# New to this site looking for some suggestions



## New mommy alert (Jun 17, 2011)

Hello 

I am new to this site and a new pet owner. I never had a pet before. I have an 10 month old female maltese. I asked the doctor what to feed her and he says dry food. Ive been giving her purina puppy chow and mixing puppy canned food together 1/2 and 1/2. BUT I feel like she eats it because there is nothing else. Any suggestions on food maltese prefer that I can buy and not have to cook at home.


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

Purina is a low quality food. There are so many wonderful options. Goodd brands that I suggest: Now........Wellness.....Nature's Variety......Weruva.......Fromm......Merrick.
Personally I use Now and Weruva.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Welcome to SM! If you do a search on the site for food, you'll find some great posts about it. Chances are, you'd get a different response from most of us, lol! I feed Stella and Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw. It's good for all stages. It's dry but I moisten it with warm water.


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## Ryder's Mom (Jun 10, 2011)

Welcome to the site! Personally I feed my little guy Nature's Balance, the Potato and Duck. It's good from puppy right on to adult and it has no yucky stuff in it. All natural and Ry has never been sick since going on it!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

You will get a lot of different responses to this question. I agree that Purina is very low quality. You should select a high-quality food(holistic, all-natural) some of which were mentioned. This means no corn, no fillers, no by-products or preservatives.


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## New mommy alert (Jun 17, 2011)

Thanks everyone off to Petco I go to find the name brands mentioned above. I wish I could take a little sample of each to see which one Fluffy prefers.. I guess its just trial and error


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## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

Petco has the Natural Balance and some varities of Wellness. You may do better at a local feed store. The feed and garden store in my area carries all of the better quality foods, including the frozen raw.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Uh, Linda if she's in New York, as in City, which for some reason I thought I read she is, there is no such thing as a feed store.:HistericalSmiley: I can't tell you how far I had to go to try to get Cowboy Magic!! Down in South Jersey near Pat's in fact. :w00t:
A lot of the local pet stores have sample bags of some of the food that they don't even charge you for so you can try that. If you do get food at Petco and it doesn't work out just keep your receipt. They will refund your money even if the bag is open.


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## socalyte (Nov 15, 2010)

Don't forget that a lot of dog food can be bought online now! That is super handy and that way you can get what you want. 

Going to a local boutique type pet food store may allow you to get samples of different types of food-- at least the ones near me do that. 

I use Blue Buffalo kibble in the morning and Merrick canned in the evening. Cozette is doing really well on that regimen. Cozette was like your pup, she was eating just kind of without a lot of interest, and since putting her on the Merrick canned at night, she actually eats eagerly. It's great to see since Cozette is only three pounds and I worry about her weight.

BTW Susan you can get Cowboy Magic at Amazon. Much easier than traveling to New Jersey


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

I've fed my maltese Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison for years now. I've tried others but always come back to this. I do supplement with Seameal and Veggies (usually fresh).


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

i feed wellness , and i have since he was really little and i came here and i figured out eukanuba wasnt a good food , he has done really well on wellness. i have tried some others but everytime i change him he gets tummy issues. so on wellness we have stayed ! and i get it at petco .


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Snowbody said:


> Uh, *Linda if she's in New York, as in City, which for some reason I thought I read she is, there is no such thing as a feed store.*:HistericalSmiley: I can't tell you how far I had to go to try to get Cowboy Magic!! Down in South Jersey near Pat's in fact. :w00t:
> A lot of the local pet stores have sample bags of some of the food that they don't even charge you for so you can try that. If you do get food at Petco and it doesn't work out just keep your receipt. They will refund your money even if the bag is open.


I thought NYC had everything. Where do they get the hay for the carriage horses?:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:


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## Mini Pearls Mom (Mar 4, 2011)

uniquelovdolce said:


> i feed wellness , and i have since he was really little and i came here and i figured out eukanuba wasnt a good food , he has done really well on wellness. i have tried some others but everytime i change him he gets tummy issues. so on wellness we have stayed ! and i get it at petco .


Pearl also eats Wellness and may I say, excitedly - both times of the day. I mix 1/4 of one small can (6 os.) w/ 1/4 cup of Wellness Small Breed kibble. I rarely buy this at Petco since I prefer the small cans (easier measuring) and they usually only have the chicken/sweet potato and the puppy food in small cans. She didn't love the turkey but adores the whitefish so I order the small cans online as well as the dry. 

Oh, and lots of veggie snacks...when she hears me cutting at the cutting board for a salad she just stands there with the BIGGEST eyes, waiting patiently. Tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, shredded carrots are her fave. I'm careful though, as too many veggies make for harder to clean up poop.:wub:


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

My Matilda loves Canidae, I home cook with Dr. Harvey's sometimes for a change. I do buy my Canidae at a local bet boutique


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Veterinary nutritionists and many, many veterinarians will tell you to look for the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on the food packaging. It is important that this statement say the food is COMPLETE AND BALANCED. Your Purina food AAFCO statement most likely states it is complete and balanced. 

Purina is a dog food company that has been around for many, many years and has conducted a whole lot of research on dog food. They have at least one veterinary nutritionist on staff. Many dog food companies don't have one. 


Here's a sample of what the AAFCO statement should read:

Animal feeding tests using Association of American Feed Control Officials procedures substantiate that ______formula provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of _______ age dogs.



Right now, my Maltese is on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach and my Golden Retriever is on Science Diet.



Here's an article on the subject:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/answers-about-feeding-dogs-and-cats/


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## lyndy (Jul 9, 2011)

Hey all! I am new here! First time puppy mommy to my almost 4 month old Maltese Daisy.

I feed Daisy Natural Instinct Chicken wet food mixed with her dry food NOW small breed formula. She gets the mix in the morning and just the dry food for dinner. Both are grain-free.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

Puppy food is not a great way to go with her though.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Mine are on Purina Pro Plan Dental,it's kibble is designed larger so they have to really chew and crunch and it helps clean their teeth. Sadie and Tasha are on Wellness large breed.

If you can find Cowboy Majic grooming spray ,it helps to spray a bit on their fluffy back sides to help keep poo from sticking...we call them "hitch hikers". We'd much rather the poo stay behind instead of hitch hiking in on a fluffy "behind"....


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## Tzubabies (Jul 10, 2011)

Right now I'm feeding Acana, but will be switching over the Orijen.


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