Zeldacorgi »

apollosdad wrote:Coffee cup is 11 ounces. My main concern is the smell and frequency of his stool. His weight is fine, he looks great. But if there is a digestive problem with the food I'm feeding him resulting in frequent smelly stool, then I think I need to make a change.
Yes, as Maximoo says. Way too much food in a day, which can result in excess, unfirm poo. Feed less, feed different. That should hopefully improve things.
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