What is the best food to feed 11month, 7month, and 4month old Pure Bred Boxers?

Question

What is the best food to feed 11month, 7month, and 4month old Pure Bred Boxers?

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" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all quality foods, 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

Sorry, Science Diet is horrible -- the prescription diets are okay but the regular formulations are and have pretty much always been bad... Eukanuba and Iams as well... Canidae is a good food but not necessarily for puppies -- you will need to decide on what they each do best on -- some dogs do best on one food while another can just not thrive well on it - that happens. I do hope you don't have all three of those puppies in the same household -- how sad is that... puppies need their OWN time and space with their new families and not having to share it with other puppies all the time. I can't imagine a good breeder placing their puppies in a home that already has one and especially two other puppies... nor why anyone would want or need three puppies under a year of age at the same time... I think food decisions will likely be the very least of your problems in the future...

Answer 3

I had a Boxer without papers, and she also had a longish snout. She was undoubtedly Boxer, just not anywhere close to "show quality". Yours looks pretty much like a Boxer, just with interesting genetic traits. I got an ILP (Indefinite Listing Privelege) on her from the AKC, which allows spayed/neutered dogs who appear purebred, to compete in any of AKC's non-conformation events (obedience, agilty, etc). She was a great companion and lived to be 14 without the slightest health problem, right to the end (died in her sleep). I didn't pay a lot of money for her, I don't know why the person you got your dog from charged a high price, for an unpapered dog of pet quality? Sounds pretty shady, you ought to put the word out and encourage other people to avoid this "breeder". Either way....enjoy your pup! I saw someone offer this quote in another answer a minute ago "I'd rather have an inch of dog, than miles of pedigree"....I like that quote :). If you're interested in getting involved with Obedience, Agility, Flyball or any other type of competitive event, just look up the AKC's website and do a search for "ILP". If not, just have him neutered and enjoy his company as a pet :)

Answer 4

Any brand of puppy food (although at 11 months, one could use adult food). The brands each have their own set of marketing gimmicks (some are cheap, some have little corn, some claim meat as a first ingredient, some claim you feed less (have more easily digested foods in them)) and vary a lot in price but all have 100% of the nutrients a dog needs. Check the label and select one in your price range that agrees with your own personal biases but whatever you choose, it is not a good choice if the dog does not thrive on it (some dogs like the smell of some formulas better then others and dogs can differ on how they utilize a food).

Answer 5

To be honest talking to your vet is your best bet. All dogs need a different diet depending on age, weight and breed. From there you can then make a good choose. However a few tidbits in choosing a food, You want something that says on the ingredients meal or by product. If it says meat, its no good and organic is not recognized. Also ingredents are listed by weight,and if it says wheat germ, then later wheat whatever thats the same ingredient just split up. Food that you can purchase from teh vet is considered better, but some "grocery store foods" can still be good for dogs it just depends on what works for your dog. You want something that where your dog is going to absorb the most amount of nutrients and having 1-2 stools (poops) a day is a indication that they are aborbing the nutrients in their food. Hope this helps a little.

Answer 6

I feed mine " Wellness Brand", I'm not saying it's the best, but one of the better foods

Also, I would like to add, that feeding your dog a good food is not "Snobbery"

I wouldn't feed my kids a diet of cheeseburgers & sodas. I wouldn't feed my dogs crap either.

Answer 7

Canidae All Stages.

You can feed this to all of them, its high quality, very healthy, and you won't need to worry about seperate diets for each.

Answer 8

If your looking for one formula to feed all three maybe you should consider Canidae All Life Stages. It is balanced for all stages of life, and is a natural dog food.

Answer 9

any supermarket puppy food is ok according to budget. There is so much snobbery on here re food, if the dog likes it, it looks good and is happy, then fine.

Answer 10

don't buy anything from a supermarket. mostly crap.

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

anything 5 or 6 stars is a good start.

good luck!