# Information Overload on Puppy Food - HELP!



## hollyandnick (Apr 28, 2011)

My husband and I will be bring our little Lucy home, three weeks from today. The 27th cannot come soon enough! I have done extensive research on dog food and am driving myself nuts trying to figure out what to feed her. I have read all the posts about food on this site ad countless other sites, along with company sites. Lucy will be on Pro Plan Lifestages when we get her. Pro Plan is a decent food when you have as many dogs to feed as our breeder (besides the pups, she has 12 !) Her dogs have thrived on the food and are absolutely gorgeous. However, I would like to switch Lucy to a more premium food. She will be our one and only dog, so cost does not matter. I want her happy and healthy. 

The breeder had mentioned Blue Buffalo and I like what I read, however have recently seen more posts about puppies getting diarrhea from it. Also, they recently released a Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy food, but have yet to see reviews on that one. I am very torn on the grain free/more protein dog food. The concept makes total sense to me, that canines really do not need grain. But, am worried that switching to a grain free at such a young age may be hard on her system. Wondering if grain free with not as much protein as Orijen right now may be ok to start her on. OR maybe try it down the road switching her to grain free maybe at 9 months or so. I have narrowed my research to the following brands/types. Any input you have would be greatly appreciated.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy
FROMM Gold Puppy
FROMM Chicken a le Veg

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (? only since its new)
Orijen Large Breed Puppy
NOW! Grain Free Puppy
GO! Endurance Grain Free


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## raps702 (Dec 19, 2010)

First off congrats on your new puppy! It's an exciting time for you I can imagine. Ok, this topic seems to always comes up very frequently on this site, and you were very wise to do your reseach. Personally, I would keep your puppy on his existing food Pro Plan until you discuss the matter with your vet. I see no reason to change his food this early. We had our puppy (Axel) on Purina One which the breeder was feeding her dogs, and I felt that it wasn't a good quality food, however my vet stated that it is was good and he suggested that Axel just stay on this food. However, Axel started getting stomach issues, and he had diarrhea and soft stools for sometime. We had to switch foods to a high fibre food, as well I switched to Blue Buffalo life protection which I mixed in with the DCO (Dual Fiber Control). He is now 6 months old and his stools are better but still not always consistently normal. We are now switching him to Avo derm (grainfree) as we heard from the vet that this may help, as he is using it on his own dog who also has stomach issues and is now thriving on this food. So, we shall see. But in your case if your puppy is healthy and has no issues, I would not change anything for awhile. If Axel had normal stools all along I probably never would have switched his food, possibly maybe after a year to a higher protein food. Anyway's good luck.


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## Macaroni (Jan 19, 2011)

We switched our pup from Purina Optimum to Acana at about 9 weeks - it grain free and same producer as Orijen just lower protein. Anyway - a lot of people go to grain free (as we did) as it causes less issues on the stomach vs more. It helps solidy those poops! No matter what age you switch it will cause some stomach issues as their body reacts to different nutrients, protein levels, etc. As long as you do a nice gradual tranisition (over 3 weeks or so) it really isn't so bad. The dog doesn't really suffer over the period, htey just may go to the washroom more often at the beginning. 

That said, per posts on this site, each V is different and they seem to have sensitive stomachs, so don't be set on a food, let the dog figure it out, as their may be a certian ingredient or protein your V won't take to. We have had great luck w/ Acana, but to each dog their own.

Congrats on your new family addition. Best of luck w/ the food choice and have a blast w/ Lucy!

