Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on December 11, 2011 at 4:42pm

There are many great foods out there and many opinions on food. I feed my pups and adults  Canidea(all life stages) and Taste of the Wild (salmon for the pups as it's lower protein) these are both all life stages. If you do feed a "puppy food" you will need to feed the large breed puppy food as the small breed has too high of protein and since corgis don't finish growing till between 18-24 months a small dog breed puppy is not good.

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Permalink Reply by iulia on December 11, 2011 at 4:48pm

Jane, 

 

Thank you for the pointer on large breed puppy food vs small breed. I had no idea about that difference! I would have been inclined to get the small breed kind assuming it's only about the kibble size! I've still got a lot to learn, apparently  even after months of research!

I have also noticed Canidea mentioned in many many posts throughout the dog-food discussions here and it seems to be a great choice! I will add it to my list of options. 

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on December 11, 2011 at 5:29pm

I agree with Jane.  I did not know that corgis should be treated as a big-breed due to joint issues.  Luckily, I had Seanna on an all-stages food when she was a puppy.  Name of it was Trilogy...it was great, they loved it, but it got too expensive to order.  

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on December 11, 2011 at 5:46pm

We live in the boonies but my vet actually carries both. They had one and offered to order the other. Canidea is the more reasonable prices one around here.

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Permalink Reply by iulia on December 11, 2011 at 6:03pm

I have been browsing various pets stores locally (not the greatest selection in a small town) and then I turned to Amazon.com. Surprisingly enough, I was able to find a great variety of the high quality brands and  they are $5-$10 cheaper than what they would be at the store (same exact product - same goes for treats, toys, etc). Some products even qualify for free delivery. It's a great deal if you think of it - the ability to browse online, read user reviews, order online, have it shipped free and not having to haul around heavy bags of food. I was able to find Canidea, Artemis and Go! as well as numerous other brands that had good reviews and/or recommended here on the site.

It sounds like the all-stages choice would be the way to go then. Probably a good idea to mix it in with what she was fed at the breeder's in order to make the transition process easier, right?

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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 11, 2011 at 6:51pm

Personally I would still feed a large-breed puppy food.   That's what we did on the advice of the breeder.  It is up to you but if you feed all-life stages, make sure there are sufficient levels of DHA (an Omega-3 fatty acid) that is essential for optimal brain development.   Meat-based adult kibbles frequently don't have it, or don't have enough of it (it comes from fish meal).  Puppy foods add it at the recommended levels.   

http://www.thebarkersdozen.com/wordpress/2011/03/benefits-of-dha-fo...

http://www.drs4pets.com/article/41

http://www.exceptionalcanine.com/pawsperouspetsweb/ca/active_dog/dh...

I know Iam's is often looked down upon, but it was researchers at Iam's/Eukanuba who did the primary research on this with dogs, and it is almost exclusively the big pet food companies that continue to do the majority of research on optimal nutrition.  

http://www.iams.com/pet-health/dog-article/dha-docosahexaenoic-acid

The results are pretty impressive and correlate with what we see in humans (and DHA is, I believe, now a required additive to human baby formula).  I am repeatedly surprised when people who feed home-made (raw or cooked) diets feed their pups and don't include this nutrient, considering all the research.  

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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 11, 2011 at 6:55pm

Specifically, the two brands you posted have very high protein levels which is the very reason why you should not feed small-breed puppy foods.   I would feed a much lower protein food to a growing puppy or you can end up with joint problems.  So do be careful and remember that what might be acceptable for an adult quite likely may not be for a puppy. I'd look for protein levels closer to the mid-20's til maturity at least. 

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on December 11, 2011 at 7:06pm

Beth is right with the protein levels that is why I feed the salmon Taste of the Wild and the Canidea all life stages. They both have levels at around 24%. TOTW has some as high as 32%. I also add some [plain organic yogurt to my pups food.

 

You are right...I would wait a week to start and then start with 25% of the new or less...please do this over at least 10 days so you don't have the pup get sick and have to start over.

