breeder told me to use purina puppy chow

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by iloveloki1972

thank you everyone!! I want to just do the best thing for him. not sure why the breeder is feeding him purina. but I do know purina is junk food so i wanted to switch to a better brand.for the health of my new baby!!

There not just junk they where the makers of waggin train chicken jerky that killed hundreds of dogs for years before they would pull it and they also make beneful dog food which has been linked to many dog deaths too

[gracielove]

It would be great if you could let him stay on what he is used to eating for a couple of weeks until he is settled in and the stress of moving to a new home has passed. However, since you have other dogs he is likely going to check out what they are eating. It is gong to be a chore keeping him out of their food for a couple of weeks.

Purina is garbage but he can exist on it for a while. They do put synthetic vitamins in it and that is basically what dogs exist on when they eat that stuff.

I hope he does well for you. Such a shame the breeder doesn't start his pups out on a better brand of food.

[iLoveLittleRoxy]

great advice!

Originally Posted by mimimomo

That's why most breeders have it in their contract to feed the same food until they're @ least 6 months old. If the puppy is 12-15 weeks old or bigger, about 2 #'s, it's less risky, but very dangerous for younger 8 week, under 2#'s pups. I also wonder why a breeder is feeding Purina in the 1st place. Is this what the momma eats too? It's not a 'premium brand', not the BEST food for breeding bitches.

Switching food on a very young puppy is very risky.
1. it can cause additional stress, stress = bloody poop
2. it can cause stomach upset, tummy upset = diarrhea
3. diarrhea + bloody poop = dehydration
4. dehydration in a small puppy + they lose their appetite = hypoglycemia
5. hypoglycemia + they can go downhill very fast = trip to the ER or vet

Some dogs do not eat the old food when you transition them, they will pick out the new & leave the old. So in this case, it's cold turkey & hope that they don't get a stomach upset. Some dogs do fine w/cold turkey switches, some do not. When switching from a store brand to a premium brand, they recommend transitioning slowly for 7-10 days. Just be prepared to take on the responsibility of what can happen when the pup gets any loose stool or diarrhea when switching foods, take them to the vet asap.

[horsnaround]

I would let him get comfortable in his new surroundings before I switched food and upset his tummy. Puppy's don't need that much stress all at once