Puppy Food Help?? Canned or Kibble?
Pancake had been on canned I/D diet for more than a month now. Although she had been doing really well on it, she is not really growing or gaining weight like she should be. I tried to switch her to Eagle Pack Holistic kibble and she started throwing up all her food, so we went back to the I/D. The Vet suggested to keep her on only wet food, because she doesn't have enough teeth to chew her kibble, she just swallows it making it hard for her to digest.
Now I am trying to transition her to Merrick's Puppy Plate (Canned) hoping it has more nutrition.. (mixing it with I/D).
My concern is that Merrick's canned food is reallly moist! Right now mixing it with I/D is alright, but i am afraid that if i switch it to 100% Merrick's, she will get diarreah.
Any suggestions on what to do? what to mix it with? Or other dog food brands?
Thanks!
She is 4 months and only 8 lbs! She hasn't been growing in the past few weeks at all.
Now I am trying to transition her to Merrick's Puppy Plate (Canned) hoping it has more nutrition.. (mixing it with I/D).
My concern is that Merrick's canned food is reallly moist! Right now mixing it with I/D is alright, but i am afraid that if i switch it to 100% Merrick's, she will get diarreah.
Any suggestions on what to do? what to mix it with? Or other dog food brands?
Thanks!
She is 4 months and only 8 lbs! She hasn't been growing in the past few weeks at all.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nicole, Stanley and STELLA! on
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Have you tried soaking the kibble for a while to make it soft? And then when she starts getting more teeth in you can gradually soak it less and less time until she can chew it. I always put water in with Stella's kibble which makes her drink more water and helps with digestion. I don't really soak it for her since she has enough teeth to chew it. I've always fed her Hill's puppy healthy development. I know that some people don't like "brands" but it's worked so far and she seems to be developing well. Also, I always mix other types of food in with her kibble for at least one meal to supplement the dog food. Sometimes I mix in cottage cheese, yogurt, and I also make her a "chicken stew" with boiled chicken, brown rice and either peas, green beans, or sweet potato.
What has your vet said about her growth? Have you expressed concern? It might be that she is just developing more slowly. At a little over 4 months, Stella weighed 12.5 pounds, but the vet also told me that she had developed HALF of her adult teeth! So based on that, maybe little Pancake is just a slow developer. As for the different types of food, I live in a rural area with not many options, so to me, it's more important to supplement. Maybe that would work for you, too.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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what about yogurt...when Wynn was a pup I gave him 1 TBSP of yogurt each am on his food...she could easily lick that up.Also for protien you could give her a raw (or cooked)egg. When I had my pups and before they could eat the dry kibbles I would add milk replacer to make them soft! Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Kelli & Penny on
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I wet down Penny's food with warm water for a while until her adult teeth started coming in. I feed her Wellness Puppy dry with a little bit of Wellness Puppy canned twice a day. She's never had a problem with it.
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Permalink Reply by Boo Buchheit on
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It is hard to imagine that your 4 month old pup does not have enough healthy teeth to eat kibble. I have never given my corgis wet food and they eat just fine. Mine eat Blue Buffalo kibble and before that Purina Puppy Chow kibble. I guess I can't imagine your vet saying she can't eat kibble because of her teeth..?? I have heard some bad things about Merrick food. At 4 months old Leo could chew everything (bones, tree branches, toys and a carpet). Both the boys have strong pretty teeth and neither has ever eaten canned, wet food. I don't mean to lecture and might not know the whole story but this seems odd. At 4 months I would be worried about the 8 lb thing too. Does your vet think she is healthy otherwise?
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Permalink Reply by Irene (and Pancake) on
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The vet said that he thinks the pet store lied about her age, and that she looks only about 3 months. Alot of people said that too. He said she seems pretty healthy.
What bad things have you heard about Merricks? She is starting to have a little loose stool now, and I am wondering if i should continue to go forward with the switch from I/D..