Cheers


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Congrats on the new puppy! I second raps702 - check with your vet and don't be in too much of a hurry to switch. Many of these dogs are picky eaters. If Lucy arrives already loving a food and your vet agrees with it, you may be better off waiting to switch.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Any of the foods you listed will be fine. As long as you are feeding a quality food your pup likes, she will do well. Our Pumpkin (9M) came to us on Blue Buffalo. We have had several food switches since then, because she has been very picky. For every pup that has issues with a particular brand, you will find another who does very well on the same one. IMO, I would not stress over the protein issue. Dogs are carnivores & in the wild would eat nothing but protein. We have been on Blue Buffalo, Orijen, & Go! Natural. We are currently on Go! and very happy with the choice. We go grain free with all of our dogs. I don't know that I would switch your pups food as soon as she arrives, but after she has settled in for a couple of days, she will be fine. Any of the foods you mentioned will be superior over ProPlan, IMO. We have never had any issues changing foods, and I did it over a period of about 7 -9 days. Just go slow. Blue Wilderness puppy will be based on their existing formulas w/ a tweak for puppies. It will get a quality rating I'm sure. Good Luck & congrats on your new pupppy!


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## Ms1234 (May 14, 2010)

I would not stress out over the issue too much. Personally, I feel a grain-free diet is best and we fed our V Orijen puppy and now Orijen adult. In my case, asking my vet about what food was best was a useless endeavour. They will usually suggest whatever it is they sell in their office (Hill's Science Diet..first ingriedient is corn)! 
I am happy with my V's development on Orijen and her coat is so shiny and healthy looking. 
I recently bought her a bag of Orijen Fish and she was not a fan of it, however. I bought the red meat one and have been mixing the two together. Luckily she has not noticed, lol.


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## hollyandnick (Apr 28, 2011)

Thank you for all your replies. I will talk to our vet (when we choose one). However, from many things I have read I am leary of what vets say because I have heard so many push certain foods. And some of them are the ones that have had major recalls or companies that have had issues. I definitely will keep her on Pro Plan for the first week, so she can settle in with us.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Yes, our vet gives Purina ProPlan in their puppy pack. For all others, it is some form of Purina. If the dog is sick/needs a special diet, it's a sure bet that 98% of them in our area suggest Science Diet. It's very predictable around here, and they do receive "kickbacks."


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

I wouldn't commit to any food at this point. The absolute most important thing with V's re their food is to make sure they will eat it.


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## nick (Dec 18, 2010)

You are right about information overload...same here. My V is 9 months old and has always been a picky eater....so was my last V. I would go with whatever your vet recommends and forget all the rest and not drive yourself crazy. My V has been on Iams from the beginning....sometimes she eats and sometimes she doesn't. I talked to other V owners who just but the food down and let them self feed. Good luck.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Here is my solution: Metamuchil sprinkled on puppy food, add water to top the food. 
I had excellent results.
Please do not worry too much about pup food. Save your money and buy average puppy food.
While your V is special, no doubt, just about every V will eat lots of things like grass, chew on small tree branches, eat dandelions even soil. They will chew/eat anything while baby. One exception is their poo as they tend not to eat that - lots of other dogs do.
My V is 70% dog, 20% pig and 10% cat (notice the foot print? they lick themselves too.)

One thing I insist not eating is mulch, plastic toys and our cat's food 
I found is fresh air, sunshine and consistency to be the best medicine.

PS metamucil works for cats as well. ;D


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

Just to give you another option... Cause that's what you want right now ;D how about the BARF diet? (bones and raw food)

To be honest, there isn't a BARF supplier where I live and making it up was too hard for me so we compromise with some high quality kibble and different types of raw meat, some cooked veggies (and sometimes leftover cat food when the cat doesn't want it). I posted in another topic that our breeder laughed at me when I asked what she was feeding because I would keep it the same and told me to feed a variety of different things. Seemed to work ok for Merc, he loves food!

He also loves to eat all the rubbish that datacna described.... Including rabbit poo, possum poo and kitty litter (he is locked out when the litter tray is cleaned)....


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## nick (Dec 18, 2010)

That seems to be the way with most stuff....information overload. One thing I have discovered about vizslas is that all of them are different....just like folks....some like this and some like that. My first V was a picky eater and so is my current 9 month old. As to what foodl to feed them....I would go with what the vet recommends and then modify that as needed. Some like chicken...some like fish...you just need to experiment a little.


