# new food for 5 month old



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

me and the wife are looking for a new dry kibble to feed our precious boy who is around 5 months old. we were provided some precise plus for puppies when we got him from the breeder. the bag is almost empty so we are wondering what would be a good one to get for him. he is around 3-4 lbs right now.

thank you for any input you may provide.


----------



## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

My opinion: I have had fabulous results with both Orijen and Acana. She has been on these foods since she was 6 weeks old and now she is 1.


----------



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

poochie2 said:


> My opinion: I have had fabulous results with both Orijen and Acana. She has been on these foods since she was 6 weeks old and now she is 1.


any specific type of orijen and acana that i should look for?

what makes these two good compared to other brands out there?

thanks for the input!! we appreciate it.


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

The quality of Acana and Orijen food is higher than most foods. Acana Pacifica, is a fish-based, grain-free food. I've tried it. Acana makes a puppy food, too. It does contain grains, so watch your puppy for sensitivities/allergies if you give food with grains. 

There is a "where to buy" link on the top of the page:

Champion Petfoods | ACANA


----------



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

should i stick with the acana for small puppy breed which has grains or since he is 5 months old now can i switch to the acana pacifica food?


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

niko-b said:


> should i stick with the acana for small puppy breed which has grains or since he is 5 months old now can i switch to the acana pacifica food?



Really, it is a personal choice. I don't think that you can go wrong either way. If your dog is very small, it might prefer the small-breed puppy kibble as it is probably smaller in size.


----------



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

last time i took him to the vet he weighed about 3-3.5lbs he looks bigger since his last vet visit though. so im guessing he might be close to 4lbs now. i think that is small but you seem like you know your stuff, plus your title says maltese guru!!


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

niko-b said:


> last time i took him to the vet he weighed about 3-3.5lbs he looks bigger since his last vet visit though. so im guessing he might be close to 4lbs now. i think that is small but you seem like you know your stuff, plus your title says maltese guru!!



I love these furbabies, so I try to do as much research as I can, so I can pass it along to others. I want all of our fluffs to be happy and healthy!!


----------



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

Nikki's Mom said:


> I love these furbabies, so I try to do as much research as I can, so I can pass it along to others. I want all of our fluffs to be happy and healthy!!


i hear ya we love ours to death!!!! he is so much fun, and we are always having fun and laughing with ours.

at what age is it good to switch from puppy food over to adult food? and with ours weighing in at a whopping 3-4lbs would you recommend dry kibble acana puppy version or the pacifica? how are your babies stool, specifically smell? from the food we use now our baby has a very distinct smell that can be strong and sometimes will over take a room....


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

I agree with the others, try Orijen 6 Fresh Fish or Acana Pacifica. Both foods are suitable for "all life-stages". The puppy formula is great, but it contains grains which are considered high allergens for Maltese. If you choose to go with that, it's fine, just watch for signs of allergies.

Orijen is a little "better" than Acana -- but it contains more protein, and some dogs can't handle that much protein. They are made by the same company (Champion pet foods) and can only be found online or at specialty pet supply stores (not Petsmart, Petco, etc).

I currently feed Orijen 6 Fresh Fish and my two thrive on it. I am thinking about trying Acana Pacifica next since it does have a little less protein and I want to see if there is any difference that I notice in my two by feeding that.

To me, any dog poop stinks up an entire room and I can smell it seconds afterward. This is one reason why I can't stand to pad train my two (they are outdoor trained).


----------



## maltlovereileen (Jan 19, 2009)

Mine loved the orijen but believe it or not the lady who runs the pet food store talked me out of buying another bag...she said it caused her dog to go into kidney failure (due to the high level of protein)

Not having enough time to research on the spot, I bought another kind with less protein. 

I'm trying to research now (Can Pet Food Have Too Much Protein? - Puppy & Dog Forums) but am totally confused as to what is the Right answer... :\


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

maltlovereileen said:


> Mine loved the orijen but believe it or not the lady who runs the pet food store talked me out of buying another bag...she said it caused her dog to go into kidney failure (due to the high level of protein)
> 
> Not having enough time to research on the spot, I bought another kind with less protein.
> 
> I'm trying to research now (Can Pet Food Have Too Much Protein? - Puppy & Dog Forums) but am totally confused as to what is the Right answer... :\


A high protein diet does not cause kidney failure or any kidney problems in a healthy dog. In a dog who already has kidney problems, a high protein diet is not ideal.


