Picking food for new puppy - weary owner

[The Food Group]

We pickup the newest addition to our Doodle Family Saturday - a red goldendoodle lady named Merida (named after the red head in Disney's Brave)

Our current Aussiedoodle Tanner has had a long running battle with tummy issues and we have finally found refuge in Orijen. He has IBS/IBD that his breed seems to be already prone to but was not helped by a long term Giardia infection as a puppy. 

His little sister will probably be quite healthy and will not need near the attention he has required in the GI department, but I am having such a hard time making a decision on what food to feed her. My options are so much larger than with Tanner it's almost overwhelming, but I want to make the right decision.  Is it really just as easy as picking a good brand off the recommended list since she doesn't have problems (that we know of yet)? She will be 8 weeks old when we pick her up. 

So far I think I like Fromm Gold, but their Carb content seems way too high.   Also, I not sure how important it is as this will only be her food for at most a year, until she ages into an adult and can stops eating so much. For now I want to make sure to get something healthy as well as cost effective because they eat so much, and will probably move her to Orijen later for simplicity.  

Thoughts? Guidance?

As always, Thank You!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Fromm has several formulas in their Four Star line that are grain-free (and therefore lower in carbs), but they are ALS formulas and not made specifically for puppies. Orijen would of course be my first choice. You might look at Acana Puppy also, slightly less expensive.

One caveat: Do not change a single thing about the puppy's diet for at least two weeks. Treats, food, nothing, give her exactly what the breeder was feeding, even if it's the worst thing in the world. Several reasons for this, let me find a link rather than typing them all out again. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Why you shouldn't change a puppy's food for at least two weeks after he comes home: (From the Food group):

It's critical that you not change anything about her diet for at least two weeks after she comes home. That means you keep her on the food and treats the breeder is feeding, even if they aren't so great.

Do not introduce any new treats or chews either. Keep her diet exactly the same as it was at the breeder's. 

Many, many doodle puppies come home with giardia and other parasites. Giardia has a 10-14 day incubation period, so it won;t show up in a fecal test right away. The excitement and stress of leaving the mother, the litter, and the only home the puppy has ever known can contribute to tummy troubles, too. And an 8 week old puppy has only been eating solid food of any kind for about 4 weeks, so the digestive system is very immature.

We have even had members whose brand new puppies had serious health issues resulting in digestive symptoms.

If you change the food before the dog has had a chance to settle in, and before any parasite issues have time to show up in a fecal test, and the dog has diarrhea, you will not know if it's caused by the food change, stress, parasites, or a digestive illness, and the breeder will blame it on the food change. Thus begins a journey of frustration trying to figure it out and an endless round of food changes. You also don;t want to do anything to upset that delicate digestive system, as diarrhea can cause a young puppy to dehydrate very quickly, and is going to make housebreaking a whole lot tougher.

So you wait. If you leave the dog's diet exactly as is, and diarrhea develops, you have just eliminated any connection to food as the cause, and saved yourself a lot of aggravation. And of course, if the puppy comes home with diarrhea that doesn't resolve in a day, you know your breeder sent you a puppy with an intestinal parasite and you can probably recoup the cost of the fecal testing and the treatment, lol. (I personally would have fecal done on any new puppy I got, along with a general once-over at the vet's office, but parasites may not show up right away.)

So wait at least two weeks. If, after two weeks, the stool is firm and regular and everything seems fine with the pup's digestion, you can start changing her over. Make only one change at a time. 

[Sara and Birdie]

I liked Fromms Gold too, but it made my pup's poop not as firm as I would've liked.  I have had much more success on Wellness Core, which is grain-free.  Her poop is so much better and she likes it just as much.  I am like you, I would love to buy her Orijen, but for right now, Wellness Core is working great for us.  I would say that it is a trial and error thing, and you will only know how your pup will do on a brand until you try it.  I had to go through a few brands to find the one that is the best for Birdie.  Good luck! :)

[KLN]

Is there a reason you wouldn't also do orijen? Finley is on orijen puppy and loves it.

[Julie and Charlie]

If I had any choice, I would want my dogs to be on the same food. Orijen for all!