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## tripp (Jan 13, 2011)

I'm glad I read this, I was fixing to post about this exact thing. My breeder used iams so thats what I've stuck with. It's puppy pro protection or something like that I'm not at home to look. She's never Had problems pooping( no diarrhea ). But my concern is the food is very small and it looks like she has a hard time eating it. Im thinking of switching. She also doesn't eat like I think a pup should. Im not sure she likes it. She only gained 5.8 lbs. In between vet visits(3 weeks). She's 13 weeks today and weighs right around 16-17lbs. Is that to light? My vet also sells science diet and I won't do that because as stated the first ingredient is corn. But I haven't seen any of these brands discussed on here, and I'm trying to avoid having to order.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Tripp-
Lots of the dog food we have tried is small in size, but I don't think it correlates to the ingredients or quality. You may want to refer to doganalysis.com (dogfoodadvisor is another) to examine ingredients in different foods without having to put in the leg work yourself. Just remember some recipes change, so you may want to follow-up once you narrow choices. Some Vs can be picky, so your food choice may be dictated my your pup's willingness to eat it . Some of the mentioned foods, along with others, can be found at Pet Smart or Petco. I didn't check where you are from, but I believe those stores are widely distributed in the US? Some of the foods can be found with a search on the food manufacturers website where retailers are listed. It is certainly convenient to buy @ the grocery store, but I think you will find many of the choices offered at the big box stores are better quality than Iams. Our V (10m) is a skinny girl no matter what we feed her. 16-17 lbs does not sound too light to me, but I'm not a breed growth expert. Actually sounds on the larger side for 13 wks? Male or female? What does your vet say? Others may be more helpful with actual weights. Seems like I remember someone posting a cool growth chart for reference? Try searching on the foum. I'm not handy at providing links.


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## Macaroni (Jan 19, 2011)

tripp said:


> I'm glad I read this, I was fixing to post about this exact thing. My breeder used iams so thats what I've stuck with. It's puppy pro protection or something like that I'm not at home to look. She's never Had problems pooping( no diarrhea ). But my concern is the food is very small and it looks like she has a hard time eating it. Im thinking of switching. She also doesn't eat like I think a pup should. Im not sure she likes it. She only gained 5.8 lbs. In between vet visits(3 weeks). She's 13 weeks today and weighs right around 16-17lbs. Is that to light? My vet also sells science diet and I won't do that because as stated the first ingredient is corn. But I haven't seen any of these brands discussed on here, and I'm trying to avoid having to order.


Tripp - here's the link to the growth chart (http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php?topic=533.0). Gaining almost 6 lbs in 3 weeks is right on track, at their age. From the time Mac came home at little over 7 weeks, he gained almost exactly 2 lbs a week until he was 4 1/2 months old, then it starts to slow down a bit. Keep in mind that females are often much lighter than males so I would think 17lbs at 13 weeks is no issue. As long as your pup doesn't look too skinny then don't worry about it. I'm a believer in the higher protein (grain free) foods based on what I've read about the breed and seen in Mac, so we're on Acana, but to each their own. Below is a nonscientific growth chart I've kept for Mac after every visit to the vet.

Age Date Measured Weight
7 weeks 28-Jan 9.6 lbs
11 weeks 23-Feb 15.2 lbs
13.5 weeks 14-Mar 22.5 lbs
17 weeks 6-Apr 29.5 lbs
19.5 weeks 23-Apr 34.9 lbs
24 weeks 24-May 39.5 lbs
25 weeks 30-May 42.9 lbs


Recently I've started experimenting w/ adding some raw food to his diet. I've found the info I've read on it interesting/promising so wanted to try for myself. I made a variation of the satin balls (as seen in other posts) and a fruit/veggie puree (frozen into ice cubes), both of which I use to compliment his kibble once or twice a week, along w/ raw bones (beef necks, marrow, etc). He's only had a few of these as I only made it last week. Little time consuming but waaaayyy cheaper than buying the prepared raw foods in the store. He absolutely loves it and gained a healthy 3 lbs last week w/ a few of these treats mixed in w/ his kibble.

Best of luck w/ your little girl.


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