New puppy and wanting to switch food right away?

[Christie]

Hi everyone! I am picking up an 9 week old Labradoodle in two weeks and I'm not sure what food to get. The breeder feeds Costco's Kirkland puppy food. I read not to change the puppy's food for two weeks, but I dont want to be stuck with 20lb bag of crappy food. 

So first of all, how terrible would it be to switch her food right away?

Secondly, is the Kirkland food that terrible? Growing up I had a golden that lived 17 years on purina. I've had multiple cats live long lives on meow mix. I dont feed my family organic, but I do go for high quality food and I avoid all food products from China. We don't eat farmed fish. We do occasionaly eat junky stuff, I believe in moderation. But that us-people, and while I love pets I do not uphold the belief that pets are equal to people. That said, I want a quality food for my dog. One that won't result in excessive pooping, one which will give healthy coat and eyes, etc.

What difference might I acutally see between feeding the puppy Orijen vs Kirkland? How much more of the Kirkland might I have to feed, trying to determine how much more it will cost? What else should I consider?

Thanks in advance!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The problem is that most of the foods that are not on our recommended brands list do contain ingredients from China. Kirkland is owned and made by Diamond, which has the worst recall history of any company out there. 

Growing up, there was no Free Trade Agreement and nothing contained ingredients from China. Purina may have contained guts and beaks, but they were guts and beaks from American chickens, lol, and there was no melamine from China disguised as rice protein. 

It would be a huge mistake to switch your dog's food before you have had her at least two weeks. If Kirkland doesn't make a bag smaller than 20 lbs, and you can't bear to throw any of it away, then I would just wait longer to switch her over.

As far as how much more of the Kirkland you would have to feed than Orijen, the feeding guidelines are on the bag. Kirkland doesn't have a website so I can't look it up. I have seen foods with feeding requirements more than twice those of Orijen. There are also other foods on our recommended list that are less expensive than Orijen but much better quality than Kirkland. 

[Katie & Roo]

My puppy was on Kirkland puppy from our breeder as well. Since switching to Wellness puppy food about a month ago, I've noticed his skin isn't dry any more, he has less eye goop, his fur is softer, and he's more energetic. We're still working through some loose stools, but it's hard to say if it was the switching food or because he has hook worms right now. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd bet serious money on the hookworms being the cause of the loose stools. :)

But not knowing what is causing loose stool is why it's not a good idea to switch foods with a new puppy. It's very, very common for them to come home from the breeder with parasites, and if you switch foods, it's very hard to tell what if the new food is agreeing with them, and if any digestive issues are caused by a food change or something else. In the case of giardia, which is very common, there is a 10-14 day incubation period, so fecal tests won't show anything; many owners blame the food change and start frantically switching foods, looking for a solution that can only come from treatment. 

[Katie & Roo]

That's what I assumed :)

His first fecal test came back negative and then his second came back positive. We just did another one last week and it's still positive. We've been feeding him chicken, yogurt, and sweet potato based on your recommendation I've seen on other posts and that's been helping! 

He's due for his 3rd round of shots next week so we're hoping for a negative result for the worms. Fingers crossed!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Well, things were different when you were growing up, and in America today it is all about money.  Yes, Kirkland food is bad for your puppy and the breeder should not even be using it.  And read the labels on everything that you feed your family and feed your pets.  If it sounds suspicious, it probably is.

[Lynne]

Remember that if you end up deciding to switch to something other than the Kirkland food, Costco will take back anything...including an opened, partially used bag of dog food.  Just tell them that your puppy just won't eat it.  You'll get your $$ back and can then get what you want.  Simple. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I like how you think Lynne. I was going to suggest donating it to a shelter if they will take an open bag.