Hi , I have a 10 week old shitzu/ Bichon cross .
She went for injections today and the vet asked what food she was on , she said it’s not the best as it’s not very good nutritionally wise . She is on Beta puppy dry food , that’s what the breeder had her on .
What’s the best dry food ?
Hello Christine. Welcome to the forum. Beta Puppy Small Breed is reviewed here. It has a nutritional rating of 64% with several red ingredients and one yellow.
With so many dog food products on the market it is impossible for me to tell you which is the best but I can help you to search for something that will be better for puppy. At this age, finding a good food will pay huge dividends in terms of future health.
Do you want to feed dry food, wet or raw? You have a small breed and if it is affordable, I think it is worth thinking about a good quality wet food. However, let’s look at dry and wet so that you can make up your mind.
Go to the Dog Food Directory and look at the filters on the left side. Choose the type of food you want to use (Processing). The ones I always use are Properties > ‘clearly labelled’, Rating - 80%-100% (use the slider), Avoid Ingredients > all red and all yellow.
Click ‘Go’ and this will return all the foods in the directory that meet your requirements.
When you have the results you need to have a look through to see which ones fit your budget. Some will not be available in the shops, only online so if that is important to you it’s best to check it out. Some of the foods will not be labelled ‘puppy’. Do not worry about that - have a look at the product details and it will say what ages it is suitable for. The main difference between puppy and adult food is that the former usually has a higher protein level, circa 30% but the better quality foods have higher protein levels anyway so are suitable for puppies.
We have a thread here which explains about what to look for when buying dog food. Also, there is plenty of information on the website itself.
It might look a bit complicated at first but your pup is very young and if you can learn about diet it will optimize her health. You can also consider enhancing your puppy’s diet by giving a bit more variety - have a look at this thread for more advice.
Please post back if you need more help and advice.