Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
New puppy food questions
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jill, Woody & Maxi on
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Welcome! You will want to keep her on her current food for a few weeks..when did you bring her home? There is alot of information here. If you look under the tab, "recommended foods" at the top of the page, there are a ton of different options. I would personally go grain free...and also, you have to slowly transition out the old food with the new food. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Shirley Splude on
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Congratulations on the new puppy! My GD's name is Lily too. She is almost 2 and is 65 lbs. Your going to love this group!
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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Hi Renee. One way to choose a new food would be to go to the pet supply store that you plan to use most and see what they have available. That might be one way to narrow it down.
Just about everything on our recommended list is going to look much more expensive than the Pedigree, but when you check the feeding guidelines, you'll find that you feed less with most of them, and the same size bag will last much longer, so don't judge by the price on the bag alone.
Lily does not need puppy food; the ALS foods are fine, and usually offer more variety. You also don't need foods for "large breeds", as those are really meant for the giant breeds.
If you can get Fromm locally, you might consider the Four Star line. They have both grain-free and healthy grain formulas in the line. Since Lily is doing well with Pedigree, she can obviously handle grains, lol, at least at this point. Most of our FG members report that their dogs love Fromm, which may help with the transition. Most of the Fromm formulas have moderate protein content, which will be less of a change for Lily. The Chicken a la Veg formula might be a good one to start with.
My other favorite company is Champion, which makes Acana and Orijen. In terms of quality control, you cannot beat Champion Foods. The Acana line has both helthy grain and grain-free formulas, and might be a better choice for your initial switch than Orijen, which is very very nutritent dense and about as different from Pedigree as a food could be.
I personally prefer grain-free formulas, but there are a lot of dogs here who do very well with grains, and some who do better with the healthy grain formulas because they usually get more to eat, lol!
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Permalink Reply by Renee Hacker on
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Thank you everyone! She's been with us about 3 weeks now. I can get all of those foods you mentioned, Karen, at my local pet shop. That's one of the reasons I was so overwhelmed on where to start! Thanks for giving me some direction!
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It's great that you have a store nearby that sells quality foods! Keep us posted on what you choose and how it goes.
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Yes, I'm very lucky. I actually have 3 stores nearby (one within walking distance) that carry all those brands. So I noticed some of the brands also have a puppy formula. But you said she doesn't need a puppy food? What is the point of a puppy food anyway? Sorry if that sounds dumb, but I honestly have no clue. This is the first dog I've owned as an adult. :)
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The puppy formulas usually have slightly more fat and calories to support growth, and the nutrient balance is slightly different. If you go with a brand that does make a puppy formula, it's fine to use that one. But some companies and lines are just ALS, and that's fine, too.
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Ok, so I just got back from my local pet store and decided to try the Blue Buffalo puppy. Stood there for the longest time trying to decide between the Fromm puppy and the Blue Buffalo puppy and basically just picked one. LOL. I'll let you know how it goes. One question I do have, in looking at the feeding instructions on the Blue Buffalo bag, it's based on the dog's grown weight. I don't have a clue how much she'll end up weighing. Do I just guess she'll be in the 51-100 range. Her parents were large, mother was about hip height, father was about mid-thigh. Right now she gets 2 cups a day and if I'm reading this Blue Buffalo bag right, I need to give her 2-1/2 cups a day. Does that sound right? I expected to be giving her less of the new food.
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I'm not sure which formula you bought, but here's the feeding chart for the Chicken & Rice formula:
http://bluebuffalo.com/dog-food/lp-puppy-chicken
It looks like they are recommending 2.5 cups per day for a 3 month old dog, divided into three meals. The guidelines are just that, though; guidelines. your individual dog may need more or less.
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Yes, that's the one I bought. Ok, so I am reading it correctly then. Thanks! Here's hoping she likes it (and does well on it).
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Hi everyone. Brand new GD owner here. Lily is almost 12 weeks old and weighs about 20 lbs. (I'll have an exact number after her checkup tomorrow) She came to us eating Pedigree Puppy, so I obviously want to switch her to something healthier. But I don't even know where to begin...grain-free, healthy grain, how do I chose? Is it just trial and error? Also, does she even need puppy food? I've noticed some companies sell food for "all life stages". She's doing fine on the Pedigree, by the way, no tummy issues. I just know that's the bottom of the barrel nutrition-wise. Suggestions?