what is the best puppy food?

Question

I am feeding my new puppy Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul right now. He seems to like it but is there a better food out there? Can I feed him Innova or California Natural? I do not know what breed he is or even if he will be small or big when he grows up. He is 4 months old.

He is 18 pounds

Answer 1

Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul is a very, very good food. It ranks very high on the food test. It is also one of the top ones listed and recommended by the Whole Dog Journal.
It has a named meat source as the top 3-4 ingredients. It doesn't contain any cheap fillers...corn, wheat, soy or by products. it has no chemicals or dyes in it.
If your puppy is doing good on it leave him on it and when he reaches adult switch him to CS for the Dog Lover's Soul.
Congrats on feeding your dog a very good quality food!!

Answer 2

Chicken Soup is a good food, and there are certainly other high quality brands out there. Yes, you can feed Innova or California Natural. Innova can tend to be a little too rich for some dogs, but it is a high quality food. California Natural is often used for dogs who have allergies. Other brands I recommend are Canidae, Wellness, Solid Gold, Timberwolf Organics, Orijen, Flint River Ranch, Life's Abundance, Merrick, etc. Thank you for doing your research on food! You have your puppy on the right track. If you're dedicated enough, you could try a raw diet. If you do attempt it, be sure you do a lot of research and speak with other raw feeders to ensure you prepare a well-balanced meal for your puppy. Raw is best, but I, personally, do not have enough time or knowledge to prepare a well-balanced raw diet, so a high quality kibble is next in line.

Edit: Please try to stay away from brands such as Iams, Eukanuba, Pedigree, Kibbles n Bits, Purina, Science Diet, etc. Basically anything you can get at grocery stores or retail stores are crap. They have tons of fillers and by-products. Vets recommend these foods because they are vendors and get paid to sell it. They do NOT take a course on dog nutrition, so it's up to you to analyze the ingredient label on dog food and decide which is best.

Answer 3

I don't know much about Chicken Soup line of foods, but I've heard they are good. If you're already feeding a good food and your dog is doing well on it, you really (imo) should be careful about switching it. Make sure you do your homework to find the best new food for your dog. You have time, your dog is already on a very good food as it is.

I'm going to assume you know about main ingredients. For me, a new food would definately have to have some good veggies in there (I'm not talking peas, I'm talking carrots, spinach, parsley etc). Check for probiotics (yogurt cultures). Ask the company about their processing (food cooked at a higher temperature looses more nutrional potency compared to foods cooked longer at a substantially lower temperature.

Another thing you can consider doing, is mix in some home cooking to your food. Do it gradually, but if I remember the ratio right, home cooking would be 65% protein, 20% grain, and 15% fruit and veggie. While a lot of people say all your dog should eat is kibble and a lot of people say home cooking (and they both have very good arguments) this is a way to do a bit of both for the benefit of your dog.

Answer 4

Ah, the eternal food question. Chicken Soup brand is a good food, as is California Natural, Wellness, Merrick, Orijen, Timberwolf Organics, Solid Gold, Canidae, and a flock of others. It sort of comes down to what's readily available and what he thrives on. Check out the following sites for a lot of information on dog foods. Raw feeding is good, but research it carefully if you want to go that route.

My prediction for his adult weight will be 50 -55 lbs., a medium sized dog.

Answer 5

I love this topic :P I hope for it everyday to be mentioned on yahoo
Anyways.. I did ask a topic like this, and I think chicken soup was reccomended? I'm not sure check my profile and find that question in my question area, there are some VERY good answers. My vet / petstores does not reccomend innova evo, or timberwolf and canidae to pups because its incredibly rich, it's a good thing, it's just they worry about your dog's digestion. However I feed mine canidae because its very reasonable as cheap as Iams, with enzymes few RICE ONLY grains.. and no byproducts or fillers =) If you worry go for wellness it's a good brand just not as a rich I think

You can keep feeding yours chicken soup if you want (i;m not sure how great it is) but if it's grocery brand cross that out and get a better one. Avoid stuff like.. byproduct, meats that aren't detailed "poultry".. POULTRY WHAT? artifical colors, and grains (except rice, a FEW rice is okay, more then 3-5.. cross out) hope that helps :) you can try vet food, science diet, or royal canines, ALTHOUGH they have byproducts and grain, it's specifically made for puppy's digestion

Answer 6

The vets at my clinic would say Innova Puppy, Innova Evo, Canidae PAWS, or Wellness Puppy Super 5 mix. I started with Evo, but it caused my puppies to have really bad diarrhea because it is so rich in protein. I switched them to Innova puppy, but I believe my puppies have a sensitive stomach, so I finally switched them to Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Rice Puppy Food. They haven't had a problem since I switched them. Everyone is going to give you their opinion, but I know a lot of dogs that have lived a long time on crappy food too. Good luck!

Answer 7

NO table scraps! Also avoid puppy foods with soybean products as fillers...does more harm than good and has no nutritive value for puppies I have a Chihuahua puppy and I use 'Maximum" brand puppy food...meets all nutritional requirements, has no soy products, and is very reasonably price. Best of all, the puppy loves it and does very well on it.

Chicken soup is NOT a good idea. More dogs are allergic to chicken products more than any other allergy.

Answer 8

If you have the time to prepare meals for him Raw is the way to go, if you can't USE Candidae (all life stages) or Nature's Variety (Raw) Instinct. ALL the other brands recommended have a lot of fillers and grains, yes even Science Diet, read the packages, you'll see I'm right. We feed a combination of Candidae and Instinct and then they (I have 6 dogs) get a treat of RAW beef ribs (do not cook or broil), cut em up and let him have them. You'll have a healthy happy pup!

Answer 9

Blackwood 2000, National puppy or National Competition Extra. I am not a big fan of puppy foods. I have raised dozens of healthy pups on adult food. Just be sure to feed a quality food, nothing from the grocery store or walmart.

Answer 10

Purina ProPlan and Purina One are one of the best dog or puppy foods you can buy. Read the ingredients on the bags or cans and you will find that most of the foods on the market these day have CORN. That is one ingredient that dogs do not need because it cause problems with their digestive system. When reading the label what ever is listed first, is the main ingredient for that particular food.
I currently have 14 huskies and they all are very healthy thanks to Purina and the loving care that my husband and I give them.