Do I mix food with water to make it soft for the baby?

[tassibo]

I am the proud owner of a 8 week old Yorkie. The breeder said to water down his dry dog food. How do I do this? How much do I give him? Any help is appreciated

[Superpup]

You can make his hard kibble food soft for him by soaking it in warm water, but you must refrigerate it.

A pup gets about 1 tablespoon of food per pound for each meal.

Get a good tight fitting tuperware-like container, put in about 2 days worth of kibble, cover kibble with warm water, use purified water.

The kibble will soak up the water and expand. You can mash it up for pup.

Try Wellness Super5 Puppy Mix. Very small kibble.

[Lacy's Mom]

I prefer putting the dry kibble in a food processor or blender and turning it into a powder then it mixes easily within seconds with hot water and you can make a fresh serving each time without the risk of bacteria forming.

At 8 weeks he should also be capable of eating dry food just as it comes so be sure and leave some of that out in a bowl along with his water. The goal is to get him eating only the dry so he can have healthy teeth.

Keep him on whatever food the breeder had him on so you don't cause a digestive upset. Hopefully, it is a good quality puppy formula with no meat products or no corn. If not, look at changing it in about two or three months after he is well settled in. Very slowly, of course, by adding a little of the new with the old over a two week period.

[tassibo]

What is a good quality puppy formula?

[Lacy's Mom]

There are a lot of different ones, but you won't find them in a department store or grocery store, you must go to a pet store. Look for one that has a meat (no by products) listed as the first ingredient and no corn in the first five ingredients and that is a good start.

I feed Natural Choice Ultra by Nutro, but here is a list of the top foods.

Here is the 2006 Whole Dog Journal-Top Dry Dog Food list I found on another forum:

Artemis: www.artemispetfood.com
Azmira: www.azmira.com
Back to Basics: www.beowulfs.com
Bench & Field Holistic Natural Canine: www.benchandfield.com
Blue Buffalo: www.bluebuff.com
Burns: www.bpn4u.com
by Nature BrightLife: www.bynaturepetfoods.com
California Natural: www.naturapet.com
Canidae: www.canidae.com
Canine Caviar: www.caninecaviar.com
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul: www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com
Cloud Star Kibble: www.cloudstar.com
Drs. Foster & Smith: www.drsfostersmith.com
Eagle Pack Holistic Select: www.eaglepack.com
Evolve: www.evolvepet.com
Firstmate Dog Food: www.firstmate.com
Flint River Ranch: www.flintriver-pet-food.com
Foundations: www.petcurean.com
Fromm Four Star Nutritionals: www.frommfamilyfoods.com
Go! Natural: www.petcurean.com
Hund-N-Flocken: www.solidgoldhealth.com
Innova: www.naturapet.com
Innova Evo: www.naturapet.com
Karma Organic: www.karmaorganic.com
Lick Your Chops: www.healthypetfoodsinc.com
Lifespan: www.petguard.com
Limited Diets: www.royalcanin.us
Merrick Pet Foods: www.merrickpetcare.com
Mmillennia: www.solidgoldhealth.com
Natural Balance Ultra Premium: www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Choice Ultra: www.nutroproducts.com
Newman's Own Organics: www.newmansownorganics.com
NutriSource: www.nutrisourcedogfood.com
Organix: www.castorpolluxpet.com
Performatrin Ultra: www.performatrinultra.com
PHD Viand: www.phdproducts.com
Pinnacle: www.breeders-choice.com
Prairie: www.naturesvariety.com
Premium Edge: www.premiumedgepetfood.com
Prime Life: www.ompetproducts.com
Royal Canin Natural Blend: www.royalcanin.us
Timberwolf Organics: timberwolforganics.com
VeRUS: www.veruspetfoods.com
Wellness: www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Wellness Simple Food Solutions: www.oldmotherhubbard.com
Wenawe: www.wenawe.com.uy
Wysong: www.wysong.net
Zinpro: www.lincolnbiotech.com

[tassibo]

the breeder had him on puppy chow. do i need to change this???

[Lacy's Mom]

There's a post somewhere on here that tells you how to grade dog food - Puppy Chow would get a big fat F.

Here's the ingredients - first product is corn- ground the worst, cheap source of protein and very difficult to digest - how many wild dogs do you see chowing down on corn??? Next ingredient is a meat by product this means chicken guts, chicken feet and beaks, etc., can it get worst but to list corn again and than soybean is also a negative. I don't see any Omega 3 or 6 fatty acids, other than yeast and some are allergic to that.

I was hoping your breeder started him on something a little better. I, personally would change that food as soon as possible so he can have a nice shiny coat. Keep feeding him the puppy chow wet as his meals, but choose one of the quality foods and put it in a bowl and offer that dry.

Ingredients:
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), pearled barley, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, animal digest, salt, egg product, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, zinc proteinate, choline chloride, DL-Methionine, vitamin supplements (E, A, B 12, D 3), manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), niacin, brewers dried yeast, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

[Lacy's Mom]

Here's the grading information I was talking about. Just a quick look and puppy chow was a 73 and since 69 is an F (according to this chart) I guess I was slightly wrong, just a big fat low D.

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product"1) For every listing

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat,
meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract
5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâ?Ts rice", "rice
flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than
2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract
2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point



Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2
points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than

the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one
protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1
point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point



94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't
see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.

Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A
__________________

[Lacy's Mom]

I didn't take off the 3 points for artificial colors so now were at 70, getting closer to that F.

[tassibo]

[QUOTE=Lacy's Mom]
Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't
see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.

How about Eukanuba puppy?

[SONYSW]

I would stay away from IAM, Eukanuba, Purina, Cesar and pedigree. I have similar problem when I get my chelsea. If your puppy is a picky eater you can choose merrick brand. They are really tasty. You can also glaze the dry food, let say Innova with Merrick can food (one teaspoon just for the taste). I guarantee he/she will eat the bowl clean. Good Luck ! Once he/she eats, stay with the same brand for awhile. Don't change it !

[Lacy's Mom]

Eukanuba small breed puppy's first ingredient is chicken meal, but the second is chicken-by-products (beaks, feet, carcass - all the unedible and undigestible parts of the chicken) and then you have corn meal listed next. So it's not the worse food out there (Puppy Chow, Iams would rate lower), but there are definitely better foods available and the price is hardly any more for one of the premium foods with no corn and no by-products.

It scores about an 82.