Puppy Coming Tomorrow!! - Food Questions
This forum has been SO helpful so far! I can't wait to have Nanny home tomorrow and be able to particpate in the fun antics stories. 
Anyway, I have just about everything set up for her: large wire crate w/ divider, matress pad in the crate, baby blankets, toys, kong, puppy pads, slicker brush, collar, etc. etc. The only thing left to get before tomorrow is food. (I know... I'll still be getting tons of other stuff after she's here, but food is pretty important. )
She currently eats Royal Canin puppy dry food and a half can of Iams Chicken & Rice at night. The breeder said if I want to try anything else, that should be fine. Do you guys have any suggestions? I've gone through some of the older posts and polls about food, but maybe there are different recommendations while they're a puppy? I know I probably need to see how she does on her food, and get a vet recommendation as well. Any advice is appreciated!! 
Also, how much and how often do you suggest feeding her? She is 9weeks old today ( yay!!  ) and she's about 15 pounds.
Thanks so much for the help!! |
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Most of the vets I run into don't know a thing about sheepies and will recommend Science Diet b/c they get commission from it.  |
Well that's terrible! 
I will keep that in mind.  Plus, I try and get advice from lots of sources to make sure there is a general consistency. That's what the forum is for!  |
| If she was MY puppy ( can you feel the envy).....I would get her Nutro Ultra Puppy, and feed her 3 times a day, as much as she will eat.
Reasons: .......I have always has success with Nutro, and the Ultra is holistic and extra good for her. Plus it is very tasty so you can use it for treats. .......3 times a day to get her on a schedule.... .......She needs to eat as much as her little body needs. There is no way of knowing how big she will be, or how much she is growing, so her body will tell her how much you need to feed her.  |
| Look in membership polls right at the top and even just do a search for "food" or "feed." There are sooooo many threads on this!
One thing you won't get is a general concensus as to what food is the best. Just make sure your top ingredients are meat and whole grains, no corn or other junky fillers. I prefer a holistic food and made in the United States is even better. Currently I feed Nutro Ultra and Merrick but I also cycle through Canidae and I'm going to Innova next. I would've switched already but I had a free bag coming from Nutro so I decided to wait again. I switch a few times a year because some research says that it helps prevent allergies and keeps dogs from getting finicky. |
| Keep her on what she currently is eating for now. IMO, so many changes all at once is not productive. If you change her home, her food and her schedule all at once you never really will know if something specific is causing problems. Once she gets settled, if you chosse to change food, slow integration of the new food with old should help with the transition.
Your breeder should give you an idea what schedule she has them on now. We did 3 meals a day, probably a 1 cup at a time. This will probably depend on your pup, because what works for us may not work for you. I like Pro-Plan. Our breeder recommended it. It is easily available if we run out. And we have not had any problems on it. Switched from puppy to large breed probably around 9 or 10 months. |
| It is best to feed her on what she has been eating, you dont want he to get an upset tum when she is so young. Summer has been on James Wellbeloved puppy she has got through tons of the stuff, but I prefer Nutro so I have gradually changed her to nutro large breed puppy and being the little pig she is she hasnt even noticed! |
Thanks, this is helpful info! And I do plan on getting the food she's currently on for now. I just wasn't sure if I should use Royal Canin and Iams long term. And the breeder said she leaves dry food out all the time, and I would rather have scheduled feedings. Sounds like 3 times a day is good? I've read how they eventually lose interest in the noon feeding. We'll wait for Nanny to let us know about that. 
El Gato, makes a good point. Too many changes in the beginning would be rough!  The breeder is going to send one of her favorite toys with her, so she'll have something familiar. And she got the travel crate last week so Nanny can get used to it as well.
I don't need to get a consensus on exactly what food, but I would like to make sure that 3 feedings a day is good. I don't want her to be hungry, but I don't want her to be a  like our cat!! |
| I also would continue with her food she is on and used to. Later on, you can always switch if you choose. Three scheduled feedings /day would be my choice also.
I also like the Nutro Ultra puppy. Chewie is getting a cup of it mixed with his Nutro natural choice lamb and rice large breed (the green bag with the OES on it). Chewie needs to gain weight, and he really likes the taste of the Ultra Puppy. I like the kibble size too - and he always cleans his bowl now. |
1st Time OES Mommy wrote: And the breeder said she leaves dry food out all the time, and I would rather have scheduled feedings. Sounds like 3 times a day is good? I've read how they eventually lose interest in the noon feeding. We'll wait for Nanny to let us know about that.
I think if she's used to the dry food being out, it would be more consistent for her to just continue that. I would go back to free-feeding (changed when my brother's dog moved in for a time years ago and had to) if I could. It's so much easier to manage and if you're going to be away during a time that you'd normally be setting down a meal you won't have to worry about it. Then you can add the can of Iams in the evening. If she ends up gaining too much weight then you could adjust. That's how I'd do it anyway. |
| Stephanie---
The first 2 weeks after Heart came...I waisted so much food...LOL..I guess I just wanted to make sure she had enough to eat... I would come home for lunch and feed her..at about 12-14 weeks...she was not eating any of the "lunch" so that is when I stopped that feeding--she is now on morning and evening feedings and is probably about close to 40 lbs. If she finishes the meal quickly, I just put more dry in her bowl. I always like to see that she has not eaten all of her food..that way I know she is full.... Good Luck...post pictures as soon as you can. |
| Nigel has become finicky at almost 5 months. I was feeding pro plan puppy lg breed. I started switching over to Canidae because of his scratching . He doesn't want to eat unless I sprinkle some parmasan cheese on it. All of this picky eating started around the time my poodle got sick. I am hoping some food competition with Katie coming next weekend will help his eating habits.
