Food For A New Puppy

divingbboydivingbboy Posts: 14,074
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Hi everybody. So, my wife and I have just welcomed our new puppy, Matthew, into the household:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4607/matthewr.jpg

We've had a couple of dogs over the years, who are sadly no longer with us, but we've never had a puppy before. We want to make sure that we do everything that we can to keep the little chap happy and healthy, so we want to ensure that he eats well. My question relates to the type of food that we should feed him and, specifically, whether it's really worth shelling out for the more expensive brands, such as Husse, Arden Grange and Iams. At the moment, he's eating Arden Grange puppy food, which we were given by the breeder. We're happy to keep feeding him the more expensive stuff, but I was curious as to what people's opinions are on this. Is it worth it? Is it really any better than, say, Pedigree puppy food? Obviously, if we do change his food, we'll do so gradually, but any advice would be grateful received.

Thanks!

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  • max25max25 Posts: 1,008
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    divingbboy wrote: »
    Hi everybody. So, my wife and I have just welcomed our new puppy, Matthew, into the household:

    http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4607/matthewr.jpg

    We've had a couple of dogs over the years, who are sadly no longer with us, but we've never had a puppy before. We want to make sure that we do everything that we can to keep the little chap happy and healthy, so we want to ensure that he eats well. My question relates to the type of food that we should feed him and, specifically, whether it's really worth shelling out for the more expensive brands, such as Husse, Arden Grange and Iams. At the moment, he's eating Arden Grange puppy food, which we were given by the breeder. We're happy to keep feeding him the more expensive stuff, but I was curious as to what people's opinions are on this. Is it worth it? Is it really any better than, say, Pedigree puppy food? Obviously, if we do change his food, we'll do so gradually, but any advice would be grateful received.

    Thanks!
    The best dry food available in the uk is orijen alternate flavours every bag so your dog does not get bored with the same flavour available from zooplus.. free delivery for orders over £19... don't feed your dog on pedigree or any of the supermarket crap just google and read what is in this kind of food seriously not good
  • max25max25 Posts: 1,008
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    Just looked at the photo of your pup he is a wee beauty... arden grange is a good food i think he deserves it or better:)
  • divingbboydivingbboy Posts: 14,074
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    max25 wrote: »
    Just looked at the photo of your pup he is a wee beauty... arden grange is a good food i think he deserves it or better:)

    Thanks! He's a sweet little chap. I did some googling and, yes, I see what you mean. I definitely don't want to feed him an open recipe-type food, where ingredients are sourced according to market prices, and where ingredients change from batch to batch. Thanks for the advice.
  • max25max25 Posts: 1,008
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    http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

    good information on what is in food here.
  • ejmejm Posts: 3,515
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    max25 wrote: »
    The best dry food available in the uk is orijen alternate flavours every bag so your dog does not get bored with the same flavour available from zooplus.. free delivery for orders over £19... don't feed your dog on pedigree or any of the supermarket crap just google and read what is in this kind of food seriously not good

    I disagree. I think the best food for an individual dog is what suits that dog. Some dogs thrive on Orijen, some dogs don't. Some dogs thrive on Chappie, some dogs don't. Some dogs suit a BARF diet. For every person that recommends a certain brand, you will get someone recommending another.

    OP - If your pup is happy and healthy on Arden Grange then imo I would keep him on it. Chopping and changing foods when dogs are young can lead to a fussy dog when it comes to food.
  • StressMonkeyStressMonkey Posts: 13,347
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    What ever food you decide on, make sure you transition very gradually otherwise pup will end up with an upset stomach.

    I would aim for a grain free diet such as Orijen or consider a BARF diet but you can certainly do a lot worse than Arden Grange.

