# Switching Bellas Dry Food ~ Suggestions?



## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

You all were so very helpful the other night when Lady Bella's tummy got very upset (and gave us all quite a scare). :wub: Fortunately she has pulled through like the almost 3 lb, 4 month old little champ that she is lol. 

When we first got her she was incredibly picky and the only dry food she'd really eat was Science Diet. I have studied the threads and learned that this food is not the best choice for my little one. You all are teaching me so much and I am so thankful to be on this site and to get to know each of you.:grouphug:

Now that she is much more flexible with food choices, I'd like to (in the next few weeks) start switching her to another brand (preferrably without dyes). She has tear staining, but hopefully that's coming from her teething and will eventually subside a bit. Better safe than sorry though, and if the food is contributing, nows almost the time to start helping her out a bit. So, with all that said ~ what dry food would you recommend? BTW, not too long ago she wouldn't even sniff twice a Blue Buffalo, so I'm not inclined to try that one again right away.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

*BTW, here's a couple of pics of Bella ♥*

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## elly (Sep 11, 2006)

She is a pretty girl:wub: glad she is feeling better. Mercedes eats Natural Balance Chicken.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Bella is SO cute!!! I love the new pics you posted! 

That's great that you want to switch Bella to a higher quality food. When I adopted Bailey, he was on Purina Pro-plan with his rescue...I kept him on that for about a month after I brought him home because I didn't want too many changes for him all at once. When I felt like he had settled in well, I started transitioning him to a better food. I tried a couple of different kinds and then settled on Canine Caviar puppy food since it agreed with him the best. He was on that for several months until he transitioned to adult food of the same brand. I was happy with Canine Caviar because he did well on it, but it does have grains. For my next puppy, if I do feed kibble, I am interested in trying the NOW! Small Breed puppy formula or the Addiction puppy food. 

Are you interested in puppy formulas only, or would you also consider food thats for all life stages?


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

You might want to take a look at Whole Dog Journal's list of recommended dog foods - they publish it annually and list canned one month and dry the next. 

Sweetness stopped having tear staining when she was a little over a year old. I'd also started adding probiotics to her food at the same time, so not sure whether it was her age or the probiotics. She still has a small bit but nothing major.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Oh, boo! I can't see the pictures!

At only four months old, Bella should be on a puppy formula dog food for the next couple of months.

Here is the Whole Dog Journal list:

BoxerTalk.org - 2010 Whole Dog Journal's Recommended DRY Food List


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

One of my favorite dry foods is Now! Small Breed. I've had great success feeding that, and I also like Acana grain-free, although that is higher in protein and may not be well suited for your baby. Both brands will only be found at smaller specialty boutiques or online.

I think a few members on here feed one of the Wellness grain-free varieties also. Petco and Petsmart only carry a few high quality dog foods.

Try looking at Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble and look for a food in the 4-star category or higher. They rate many different brands to help you understand why some are better than others. I would try to stay away from any 3-star or lower foods.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

Thanks you all! We love this little ankle biter very much! She is jerking the pants hem of my favorite Banana Repulic P.J.'s as I type this. Gotta love the puppy stage :behindsofa: lol.

I was really glad to see that Natural Balance made the list as an option for Bella. When she was being Miss Picky, I was able to give her a bit of the rolled food they offer. She liked it quite a bit. I'm trying to stick with dry food for everyday meals, so maybe I'll see if she'll take to one of theirs. Innova and Evo also look interesting. Anybody using any of those 3.


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