Another food thread: Confused by puppy vs. adult vs. ALS.

I just picked up my little Bibs who is 8 weeks. I also picked up a 15lb bag of Orijen Puppy kibble and a small bag of Nature's Variety Instinct w/ Raw Boost.

I got these because they seem to be highly recommended, but later I read that puppy food is not good for corgis due to speed of bone growth?

It also seems that everyone has their own opinion of whether Orijen is good for puppies (corgis) or not, but no one is throwing up any statistics or science papers to back up claims.

The vet said Orijen is a great food and not to worry. Am I worrying too much? Can I go through these bags without worrying about my dog?

What should I be looking for in a dog food for corgi pups? Protein? Calcium to phosphorus? What should the levels be for our dogs?

I have looked at the adult, large breed puppy, Acana puppy, Acana adult etc, and they all seem to be pretty similar in analysis.

BTW her poops have been the same since we got her. Pretty solid, slightly wet on the outside. I don't know what they should look like. She also seems to like it although she is fed 1/2 a cup 2x a day and leaves a little each time, which is fine since it is pretty rich food right?

Thanks and I would love it if you could please give some stats to back up claims since right now it seems there are two evenly split camps on the subject.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on October 14, 2015 at 7:25pm

Hi Kevin, the best thing to do is read the FAQ on top, do your own research and then work with your own budget. There are licensed professionals that can advise you on food as well. Popular opinion are just opinions, pay attention to Recalls and you will be fine. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on October 14, 2015 at 7:46pm

Lots of people say puppies shouldn't have too high a protein content, but then others say it's not the protein but the mineral balance. I don't have the stats to back any of that up and unfortunately for all of us, dog food studies are not easy to find and most are done by a couple big companies (Iam's, Science Diet, Purina) and look at specific ingredients. For instance, I think that Iam's was the company that discovered DHA is important to be added to puppy food (and food for the nursing bitch).

My own breeder recommended using a large breed puppy formula, since Corgis develop more like large breeds than small.

As far as poops, they will change a bit as she grows, teeths, etc. Big thing is to make sure you have a stool sample since quite a few pups test positive for Coccidia. If that is clear and she's going regularly and it's not runny, I wouldn't worry.

Good luck. Don't overthink it. Do what makes sense for you and then don't worry too much.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on October 14, 2015 at 7:52pm

Here's a pretty well-documented article on the subject:

http://www.vcaspecialtyvets.com/ckfinder/userfiles/files/VCAASG_Bre...

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Jacobi on October 14, 2015 at 10:54pm

Beth thank you for the info. That report, while older and by a big company, didn't seem to promote Purina and seems like some good info.

If I read it correctly, high protein didn't seem to have negative affects and as long as the calcium levels were below 3.3% and above .33/59% things seemed to go ok.

Orijen Puppy is a little high in protein at 38%, but calcium is 1.3/1.6 and above the phosphorus levels.

P.S. Bibs was going to leave another 1/3 of her meal again and then I put a little water on it and Bam! the stuff was gone and she was licking the dish and waiting for more. That was the corgi hunger I have been looking for.