Puppy food.

lostinrates

Having only had a fussy dog once, (my current dog dog) seems the new puppy is also fussy.

He is a rather small chap, and cannot really afford to miss a meal. He will eat what the 'big dogs' eat, if I am not quick enough to pick the bowls up, but he gets less and less interested in his own. He is still on what he arrived eating (hills science plan puppy) and I think I am going to have to start to make a changeover .....soon! I will be buying another bag of hills today, because we are low and what ever I end up feed ing I need to make a changeover, even if he is just picking at it.

Anyone have any recommendations for puppy foods?

(long term the plan is to get my dogs all back on a raw diet, but it's not goiong to happen before Christmas, and I would feel more comfortable having the puppy on a puppy diet for the rest of his first year.

Fire_Fox

Maybe try a wet food at room temperature or slightly warmed? Should smell more appetising than dry biscuits.

rising_from_the_ashes

Couple of quick suggestions & you may already do these (?)

1) soak the kibble in advance of feeding
2) mix some wet with the kibble (as well as soaking)

Puppy foods - I guess it depends on your budget.

I had a quick look for recommendations on a dog forum I'm a member of and this was recommended:

http://www.simpsonspremium.com/sensitive-dog-food/puppy-sensitive-salmon - they do a normal puppy range too http://www.simpsonspremium.com/puppy-dog-food but doesn't seem to be much difference in the price!

Personally, I've found Skinners - hypoallergenic ones eg Duck & Rice, Turkey & Rice and Salmon & Rice varieties only - to be great and I'd highly recommend it for adult dogs but unfortunately their puppy one isn't hypoallergenic.

Not sure if that's an issue for you or not - if not, might be worth a try

lostinrates

Thanks rising from the ashes.

He isn't interested on soaked kibble, ( tried that first). A spoon of wet food ( thankfully we had a zoo plus mistake and got some dog wet food of a good brand) has been working but today he refuserd breakfast.

I do not much like to 'pander' to fussiness but the thing is, he is hopefully going to be a show dog, but at, he is just too weeny.

Vet saw him this morning and said he's well, happy....and he is certainly vigorously playful! It's just he is not an eater. So I now have one dog who gobbles everything and anything and needs to be slowed down and two who 'can take it or leave it'.

The gobbler is older, so in a few years I might be able to change our eating regime to better suit two dogs who aren't morning people and don't love eating. I am mainly thinking about how to get through next few weeks and months!

Hypo allergenic isn't an issue, .



Anyway, he has now eaten breakfast, but he will probably refuse lunch as its going to be too clost to breakfast!

krlyr

My GSD puppy went through a fussy stage and Naturediet wet food helped. At the fussiest point we had to sit and fork-feed her every mouthful! And this is from someone who doesn't tend to pander to a dog's needs, we'd tried the 10-minute-rule with putting breakfast down and taking it up but after a few days I was worried it may do some harm not eating.
Naturediet is fab because you can zap it in the microwave - it goes soft and smelly and very appealing to a dog (much less so to a human I have to say!). Over time we stopped fork-feeding and once she was eating from the bowl we slowly reintroduced the biscuits and then decreased the amount of Naturediet until she was just having a small slither of it added to mostly just biscuits. She would eat the biscuits without it but even the small slither made a big difference in her enthusiasm, and it didn't cost a lot to add the small amount so we kept it up permanently. Stopped microwaving it though, just mashed it with a fork and stirred it so it coated the biscuits.
Pets At Home do their own version, the Wainwrights trays (not the tins - manfucatured by a different factory and nothing like the trays) which are supposedly very similar.

If I was to have another puppy I think I would start feeding it raw from day one though. My two are raw-fed and when my mum got a puppy she decided to give it a go after having issues with the dog not tolerating certain foods and not being very keen on others. Pup loved the raw food and ate with a gusto! It won't suit every dog but could be worth considering, mine enjoy every mealtime and are in fab condition.

lostinrates

I know he has eaten raw mince and that breeder feeds raw to adults. For various reasons, one relating to him, two relating to current circumstance, I am not in a position to raw feed ATm. (though I feel very strongly my experience of raw has been vastly better for the dog than any alternative I have tried).

I don't have a microwave. , so tend to add a drop of boiled and calling but still warm water to the food to warm it and release yummy smells.

rising_from_the_ashes

krlyr wrote: »

Pets At Home do their own version, the Wainwrights trays (not the tins - manfucatured by a different factory and nothing like the trays) which are supposedly very similar.

I'm trying to introduce these to Maisie

We're going very gradually - she has colitis & we've had a nightmare to get a food that doesn't upset her tum. Thankfully have now found a dry that suits her (soaked) but I want to get wet into her as well as don't particularly like the idea of an all kibble diet.

I've got both Nature*diet & the WW trays - TBH can't see much difference between them & the WW ones come in big packs so work out a bit cheaper. ETA will 2nd what krlyr says - DON'T GET THE TINS!

krlyr

Try Berriewood Wholesale for Naturediet if she gets on with it, they do discounts for buying larger amounts which works out a bit cheaper than most places