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dog food

Im just wondering whats the best dog food to give a cavalier puppy..? I got a new puppy(pippa) a week ago, the breeder gave me a bag of gain dog food. is the food shes on ok, or will i change it?
i also have a 15 month old cavalier and shes on royal canin cavalier dog food.. i cant give it to pippa as shes only 9 weeks. any suggestions??
 
If this is what your breeder started her on I'd be slow to change it.Changing a puppy food is like changing an infant formula and if you change suddenly it may cause stomach upset.If you feel she's not thriving on the food,then change it by slowly by adding the new food to the Gain and over about ten days,increasing the proportion of the new food every day.You can feed a puppy an adult food if you wish,many people prefer to do that.Just soak it with water for an hour or two and let it soften,I presume you're doing that already anyway.
Sins
 
Yes at the moment im soaking the gain food in water.. as the breeder told me to do this. when would she be able to eat the food without soaking it in water?
 
Just wondering about soaking the food. I have a sick puppy who is on the Z/D perscription food. THe pellets are so large i am putting them into the blender to break down. Hadnt thought and the vet never suggested soaking them.
How long do you usually do this for?
L
 
Goodness,it's so long ago since I had to feed a puppy,over 2 years.:)
I used to prepare the food about three hours in advance and feed three times a day.
I can't remember when she went onto dry kibble...maybe 20 weeks(ish).
Ideally dry kibble is best for their teeth but if the pup is feeding poorly I'd prefer to get the food into him/her as a priority.
I had a red scoop from a tin of porridge and for every one scoop I'd add three times the volume of water and it would swell up nicely and soften.
Someone here suggested to me to use warm water to release a fatty aroma but my lady ate everything anyway.
Sins
 
I soak it in boilin water and wait for it too cool down, living a tiny bit of water as she likes to lick it.. i purchased royal canin junior puppy food today, as i was asking the petshop have they any gain puppy food in stock and they said no.. they also said that gain food is not very nutritious and isnt very good for puppys to thrive on.. he suggested the rc junior food.. i mixed a small bit in her food today and she loved it.. ate every bit. she normally leaves a tiny bit in the bowl. she obviously loved it!!:)
 
Your pup should be fine on RC Cavalier. My breeder supplied puppy biscuit (which she refused ) and some RC Cavalier. Lucy (4 months) prefers RC Cav with a few JW Duck n Rice kibble mixed in with the meat. The Duck n Rice looks a large biscuit, but is flat and easy for tinies to manage.
 
Ah, the great food debate!

Everyone has an opinion on dog food and there is quite a lot of dodgy info on what to feed them out there. Plenty breeders and general doggie people don't feed puppy food at all, just smaller amounts of adult food, which is perfectly good. I tend to feed puppy food until they are 6 months old just to give them the initial extra boost (usully switch when they get steralised at this age).

My opinion on it is that as long as they are getting a good quality food, you're on the right track. Wetting the food is great way to get them to eat it - it can stink up the kitchen a bit though. I usually put the food (one serving) in a cup and add about 3 times the amount of water as food (as sins already said). I use hot water and by the time it has cooled (so it is just warm) the food is ready to be eaten. When switching over the just dry, leave it to soak for shorter and shorter periods of time so that the water doesn't soften all the food, just the outside and the inside is left crunchy. Eventually, you'll be feeding all dry. Maybe start swithing around 10 - 12 weeks and gradually do it over a few weeks. Also (as sins said too ;)), if you are switching foods do it gradually becuase it can cause an upset belly.

On brands (this is my opinion), Royal Canin is great stuff. James Wellbeloved, Burns, Hills Sciene Plan and Arden Grangs are great too. These all do a puppy and adult version. I feed my lot Origen, which they thrive on and I haven't had problems with (yet! - one of my Cavs is prone to colitis). It really is about finding a food that you are happy and your dog are happy with. Good luck (y)
 
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