what is your favorite kind of puppy food and why?

Question

and what do puppys like to eat that is also healthy for them

Answer 1

I feed my puppy Merrick Puppy Plate. It's high-quality food, it's available locally, and my dog likes it. There are many other quality foods I would recommend as well though.

On choosing a dog food:
Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. (Or in your case, the puppy-food counterpart of the brand you choose.) A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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It may seem like the initial cost of the better food is more expensive, but it really isn't in the long run. Right now, you're feeding your dog fillers. Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. By feeding better food, your dog will eat less (and poop less, so less cleanup for you!). Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.

Answer 2

It is not wise to start giving any dog human food, if this is the basis of his diet. Dog food is made specifically to suits the needs of dogs and this is what a dog, or puppy should have, above all else. I recommend you feed your puppy the same diet as his, hopefully, reputable breed has weaned him onto. This will ensure he gets all the nourishment he needs, and his tummy isn't upset by a switch to something different. You can of course feed cooked chicken breast, white fish and rice, but he will need the proper vitamins and supplements to compliment this. As his breeder, and follow his advice. Food that is bad for dogs includes chocolate, especially dark chocolate, onions, grapes and rasins.

Answer 3

I work at a pet supplies store in michigan, and going into the job, i wanted it just for the job. Needless to say i have learned a lot from working there.

-Science diet is garbage. If you actually read the ingredients, the first five ingredients are the main base of the food. Science diet has A LOT of corn. Corn is nothing but a filler and has no nutritional value.

--Corn is one of the number one things that causes dry skin and allergies among dogs.

-pedigree, purina, eukanuba, IAMS, and those other (ADVERTISED) brands are no good. Again read the ingredients. Stay away from salt, CORN, BY-Products, grains, wheat.

-You want to have whole products in the food. like Lamb, or beef, or chicken, and then down from those is lamb meal, and beef meal, and so on. But stay AWAY from BY-PRODUCTS. If it is mentioned farther down in the ingredients list its not so much of a big deal because there is not as much. But stay away from it as a main ingredient.

-NUTRO was, and is for now, a decent food. They were recently bought out by MARS foods. Which if you know, they own PEDIGREE. If you look at what they did to pedigree, you can expect the same to come to NUTRO. They will cheapen the food and you will start to see it in places such as Walmart and Meijers.

-Stay away from anything in walmart and meijers. These foods are usually no good.

-VETS do not have much, if ANY, nutrition courses. The owners of the store that i work at have taken nutrition courses. They have taught me. Nutrition is an elective for vets and is not required. Vets are there to fix your dog..not to be a dietician.

-So why is SCIENCE Diet and other cheap foods recommended by vets. Well, most vets have some of there schooling paid for by these companies. I'd recommend them to if they paid for some of my schooling.

-So what foods are good:
---At our store we very highly recommend SOLID GOLD. The lady who started solid gold is the pioneer of HOLISTIC foods. This is a top food, and the best in my mind. I like how they tell you on the bag, in big letters, NO CORN, SALT, BY-PRODUCTS, GRAINS, WHEAT, and so on.

----INNOVA, MERRICK, WELLNESS, NATURES VARIETY, CANIDAE, AND CALIFORNIA NATURAL are also top-notch foods. Innova, merrick, and wellness are right up there with solid gold..but they are a little more pricey, and they are no better or worse.

---Canidae is a great food for the budget in mind. Running at about the same price you would pay for IAMS, or Science Diet, you could get a greatly, tremendously, better food. It is not as good as SolidGold, or Merrick, or Innova, but for what you pay, it is a great food. There is some by-products in it...but they are farther down the ingredients list.

--Diamond food is also garbage. But, Diamond also make there holistic foods as well. Diamond makes what is called Chicken Soup dog food. This is a decent dog food but nothing compared to the ones mentioned above.

---Diamond also makes another holistic food called Diamond Naturals. THIS IS DEFINATELY FOR THE BUDGET MINDED PEOPLE. The price compares to that of what you would pay in a walmarts. it is not a great food, but it is cheap and it at least gets you away from the CORN and BY-PRODUCTS.

---I feel like i forgot something but i don't know what?

Answer 4

I have had many different kinds of dogs and they have ALL liked a different food. I went one day and checked nutrition against 20 different ones. These are the ones that actually met what I was looking for.
Nutro- My golden retrievers loved this one
Purina One(it actually is comparable to many more high end foods)- This is the only one my Black Lab likes and doesn't make him have gas.
my smaller dogs like the Royal Canine and thrive on it.
ALL of my dogs got sick on I AMS. Either diarrea or gas.
However all my cats did fine on it.
I think you just have to weigh all the things you want. What is your budget? What makes their bowels firm and pass best? Is your dog thriving? Do they fart all day?
I always supplement all my dogs once a week with a bowl of brown rice, steamed broccoli , and scrambled egg white. They love it and helps their coats.

The nutro puppy line is good, reasonable, and has different formulas(like large breed)

Answer 5

i chicken soup for the dog lover's soul dog food. it is competely healthy. i always say anything that is advertised on tv or anything that is found at walmart is pure garbage and shouldnt be fed to ur pet. if u really care u would get a high quality food

Answer 6

Blue Buffalo is the best dog food I've ever had.It made my puppies coat healthier and he stopped chewing on his foot.

Answer 7

IAMs is garbage, VEts do not know anything about nutrition. that is to above poster.

Merricks is a great food, but somthing a little cheaper would be kirkland from costco if you have one near you is a great food also. innova is aswell. nutro too.

Answer 8

Wellness Super5Mix Just for Puppy

http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/dog_wellness_dry_just_for_puppy.html

Answer 9

I like to use Science Diet light. The dry dog food. I have a dog who has a sensitive stomach and slightly over weight. He loves it and it keeps the pounds away.

Answer 10

Iams is a good food any thing that is more expensive is a waste of money (family friend is a vet). Fresh veggies is really good for them but make sure in small amounts only. There are some fruits and veggies that they shouldnt eat ask your vet and they be happy to tell you. My dogs eat green peppers, cucumbers, apples and they love it but I stress small amounts cause they might get the squirts.