Good luck with Nanny. She is so cute!!  |
| Dodger was on Iams when he came home, and I am slowly switching him to Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul. (btw what a name... ) He's 14 weeks old, 25 pounds and seems to love the food.
An interesting thing that I was told by my trainer in relation to food was to watch out for corn. I guess corn might inhibit the uptake of seratonin (sp?) into the brain, and the puppy might be a little more crazy for it. I have noticed a change in Dodger's demeanor since we've started the switch, though I'm not sure if this is due to getting some of the corn out of the diet or his training. Maybe someone else on here knows a little more about this than I do. I just thought it was interesting. |
| Royal Canin is a top quality dry so keep her on that till she settles in completely before trying another brand if you want to change it later.
Do any transition over a period of at least a week to not upset her system, but I would wait a few months before introducing another brand. 3 schedule feedings a day should be ok for her at that age if you don't want to free feed with the dry out all day. Non of mine are free fed as they would keep eating till they exploded. At least with scheduled feeding you can manage the weight and know exactly how much they are consuming in a day, especially through the growth period.
And keep away from Hills Science diet that most vets try to push if you are looking to another brand later on, it's rubbish.
Best wishes with your new lil baby, pictures too in her new home. |
| We are so excited for you!!!!
As for feeding, I echo everyone who said keep her on her current food, unless it is causing her to have digestive issues. (Oscar came to us at ten weeks old with severe diarrhea, vomit burping, etc., and after vet tests turned up nothing, we switched his food right away.) You can always research and switch to something you feel is more nutritious after she has settled in. We have always fed on a schedule (3 timer per day as a puppy, two times per day as an adult) for a couple of reasons. One, you know exactly how much they are consuming. Two, if you ever have to give meds with food (heartworm pills, antibiotics), you know they have eaten when they get their meds. Three, it helps regulate how often they have to poop. The loose (no pun intended  ) rule of thumb is that a dog will poop as many times per day as they eat, which I have found to be true. It certainly helps with housebreaking.
Congrats on your sweetie! Can't wait to see more pics! Laurie and Oscar |
| I meant to also say that Dodger is getting fed times a day, and it's working out well for us. He gets a few meals out of this thing called a treat stick. It looks like an all plastic flashlight with a hole at the skinny end. He has to push it around the floor to get the food out. He was eating his food so fast that it worried me a little, and this slows it down and makes a game out of it. (Also, it lets me blow dry my hair in the morning!)
I guess my take on free feeding is that it depends on the dog. My childhood dog was free fed, and he did ok, was never overweight and wasn't really interested in eating too much. My next dog was free fed when I adopted her at 4 years and was about 2x the size she should have been. (Have you ever seen a 25 lb Bichon?!?) She ate whatever was put in front of her. Whenever her bowl was empty she would bang on it for more food and we'd have to put it up if she'd already eaten. Either way, as a puppy I would feed on a schedule so you know how much they are getting. You can always go to free feed at some point down the road if you wanted, but in my limited experience, it was hard to switch the other way when it was needed. |
| You must be so excited.
I would suggest keeping on the food that it is already on at the mo, as they say so it doesnt cause a runny tummy. I personally feed a raw natural diet, I always see posts and adverts from food companies saying that their food contains "real meat chunks" and some "vegetables", So why not just feed a natural diet anyway. I feed this way as I know my alfies getting quality food (but not expensive, works out cheaper for me than conveniece foods) I know exactly what is going into him it hasnt got any additives or taste enhancers but most of all he loves it and its what they would eat normally anyway. This diet is often referred to as the BARF diet and there are lots of helpful tips on the net to help you get started. But the basics are raw meat (generally chicken, turkey, rabbit, with ocassion beef, lamb and offal) rice or a wholebaked biscuit, vegetables and then bone of some sort e.g chicken wings. Hope this helps obviously you have to do a feeding regime that suits you and your life style but I wouldnt recommend leaving the food down as this tends to cause fussy eaters and over weightness. Good Luck and give your new baby a big cuddle from me, your so lucky sheepie babies are the best! |
11 hours and counting!!!!!!!!!   
Jason and I went to Petco last night and bought a humongous bag of Royal Canin large breed puppy food. We got the cans of Iams also. It just seems weird that every petsupply store we've been in, they have isles and isles of food, but the Royal Canin is back in a dusty corner and separate from the other food isles.  I don't know what that means...maybe it's just not as well known (I've never heard it adverstised before). Anyway, regardless that is what we got and I trust the breeder and you guys that it's good food. The sad thing is, I bought all of that food (and another toy, ha!) and I still forgot the bowls!  Oh well, gives me an excuse to go back this afternoon before she comes. And without Jason around, I'm free to browse the doggie toy isles for as long as I want! 
I can't believe it's finally here!!! I'll definitely get some home-coming pictures up this weekend! |
| Try to get some sleep! |
I have mine on Acana and Orijen, it's great no corn and wheat free. Lots of good stuff. I swiched mine from Sceince diet and Iams. I did the mix thing and the little monkeys spit out all of the others stuff on the floor and ate only Acana and Orijen so I was worried about the poo thing and they were fine. Thank god  |
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