# What to feed?



## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Daisy is my first Malt and my first small dog. When I found out we were getting her I went and got a giant bag of Hill's Science Diet for small breed puppies but have read that it's not a good choice. She is currently eating the food that she came with. It's a Korean brand and I can't read the ingredients but I do know it's lamb and rice.

I'm wondering how old she should be when we switch to adult food since there are more options at the commissary and PX on post for small adult dogs. There aren't a lot of good options for small puppies.

Also, why do some people feed a raw diet? Is kibble bad? I don't want to feed her a poor quality food and if I can't find one here then I may go to homemade. 

I'm so used to having giant dogs and have never had to worry about dietary restrictions.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Stephanie, I first want to welcome you and thank your husband (and you) for your service! 

Kibble is hard on small dogs because it is dry. Our little ones sometimes don't drink a lot of water so the combination of very little water and dry kibble can be very hard on the kidneys. If you do feed kibble, my holistic vet's recommendation is to mix it with equal parts of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to soak up the water. This not only adds moisture to the food but it brings out the aroma and makes it more yummy. You can't leave it sit and free feed, but most dogs will eat it all right away when it has the water added.

If you do use kibble, I recommend grain free. Grains such as corn, rice and wheat are natural causes of inflammation, so eliminating those from your pups diet can help with overall health, especially if she develops any issues such as IBD or IBS. The Hill's that you bought has A LOT of grains in it so that's why it's not the best choice. Some brands have an "all life stages" food which is OK for puppies to be on so you don't have to look for a puppy-specific food. 

People like raw because the food isn't "over processed" meaning it is more nutrient-dense and not full of chemicals and preservatives. It's like the difference between eating raw (or lightly steamed) green beans vs. canned and processed green beans. Commercial raw diets do have some type of processing (freezing, dehydrating, etc.) but it is far less processed and therefore more nutritious than the kibble or canned dog foods. I use a dehydrated raw and reconstitute it with an equal part of water. Many vets don't understand raw and so use scare tactics with their patients; also, vet schools here in the US have programs that are sponsored by Purina, Hills and other dog food companies so those programs tend to campaign about the horrors of raw and that the only good food is theirs. 

Because of where you are located, I suggest you look at Whole Dog Journal's lists of preferred dog foods; they publish lists for dry, canned and raw. Then you can compare their recommendations to what is available at the commissary and PX to help with your choices. I think you have to have a subscription to access their information, but you can get a digital subscription for $20 a year and that gives you access to all their archived issues too. I use this publication a lot for information on nutrition, health and behavior.

I hope this helps!


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## glo77 (Feb 10, 2015)

Also when you decide what to feed, change it slowly over a period of time mixing it with what she is eatign right now. Much easier on the digestive system than a sudden change to any food would be.


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## [email protected] (May 9, 2015)

Don't forget to brush her teeth daily. Otherwise her whole body will smell like dog food.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

I ordered her doggy toothpaste along with her clippers and that arrived at our post office yesterday so she'll be getting her first clip and teeth brushing tonight ?


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Hi Stephanie,

Maggie's post is excellent and I agree with everything she has said.

Being an Army brat, I'm familiar with shopping the commissary and PX. I don't know what they are carrying these days though-but in my time it was the usual supermarket brands. The supermarket brands are lower quality foods made from lower quality ingredients. That said-not everyone can afford the brands I'll recommend. You will have to look over the info and figure out what works best for your household.

The only kibble I really like is Fromm. Fromm has a Gold line of products which is a little bit less than it's 4-Star line. The gold line has a puppy formula-this is still a great kibble, it just doesn't carry all the same specialized ingredients that the 4 Star does. The 4 Star line is their premium kibble, some of it has grain, some of it does not. The 4-Star line is all life stages and comes in a variety of protien sources. They have great names like 'Salmon Tunalini' and 'Surf and Turf' and 'Beef Frittata' which is a good way to lure us dog parents in . Still, I love this company, they are the most helpful and reliable company I have come across when it comes to kibble. 

I do not think you will find them on post. Many of us mail order from Dog and Cat Food, Treats, and Supplies | Free Shipping at Chewy.com chewy is reliable and also a great company. Now, with the size of the bag-if you are feeding just one tiny dog, you really need to purchase your bags in the smallest sizes available. The food goes rancid 6-8 weeks after opening and most of the fatty acids are bad by 2 weeks open. Also, keep the food in the original bag-though you may put that bag into another container if you wish to help keep it air tight.

