[jimmianne]

I want to get my Aussie pup off to the very best start possible. She is now 12 weeks old. My feed store sold me Canidae Pure Sky All Life Stages. I am very happy with it – all my dogs like it.

I just wonder if it really meets the nutritional needs of a very young dog and if there is any other product or supplement I should consider.
Somehow it does not make sense that a puppy and a 12 year old dog would have the same needs.

thanks!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jimmianne –

There’s no such thing as a single “best” food. The less processed the better – so raw would be the best option, followed by fresh cooked, then dehydrated or freeze-dried, then canned, with dry food being the worst option. With whatever you feed, variety is key – don’t stick with the same food. Rotating foods helps to strengthen your dog’s gut by fostering a diverse population of microflora, gives your dog a variety of nutrients and give you options in the event of a recall. If you’re going to feed a dry food as the bulk of your pup’s diet I would add a quality “topper” – such as raw, dehydrated, freeze-dried, canned or healthy fresh foods (i.e. eggs, lean meat, plain yogurt or kefir, cottage cheese, tinned sardines, etc.). Canidae looks good on paper but I personally wouldn’t risk feeding – the majority of Canidae’s products are manufactured by Diamond who has very poor quality control and numerous recalls. Unless you live in the same state as Canidae’s plant or in a neighboring state you’re probably getting product manufactured by Diamond.

As far as supplements, some good supplements to consider would be probiotics, digestive enzymes, quality fish oil and whole food supplements (with “super foods” like kelp, spirulina, bee pollen, etc.).

[theBCnut]

As far as the puppy requirements versus the adult requirements. The puppy has more stringent requirements, but there is nothing in puppy food that adult dogs can’t handle, however the reverse is not true. Adult foods are not necessarily appropriate for puppies. I only feed All Life Stages foods, even to my senior. Just because she doesn’t have to have the absolute optimum diet, like my puppy, doesn’t mean I don’t want her to have it anyway.

[ringohop]

I wondered the same thing… is all life stages appropriate for my 15 week old puppy?Pattyvaughn, you do feed all life stages to your puppies?

[dogspotindia]

You can try also Royal canin Starter food, Hills Puppy Starter Food…Its good for your pup.

[jimmianne]

For now I’m going to use Grain Free Pure Sky by Canidae since all my dogs are eating it happily. It has duck as the main ingredient, and I am supplementing it with meat & vegetables & yogurt.
I’ve heard that Hill’s is actually not good, but then again I’ve heard everything about every product.

Something funny I just realized is that people often hate high end dog foods because they make poop smell – but that is probably because it has real meat in it. So they put their dogs back on Purina or something similar.

[I used high-end Purina for years and have put down 4 dogs in 3 1/2 years due to tumors].
There may or may not be a correlation…

[Nancy M]

Hound Dog Mom,

I have read several of your posts, the last one being about puppy food…..I have thoroughly enjoyed your obvious experience, so I want to ask you this: you and others do talk often about food rotation. I have become familiar with that concept over the years and use to do it some. Many others say it is not necessary or hard on the dog’s system. And I’m sure it can be, if you don’t do it correctly. So tell me your opinions on the correct process of rotating dog foods. And whether or not it would be different when the rotation is from raw to cooked to, from kibble, to any of them, etc. You catch my drift here? Some say you must “fast” the dog for 24 hours, some say, to just do it gradually.

Also, I’m getting a new Sheltie pup next week (12 weeks old) and want to know the best foods/diet I can start him on, once he gets through the adjustment period. At this point, I’m not ready to go the raw way (outside of maybe some raw beef bones), but I’d like to start this little guy off on the right foot and improve from there.

Thanks for your insight and great discussions…..

[pugmomsandy]

Nancy M,

I don’t think there is one correct way. You could start for the first few months of slow transitions between some of the foods you pick for your rotation and use probiotics to help “build up” the gut. Then after a while, you can try switching foods without a transition. Change every bag or change 3 or 4 times a year or even have 2 or 3 different foods open at once so you can feed a different food for each meal. I use different toppers – cans, freeze-dried/dehydrated, raw. No particular pattern. Just whatever I feel like grabbing. I don’t fast the dogs each week like HDM does.

[Author]

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