Purina Puppy Chow.. really? Hm.

[jaehyeon]

The breeder I'm getting my puppy from feeds them a vitamin called Nuvet Plus (ever heard of that?) and Purina Puppy Chow. Any thoughts? I read somewhere you shouldn't change their food until they're 8 months old. I dunno if I wanna feed him Purina until then.

[KazzyK810]

I would change food right away. So much important growth and development is occurring in the first few months, it is critical to feed a high quality food.

[jaehyeon]

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

I would change food right away. So much important growth and development is occurring in the first few months, it is critical to feed a high quality food.

Would doing the Nuvet Plus vitamins be too much with a high quality food?

[KazzyK810]

Originally Posted by jaehyeon

Would doing the Nuvet Plus vitamins be too much with a high quality food?

I'm no nutritionist. I don't understand the need for additional vitamins if feeding a quality kibble. Vitamins are to replace nutrients lacking by those with poor nutrition..picky eaters, etc. Other supplements are purpose specific, such as joint supplements for senior arthritic dogs.

I'm confused by a breeder feeding a poor quality food and then using vitamin supplements. Doing minimal research of the brand, i see it mentioned that they support large breeding facilities...that means puppymills to me. What kind of a breeder did you buy your puppy from?

[Yorkiemom1]

"Support large breeding facilities" can also mean "no BYB's". Under new federal mandates with all the regulations and requirements and restrictions imposed on breeders, it is a reality that "large breeding facilities" are actually well scrutinized, closely monitored, and meet all requirements and mandates issued by the federal government, in their attempt to eradicate puppy mills, hobby breeders and fanciers, and meet USDA laws.

[Lovetodream88]

I would wait a month or two and then change the food. They need time to adjust before taking the one thing they have that was the same.

[lilyorkiemilo]

My baby Paris was on purina puppy chow when I got her. I went to 2 different stores looking for it and couldn't find it. The breeder sent me home with a few feedings worth. The day after I got her I went to petsmart and got simply nourish puppy and started mixing it right away. Maybe I did it wrong and I understand the reasoning for a slow transition but my puppy was fine. I couldn't leave her on that awful food even though the vet said she was healthy.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by lilyorkiemilo

My baby Paris was on purina puppy chow when I got her. I went to 2 different stores looking for it and couldn't find it. The breeder sent me home with a few feedings worth. The day after I got her I went to petsmart and got simply nourish puppy and started mixing it right away. Maybe I did it wrong and I understand the reasoning for a slow transition but my puppy was fine. I couldn't leave her on that awful food even though the vet said she was healthy.

We've never had a dog in our family that had a problem switching cold turkey. But I know some dogs have finicky stomachs, but I can't say I've ever had a problem if you feel inclined to switch, I wouldn't fret too much.

[Yorkiemom1]

If you are interested in knowing what your puppy's nutritional needs are, based on scientific research and not information based on any brand of pet food, there are great educational materials....I have copies of many, many articles on dog food and nutrition and what you dog actually needs nutrition wise, at all stages of their life. I can not copy/paste those articles because they wont allow it.

You can learn what your dogs nutritional needs are, based on scientific research, produced by the National Research Council of the National Academies, who are advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine. You can access their site by http://dels.nes.edu/banr. Also check out Home | National-Academies.org | Where the Nation Turns for Independent, Expert Advice

These sites give you unbiased information on exactly what your puppy/dog requires for proper nutrition. These people do not formulate or sell or recommend pet food, it is all scientific and evidenced based research. There is no recommendations for a specific brand, but you can get the percentages needed of protein, fats, carbs, etc, as well as minerals and vitamins. You can check the brand you select with what is scientifically researched and determined as necessary for proper nutrition for your dog.....what some people consider "crappy food" is crappy because it does not meet the owners requirement for their pet, what owners like and do not like, and it may in fact, not be crappy at all, based on food for your pet!

Do your own research, using scientific and medical research, not hear say or opinions that are not based on solid, verified research! Good luck with your quest for "The Perfect Food"!!! I would strongly suggest you take a can of that Purina puppy food, compare it to the "recommended daily requirements" as given on the site I gave you, and see if it meets those requirements, without the supplement the breeder is also giving. If it meets the daily requirements, I would NOT be changing a brand new puppy to a brand new food as soon as you get her home. It is unnecessary stress on that puppy, and you can easily create more issues than you think your are avoiding.

