# Dog/Puppy food



## Dstevens (Nov 27, 2020)

There is so much out there. I find it totally overwhelming. We are feeding my pup Puppy Science Diet. She suffers from coprophagia. I have seen her licking her paws a bit. Is there a food to help both, that someone is feeding their dog? She is 7 months old. Was fed Flourish from her breeder. It wasn't super easy to get and when we did it was a 20 pound bag which went bad before she ate it, even in a container. Any suggestions are welcomed!! Thank you!


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Many vets push Science Diet but it's not that great of a food. They use a lot of grain as filler which means the pup has to eat more in order to get the protein and fat that's required - and then they gain weight. Please search the food section here for suggestions. 

My favorite "go to list" is on Whole Dog Journal. They require a subscription, but I've found it's well worth the price. Annually, they publish their recommended lists of dry, wet, raw, and other types of foods. Below is what they require for their recommended list.

Kibble/dry dog food is the least desirable food because toy breeds often don't drink enough water during the day to process it. If you must feed dry, make sure it is wet at the time of feeding, and do not leave it down all day as that discourages healthy meal routines. Fromm is the only brand of dry that I would feed any of my dogs. 

I use the Honest Kitchen dehydrated base mix, grain free, and add gently cooked protein - turkey, beef or fish. My girls love this and they have been doing very well on it. Rotating the proteins helps avoid any sensitivities or food intolerance. The paw licking can be indicative of many things, but one of those is an allergy. Unfortunately many of our little ones are intolerant or downright allergic to chicken; one of mine has a horrible chicken allergy that sent her to the ER several times until I figured it out and eliminated chicken from her diet. As for the poop eating, it is what it is. Many of our dogs just do that and it's up to us to keep the area cleaned up so they don't have access to it once they've gone.

From Whole Dog Journal:
*Must-Have Ingredients in Dry Dog Food*
Make sure your dog’s dry food has the following elements, the hallmarks of a quality product:
☐ *Superior sources of protein:* Look for dry dog foods that contain a lot of animal proteins—either whole, fresh meats or single-source meat meal. For example, you want to see *“chicken meal*” or *“beef meal”* on the label, not “poultry meal” or “meat meal.” A dog food label listing simply “meat” is an example of a low-quality protein source of dubious origin.
☐ *Whole-meat source as one of the first two ingredients:* Better yet: _two_ meat sources among the top three ingredients (say, chicken and chicken meal). Meat, the most natural source of protein for dogs, contains the amino acids most important to canine health. A good mix of meat proteins helps round out a dog food’s amino acid profile.
☐ *Whole, unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods.* An unprocessed food for your dog has the best chance of surviving the food-making process with its nutrients—vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants—intact.

*Avoid Dry Dog Food with These Ingredients*
When scanning dry dog food labels, keep your eyes peeled for the following undesirables. High-quality dry dog foods have these ingredients in minimal percentages:
✗ *Meat by-products*. Research has revealed that higher-value ingredients in dry dog foods tend to be processed and stored more carefully (kept clean and cold) than lower-cost ingredients—including “by-products.” And it’s just about impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products. We prefer to see these second-rate ingredients in a supporting role to whole meats or meat meals—say, below the top five ingredients.
✗ *“Generic” fat source.* “Animal fat”—an ingredient you may notice in some dry dog foods—can be just about anything, from an unwholesome mystery mix of various fats to recycled grease from restaurants. A preferable ingredient would be “beef fat” or “chicken fat.” The more generic the term, the more suspect the ingredient is. (We shudder to think of what’s in “animal digest”—another item we’ve seen on ingredient lists.)
✗ *Artificial preservatives, including BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.* Natural preservatives such as tocopherols (compounds often with vitamin E), vitamin C, and rosemary extract can be used instead. Note that natural preservatives do not preserve dog foods as long as artificial preservatives do, so owners should always check the “best by…” date on the label.
✗ *Artificial colors.* Trust us: Your dog doesn’t care about the color of his food. And he certainly doesn’t need daily exposure to unnecessary chemicals that provide color. Also avoid dog food with propylene glycol, a chemical added to some “chewy” foods to keep them moist.
✗ *Artificial flavors.* Your dog’s food should be flavored well enough with healthy meats and fats to be enticing to him.
✗ *Sweeteners.* Dogs, like us, have a taste for sweets. Corn syrup, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin, and other sweeteners are sometimes added to lower-quality foods to increase their appeal. But dietary sugar can cause or worsen health problems—including diabetes—in dogs.


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## Dstevens (Nov 27, 2020)

maggieh said:


> Many vets push Science Diet but it's not that great of a food. They use a lot of grain as filler which means the pup has to eat more in order to get the protein and fat that's required - and then they gain weight. Please search the food section here for suggestions.
> 
> My favorite "go to list" is on Whole Dog Journal. They require a subscription, but I've found it's well worth the price. Annually, they publish their recommended lists of dry, wet, raw, and other types of foods. Below is what they require for their recommended list.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! I have felt this about Science Diet, but my vet recommended it. My little Maltese I lost in August must of had the allergy and I never knew it. She would lick her paws so badly and end up with yeast infections. I think for most dogs Science Diet is okay, but these little tiny babies are different. 
I am going to go through this list and order it this afternoon. She is doing great in every way(I litterbox train my dogs) except for the poop eating. Due to covid I am working from home, so hopefully I will be able to break this habit. The only good thing about covid is extra time with Aria. Thank you so much!!
Deb and Ari


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