Is Science Diet for puppys good to feed to pups or is there better?

Question

I usualy feed my almost 3 month old pit bull terrier 2 times a day, is that good? I've heard of people feeding them 3 times a day.

Answer 1

Im not afraid to say it. Science Diet is garbage!
You asked and YES there is better. Much better.
Two that I will mention right now are:
Canidae (It's what I feed my pup) and
California Natural
Also,
Puppies should be fed 3-4 times a day till at least 6 months of age because of their increased metabolic rate.

Answer 2

There is definately better food. Science Diet is alright and some dogs do fine on it but there are much better foods. The main ingredient in Science diet is corn you should look for a food that has a meat as the main ingredient and not just meat by-product. Some by-products are OK in a food, in the wild the would eat bone, skin etc and there can be important nutrients in these things; though in commercial dog foods these can be added. Nevertheless a by-product shouldn't be the main ingredient either it should be a real meat. Personally I feed my dogs Nutro (my vet agrees that it is a decent food) There are better than Nutro as well but my dog doesn't like them go figure. :) Innova is probably one of the best foods on the market but it is expensive. Just check ingredients on the bag and avoid any food with a grain as the main ingredient. In addition a lot of dogs have allergies to soy or sometimes corn so be aware of what is in the food in that department too. If nothing else, ask your vet what they think. Also, it is good to feed dogs twice a day, especially young dogs. Technically older dogs you could feed once a day but most people agree that twice is better. You can feed young puppies three times a day but for a lot of people who work etc it is difficult to do this. At 3 months you could feed 3 times for the next month or so if you want to and then go down to 2 times but I wouldn't be too worried. Have fun with your puppy.

Answer 3

DP has ir right. Research the food that will best fit your dog. Some top brands to look at would be Royal Canin, Nutro (Ultra or Natural Choice), Bil Jack, INova - and there are several more.

What you want to look for are the following:

Protein being the FIRST ingrediant. What fillers they use and the effect it may have on your dog. For example, a lot of dog foods use corn or barley. They can not be digested by dogs and can cause stomach and intestine problems. So you wan to aim for rice or wheat. However if your dog has allergies you don't want wheat.. just rice.

Also, a lot of dog foods add extra vitamins and minerals. Royal Canin and Nutro (for example off the top of my head) have large breed formulas aimed at controlling the growth of big dogs. This doesn't stunt the growth it just offers more nutrients to joints, bones, heart and other systems so you don't have arthritis, dysplasia, or other symptoms large or giant breeds suffer from.

I have a pitt bull and she's been on Nutro Natural Choice all her life. I feed her twice a day and refer to the bag for measurements.

Just google - "Premium Dog Food". Read some ingrediants, what they do, testimonials and reviews.

Good Luck - and good choice dog!!

Answer 4

Most Science food regimen alternatives are bad quality. A few of the 'prescription' picks are mediocre pleasant. None of their foods are exceptional. Vets are paid to sell and endorse Science food plan and other major brands like Iams, Purina, Pedigree, etc. Many dogs have a sensitivity or hypersensitivity to wheat, corn or soy products, and any canine that isn't allergic still cannot digest these materials or byproducts well. Once I review a dog food, I appear for the next: No wheat, corn, soy, or byproducts (including animal, brewer's rice, beet pulp, etc), no artificial preservatives, human grade constituents, and three of the primary 5 elements should be meat products.

Answer 5

I'm not a big fan of Science Diet. In fact, I usually recommend Purina One over Science Diet. Here are a few simple rules in choosing dog food.

1. Meat or Meat Meal should always be the first ingredient. It should be clearly labeled as to what animal the meat came from. It should not be By-Products as they are parts of the animal not meant for human consumption and can include parts such as heads, feet, and skin. The more meat at the top of the list, the better.

2. Limit corn, wheat, and soy. They are common allergens and have little nutritional value for you dog. Whole grains like rice, oats, and barley are good though. Look out for grain splitting (listing parts of a grain several times) as it could indicate there is more of that grain than meat.

3. No artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors. They've been linked to cancer and hyperactivity in dogs.

There are a lot of better foods out there. Some of my faves include Blue Buffalo (available at PetsMart), Solid Gold (available at Petco), and Timberwolf Organics (available on-line and in small stores).

As far as how often to feed, I recommend 3 times a day until they are about 12 to 16 weeks old.

Hope that helps.

Answer 6

I am wary of even discussing dog food... cause people tend to pitch a fit if you tell them their dog food isn't any good.. It is very easy now with the internet to research the ingredients in the dog foods.. It's very easy to find out which are allergens, which are cancer causing preservatives, and what constitutes a good quality dog food. You should do some research and learn about foods and what you would feel comfortable feeding your dogs..
I feed the Canidae All Life Stages, and wouldn't feed the Science Diet if it was the last food out there.. But you have to make your own decision.

Answer 7

I am fostering a little pit x right now (7 weeks) and he easts innova dry mixed with Merrick wet.

personally (and if you study food ingredients you will probably agree) I think science diet is just expensive junk with a professional sounding name. i would never feed it to a dog or puppy, cat or kitten unless they absolutely had to have a prescription diet.

Answer 8

I used to feed my chi SD until I heard on here that it was all fillers. I was given the advice to try Inova. I fed my dog 3x until he was 4months then just two. Two times a day is fine if he is shying away from eatting the third helping. If your pup is very active 3x a day is probably best until 4months. Good Luck

Answer 9

My dog has eaten Science Diet for all her life and she is a happy healthy dog. She gets wet twice a day and if she is still hungry because we went for extra walks, she always has a bowl of dry Science Diet that she eats and likes. She has never had any health problems. Her treats are also Science Diet lite and she loves them too.

She is a small dog so she has to eats the small bites dry dog food.

Answer 10

I personally wouldn't use Science Diet if it were free. The puppy food is full of fillers and byproducts. In fact, there's *not a single actual meat* in it!

Here is a review of Science Diet puppy food:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=138&cat=all

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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.

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Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food.

Here is my "short list" of rules when I am looking at dog ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!).
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don't want to see any byproducts.
4) I don't want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don't want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don't want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don't want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don't want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as "meat" or "poultry".)

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 :
* Artemis - http://www.artemiscompany.com/
* California Natural - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/california-natural.asp
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Chicken Soup - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp
* Fromm - http://www.frommfamily.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/

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, 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
.