# What food is your Maltese on? Rawhide treats? Greenies?



## Theo's Mom (Jan 5, 2009)

So i just wanted to know what everyone is feeding their pups. When i first got Theo he was on Eukanuba but i switched him over to California Natural puppy food. I never tried any wet food until i was in a pet food store and someone recommended Weruva to me at no cost to see if Theo's tummy could handle it. I had tried giving him a teaspoon of wellness, etc wet food and he always got the runs so i was just going to have him on dry.But when i gave him the Weruva he had no problems digesting it. So every other night i give him a spoonful of Weruva w his cali nat.
I was skimming through the board and saw a lot of ppl give their dogs Natural Balance. Is that good for Maltese's?

And my other question is i'm a bit iffy about giving Theo any rawhides. I occassionally give him a Greenie for his teeth. have heard some bad things about them so is it safe? But recenty I've been giving him Terrabones. Bc i feel he has a slightly sensivite tummy i'm scared to give him Flossies or any rawhides. What would you recommend?


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## TheButtercup (Mar 3, 2005)

I"ve always been of the school of thought that you just give your dog what you feel is best and what your dog does best on. The Buttercup has been thru many "food phases" in her 8 years, LOL. Lucky for me, she adapts to things very, very well, and I've never had a problem switching foods. Currently, she is on Nutro Venison and Brown Rice for Sensitive Bellies. She does not actually HAVE a sensitive belly, but she really likes this food. She has never been a big eater, so for her to come to her food when I set it down, that's huge. I always mix in a spoon of wet food or even baby food (right now she cannot live without her gerber sweet potatoes or green beans. two things that mommy can DEFINITELY live without LOL). 
As for rawhides, I found she loved them the first time I gave them to her and then after that, she never picked it up again LOL. She loves her Greenies though. And while yes, there have been the occasional "greenies will kill your dog" threads on here (and any other dog board), I still give them to her because I know how methodical she is when she chews her treats. She chews very slowly and until there is nothing left to chew LOL. Yes, dogs have choked on them, and that is one of the reasons people are very militant about not giving these treats to their dogs. However, as I've often stated, my dog chokes on water and yet no one has ever told me to stop giving my dog water. (She chews each bite about 10,000 times, but still, at age 8, can't get a grasp on drinking water sometimes... go figure LOL)

If you are looking for something fun and time-consuming for Theo (btw, I LOVE that name!), filling a Kong with treats and peanut butter or something that gets along with his belly. There are websites with TONS of "Kong Recipies" and you're sure to find one that suits a picky belly. The Buttercup gets Cheerios packed with peanut butter. I won't see her for HOURS after I give it to her. She loves it. 

Anyway. Good luck  You know your baby best, so I have no doubt you'll find something that works best for him! 

Noselicks from The Buttercup~~~~

Ann Marie


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## elizabeth (Oct 31, 2008)

I know what you mean.....Bella has gone through 5 different foods!!! I was so sick of it and so was she!!! After great advice and much research, i finally bought Natural Balance "Ultra Premium Formula", small bites. I had tried her on Natural balance Venison and sweet pot. but she didn't really like it and the kibbles were way too big. I was having to break them up, water them down....it was crazy. I came home tonight and opened up the bag, sat down with her, (i did wet it as she has a sore mouth, she lost some baby teeth today) and she LOVED it!!!! I was so excited!!! And the ingredients looked wonderful.....so, hopefully out food search is over!!!! I got it at PETCO. Chuck and Don's does not yet carry the small bites. 

I would really recommend you try it. I hope this info helps!!!! Let me know!!!!
Blessings,
Elizabeth and Bella


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## Theo's Mom (Jan 5, 2009)

Theo eats pretty well and he loves his Cali Nat. I just have a problem getting him to eat in the mornings since we do leave quite early so i give him some Nutri-cal until we get to work where i can give him his breakfast.
I've seen ppl giving their dogs yogurt as well i may try that as well for his breakfast.


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## prism (Dec 29, 2008)

My puppy came to me on Eukanuba. I am a new dog owner so it took me a couple of weeks to find out how bad that food is. Anyways, we are now transitioning to Natural Balance Duck and Potatoe dry now. He seems to like it but it's hard to tell because it's mixed with the nasty stuff. lol


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

I also have London on Natural Balance Potato & Duck Small Bites. She was previously on Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken (lamb) Puppy kibble, but her stool was not as firm as I wanted it to be and she had a fair amount of gas.  

The Natural Balance has been great for her, although I do wish it was slightly higher rated on dogfoodanalysis.com

She generally poops 2x per day (as opposed to 3-4x on Solid Gold) and they are firm. She also has absolutely no gas now, which is an added bonus!


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## wolfieinthehouse (Dec 14, 2007)

Wolfie eats Nutro Small Bites Lamb and Rice. He eats various dog biscuits (I read the ingredients to see what is listed). He does not do rawhide (had trouble with other dogs choking on it by eating it too wildly) or greenies (afraid of big pieces being swallowed. He does nibble on raw carrots and misc. other things.


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

If he's fine on the California Natural then I'd stay with it, especially if he has a sensitive stomach. CN is a good food for that. Natural Balance is a fine food, I like that they have an organic line, but it's not a "Maltese" food, it just happens to be popular on this board at the moment. Before it, it was Canidae that was the food it seemed everyone was on. 
I give Perri the occasional rawhide chew but only ones that are American made such as American or Beefeaters. He's not a big chewer so I feel comfortable giving it to him because he's not really ingesting it. He normally chews on it long enough to get it soggy, then loses interest and I have to give him a fresh one the next time because he doesn't like old ones. So to answer your question about the rawhide - only a quality one, and not if he's eating a lot off of it. I've seen the Terrabone that you mentioned before and that looks like a good chew - no wheat or gluten ect. Other things to try are the Sam's Yams Bichon Fries (pure dehydrated sweet potato, Perri really likes them) and CET petite dental chews.


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## SicilianRose (Jun 8, 2008)

Daisy eats Naturals Balance Potato and Duck Small Bites kibble and for treats she gets either Vitality, Zukes or Naturals Balance treats. I do not give her rawhide because it is not digestible and it is soaked in formaldehyde. For her chew, I give her flossies and jerky.


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

Hunter also eats Natural Balance because I have found its limited ingrediants line to be the best for Hunter since he can't have grains. We give him teeny greenies but only when we are home. He eats them with no problem (although he too chokes on water).

We also feed him tons of 'people food' as treats such as apples, carrots, banana, etc. We just try everything and see what works and what doesn't for Hunter. We do give him rawhides (only when we are home) but we are phasing those out for reasons not related to choking and are going to consider flossies. 

I also give hunter Hartz dental bones as he really seems to like those. (they are little white bones similar to greenies and are good for teeth).


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