[Cavalierluvr]

3 weeks ago I adopted an Austrailian Cattle Dog. He is thought to be around 5-6 months old. The rescue had him on Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free puppy food. I mentioned to the rescue that I would like to switch brands and was thinking of going with Fromm Puppy Gold or Fromm Heartland Puppy. She said Fromm can be too rich and said Natures Recipe Grain Free was a good food. His stools are firm. What concerns me is that this food contains the controversial Vitamin K….menadione sodium bisulfite complex. There are so many all life stage foods on the market, but I’d prefer staying with a Puppy formula. And I’m torn between grain vs. grain free. So many say grain is bad for dogs. But are dogs meant to eat lentils, potatoes, peas, chickpeas? No. And now I’ve read that there is concern with grain free diets causing Dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM. Any suggestions on some good Puppy formulas would be appreciated.

[haleycookie]

I would go with natures variety puppy raw boost. Probably the lowest carb grain free puppy food you can easily find in a petstore.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Cavalierluvr-

I think Fromm’s is a great choice. My dogs do well on it and they are a respected brand. I’m with you on the grain free food not necessarily always being better than food with grain. I think it’s most important to buy a brand that you trust to use the highest quality ingredients.

I recently received this in my email. It addresses your concern with DCM. I hope this helps!

A broken heart: Risk of heart disease in boutique or grain-free diets and exotic ingredients

Good luck with your new pup!

[Susan]

Hi,
I’d start rotating your dog foods, so he is getting a variety of different ingredients, this strengthen their immune system & later on he can eat anything & no dog foods will be too rich (High in Protein) for him..
When you rotate between different brands, if he’s eating a brand that isn’t balanced properly then he’s not eating it long enough, to cause any health problems cause you’re rotating his foods..
* Look at Freeze Dried foods, Raw Coated Kibble, Air Dried Raw etc
I’d stay away from kibble or try not feed him just dry processed kibble…
introduce a variety of different foods…
Dogs have a short digestive tract made to digest a raw, low fiber diet, not these high fiber dry kibbles full of lentils, sweet potatoes are good, low in Gi…

Click on link below & watch Stella & Chewy video & their new Raw blended baked kibble & their Raw Freeze Dried Patties look good, you add water, scroll down bottom & look at all Stella & Chewy’s different diets.
https://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-food/raw-blend-kibble
But I did notice the raw freeze dried coated kibbles have Chickpeas & Lentils, so this is when you rotate between different brands & the next food you feed doesn’t have any Lentils or Chickpeas. When the bag of dog food is nilly finished & there’s 1/4 of the bag left you start introducing another new brand of food with his old food & introduce, once his immune is strengthen from rotating different dog foods, you won’t need to slowly introduce new foods…..
You’ll see which brands he does really well on then use these brands in your rotation… I feed 1 brand for breakfast & lunch & something different for dinner…

*Have a look at “Canisource Grand CRU” Dehydrated Raw balls
you can add warm water wait 15 mins so the balls rehydrate or add some yogurt or kefir as a topper..
http://www.canisource.com/grand-cru/recettes-chiens.php

*Also Look at “CANIDAE” Grain Free PURE Ancestral. Raw Coated Dry Dog Food
https://www.canidae.com/dogs/canidae-grain-free-pure-ancestral-raw-coated-dry-red-meat-formula-with-lamb-goat-wild-boar/

There’s a few good freeze dried dog foods around..

[Cavalierluvr]

Unfortunately my budget does not allow me to feed raw. I’m not opposed to rotating. I have a 9 year old Cavalier and I do rotate brands with him. I switched him to grain free when he was around 2 years old. He was on Fromm Gold and had developed a yeast infection…that’s when I switched to grain free. I’ve only had my pup for 3 1/2 weeks. I didn’t want to start rotating foods until he is and adult. I have several stores I can shop at and many carry quality brands. It just seems there are so few puppy formulas. I really do not want all life stages. It sure can be overwhelming. With the food he is on, he can both firm stools and soft stools. Since I have a probiotic for my older dog (Nusentia Probiotic Miracle) Ive been giving it to the puppy too.

[Author]

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