Best Puppy Food?

[BigDog2191]

As you may know, I've said it in almost every post:

I'm getting a German Shepherd in six weeks! And I was wondering what is the best but affordable puppy food to get? Any suggestions on that would be great.

And also when should I stop feeding my dog puppy food? I was thinking after 12 weeks because that's when his last puppy shot is. Thank you .

 

[Renee750il]

You typically feed puppy food until about 12 to 18 months old.

If you'll go to www.greatdanelady.com and read her articles on dog food you'll get good answers to your question.

If you feed your pup anything from Purina, Pedigree, Alpo, Iams, Eukanuba, Science DIEt you aren't really saving money over a quality food. You'll be feeding significantly more and the food related health problems, particularly skin ailments, that crop up as your dog becomes elderly get frustrating, expensive and are painful for your dog. German Shepherds are particularly susceptible to food related skin problems. I've had GSDs since I was 12 and would give anything if I'd known what I now know about dog food!

You'll want to read through some of the threads in this forum too, particularly the sticky ones at the top.

Now, don't forget to post some photos of your new pup in the Members' Gallery when you get him/her! There's just not much any cuter than a German Shepherd puppy in my book!

 

[Saje]

What Renee said ^

My favourite is Innova. It's great and the company doesn't use invasive testing on animals. In fact, they rescue lab animals and rehabilitate them

www.naturapet.com

There are tons of posts on this issue that you can look up. It comes up a lot and as you will see not everyone here agrees on the best dog food.

 

[Mordy]

i would not feed a puppy food at all, but instead go with a good quality adult food. it will allow for slower, more even growth and help avoid orthopedic problems.

innova is an excellent choice, and if you can't get that, canidae is a close second. eagle pack also makes a few nice varieties, but i'd stay away from anything except the "holistic" ones.

there are more good brands, but i don't know what's locally available to you.

 

[BigDog2191]

I've heard lots about eukanuba and pedigree and iams but does it say on the bag "for puppies" or something. Cause it seems like those are for big dogs or for when my GS is fully grown. Or is there a seperate bag? Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Mordy]

if you absolutely think you must feed a puppy food (which, again, i do not recommend), look for something that states it's formulated specifically for large breeds. eagle pack makes a nice one.

an adult food that states "suitable for all lifestages" is the better choice, so for innova that would be the green bag, not the red one.

 

[Renee750il]

Have you read Linda Arndt's articles about feeding puppies on the link I gave you? That should answer your questions in greater detail.

 

[Love4Pits]

I usually feed my dogs homemade food aka Raw but I also add Innova to their diet at times.

When I have puppies and their ewaning or i get a younger pup i feed them Puppy cereal with scraps from the other dogs meals like bits of fat or shredded beef into the mix. Usually though around 11-12 I start introducing the regular food my other dogs eat including the innova.

And since feeding raw is pretty expensive especially if you go organic like I do I would do like everyone else is suggesting and feed you puppy Innova.

 

[crazydog]

is "chicken soup for the dog lovers soul" good? my mom bought that for roxy when she ran out of food and there was only 1 day left until my aunt came down to pick her up with more food. roxy seemed to have loved it! i also showed my aunt that website with the eukanuba animal cruelty thing. but the chicken soup for the dog lovers soul was teh cheapest so my mind just got it, since she only had but a little cash in her pocket at the time

 

[Renee750il]

From what I've heard and read it's one of the better foods. Linda Arndt has it on her "short list" of good dog foods, and her recommendation is better than mine!

 

[BigDog2191]

Hmm... so far Innova sounds great. I think I'm gonna look at Linda Arndt's recommendations. Thanks for all your help.

 

[MaxMason]

You know every since I switched Ginger to Innova, I don't see her scratching herself as much. That Science Diet must have been causing her to scratch alot, hopefully I won't have to worry about her having allergies because of bad food

 

[Saje]

I have been trying to get innova up here since I moved to the boonies. Finally, I decided I had failed and I bought Eagle Pack (a close second for me). The dogs love it of course but the funny part is I didn't have enough money to buy it for the cats. Mini, my little princess, sure told me off when she stared at her food dish. She quite a vocal little kitty and she obviously knew I'd springed for good dog food and not the good cat food. It's on the list mini! I swear.

 

[BigDog2191]

I think I'm gonna go with Innova, it seems to be the best! And if not Innova, Eagle sounds great. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help!

 

[Saje]

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers soul is good too! (Thought I'd throw that in the mix just in case you can't find the others)

 

[Barb04]

I've been usin Eagle Pak Holistic and now have added some Innova EVO. I also add a can of Eagle Pak Hostic wet; besides the cooked ground chicken to entice everyone to eat.

What does everyone else add to their dry dog food?

 

[Renee750il]

Mine eat straight EVO most of the time, but I do mix up some ground beef occasionally, and they love it when I put leftover rice or potatoes in with it.

And they love the days I clean out the 'fridge! You should see the puddles of drool I have to wipe off the floor . . .

Shiva still loves a bowl of calf milk replacer every now and then - once or twice a week maybe. She's such a baby.

 

[BigDog2191]

Hehe ^

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I like Wellness puppy food, but there are all-life stages foods like Canidae.

 

[BigDog2191]

I went to Pets Mart earlier and they didn't have Innova . Anyway, I'm probably gonna use Science Diet instead. Since I heard that that was pretty good and I saw it available over there. Didn't see Eagle there either.