food diet help

[lols82]

Originally Posted by hoaloha

I have to echo what Shelly mentioned-- please do not give only chicken, rice and veggies to your growing puppy! It is NOT nutritionally balanced even though it seems "healthy." home cooking is only good if you can be sure that the dog is getting the perfect amounts of calories, proper balance of protein/fat/carbs, and the exact amounts of vitamins and minerals. This can only be achieved with a vet who has had extra training in nutrition or a canine nutritionist. Routine monitoring of electrolytes and minerals should be checked while the new diet is in place.

Not only can you seriously cause developmental problems in the dog, you can also cause serious illness and death by long-term unbalanced nutrition. Please try out many different types of dog food (wet or dry) and see what works OR consult a nutritionist. There are many foods you can buy online as well through amazon (Fromm, Stella and Chewy's, etc).

Also, wet food has better moisture content than dry food. A good wet food shouldn't cause more tear staining. Just clean the mouth area if it gets food on it.

I use a microplane zester to grate a very small amount of cheese to top my dog's food when he gets bored and I rotate different toppers like veggies.

Btw, broccoli is a cruciferous, gas-causing food so I try to avoid it as it may cause tummy discomfort. Lots of dogs like green beans, peas, crunchy lettuce.

let us know if you have any more questions but please, please give your pup a balanced diet

Yeah thanks That's why I asked as I want him to be getting everything he needs from his food and to be sure, this morning he managed to eat his dry food, with chicken eventually. He's just so fussy i'll persevere on.

[Maizy Moo's Mum]

Originally Posted by lols82

Yeah he managed to eat his dry food this morning with some chicken, after sitting on the kitchen floor and encouraging him for a while, he's a wee nightmare with food lol.

Can i ask what dry dog food you are feeding him at the moment????

Remember Sammi is only 5months old and has alot of growing to do, you dont want to hinder him or cause him any problems in the future!! Boiled chicken and rice is normally only used when dogs arent well, have had stomach problems or have had anethetic not a long term diet.

[lols82]

Originally Posted by Maizy Moo's Mum

Can i ask what dry dog food you are feeding him at the moment????

Remember Sammi is only 5months old and has alot of growing to do, you dont want to hinder him or cause him any problems in the future!! Boiled chicken and rice is normally only used when dogs arent well, have had stomach problems or have had anethetic not a long term diet.

Yeah exactly that's why I want him having the best he possibly can, he was only having chicken/rice/veg for 2 days.

To begin with he was on royal canine from the breeders, he would not touch this at all and had me really worried when we first got him home. So the vet advised me to put him onto wet as he wouldn't touch water. He was on the pedigree wet food (I have read there isn't much goodness in this for him), he would eat this but not always, only half finishing meals or just leaving them. So the dry food I now have, that he will eat with alot of encouragement is the Iams. I just want to find something that he will eat and will be really good for him.

I'm not sure whether to try him with wet AND dry because he is SO fussy with taking water or if he is on dry alone then it may make him want to drink water? He's just so fussy with eating and drinking. Help!!

[Maizy Moo's Mum]

I really advise against pedigree it is a terrible food!! Part of the reason he might not be interested in the dry food is because there is very little meat content in it maizy was on burns origionally and ate it fine but not she is on fromm which i get in the USA she does a dance for it she loves it so much!!!!!

Honestly i think its definatly worth swapping his foods over!! Im not 100% sure on puppy food i cant remember when you change over to adult food but here are some places that you can get good food.

Fromm puppy Gold might be a good one for him atm although it is not as good as fromm four star it is avaliable to us over here.

Fromm Gold Nutritionals dog food | Postal Pets Products

Other ones you might want to try when he is an adult have a feeling that is when he is 6-7months?? Correct me if i am wrong someone!!!

Lily's Kitchen would be my top choice i like the idea of them: They do wet and dry food so you could mix and match!! You can also get it on amazon and other places.
Natural and Organic Dog Food and Cat Food | Lily's Kitchen

Taste of the wild Pacific Stream
Great deals on dog food and accessories at zooplus: Taste of the Wild - Pacific Stream Canine

I only recently heard of this one so dont know much about it but seems a better one than some.
Canagan Grain Free Dog Food - Game (available in 3 sizes) | Dog Food - Dry | Dogs | Pets Corner | Pets Corner

I hope you have some luck with these!

[lols82]

Originally Posted by Maizy Moo's Mum

I really advise against pedigree it is a terrible food!! Part of the reason he might not be interested in the dry food is because there is very little meat content in it maizy was on burns origionally and ate it fine but not she is on fromm which i get in the USA she does a dance for it she loves it so much!!!!!

Honestly i think its definatly worth swapping his foods over!! Im not 100% sure on puppy food i cant remember when you change over to adult food but here are some places that you can get good food.

Fromm puppy Gold might be a good one for him atm although it is not as good as fromm four star it is avaliable to us over here.