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Permalink Reply by iulia on December 11, 2011 at 7:14pm

Gooooood to know about the high levels of protein! I guess there is such a thing as too much protein. Is the grain-free still a good idea for a puppy? It seems that there are other good sources of carbs in these grain-free foods. The salmon TOTW is probably a good source of DHA! I will have to look into that one. I've been going back and reading more reviews on Canidea too and I'm liking that particular option more and more. Jane, is the yogurt for the probiotic cultures it contains, helping with digestion and such? 

What about eggs and various types of fruit? I think I remember seeing some posts about apples, celery, bananas? 

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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 11, 2011 at 7:43pm

I would change foods over about 2 weeks or so, especially if you are changing both the protein source and the carb source.

Grain-free vs traditional is purely up to you.  Some dogs do better on one, some on the other.  My only advice is don't be married to one idea over the other and go by what is good for YOUR dog.  Dogs have been living on human cast-offs for tens of thousands of years and are highly adaptable to different diets.  I've seen posters who had dogs who did fantastic on one food and then they found out that grains are "bad" (they aren't especially) and switched from one grain free to another to another only to have their dog have consistent signs of gastro problems (soft stool, smelly gas, etc). All I can think is "Switch back to what they did good on!" but again people get very attached to an idea and will stick with it even if the dog isn't doing well.   So be open-minded.  As long as you follow the following rules, you should do well:

1) Puppy food OR all life stages til somewhere b/n 6 months and 1 year.

2) Modest (25% or so, a few points higher or lower is ok) protein at least until dog is mature.

3) Primary protein source should be a named meat/fish OR a named meat/fish meal, rather than corn gluten meal or soy meal or some such thing.   Vegetable sources of protein are not complete.  

4) All switches should be done slowly.

I give my own dogs some scrambled egg about once a week or so.  They also enjoy add-ins of plain yogurt, cottage cheese, and tinned fishes (salmon, sardines, mackerel) on a rotating basis, as well as green beans or pumpkin if they are on a diet.  I might stay away from the tinned fishes til pup is done growing though, just because it might throw off protein and calcium levels (since tinned fish has bones in it).    

Yogurt is good for the probiotics, and is also an easily digestible source of protein.  Just go easy with pups because of the calcium.  For puppies, I do know that calcium/phosphorous ratios are important. I just don't know what those ratios should be.  

http://zooclub.ru/eng/dogs/korm/10.shtml

It's all very complicated and part of the reason why so many treats for dogs say "Not recommended for puppies under 6 months old."   For that reason, even though bananas and things are great treats for adult dogs, I personally avoided much except for regular food and dog treats that say "ok for growing puppies" on the label til my puppy was an adult.  Potassium for instance is abundant in bananas and some other veggies and fruits, and can interfere with calcium absorption.  

The other thing to remember is this:  the single biggest health issue of pet dogs in this country has nothing to do with diet, and that includes pets fed Kibbles n' Bits or some similar lower-quality food.  The single biggest dietary problem of pets is overfeeding.   Corgis are one of the breeds especially prone to obesity.  Corgis do have hips.  :-)    You'd never know it to see a lot of them. 

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on December 11, 2011 at 10:16pm

I always have given my dogs apples and other fruits in tiny bits. Carrotts partially cooked is good also actually Wynn loves broccoli too..NEVER feed raisens,grapes or onions.You can make your own puppy treats that are healthier than many.

 As Beth said the main food for a Corgi should be the correct amount and the amount on the bag is never correct but way too much. As a pup she will eat more and then by 6 months or so you will be needing to feed less. My adults get 1 handful 3 times a day which is roughly 1 1/4 cups. As Beth said an egg once a week is good also and it can be cooked or raw. As for the yogurt I started this with Wynn my 1st Corgi and have kept it up for the 1st 6 months and now use it once a week for a special treat. Honestly I read it somewhere and I think it was due to the probiotics.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 11, 2011 at 10:31pm

I give mine yogurt regularly too.  I think once or twice a week would be fine even for a young pup. I'd just probably not give add-ins with a pup as much as I do with my adults; they get stuff more days than not and with a little one I'd be afraid of putting things out of balance!  

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