----------



## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

Another grain free fish based (salmon) food is Taste of the Wild. It's pea size kibble. Or if fish base isn't a concern then the NOW! brand, also grain free, has just come out with a small breed/puppy size. You won't find these in the big box stores, you'll have to go to a pet food boutique.


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Seriously, the kidney-protein thing is really mis-representing grain-free diets. If a dog or a person is prone to kidney disease or has other health issues, it is one thing, but many dogs and many people have thrived for years on a grain free diet with absolutely no health issues. 

I like Acana because each ingredient seems very well thought-out. 

Regarding poop and kibble, I can't really tell you much about it. I home cook for my dog and she is potty pad trained. Her poop doesn't have much of an odor. 

I think that they usually stop feeding puppy food at about 9 months old. If you go to this website, you can order 1lb trial sizes of the Acana grain-free for all life stages, for 2.99 each, plus shipping:
Acana Dog Food Trial Size - 1lb ? The Pet Health and Nutrition Center

http://www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com/store/search/all/?searchstring=acana


----------



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

I purchased the trial size of acana Pacifica to see how our malt likes it. So far he loves it. Do they make other flavor besides the acana Pacifica besides the three fish one?


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

You can visit the Champion Petfoods website to read all about Orijen & Acana varieties (Champion Petfoods | Home). They have a wealth of information supporting a high protein / low carb diet. The other grain-free varieties are Acana Wild Prairie and Acana Grasslands. Wild Prairie has chicken in it, which some dogs are allergic to. Acana has both grain-free & ones with grain, so make sure you know which one you want. Most of us feed grain-free.


----------



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

i'm fairly certain that acana is an all-life-stage food, so appropriate for puppy and adult feeding. also, many maltese owners never feed puppy food as it is designed more for breeds that grow much larger.....

i definitely feed grain free and even switched my own diet to grain free earlier this year!


----------



## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

I use Natural Balance Duck & Potatoe "small bites" which is for both puppies and adult dogs. Both my 3.5 yr old and 6 month old love it. Petco and other better brand pet stores sells it. the kibble is just the right size for their tiny mouths. I also mix in about 1 tablespoon of boiled chicken cut up real tiny. they absolutely love it.


----------



## roxybaby22 (Feb 25, 2009)

tamizami said:


> i'm fairly certain that acana is an all-life-stage food, so appropriate for puppy and adult feeding. also, many maltese owners never feed puppy food as it is designed more for breeds that grow much larger.....
> 
> i definitely feed grain free and even switched my own diet to grain free earlier this year!


Congrats! :chili: I'm going to switch my diet one of these days.

Yes, grain free is the way to go!


----------



## niko-b (Jan 13, 2010)

we switched to Acana Pacifica grain free at first, but the wife couldnt stand the smell of it, so we switched acana prairie harvest grain free instead. our pup seems to like, but my question is should we be feeding/supplement him with other things to provide good nutrition and health or is feeding him just the acana enough?

i have read that some people and vets say acana is to high in protein for maltese breed and you need to use supplements as well.

could anyone elaborate on that for me.

thanks


----------



## BellaWella (May 2, 2010)

I too wanted to try both brands but I read to many horror stories with the herb rosemary which both brands contain..Its not official that rosemary causes seizures in dogs but its not proven that it doesn't either... some say its the oil or extract I honestly don't know and I doubt a very premium quality company would use a herb that harms dogs buuuutttt just to stay safe even if there's a 1% chance it does I won't use food with rosemary in it... But a lot of people use those brands and seem to have no problem.. but if your puppy isn't showing signs of allergies you may want to try WELLNESS brand foods...its considered a quality brand, maybe not a good as orijen or acana but wellness doesn't use rosemary and my pup is doing great on it...just another option.


----------

