What to feed my puppy

[miska_moo]

Hi I am really confused. I want to feed my 17 weeks old border terrier with the best food available.Poppy is very happy active playful little pup. At the moment she is on happy dog junior medium which l am not that happy with. She has got a bad wind and she is not that interested in it anymore.  I am looking at Eden, Gentle and Vets kitchen. I read different things about 80/20 and brown rice in puppy food and it is just making me more confused. Poppy loves to chew so l do give her billy and margott venison bones to chew on. How much would that affect her total intake? Can anyone give some advice or recommendations  on food and treats as l never had a border terrier before.Thank you.

[Dottie]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your new Border Terrier pup  - they are gorgeous dogs.  Well done for giving a lot of thought to your pet's diet.  This is so important, especially at such a young age. 

It seems that you have already done your homework and all of those foods that you list are good ones.  Regarding Eden, hopefully David will be along soon to tell you about it as he works for the company. 

Gentle - another good food but quite different in that it is cold pressed. This is reputed to retain more of the goodness in the food because it is not subjected to the high temperatures needed for kibble.  It does have brown rice in it, though only 28%.  Some people are averse to grain in dog food but this website reviews brown rice positively - see here.   

I don't have any personal knowledge of Lily's Kitchen except that it is reputed to be a quality range of foods.

When you change the food, start the transition slowly and your puppy should be alright with it.  Don't forget that you can soak the kibble if the new food has a larger size than pup is used to. 

I hope that all goes well and please get back to us on Poppy's progress.

[Eden Holistic Pet Foods]

Hi Miska_moo.

If you compare the nutrient profiles of puppy foods to the equivalent adult foods you will find, in the main, that the difference is extra protein. this is required because protein is one of the main building blocks of the body, and the adult foods don't have enough of it for the rapid growth that puppies go through.

With 80/20 foods you find that the protein levels are already high enough for all life stages including weaning, puppy and senior (they need more protein too for different reasons) so one food should work for all; after all in the wild they would all eat the same, depending on what prey they had caught that day, they don't hunt special prey for the young or old.

This is where the debates happen: At Eden we believe that the species appropriate diet is 80% meat/fish (10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other offal) with a little fruit and veg, we also add a few beneficial herbs, chelated vitamins and minerals (for easier absorption, to replace what is lost in the 60 second, 90°C steam cooking) joint support pack.

Just as importand, we feel, is what isn't added. No grains (grass seeds that cause many intolerances and allergic reactions), no artificial colouring or preservatives etc.

It's not only grain free, it's also low carb (<25%) as dogs have difficulty digesting lots of starch due to no salivary amylase (this leaves the pancreas to take up the burden of all amylase production, and in some dogs this leads to pancreatitis and even diabetes). The primary metabolic pathway for dogs to convert food to energy is Fats and then proteins, carbs come last, and any digested carbs that aren't burned off are laid down as body fat.

Treats wise, if you use an 80/20 food then ieally you would want treats that are similar or higher in meat content, I make my own in a dehydrator. Raw bones are great for keeping teeth clean

I hope this helps clarify some of the issues, but if you have any specific questions then feel free to ask.
 

[Stellafun]

Guys. I need your help! I bought my puppy two days ago. This is Beagle. Thad dog is very active and playful. But he doesn't want to eat cheese and I don't know alternative product.

[Tinyplanets]

Hello and welcome to the forum Stella,
It would not be very good for your puppy  to eat cheese apart from as an occasional treat. He needs a balanced diet. Could you give us an idea of what your budget is for dog food.