    Have fun with new pup - it'll make for an interesting Christmas!! Make sure all chewy temptations like Christmas Tree decorations and the wires for the lights are out of his reach!!
  • ZicoZZicoZ Posts: 7,642
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    Hills Science Plan is the perfect food I believe .

    http://www.hillspet.co.uk/
  • quatroquatro Posts: 2,886
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    Arden Grange is a very good dog food, and a lot of the premium [more expensive] dog foods are too.
    The benefit I found was that the amount of waste at the other end is less, and less messy - which is a very good thing when you have to deal with it day on day.
    It shows the dog is digesting most of it and getting the nutrients not just being filled up with bulky rubbish.
    Keep to the good stuff I would say.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 554
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    ZicoZ wrote: »
    Hills Science Plan is the perfect food I believe .

    http://www.hillspet.co.uk/


    One of THE worst foods going, absolute dirt! Never in a million years would i feed that.

    I feed a raw/natural diet, i feel it's the best for any dog.
  • StressMonkeyStressMonkey Posts: 13,347
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    ZicoZ wrote: »
    Hills Science Plan is the perfect food I believe .

    http://www.hillspet.co.uk/

    :eek: Only if you are a vet on a kick back:eek:

    For the same price you could be feeding a good food like the Arden Grange pup is already on or better yet, BARF feeding. Then there is Fish4Dogs at a bit less. Tiny bit more, and you have Orijen.
  • ZicoZZicoZ Posts: 7,642
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    :eek: Only if you are a vet on a kick back:eek:

    For the same price you could be feeding a good food like the Arden Grange pup is already on or better yet, BARF feeding. Then there is Fish4Dogs at a bit less. Tiny bit more, and you have Orijen.

    Looking at Fish4Dogs . as the name suggests it appears to be a FISH based product . If the theory is to give our dogs a more "natural" diet ...aren't dogs naturally carnivores ??


    A quick look at Arden Grange shows that it is seemingly based around FIsh. Chicken and RIce although I did see one option which included lamb . Again healthy for humans but how many dogs would be eating Fish and Rice in the wild ....as nature intended so to speak ??
  • StressMonkeyStressMonkey Posts: 13,347
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    ZicoZ wrote: »
    Looking at Fish4Dogs . as the name suggests it appears to be a FISH based product . If the theory is to give our dogs a more "natural" diet ...aren't dogs naturally carnivores ??


    A quick look at Arden Grange shows that it is seemingly based around FIsh. Chicken and RIce although I did see one option which included lamb . Again healthy for humans but how many dogs would be eating Fish and Rice in the wild ....as nature intended so to speak ??


    Remember, dogs have been domesticated for 10.000 years and have adapted to living off the foods provided by the owner - commercial dog food has only been available for a minuscule fraction of their time. So 'in the wild' is a bit of a red herring - more we should look at what their biology suggests.

    Dogs are 'carnivorous omnivores' - they are clearly best adapted to eating meat but can also gain nutrients from plants. When BARF feeding, a general balance of 70% meat, 30% vegetable/fruit is aimed for - though some would recommend more meat/less veg. However, lacking the grinding jaw movement required to break down cellulose, pulping the veg first is recommended. Not natural - but one of my Cresteds will eat windfall apples especially if they are on the turn - and strawberries straight from the plant. So you can see how dogs will eat available, digestible plants.

    The source of the meat is less important - fish is an excellent source of meat proteins even if a dog would 'in the wild' only get fish by scavenging. In a BARF diet, fish would not usually make a large part of the diet but would usually be included because it is a lean meat and, in the case of Oily Fish, is full of 'good' oils.

    But you are absolutely correct about the Rice. Dogs are not well suited to digesting rice or other grain. It is used as a filler.

    Comparing AG to SP Chicken Adult food, although Arden Grange does contain Rice and Maize, at least it uses whole grain maize and doesn't use maize meal or soybean meal to 'bulk' it out. The meat content is all chicken (not a mix of chicken and turkey) and is significantly higher. And I would never choose any food where 'ground maize' is the top ingredient.

    I don't feed AG myself, but the pup is already on it and it isn't a bad food. As I said, if they are going to change the food they should go for a grain free food such as Orijen. But they shouldn't switch to a worse but more expensive food. That would be silly. I'd say Wainwrights was better than SP but is significantly cheaper.
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