what is a good make of puppy food (without colouring additives) for a west highland terrier?

Answer 1

There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on.

I recommend feeding dry food instead of wet. It's healthier for the gums and teeth.

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On choosing a good dog food:

Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. 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/
* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.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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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" brand, which is a quality food, but most of the foods aren't.)

Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores

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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

I would highly recommend Canidae All Life Stages. It is all natural, human grade, naturally preserved, made in the USA, has NO corn, wheat, soy, by products, grain fractions, fillers, preservatives or dyes in it. It is very inexpensive for a high quality food. You end up saving money with this food, in the long run, because it's more nutritious, they don't eat as much, and still fill up and get the nutrients they need to stay healthy, so the food lasts longer, and you don't find yourself having to go to the store every week or two, to buy more food. I would stay far away from any foods, that are sold in grocery stores, and retail stores like Walmart. They are all garbage foods and not at all healthy for them. Canidae is not sold in a lot of stores, but if you go to this site: http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
go to the store locator link, and type in the city you live in, it will bring up a list of stores in your area that do carry it. I breed Chihuahuas and I own #10, and that is what I feed all of mine. They have never been sick, they love the food, they are more energetic, and they all have beautiful coats. My vet is alway's surprised at how healthy they all are, when they all go in for their check ups. I would get a small bag first, that will cost you under $10, and see if your puppy likes it. You can always get a bigger bag later.When you switch, do it gradually. Switching to fast, will upset their digestive system and cause vomiting and diarrhea. Start off by mixing a little of the new food, with the food your puppy is on now, and over the period of about a week to a week and a half, each day gradually add more of the new food to the old food, until the puppy is on the new food only. I don't think you or your puppy will be disappointed. I hope this helps! Congrats on your new puppy!

Answer 3

I feed my dogs Canidae. It's an all stages of life food, so you never have to worry about switching foods. It's also holistic so they don't use fillers like corn.
My dogs (puppy included) have excellent skin and hair. My puppy's coat is like silk, I jokingly call him my little girl because his hair is SO pretty.
Innova is also an excellent food, also holistic. I adopted a pregnant border collie from the shelter and fed her Innova EVO because it's supposed to be the best out there. However, I had to switch because EVO is very expensive and I couldn't afford to feed it to 8 dogs. EVO is so high quality that it may make your pup sick if he's not used to it. Innova makes other food as well, less high in protein etc that might be good substitutes.

I can only recommend what I've fed my own dogs, although I know of other holistic brands that have received high marks from others. If you're looking for a dehydrated human grade food, you could try the Honest Kitchen. You'll pay out the nose, but it's better than commercial food. I'd recommend dry food though - it's good for teeth cleaning.

Answer 4

James Wellbeloved

Answer 5

Tripe- All naturel no additives soft on the pallet and I've never known a dog not to bloom on it!

Check out www.prizechoice.co.uk
Loads of info on there!

EDIT: Sorry just read the question again (properly)
We used Eukanuba Puppy Food for our bullys and they did fab on it. Also Hills Science Plan is supposed to be really good.

Answer 6

Your puppy should have had a his first set of shots at 6 wks of age then two weeks after that or depending on the vet and what they want to do for the vaccinations and when they should be done. Costs of vaccinations vary, it really depends on the vet you chose I would just call some vets to find out what they charge for vaccinations.

Answer 7

Here we go again with people encouraging the use of terrible dog foods like Pedigree, Proplan, Eukanuba, Hills Science Diet, etc. They are full of fillers, by-products, dyes, etc.

Please go to the link below. Try to find something rated high (5 or 6) and use that food. The link will tell you what the ingredients are and why the food got it's rating.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php

Answer 8

I don't know if they do puppy food, but Joe & Jacks dog food is naturally prepared, and the dogs love it!

Answer 9

burns dog food made my a vet holistic
http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/

with all Burns' products there are no colours, flavourings or artificial preservatives, just good health - naturally!

Answer 10

Royal Canin Thy make A food just for your dog