[BorderKelpie]

Another good place to visit on the web is Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor

Check to find what food interests you, then, you can look up that food and do the store locator so you can find a source close to you.

I would get that puppy off Purina ASAP. As small as Yorkies are and as tiny as their stomachs are, there is no reason to fill it full of junk and fillers. Small dogs need good quality food more than larger dogs IMHO since they can only take in a limited amount of food. (and NO, I feed my big dogs high quality food, too - they actually work and don't have room to fit junk either)

Oh! I just looked up Purina Puppy Chow - 1 star. Only 1 star. Blech! Yes, please put your baby on something better.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by BorderKelpie

Another good place to visit on the web is Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor

Check to find what food interests you, then, you can look up that food and do the store locator so you can find a source close to you.

I would get that puppy off Purina ASAP. As small as Yorkies are and as tiny as their stomachs are, there is no reason to fill it full of junk and fillers. Small dogs need good quality food more than larger dogs IMHO since they can only take in a limited amount of food. (and NO, I feed my big dogs high quality food, too - they actually work and don't have room to fit junk either)

Oh! I just looked up Purina Puppy Chow - 1 star. Only 1 star. Blech! Yes, please put your baby on something better.

Dog Food Advisor is not based strictly on science research, I dont think....this is why I directed the OP to a sit that is not biased, has no agenda of their own, does not promote brands of dog food..... What does Dog Food Adviser base his ratings on? Why does he think Purina Puppy food only merrits one star? What does he base that on? I have no idea....I do not feed Purina, but if I was getting a puppy that was started on Purina, I would quickly find out if that food actually did meet the recommended daily requirements a puppy needs....if the Purina Puppy Chow did, I would not take the only thing that baby knows and is familiar with, away from him at a time when he is going to be inundated by all the environmental changes he is going to have to deal with.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

If you are interested in knowing what your puppy's nutritional needs are, based on scientific research and not information based on any brand of pet food, there are great educational materials....I have copies of many, many articles on dog food and nutrition and what you dog actually needs nutrition wise, at all stages of their life. I can not copy/paste those articles because they wont allow it.

You can learn what your dogs nutritional needs are, based on scientific research, produced by the National Research Council of the National Academies, who are advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine. You can access their site by http://dels.nes.edu/banr. Also check out Home | National-Academies.org | Where the Nation Turns for Independent, Expert Advice

These sites give you unbiased information on exactly what your puppy/dog requires for proper nutrition. These people do not formulate or sell or recommend pet food, it is all scientific and evidenced based research. There is no recommendations for a specific brand, but you can get the percentages needed of protein, fats, carbs, etc, as well as minerals and vitamins. You can check the brand you select with what is scientifically researched and determined as necessary for proper nutrition for your dog.....what some people consider "crappy food" is crappy because it does not meet the owners requirement for their pet, what owners like and do not like, and it may in fact, not be crappy at all, based on food for your pet!

Do your own research, using scientific and medical research, not hear say or opinions that are not based on solid, verified research! Good luck with your quest for "The Perfect Food"!!! I would strongly suggest you take a can of that Purina puppy food, compare it to the "recommended daily requirements" as given on the site I gave you, and see if it meets those requirements, without the supplement the breeder is also giving. If it meets the daily requirements, I would NOT be changing a brand new puppy to a brand new food as soon as you get her home. It is unnecessary stress on that puppy, and you can easily create more issues than you think your are avoiding.

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

[/B]

Dog Food Advisor is not based strictly on science research, I dont think....this is why I directed the OP to a sit that is not biased, has no agenda of their own, does not promote brands of dog food..... What does Dog Food Adviser base his ratings on? Why does he think Purina Puppy food only merrits one star? What does he base that on? I have no idea....I do not feed Purina, but if I was getting a puppy that was started on Purina, I would quickly find out if that food actually did meet the recommended daily requirements a puppy needs....if the Purina Puppy Chow did, I would not take the only thing that baby knows and is familiar with, away from him at a time when he is going to be inundated by all the environmental changes he is going to have to deal with.

[BorderKelpie]

I usually recomend it because sometimes people don't want to or can not deal with alot of scientific jargon. Dog Food Advisor is not run or supported by any dog food companies. They base their ratings on ingredients, etc. They are a team of (medical) doctors, research assistants and a veterinarian.