When I was feeding kibble, I would order from Chewy. $50 or more gets you free shipping. I would order several of the smallest bags in different flavors (Rotating protein is great for a dogs amino acid profile) and I would order one of each of a box of the Fromm Gold Canned(the 4-star canned is too obscenely priced for my tastes). I fed half canned, half kibble. In my experience, the bags are normally good for around a year from the date of purchase-so long as they aren't opened so it should be fine to do it this way.

The smallest bag (4-5lb) would last one of my dogs a month if I did kibble alone. My boys are 5.5 and 6.5 lb.

The other company that I am completely in love with is All Natural Dog Food - Dehydrated Pet Food | The Honest Kitchen. The are a company that makes dehydrated foods that are completely human grade. That's right, YOU could eat this stuff-and their people there do routinely test it themselves. They have a few formulas that are good for puppies. I regularly use their base mixes and add our own meat to them to make a complete meal. They are the only company who has gone to the length of being able to call themselves human grade-it is no easy task. I trust everything they make.

That said-they are expensive. You can get samples from them, they sell them for a minimal price-but I believe if you send them an e mail and let them know you have a new puppy you want to try out on their foods -they will send you samples for free.

I have a friend who just uses The Honest Kitchen as a topper since it's so pricey. Ordering from chewy.com might save you some money on THK up front, but if you order directly, you accumulate points, which you can use later to purchase things at no cost to you. I do believe there might be a time limit on those points though so do check into that if you go that route.

I home cook for my dogs and use THK. Sometimes they also get some Fromm. Right now, Tucker is on a batch of Chicken and Rice-I get the packets from Just Food For Dogs and make the batches at home myself. I don't know that they have any recipes for puppies though-and you want to be careful to make sure a puppy gets all the nutrition it needs.

Occasionally I also wing it and just whip something up-but it's not wise to do this over an extended period of time because they can start to have deficiencies if the meal isn't at least somewhat balanced.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies. I double checked the px today and the only non pedigree/beneful kind of food was blue buffalo but they don't have small breed puppy, only regular puppy and small breed adult. She's currently on Holistic Recipe. I've never heard of it before being in Korea. It's a lamb and rice formula with 25% protein. Is that too high? The vet we saw for her vaccines suggested it but I don't think korea is on the high quality pet food band wagon yet. I might just stick with it since she doesn't have any health problems or issues with it. I soak it in hot water and cool it and she gobbles it up!


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Is this it? Puppy Food
If so, this food has A LOT of grains - 4 of the first 5 ingredients are grain - which is the sign of a lower quality food. I'd try to find an alternative.

I would suggest trying to find an online source - even Amazon - for Fromm or some other high quality food. Blue Buffalo is being accused of false advertising claims about nutrition so I'd avoid them. Dog.com and Petfooddirect.com both say they will ship to military addresses and also internationally so you may want to look at their web sites. They have a good selection of quality foods. Good luck!


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

That's the same company and its called the same thing but my ingredients list is different. Maybe a different formula for different countries. I noticed the pricing at the bottom wasn't korean won. The one I have has lamb, 2 kinds of rice, barley, and chicken fat (which I just realized the vet I bought it from said the food was a good alternative for dogs with chicken allergies but has chicken fat?? Daisy isn't allergic though) 

I'll definitely look into shipping food. Shipping takes a while but she's so small a small bag lasts over a month. 

I would try making food but I'm afraid of missing nutrients and there definitely isn't whole food/homemade food in any stores here.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

This is a Fromm's food that was on dogs.com

http://m.dog.com/item/fromm-4-star-duck-sweet-potato-dry-dog-food/495781/

I noticed that the ingredients list starts Duck, Duck Meal, Pearled Barley, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, White Rice

Is that too much grain? Is it better to go grain free? She doesn't have any issues (that I know of)


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Personally speaking, I stay away from grain free foods since they contain a higher amount of protein and cause weight gain. However, there are many others who prefer feeding their dogs grain free. This is only my personal opinion and not right or wrong.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Steph_L said:


> This is a Fromm's food that was on dogs.com
> 
> http://m.dog.com/item/fromm-4-star-duck-sweet-potato-dry-dog-food/495781/
> 
> ...


Everyone has their own preferences but I dont' have a problem with Fromm's grain inclusive formulas. I have used both the grain inclusive and the grain free.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

On the Fromm you have two named proteins and a non grain starch in the first five ingredients which is much better than one protein and four grains. Many dogs tolerate barley, oats and rice just fine. Corn is irritating for many dogs. I use grain free because both of my dogs have health issues and I prefer to not introduce the inflammatory properties of grain. Addiction is a moderate protein for grain free - 25% or less.


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