Fromm Gold Nutritionals dog food | Postal Pets Products

Other ones you might want to try when he is an adult have a feeling that is when he is 6-7months?? Correct me if i am wrong someone!!!

Lily's Kitchen would be my top choice i like the idea of them: They do wet and dry food so you could mix and match!! You can also get it on amazon and other places.
Natural and Organic Dog Food and Cat Food | Lily's Kitchen

Taste of the wild Pacific Stream
Great deals on dog food and accessories at zooplus: Taste of the Wild - Pacific Stream Canine

I only recently heard of this one so dont know much about it but seems a better one than some.
Canagan Grain Free Dog Food - Game (available in 3 sizes) | Dog Food - Dry | Dogs | Pets Corner | Pets Corner

I hope you have some luck with these!

Thank you - I'll have a look through these and hopefully get him settled on something decent.

[Maizy Moo's Mum]

The Lily's Kitchen have a facebook page and when i sent questions they were very helpful!! Let us know how you get on!!

[Grace'sMom]

You can home cook if you want to I really think it's great.... It took me about a month to adjust to the extra cooking but I love it now, Gus and Grace love it. They are both healthier...and no worries abotu food recalls.

However....

The others are right: He cannot live on rice, chicken, and veg.

I will address the issue you posted about first:

Some dogs have problems digesting grain with their other food. Gus has problems with that. He can't eat any grains with any protein. So I usually feed him his protein and veggies/fruit first, then for snacks he gets things like rice, oats, or other grains.

It could also be the veggies you are feeding - which ones did you choose? He could be sensitive to certain veggies. There are many out there so you could try a few until you find some he can eat.

Now...

If you are going to home cook.... you need to do a lot of reading and/or talk to a nutritionist.... Really a nutritionist is the best way to go.

Gus and Grace eat home cooked, but we follow specific things. And they both get supplements.

It isn't hard... but it is different and it takes a bit to get used to so you know they are getting enough.

I'd also suggest blood work done now, and then 1 month after starting home cooked.

I was worried Gus wasn't getting enough of something when we started... His skin changed (this was a good thing - inflammation is down LOL).... so I had labs done and he came back perfect. So I know he is doing well

[lols82]

Originally Posted by Maizy Moo's Mum

The Lily's Kitchen have a facebook page and when i sent questions they were very helpful!! Let us know how you get on!!

I was having a wee read at it earlier but I've missed the delivery cut off date for before christmas, that was yesterday. They deliver from London so it's handy for me

[lols82]

Originally Posted by Grace'sMom

You can home cook if you want to I really think it's great.... It took me about a month to adjust to the extra cooking but I love it now, Gus and Grace love it. They are both healthier...and no worries abotu food recalls.

However....

The others are right: He cannot live on rice, chicken, and veg.

I will address the issue you posted about first:

Some dogs have problems digesting grain with their other food. Gus has problems with that. He can't eat any grains with any protein. So I usually feed him his protein and veggies/fruit first, then for snacks he gets things like rice, oats, or other grains.

It could also be the veggies you are feeding - which ones did you choose? He could be sensitive to certain veggies. There are many out there so you could try a few until you find some he can eat.

Now...

If you are going to home cook.... you need to do a lot of reading and/or talk to a nutritionist.... Really a nutritionist is the best way to go.

Gus and Grace eat home cooked, but we follow specific things. And they both get supplements.

It isn't hard... but it is different and it takes a bit to get used to so you know they are getting enough.

I'd also suggest blood work done now, and then 1 month after starting home cooked.

I was worried Gus wasn't getting enough of something when we started... His skin changed (this was a good thing - inflammation is down LOL).... so I had labs done and he came back perfect. So I know he is doing well

To be honest all I want is for Sammy to eat a food that is good for him, and is giving him the nutrients that he needs, whether it be home cooked, dried or wet food. The veg was boiled carrots, brocolli and green beans, I know he loves carrot as I sometimes give him a raw cold one to chew on for his wee teeth, so it was one of the other two that was irritating his little belly. As he is such a fussy little eater and it's a battle half the time to get him to eat his meals i'm just trying to find something he can settle on. He's definitely not going back onto the Pedigree after reading how rubbish that is for him. I'd happily cook all his meals if I knew I was doing it right but maybe that would be a better option when he's out his puppy stage. Thanks for all the help it's been very helpful for me with him. I'm just overly paranoid when it comes to my wee puppy.

[Lynzodolly]

Just reading all of these posts ? But confused as my vet tells me and specialists from Glasgow university that chicken and rice plus veg / fruits are great for Maltese breed its all natural and after 6 months start adding a supplement ? I don't understand then if a specialist is telling me this as far as us living in the uk it's hard to go buying from the USA , like fromms etc ... Albert will only touch chicken , veg and rice and fruit , he turns his nose up flat at tinned crap dog meat and dry biscuits no matter how I water them with a touch of warm water it turns to mush he just looks away what's right and what's wrong ? As I hear different and I told Laura this works .... X