Food ???

I'm feeding gizzy royal chin indoor puppy kibble.... He's 5 months old and does great on it... So suggestions ??? Please! I went looking in here but there was too much debate... So details he was born dec 9th 2009, he's un altered, up to date on shots, and is a san diegan! He does well on his kibble but I hear its not good for him

I don't feed any kibble that has grains, chicken or beef in it as those are the most common allergens for dogs in general and pugs particularly. I feed only a no grain kibble (this includes no flax seed) to my foster dogs. My own dogs are raw fed.

There are some great no grain kibbles out there:
Orijen and Acana
Wellness Core
Taste of the Wild
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet
Fromm's Surf and Turf

There are others that I can't remember the names of. I think that most of the Royal Canin breed specific diets are a gimmick. If you look at the ingredients of the different choices, there's really not much difference. I think it's more about marketing than nutrition.

My foster Daisy is on a grain-free kibble, Canine Caviar.

My own 3 pugs are on Honest Kitchen, which is dehydrated raw. Currently, they are on Keen, which does have grains (oatmeal), but, none of them has allergies, and so I feel comfortable with the amount of grains they are getting. Daisy gets the Honest Kitchen Embark, which is grain free too, in the evening.

You would be surprised about between the difference of doing good on food, and doing really good on food. My guys were doing just fine on thier kibble, Holistic Select, and I was / am very happy with it.....but, man, switching them to Honest Kitchen....now, I can see a dramatic difference in thier coat, their energy, thier bright eyes, everything. I'm not saying the kibble was bad - it wasn't. But, it is still a big difference making the jump from kibble to raw.

OMG Thank you, expense is not an issue i just want to make sure that I do this process the 100% right way.... (the way northernwitch and her father have been For what it's worth, I've been feeding my dogs raw food for 15 years and not only have I not injured or killed my dogs through my feeding program, I've managed to save several of them from lives of misery from allergies. My father, who was a breeder of dalmatians and great danes, fed his dogs raw food for 40 years.) I get every dog is different, but tradition and time tested are what make me feel more a ease... You are both very helpful! Thank you

So now the question is what one is right for growing gizzy ???

It's a pretty personal choice. My current foster puppy is 8 months old and came to me when he was five months old. I put him on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream and he's done very well. I also had Wellness Canned food to it as I want him to get as much protein as I can. He was very thin when he came to me.

Some dogs do great on one kibble and not another. I've mostly used Orijen, but that didn't work for Pippin so I tried Acana--again, didn't work for him (Huge messy poops). He's done great on Taste of the Wild.

You have to experiment a bit with kibble, I have found. And usually there will be some loose stools in the first two weeks of a switch over.

As I said, I'm a pretty committed raw feeder and my Tank can't eat any kibble due to his extensive allergies. I don't think kibble is the worst thing in world (although there are some bad ones out there--like Ol' Roy), but raw has worked for my permanent dogs very well.

Your Gizzy is old enough that you could put him on any of the kibbles. He's not really needing puppy food any longer. And most of the no grain kibbles are so complete that they are fine for a puppy of 5 months or older.

Thurston started out on Royal Canin Puppy but I switched him to raw between 6 and 7 months. He's almost 3 now and I've never seen a healthier pug! Weight management is a breeze and he's rarely had any allergy issues (he had a paw-licking issue last year but that was due to something on the grass in a public park). He's never had an ear infection either.

When I got Kimchi, she was a bit of a mess. She had horrible fur, teeth and a nasty ear infection. I put her on raw immediately (she had absolutely NO trouble with a sudden transition). She hasn't had a reoccurance of ear infections and her coat is now soft and amazing.

I feed prepared, frozen raw that is defrosted. I switch between brands (Primal and Nature's Variety) and switch the protein source regularly. You SHOULD switch the protein source to prevent the development of allergies to the protein. I get bison, rabbit, venison, chicken, beef, duck and lamb. I add a spoonful of canned pumpkin at every meal along with a scoop of non-fat plain yogurt and Missing Link with Glucosamine. (Both dogs have had LP surgery and Thurston has hip dysplasia). The Missing Link supplement also helps their shedding. Pugs are usually horrible shedding machines, but neither of my dogs shed much except for a bout of shedding when the weather starts to warm up.