Purina Puppy Chow recieved that rating based on the amount of cheap fillers and low quality ingredients. I base my opinion on Purina over the fact that once upon a time, I fed it to everything - from my horses and goats to dogs and cats. Once they were bought out (by Nestle), I noticed issues with GI distress. There were some lawsuits at one point due to show rabbits fed strictly Purina and dying all of a sudden. Turns out, they didn't have to update their ingredient list right away and animals have a difficult time adapting to the abrupt change to a corn based diet. Corn is a food item that, if it weren't for humans cultivating it, would most likely be extinct now - not much nutritional value. Wheat, commonly found as a filler in dog food is a common trigger for allergic type responses. Actually, for humans with chronic inflammatory diseases, it is recommended they stop eating wheat and wheat products. It is a known inflammatory agent.

Choosing a diet for a pet dog, cat, or even choosing your own diet should be based on good sound common sense. Once upon a time, we had that food pyramid, my mother 'tried' to follow that. Turns out, it was a disaster for me and my family. We did not do well on it at all. I have done a lot of research on my own since then and have Learned some interesting things.

Just a teaser - those fruits and veggies we are eating more of because they're healthy - check out fungicide, pesticide and bacterial contamination reports on those. I grow some of my own food now and plan on working it up to most of my food. Not that it will help with the poisons in the soil already.

Just because someone has the appropiate initials after their name doesn't necessarily mean I am going to take their word for anything. My veterianarian who has been practising a very long time, is still convinced that Science Diet and Purina are good diets and stills recommends those to his patients. Although, he still insists on yearly vaccines and puts every one on steroids for whatever. *sigh*
The NAP site is a new one for me. I will be looking into it.

[BorderKelpie]

Purina Puppy Chow Ingredients: Whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of vitamin E), soybean meal, egg and chicken flavor, brewers rice, barley, animal digest, calcium phosphate, fish oil, calcium carbonate, dried yeast, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, l-lysine monohydrochloride, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, yellow 6, ferrous sulfate, dl-methionine, yellow 5, red 40, manganese sulfate, niacin, vitamin A supplement, blue 2, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by BorderKelpie

I usually recomend it because sometimes people don't want to or can not deal with alot of scientific jargon. Dog Food Advisor is not run or supported by any dog food companies. They base their ratings on ingredients, etc. They are a team of (medical) doctors, research assistants and a veterinarian.

Purina Puppy Chow recieved that rating based on the amount of cheap fillers and low quality ingredients. I base my opinion on Purina over the fact that once upon a time, I fed it to everything - from my horses and goats to dogs and cats. Once they were bought out (by Nestle), I noticed issues with GI distress. There were some lawsuits at one point due to show rabbits fed strictly Purina and dying all of a sudden. Turns out, they didn't have to update their ingredient list right away and animals have a difficult time adapting to the abrupt change to a corn based diet. Corn is a food item that, if it weren't for humans cultivating it, would most likely be extinct now - not much nutritional value. Wheat, commonly found as a filler in dog food is a common trigger for allergic type responses. Actually, for humans with chronic inflammatory diseases, it is recommended they stop eating wheat and wheat products. It is a known inflammatory agent.

Choosing a diet for a pet dog, cat, or even choosing your own diet should be based on good sound common sense. Once upon a time, we had that food pyramid, my mother 'tried' to follow that. Turns out, it was a disaster for me and my family. We did not do well on it at all. I have done a lot of research on my own since then and have Learned some interesting things.

Just a teaser - those fruits and veggies we are eating more of because they're healthy - check out fungicide, pesticide and bacterial contamination reports on those. I grow some of my own food now and plan on working it up to most of my food. Not that it will help with the poisons in the soil already.

Just because someone has the appropiate initials after their name doesn't necessarily mean I am going to take their word for anything. My veterianarian who has been practising a very long time, is still convinced that Science Diet and Purina are good diets and stills recommends those to his patients. Although, he still insists on yearly vaccines and puts every one on steroids for whatever. *sigh*
The NAP site is a new one for me. I will be looking into it.

I think you need to double check that statement. To my knowledge, the site is run by a human dentist. I also think it might be of interest to you to know that he makes money off that website.

My dogs only eat foods that I cook, or they are on Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance OR RX foods from Hill's, Royal Canin and Purina. They are excellent companies and can be trusted.

Yearly vaccines are a no no .... As for the comment about "every one" being put on steroids I am surprised. If my vet did that, I would be looking for a new vet.