I do believe that there are people that would have a difficult time feeding raw..it's not hard, but DOES require some forthought to do it correctly. I've been at it for 7 1/2 years,...so it's second nature to me. But you do need to plan & think especially in the begining.

I believe that there are dogs that can do better on a high end kibble. Some dogs NEED grains to keep weight on.

I have a male that runs it off & I have to give him a bit more food but he will always be a lean dog. Kinda like a marathon runner. All my dogs have been fed raw from weening & do well on it. But is was a challenge to keep my male from looking like a fammon victim as he was going from 1 to 3 when he metabilism was so super reved up. It's a bit more normal now..but he is still VERY active, in fact he never sits still most of the time. LOL

Barbara...keep calling around...you will find a place. Even if you have to travel a bit. I travel an hour away. When you buy in quantitiy.....you will only have to go every few months. My 200#s last me about 3 1/2 months. You have a business ID # & that may open the door for you as well. I didn't need to use it where I go...but I have heard of a couple of places that will only sell to someone that has a registured business. Doesn't have to be a restraunt one though.

Yeah, Missy switched over pretty easily to raw (she's been on it for 5 years now) and has done really great it. Then Kenzi threw me for a loop when trying to get everything right for her. Sigh. She has a crazy fast metabolism - 36# and needs at least 1400 calories/day to keep her at a good weight.

I took the stuff I had back because it had a tear in the bag. I was thinking of going back to diamond. I really need a good dog food in the $30 range and not the $60 range. I think I got a little excited about buying good food and bought what might be the best. http://www.petco.com/product/108011/Wellness-Super5Mix-Large-Breed-Puppy-Health-Puppy-Food.aspx

was the food i had.

so what do I get ? Do I go get a better bag of the same thing I had or do I get diamond ?

It comes down to what you're comfortable with feeding and what you feel will work with your budget.

On a scale of one to ten, with one being super cheap junk and ten being raw/homemade/THK I'd rate most grocery store brands 3-4. IAMS, Eukanuba and the like about a 5. Diamond Naturals about a 6.5. Wellness, Innova, CA naturals about an 8. Orijen and CORE a 9.

But also keep in mind that good nutrition is a cornerstone of good health. Spend a little more in the food department and you can save in the vet department.

So you've got to weigh all of that and make a decision that you're comfortable with

You have a pup that already has shown signs of digestive upset. Keep him on the rice mixture until you have a solid poop. Put him back on the Diamond, because that is what he is used to. Make sure he maintains solid poop on the Diamond. Give it a few days...while this is going on research good kibbles...figure out what you want to switch to...

Then, slowly start mixing the new food with the old food in gradually increasing amounts until he is only eating the new food. Take a week or two to make this happen. Monitor his stools...you will know if you added too much too fast.

And honestly, don't even think about raw yet. You have a lot of learning to do without adding that to the mix. Feeding raw to a puppy has to be very carefully balanced. At this point, consider the fact that you are learning to feed kibble.

ok thank you.

Rate this poo (LOL!)

Note: it was a fine poo till my 2 year old stepped on half of it! He seemed like he was a little backed up. Had a little bit of trouble but it came out. Probably the stupid other ground stuff he ate. I'm trying my best to catch him now!

The poo:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/Roguewardom/2011-05-0617-38-35809.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/Roguewardom/2011-05-0617-38-35328.jpg



It stayed whole when I pooper scooped it. I didn't take pic's of that.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (05/06/2011 06:49 PM)
Edit reason: unembedding oversize pics. Again.

I would now swap out some of the rice gruel for kibble.



eta
I would still feed three meals a day (not one) and I would want to see the result of the kibble/rice meals before swapping in more kibble.

JMO

If he strains again at pooping, please post.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (05/06/2011 06:55 PM)
Edit reason: eta

he did strain again at pooping a bit. Then he pooped a soft poo sorta looked like soft serve ice cream. I think he needs kibble.

I won't give him it till I'm told to do so though.

You did say to do it but now with the last poo i'm not sure.

If I give him dog food can I start him what I want him on? I think we are going to go buy something like wellness thats $30 or $40 a bag. $65 a bag was uh. . a bit much!


Diamond has gluten in it.

Nick.

On the phone I thought you said you had Wellness.

I think it is time to swap out a little of the gruel for kibble.