I will warn you, vets don't seem to be on board with raw food. I have just stopped arguing with them in general. If my food choice keeps them out of his office, that's good for me. He charges me $100 just to walk through his door! I think he sees me and visions of Tahiti appear before his eyes.

One other thing to consider: Of the three types of food, kibble packs the least nutritional punch. There is much more processing involved with kibble. Canned is next best, nutritionally with raw being best. The myth of about kibble cleaning their teeth is just that - a myth. Brushing, good chews like bully sticks and food additives designed to reduce plaque are the way to go for dental hygiene.

Lisa - what is, and where can I get Missing Link?? I think I need that for my puggies. Ichiro has had LP, and is starting to get arthritis.

If gizzy is a healthy pug with no underlying health issues that you know of, then any good quality, grain-free food should be fine. The ones that Blanche listed are great foods.

At five to six months is a good time to switch from a puppy food to adult food. Just watch the portions. Does anyone remember the calories to weight guidelines? I know Alice posted them once but I can't remember what they are. Do NOT feed the recommended portion on the bag of dog food -- it's way too much to feed a pug. I think the general rule of thumb at that age is 1/2 cup twice a day but someone please correct be because I could be completely off base.

I know that there are a lot of proponents of raw food here. I do believe in the advantages in raw food, but it is certainly a commitment in terms of storage, preparation, and overall food safety. We still feed kibble because my husband and I have terrible kitchen habits and frankly aren't clean enough to feed raw in a way that will keep the humans safe. But if you are disciplined about the way you store and feed raw, it's an excellent option.

I can't add much to what anyone else has said. There are some very knowledgeable folks here.

Just for reference-Mac is 1-ish and very high energy-He eats 1/2 cup twice a day of Honest Kitchen. LuLu is 4 and gets 1/3 cup twice a day of HK.

www.dogfoodanalysis.com might be a good website to check out if kibble or canned is the way you go.

Also, Maryjo posted this the other day http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ It's a lot of information, but very important.

Renee wrote:Lisa - what is, and where can I get Missing Link?? I think I need that for my puggies. Ichiro has had LP, and is starting to get arthritis.

Better pet stores usually carry it. I'm not sure what your selection of stores is in Alaska. Here's their web site and a store locater.

The rule of thumb that Alice always posted was 30 calories per pound of body weight (more for growing puppies, but I don't remember how much more), but that's too much for my guys.

The Dog Food Project is an excellent source. I know Sabine and have taken a few nutrition training courses from her. She is incredible knowledgeable (but very realistic)

One other gain free food:
Before Grains (made my Merick). There are only three flavors of kibble - chicken, salmon and buffalo - but they have more options in canned including a tripe.

Penny was on Natural Balance when I got her, and I switched her to grain-free about three years ago. I switch brands about every 6 months, and she has done very very well on Orijen, Taste of the Wild, and Before Grains. She had some trouble with the Fromm, though. Her coat is black velvet (no kidding), and she has more energy and spunk on grain-free. I think she is a poster child for grain-free.

Mine has been on Orijen and has done really well. just make sure to read ingredients and know what you are feeding your little one :)

Best answers ever I'm thinking of going HK :) you are all amazing thank you

I agree with most of what everyone has said here. One option that has not been mentioned, is home cooked. It is also a healthy way to go. All 9 of my pugs are on grain free home cooked, and they have never been better. It is pretty economical, doesn`t really take a lot of time either. I cook up abput 3 days worth at a time, takes about an hour. It also allows you to change up the ingredients to suit your particular circumstances.
Just thought it deserves a mention when discussing feeding options.

Excellent advice all! (Oh how i love this forum!)


All three of mine are fed a pre-made raw diet (won't bother mentioning brands as they're not available in the states) and they're in the best shape ever. They're not overweight, they've got a ton of muscle, clear eyes, i don't even have to clean their ears anymore, they do not have an odour at all (from either end and in between), no tartar on the teeth, tiny itty bitty rabbit pellet sized poops that turn white and go away within 24 hours, TONS of energy, and the coolest thing is they seem to have a forcefield around them that mosquitoes cannot break through! lol!

And what would my post be without a picture!



Izzie invites Gizzy to join the raw bone club!