kibble help

[aleethomas]

Padden is now 4 months and after taking her to the vet and asking about food he said it doesn't matter what I feed her (this seemed concerning to me...) and that she can eat puppy kibble until she's 1 yr old.

I feed her Bil Jac puppy (what the breeder had her on) but I keep reading on this forum of others who's puppies are on adult food. Her bag of food is almost out so now would be a good time to make a switch.

Should I keep her on Bil Jac puppy or is there something better out there? What about puppy vs. adult?

I would prefer an all natural food but when I go to the pet store its all so overwhelming and I just end up leaving with what she's been eating.

she's picky about what she eats too. She will only eat her kibble if its in a toy that drops it out. She likes it on the floor one piece at a time. Without the toy she doesn't eat much out of the food bowl. Maybe a different food would help? (we just got the toy a few days ago and she's eating a lot more now which helps keep her stools regular)

Any suggestions would be great!

[Kodee]

I hear you on the confusion part! Been fussing since before she came!

Some say puppy food others adamat dont - I'm no expert, but have read both sides and just recently made up my mind what WORKS for us.

At four mths if your unsure as to puppy or adult you could use one of the all stages food that is approved for both. Since my puppy does have a loose stool issue and I dont want to keep trying different puppy foods which can be rich, I am going to sit on the fence and use the Life All Stages. I'm trying Canidae but there are lots of other Life All Stages brands to look into.

[IsabellaBugatti]

I fed Bella puppy food until she was a year old. She started out on Bill Jac, but I switched her to Nutro Ultra Puppy around 6 months (gradually). She was a very picky eater as a puppy - as you described. She didn't want to eat out of the bowl, only if she found piece on the floor, in her kong, or if we tossed it like a game. Now that she has switched to adult food, she seems to eat a lot better and on her own. Don't know that this was much help, but just wanted to reassure you that you're not the only one. Bella did just fine, and probably would have been a better eater as a puppy if we had not catered to her whims as much.

[Scouty girl]

I recently changed Scout, who is 10 1/2 months old, to ProPlan adult Chicken and Rice. I have been feeding my dogs ProPlan since 1990. They do very well with it and their stools are minimal and very firm. Scout will eat it plain just dry. Breeze the Newf, will eat it plain, but prefers a small amount, one tablespoon, of wet mixed in.

I hope this helped. That's odd your vet said feed anything. My vet feeds her dogs ProPlan and they give you a free bag (5lbs) when you get a new puppy!

I was told one time, years ago, to look at the ingredients on the bag. ProPlans first ingredient is Chicken. Not chicken by products or chicken meal. Supposedly that means it's made with whole chicken parts, but of course I'm not a dog food ingredient expert

[Scouty girl]

I just reread your post. You puppy is only four months old.....I would definetely keep her on puppy food. But I still recommend ProPlan. Iv'e had good luck with that brand.

[Remali]

I kept Bentley on puppy food till he was about a year. he had some loose stool issues with a couple brands of dog food, till I finally got him on a natural chicken meal and rice formula, he gets California Natural and he loves it.

[Cathy Moon]

I would not feed ProPlan as it contains too much corn and other fillers, and chicken by-products.

Several high quality foods in the US are Innova, California Natural, Wellness, Canidae, Merricks, Pinnacle and there are others. Even Chicken Soup for Dog Lovers is good.

Purina, Iams, Eukanuba are not high quality foods. There are threads about feeding your dog in the library section of this forum.

[aleethomas]

cathy, thank you for the brand recommendations & I'm looking through the library for more info. I read the ingredients on her bil jac puppy and there is a lot of by-products. So I'm definitely switching her over.

thanks!

[Cathy Moon]

Hey, there's one more good brand I neglected to mention - Royal Canin Adult 27. You can buy this at PetSmart and Pet SuppliesPlus!