I know having loose stool may just be a part of the transition, but i am worried... Maybe i should have gone with Chicken soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul instead because it seems lighter, with less protein..
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Does yogurt help digest? or pumpkin? I am scared to introduce anything more to his diet...
I am so worried... I hope she won't start getting diarreah and bloody stool again...
My vet said that I could keep her on I/D forever, but i am really skeptical about the nutrition she is getting from it because of her slow growth. 8lbs could just mean that she's a small corgi. I am more worried that she had only gained 2 lbs in the past 5-6 weeks.
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Permalink Reply by Linsey & Grissom on
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I can't imagine why such a young pup has unhealthy teeth?
Canned food tends to have more species-appropriate ingredients, but if you're going to continue with it, be sure you're paying extra attention to oral hygene and brushing his teeth a few times a week.
Most dogs don't do much chewing of their kibble, but if that's the concern, get letting kibble soak for a few minutes before serving. I know a lot of breeders with weaning puppies that use California natural kibbles because it makes good "mush". I also was doing this for my senior dog after he had to have teeth extracted and couldn't chew.
As for the merrick cans, Merrick is a quality food but it has a very long ingredient list. It doesn't sit well with some dogs. A little bit of pure canned pumpkin can help firm up the stools, but it only a temporary fix and not really a long-term solution. If you're wanting to up the quality of the canned food, without the mushy soup texture, Canidae canned food is a VERY similar texture. Also, California natural cans have limited ingredients, but it's pretty good quality, and a thicker consistency. The lamb one is very thick.
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Permalink Reply by Kala Roe on
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At 6weeks a puppy has enough teeth to have strictly hard food. Switching food can cause any dog to have diarrhea if its does just immediatly. You can slowly transition the food over about a week. I/D is a good diet if your puppy has a sensative/allergy type stomach. If your worried about growth Royal Canine makes a great digestive diet called LF that is approved for puppy growth.
There may be another reason your vet is saying keep her on wet food..The vets I work for dont recommend keeping puppies on wet food because it can be difficult to change them back. I hope this helps.
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Thanks for all the input.
From all your comments it seems Merricks won't do since I only gave her a tiny spoonful every meal and she's already having really loose stool with a bit of blood.
I dun think i'll switch her to kibble, since i dun mind the trouble of wet food.
It sounds like there are other wet food with thicker consistency like Canidae i'll definitely look in to. Probably my best solution.
Its weird my vet said that about her teeth and dry food though... I am doubtful about the comment he said about putting her on I/D forever, because that means that I will be buying food from him forever.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Hi!
Who makes the I/D formula? I was not happy when my vet said I had to put my senior dog on one of the veterinarian-prescribed formulas (I had the choice of Hills Science, Iams and Royal Canin). I chose RC but was not really happy about my "choices". I did some research and found a home made recipe for dogs with his condition. I make this for him about half the time and give him the vet food the other half.
Sidney (our young corgi) gets a little canned food with his kibble. He absolutely loves Natural Balance fish and sweet potato, and Blue buffalo salmon and sweet potato. I would also suggest Wellness Canned,and we also have liked Canidae in the past. For his kibble he's done well on both Wellness Super 5 and Blue Buffalo. The suggestion of mixing the kibble with a little warm water is a great idea. And the yogurt or the pumpkin will help his tummy.
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Canned food diets are fine, and tend to be more species-appropriate than most kibbles, BUT if you are going to continue remember to pay extra special attention to the teeth and gum health.
Whaever you feed your pup is your choice, but have you considered seeking a second opinion from another vet? This one sounds a little sketchy,,,,
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I think you're right, I really think i should get a second opinion! For me, I really don't care if i spend more to see a good vet, especially with such a sensitive puppy. So as I was searching for the best vets in the area, you won't believe the raving reviews and refferals I got! I asked people on mycorgi.com, corgi owners from random dog parks, they all referred me to this SAME vet!!
hahah but yea, i can probably benefit from a second opinion
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