8 week old Long-Haired mini-Dachshund coming home soon. What is the best food??

Question

I want to give our new dog the best possible start. I would like to find out what the healthiest dog food is here in the UK. I would like to try and avoid rubbish ingredient etc. Cheers.

Answer 1

Having only ever been to England when I was younger, I don't know much about your food market. I do know that you don't carry Innova which at least in North America is probably THE BEST food available. I do know that you have Burns which is why I would recommend. You need to find something that has whole, fresh, human grade ingredients. STAY AWAY from mass market foods like Iams, Science Diet, Purina, Eukanuba, etc as these are all considered low quality foods. There are so many good foods available now that a quick internet search will probably provide you with lots to choose from.

As for "effin' h!lar!ous" Science Diet has YET to produce a good quality food. Here are the ingredients of Science Diet Nature's Best with Beef:

-Brewers rice (should not be in pet foods, this is only a rice fraction, it should be the whole grain. Grains should NEVER be the first ingredient in a pet food)
-ground wheat (Wheat should not be in pet food because in is a common allergen and should definitely not come before the meat)
-turkey meal (Um, I thought this was a beef diet???)
-corn gluten meal (Corn should NEVER be in pet foods, not only is it a common allergen but dogs cannot digest it so it's just a cheap filler and your wasting your money)
-soybean meal (ANOTHER common allergen, WHY do companies use these?)
-animal fat (what type of animal, the company is obviously hiding something)
-beef (Oh, here's the beef! but wait, dogs can't digest beef very well so another waste of a protein)
-vegetable oil (okay but sunflower is better)
-peas (yes, a good ingredient....but it's so far down the list there are probably only a few peas in the whole bag)
-carrots (same problem as the peas)
-chicken liver flavor (okay)
-dried beet pulp (cheap filler)
-flaxseed (good)
-dried egg product (this is egg shells and undeveloped eggs that are not fit for human consumption)

So, as you can see, Science Diet has produced yet another food that as you put it, is "full of rubbish".

In order to avoid low grade foods YOU HAVE to go with independant companies who are more interested in pet health then there internation profits for the next quarter.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Definitely start with what the breeder is feeding. Changing a dog's diet suddenly can upset their tummies. While out shopping , look at the ingredients on the labels of the other dog food. The first ingredient should be meat. When you find what you want to feed, change the dog over slowly, starting with 90% old food to 10% new food. Change the percentages daily, taking about a week to completely change to the new food.
Good Luck!

Answer 3

Best food, is a corn free, wheat free bi-product free food. For you, you could try Natural Balance It is an all life stages kibble, that you can feed as a pup and as he get older too. Not just a puppy food. Thats what I would use. Sold in most good pet supply stores, and oddly sold at petco too. Most of those other foods sold there, I would not touch. Anything made by Dick Van Patton is good. None of the above foods would be good, Burns natural is a possibility.

Answer 4

I'm with Wolfstorm - Burns is certainly one of the best quality foods on the market. I DO NOT rate Iams, Eukanuba, anything from Pedigree, Butchers, Bakers etc. These foods in my opinion are like the McDonalds of the dog food industry. That being said some dogs do fine on them, but they would certainly not be a food I would feed my dog - too many additives and poor quality meat.

Burns, James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange and Autarky are very high quality dry foods. Naturediet is a very good quality "wet" food. Here is the Burns website www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk, email them and ask to be sent some free sample of their food before you buy.

Good Luck with your pup

Answer 5

The breeder should be able to give you a couple of weeks supply of the food she's been eating. Then GRADUALLY start to add new foods, James Well Beloved and Royal Canin are the dry foods that my pup scoffs and good ole Pedigree chum puppy pouches for a change now & then. But be warned don't feed your pup too much protien (any fresh meat, cheese, eggs etc.) coz it makes them hyper!! And NO people food - ever it's too salty & full of additives...

Answer 6

Well first to not upset its stomach feed what the breeder has been feeding it and if they are good breeders it will be on iams or Royal canine basically the dearest food is the best for it puppy food is high in proteins to promote growth and then when its about 6 months get it onto adult dog food. you can choose to feed it meat or dried or a mix of both .if you want to change the food the breeder is giving it just introduce it gradually over a few days.
whatever food you choose you are looking for puppy food for small dogs/small bite

Answer 7

Science Diet Nature's Best® With Real Beef Puppy pet food delivers real beef, real garden vegetables and wholesome grains for the health and happiness of your puppy. It is enhanced with natural DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid vital in the development of the brain and nervous system in puppies. Science Diet® Nature’s Best® guarantees high quality nutrition with the shapes and taste your puppy will naturally love.

Key Benefits
Nature's Best® Puppy pet food was developed to meet the higher energy needs of puppies up to 12 months, and pregnant and nursing dogs.
Enhanced with natural DHA, which is important for brain and vision development
Natural with added vitamins and minerals
Same superior antioxidant formula as Science Diet® dry dog foods to promote a healthy immune system
Superb taste made with real beef, real garden vegetables and wholesome grains
Naturally preserved
Small, easy-to-chew kibbles



Daily Feeding Guide
For puppies/pregnant dogs: begin by feeding the suggested daily amount. Your pet may need less or more food to maintain proper weight. Adjust as needed. If you are unsure, ask your veterinarian.
For nursing dogs: keep food available at all times.
Keep fresh water available at all times!
Feeding this food for the first time? Mix increasing amounts of your pet’s new food with decreasing amounts of the old food over a 7-day period.
When using with canned food, decrease the amount of dry food to avoid overfeeding

Answer 8

You should ask the person you are buying from what they fed it and then gradually change over to the new. If you don't your dog could get sick. Each time you feed it put alittle more of the new with the regular kind. My whole family raises dogs and I learned that that is what you should do when changing foods.

Answer 9

I have a miniture dashund they are the cuteist, i feed him on pedigree chum puppy for the first 7 or 8 months cause it has a lot of goodness, but then i started him on pedigree chum canned food with a little bit of mixer to help his strenghtin his theeth!! hope this helps =)

Answer 10

Find out what she has been eating at the breeders forst, and keep her on that, and gradually ween her on to whatever food you want. some of the best on the market today are Eukanuba, hills science and skinners. You will get these from most good pet stores