dog (puppy) food questions
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Anonymous
| We will be getting a puppy soon, and I've started researching puppy foods and prices. We are planning on going with one of the better brands like Blue Buffalo or EVO, possibly grain-free. Can anyone recommend other brands of high-quality puppy food? Also, who has the cheapest prices (both online and local stores)? And I'm trying to determine how much food a typical puppy will go through in a month. For example, how long will a 24 lb bag last? |
Anonymous
| We make our own food - organic chicken thigh, carrots, rice, peas, etc. It takes me an hour to make enough food for a month (feeding twice a day), and everyone we know who uses the same recipe agrees - the dogs' coats are much thicker, grow faster, the dogs seem more lively and healthy, etc. I can't believe we fed the dog I grew up with commercial food, and feel terrible about it. |
Anonymous
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We use Wellness Core dog food and used Wellness puppy food. (but it wasn't grain free I would go grain free from the start. We had lots of issues with loose stools until we took the dog off the grain dry food. Our dog is 15 months now and we haven't had issues since.
Before we had taken him off the grain he had been on some prescriptions from the vet to help the loose stools. We also added pumpkin to his food. I haven't needed to add pumpkin since he got off the grain. Dogs are carnivores so it is better all around. We buy our food online but I would pick on of the high quaility grain free ones that are also found at Petco and Petsmart so if you run out you can grab some in a pinch. |
Anonymous
Thanks. Do you remember how much your puppy went through in a month (i.e., lbs)? I'm trying to cost things. |
Anonymous
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11:41 Can you please post your recipe for homemade puppy food? We are currently living abroad and it is almost impossible to find high quality food over here.
thanks! |
Anonymous
| We like Canidae. My dog liked the taste of Evo, but it made him constipated with the result that we had to walk him a very very long time to get him to "go". Like an hour. |
Anonymous
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Our puppy is 11 pounds (small breed) he is 6 months old and eats about 1 cup of dry food a day. You have to check the charts on the bags to know how much to give them as it varies from brand to brand. Ours ate 3 times a day until he was over 3 months and then twice a day. We sometimes mix dry kibble with wet food. That is his favorite.
Keep in mind that whatever the chart says is usually the daily portion not the "each meal" portion. |
Anonymous
| I like Wellness. My dog is about 12lbs, and she goes through a 15 lb bag in about 6 weeks. A puppy might eat a bit more, so maybe a bag a month. |
Anonymous
Sure. We make it in a huge batch, and then put one day's worth into a ziplock baggie. She gets (16 lb dog) half a baggie for lunch, and half a baggie for dinner. All the baggies go in the freezer, and we put no more than 3 in the fridge at a time. Our pooch went from having to be hand fed to dancing around our feet with excitement at mealtimes when we changed to this food. Here's the type of recipes we use, keeping in mind that every ingredient we include is organic: Turkey and Vegetable Dinner This basic dog food recipe includes turkey for protein and vegetables for added vitamins and minerals. Turkey has less fat than beef, making this an ideal recipe for pups that could stand to lose a few pounds. Ingredients 4 cups of water 1 pound of ground turkey 2 cups of brown rice 1 cup of carrots, chopped 1 cup of green beans, chopped 1 tablespoon of fish oil (optional) Directions Cook the ground turkey in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until the meat is cooked through. Add the brown rice, turkey, and water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until the rice is soft and tender. Add the carrots and green beans and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Allow to cool before serving. Store extra dinners in the fridge for up to five days. Pro Tip: Avoid using heavy oil to brown the turkey. The high fat content of the oil may upset your dog’s stomach. Here's another: Chicken Casserole This recipe uses chicken, which is a good source of protein, and lots of vegetables to create a flavorful mix. Green beans help your dog feel full and vegetables promote a healthy intestinal tract. Ingredients 4 chicken breasts 1/2 cup of green beans, chopped 1/2 cup of carrots, chopped 1/2 cup of broccoli, chopped 1/2 cup rolled oats. 4 cups of low-salt chicken broth Directions Remove excess fat from the chicken breasts and cut the breasts into small nickel-sized chunks. Cook the chicken breasts in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the chicken, vegetables, rolled oats, and chicken broth to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the carrots are tender – about 15 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Store leftover casserole portions in the fridge for up to five days. Pro Tip: You can use a small amount of olive oil to fry the chicken if you are having trouble keeping the chicken breasts from sticking to the skillet. |
Anonymous
| I use Orijen or Acana for our dogs. Expensive, but I found it to be the best kibble short of a raw diet. Depending on the size of your dog, they will eat a lot during the first 6-8 months. Our youngest dog was 45 pounds at 4 months and was eating a good 4-6 cups a day until about 6/7 months. Now 1.5 years, 90 pounds, and still eating 5 cups a day. He is lean and looks great. |
Anonymous
| Thanks so much for the puppy food recipe! Going shopping tomorrow! |
Anonymous
| Thanks so much for the puppy food recipe. Will go shopping tomorrow! One quick question: do you have any substitutions for the green beans? I can only get them frozen here. |
Anonymous
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We use blue buffalo -- puppy lamb and oat (not grain free). He eats about 2-3 cups a day but at 3 months it was closer to three than two. Fed 3 times a day until about 3.5 months, now twice
Prices are the same online and at petsmart. If you go to the blue website they will send you a $5 coupon Plan to switch to taste of the wild when he gets biggerp |
Anonymous
We use peas. Our dog doesn't like anything that "squirts" like tomatoes or blueberries or cucumber. 
Maybe see if your puppy likes broccoli? We run all the food through the food processor to get it all into tiny bits. |
Anonymous
| We use Acana Wild Prairie. Our puppy had really loose stools until we switched to Acana. She ate 1/2 cup 3 times a day when we first brought her home. They don't need as much food when they're eating really high quality grain free kibble. |