Food advice please

[Ciren]

Up till now i had planned to feed Peaches on a well balanced dry food, unfortunetly it appears she doesnt like dry food. well as long as she has a well balanced diet that is fine with me.

the thing is i would now appreciate advice on what brands would be good, your experiences etc etc.

thank you in advance.

[Cavvygirl]

I would personally keep her on the food she has been used to, at least for a few weeks whilst she is settling in.

[Ciren]

thats half the problem, because of her circumstances we don't know what she is used to. the fosterer said she didnt like dry and gave me a tin of wet food. obviously i need to buy her more.

altho by hints i will get chicken flavour

she was rescued from the farm last thursday.

[CupofDog]

thats half the problem, because of her circumstances we don't know what she is used to. the fosterer said she didnt like dry and gave me a tin of wet food. obviously i need to buy her more.

altho by hints i will get chicken flavour

she was rescued from the farm last thursday.

What a blessing that you rescued her! I got my rescue (a Yorkie mix, not my Cav onto her new food by using it as treats.

Have you tried mixing the wet with kibble? Just make sure you mash it up well so she can't pick out the wet food!

[Mom of Jato]

I would also suggest taking the dry food you have already purchased and mixing it well with a canned food, and maybe even a bit of warm water to make a gravy. I like the idea of using a kibble of the dry food for training. That will get her used to the "crunch". I personally use Canidae food for Jato. Good Luck!

[Ciren]

lots of good idea's thank you.

i havent actually bought her any yet as i was told i would be given a starter pack with her which inc food. i presumed she would have been fed on that and (to be blunt) the fosterer was rude about the food that is given out) now i am totally confused.

[*Pauline*]

What food do you have for her now?

[Ciren]

a bag of burns (the foster guy it gives the dogs diorhea but they sponser the centre so they have to hand it out) and a tin of meat. oh and some boiled chicken.

the local shop sells purina one.
http://www.purinaone.co.uk/uk/dog/

apparently at the fosterer's she was spoiled rotten and given ham and chicken bits. i must admit i am kinda annoyed as if i had known this sooner i would have been better prepared.

[Karlin]

OK, let's consider a couple of things. People are not necessarily right simply because they are fostering a dog. The dvice you are getting from the foster is ridiculous (but don;t tell him that!).

Burns is an EXCELLENT dry food. You also really NEED to feed at least a dry food in part, as a soft diet can ruin their teeth and gums. So I'd definitely advise sticking with Burns as a great choice of dry. You also need to stop letting the DOG run the show. Please read this which has some good advice for dealing with what you are encountering: http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=24168

You can add in small amounts of cooked chicken (skin off) or trimmed ham (no fat) or other things, but only feeding them ham or chicken is NOT a good diet and the foster has not helped the situation of improving her diet by feeding her only this! I would not feed anything except the dry food until she is eating her entire bowl when it is put down for her. Wait a month or so, then introduce some goodies mixed in if you'd like. You need to get her eating a healthy quality dry food and not give her the opportunity to pick out just the goodies, which is what she is likely to do right now.

I might go back and talk to the rescue about your concern about this range of advice as I'd be going ballistic if anyone fostering for me was 1) rude to the adopting family; 2) belittling the excellent food being offered by a company that is obviously supporting the rescue!; 3) feeding a foster so poorly. They'd be off my foster list in a nanosecond. I'd ask the rescue, and not the foster, for care advice anyway. I'd certainly let them know the foster was saying this about a sponsor's food.

Purina One is not a great food choice. I'd stick with Burns or go for James Wellbeloved or Royal Canin in the UK -- all are generally easily available at pet shops. Supermarket foods are all mediocre quality (that is why they are cheap and in the supermarket). Go for the largest available bags and simply close them tightly or get a sealed bin for the food to keep it fresh, and you will save money even over the cost of junky supermarket foods.

As noted on a different thread, I'd also asap order one of Ian Dunbar's books on dog care from amazon.co.uk as it will answer myriad questions you will have over the life of your new dog.

[*Pauline*]

Maybe if Peaches was on a different food then suddenly changed to Burns at the foster home she would get diarrhoea but Burns is a really top quality food. Dry food like Karlin says is better for teeth and gums. I would stick to this and not give any soft food or chicken for now, if you do, she'll only turn her nose up at the dry food. She isn't under weight by the look of her and she won't starve herself.