# Okay, I know I have to change dog food, but help!



## Charlie0 (Nov 19, 2014)

I'm feeding my 3 month old puppy a combination of Science Diet mixed with Ceasar. I know that this is all wrong, but I'm overwhelmed trying to find the right options. Per his trainer, he needs to be on a diet with no color additives to help with his tear stains. The problem is that with puppy food, options are more limited. Especially for small breeds. 

Does both his wet and dry food need to be specifically puppy formula? 

For dry food I'm looking at Fromm, but I'm unsure about some of the ingredients. Copper Oxide is a mineral, but is that something that would attribute to tear stains? 

What about wet food? All of Fromm's options are large cans for adults. I would prefer the 3 or 5 oz cans so that I don't have to keep anything refrigerated for more than a day.


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## Lou's Mom (Apr 8, 2014)

Mine were on Wellness with a little extra cooked chicken until a few months ago. Only one of the three continued to have staining. I switched to Fromm's dry a few months ago and added the Stella & Chewys dehydrated and hers cleared up but my oldest one started having them again. I've tried all the Fromm's dry foods and they did well on them except for the staining on Lou but I'm thinking of going back to Wellness since Lou seems to have issues again. I've also been using the eye wash and cleaning their eyes every other day and it has helped with the little one but not with Lou's.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Mine were on Fromms puppy food(pink bag) with a little Fresh Pet Vital as a topping. Now that mine are adults, we're still on Fromm adult food, and Fresh Pet Vital. They do very well on it. 
It's hard to tell about the tear stains right now, as some puppies will have the stains while they are teething.


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

I had trouble with Tyler. He hates everything and it started when I brought him home at 10 weeks from the breeder. I tried every single food. I ended up corresponding with a Diplomat from the American Academy of Veterinary Nutriton who is a Professor and doctor at UC Davis. She suggested I try Vital and said it has all the nutrients and minerals that a puppy needs. She said either the roll or the bag-not the stew with gravy. I first tried all of it and he eats only the beef and bison roll. I tried practically every kibble-he just doesn't like it. The doctor at UC Davis said he doesn't need it. One that he'd eat infrequently was Blue-they make a puppy small breed formula. There are actually quite a few small breed formulas. I was told that they are now formulated for all life stages-similar to vital. As I mentioned I tried about 10 brands maybe more and returned them all except the Blue. Also, she said with eating Vital he doesn't need vitamin supplements-the food has the right amount of what he needs.


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## kd1212 (Nov 5, 2013)

Forgot to mention, Tyler had tear stains prior to the Vital diet and has not had an issue ever since I put him on it.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

There are a ton of different reasons for tear stains to develop. I would rather discuss tear staining with a vet, than a trainer. For food, find something you can afford. I do like that you're mixing wet and dry.

I love Fromm and trust the company, it is one of my favorites. I like their four star kibble and their gold canned line. Honestly the four star canned is obscenely expensive and I would not consider feeding it except for a rare treat. I can cook up meats I buy at the store for less to add as a topper. The Fromm gold kibble is excellent too. As for the minerals I don't believe it would cause tear staining but Fromm is a great company that responds well to e mails, so send them one  I'm sure they will answer your questions.

Wellness is also an excellent brand that I really like.


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