Food Suggestions?

I will be bringing home a Pug in a few weeks and I was wondering what type of food you guys would recommend for her. She will be between 11 and 12 weeks when I bring her home and I want to keep her food as consistent as possible. I'm not sure what the breeder is currently feeding her, I plan on asking during my next visit, but I want her to be on a good dog food but not too expensive (somewhere in the middle range on price) I have access to a PetSmart and a Petland near me, as well as a Wal-Mart. Also I was wondering if the semi hard food that comes in individual packages would be a good choice for her, since the food is already portioned out. Thanks in advance!

Also if there is any other stuff you'd recommend I have on hand when I get her, I'd really appreciate any advice. :)

Food can be a hot topic with dog owners--I'll warn you in advance.

Avoid the vet diets--Hill's, Science Diet, Medi-Cal, Royal Canin--even if the breeder has been feeding them. They are loaded with grains and usually use not great protein.

Look for companies like Orijen, Acana (Orijen and Acan are made by the same company) Wellness, Now, Go, Merrick's, etc. You should try to go grain-free, but at the very least, no corn, wheat or soy.

Also ignore the portion amounts on any of the dog food bags--they are always too high. You will likely need to feed your puppy 3 or 4 times a day.

There's already a ton of information on this site about puppies and raising them. Check out the sticky on house training and the sticky called "puppies can be frustrating" as well as the sticky titled "What the books didn't tell you about pugs".

Welcome to the forum. If you haven't already, please go to the introduction section and introduce yourself to us!

I'm Blanche and I live in Canada with my two pugs, my shih tzu, my foster pug and my two cats.

My guys like and do well on Natural Balance, which is a midpriced dog food available at Petco, but not Petsmart. It's not the super-duper-best-ever, but it's a good food. Their regular line (which I think is called Ultra Premium) isn't grain-free, but does not contain corn, wheat, or soy, like Blanche suggested avoiding. They also has a line of limited-ingredient diets which often work well for dogs with allergies, which all contain one protein and use potatoes or sweet potatoes as their main carb source. That line is grain-free.

The best at Petsmart is Blue Buffalo. It's pretty much the only one there worth feeding. Though Natural Balance works for some Pugs, there just isn't enough meat in there for my liking therefore i don't usually recommend it especially for puppies.

I'm not sure what Petland has down there but Petlands up here in Canada carry Orijen and Acana. If price is an issue, Acana would be your best bet. Though even on Orijen you shouldn't be feeding much (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup per DAY) so it's not really that expensive when you break it down.

Stay away from anything from Walmart, nothing there is worth your money or worth your Pug's health.

Go to the following sites and check their store locator, heck you can even call the companies. There should be somewhere on there carrying the food near you or you could order it online (and most companies now have cheap or free shipping too!)

Orijen/Acana (1st Choice)
http://www.championpetfoods.com/where-to-buy/

Go!/Now!
http://petcurean.com/dealer_location2.php

Wellness
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/store-locator.aspx

Solid Gold
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/storefinder.php

Merrick's
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/locator/

Nature's Variety
http://www.naturesvariety.com/locator

Innova, Evo, California Natural (look into these guys last, i'm not a fan since they sold out to Proctor and Gamble)
http://www.naturapet.com/where-to-buy/

Also good resources:
Ingredient Dictionary - http://www.tailblazerspets.com/tailblazers_ingredients_index.html
What you do NOT want in your dogs food - http://www.tailblazerspets.com/tailblazers_nastysubstances.html
Advertising and Ingredients - http://www.tailblazerspets.com/analysis/index.htm


ETA: Also for things you need, get a clicker and find a training class using the clicker. It is by far the best and easiest way to train dogs (all dogs). It sets up your dog for future success whether you want them to just be a pet or want them to go on to compete in Rally, Obedience, Agility, Flyball, Freestyle, etc.

I have had success with Natural Balance for a former foster that had allergies. I used their Limited Ingredient Diet.

I use Wellness, if I need a kibble or wet food, for my own pugs and fosters that don't have allergies.

Otherwise, I feed a combination of The Honest Kitchen and raw.

You can learn a lot about dog food by going through the multitude of information available at The Truth About Pet Food website. Great stuff there.

They sell Wellness at petsmart now. It is highish priced but when it comes to dog food sold at a big box it is the best. Newman's Own is also a decent brand if Wellness is not an option. It is completely organic, the only downside is it has a ton of grain.

This stuff is a pretty good deal as well. You order it but shipping is free and the price is not that bad. http://www.flintriver.com/catalog.asp

Thank you all for your feedback! I found a store through the store finders that carries most of these brands so I am going to go check them out and see some prices within the next week or so.

Funny that you posted this cause I was going to as well. We feed Ollie Royal Canin but I dont feel like she likes it. Some times she looks at it like this crap again. The vet suggested feeding her Royal Canin puppy cause it would help her gain weight since she was the littlest of the litter. But I really want to change it. Is there something you would suggest adding or changeing it too? I dont want to do a raw diet cause I have problems with touching raw meats. I dont want her to gain weight either shes very active and weighs 15 lbs.

Dboardman wrote:

This stuff is a pretty good deal as well. You order it but shipping is free and the price is not that bad. http://www.flintriver.com/catalog.asp

I feed Flint River food to my 2 pugs and lab. I feed the lamb/rice/millet. My older pug Toby has a very sensitive tummy and most food has him throwing up. I found this in my research and have had no problems with it at all. At first, I tried to feed just him the l/r/m and feed FJ and the lab Flint River's regular kibble. It is easier just to feed them all the same thing. And they all do well with it. I love that it's delivered right to my door. And you can sign up for an e-mail reminder notice. I think they have an automatic delivery program also.

I feed Phoebe Natures Variety the Prairie formula. She seems to love it. You can only find it in the specialty stores, but there are many stores in my area that carry it. Naturesvariety.com is their website. I rotate between flavors with Phoebe as well. She has 2 that she really likes and I just switch it up every time I buy a bag. oh and I think most of the stores can give you free samples of it. which is how I found that Phoebe loves it. They gave me a few little sample bags (basically 1/2 cup in a bag) for me to take home for her to try. I thought that was nice that the company does this.

pugfish wrote:Funny that you posted this cause I was going to as well. We feed Ollie Royal Canin but I dont feel like she likes it. Some times she looks at it like this crap again. The vet suggested feeding her Royal Canin puppy cause it would help her gain weight since she was the littlest of the litter. But I really want to change it. Is there something you would suggest adding or changeing it too? I dont want to do a raw diet cause I have problems with touching raw meats. I dont want her to gain weight either shes very active and weighs 15 lbs.

I'm not sure which Royal Canin you feed, but these are the ingredients for Royal Canin Puppy 33. I'll state upfront that I think Royal Canin is not a good food. Vets recommend it because they sell it at their offices, not because they know much about canine nutrition.
I've highlighted the ingredients that are worrisome to me:

Chicken meal, rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, dried egg powder, brown rice, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural flavors, wheat gluten, dried brewers yeast, rice hulls, anchovy oil (source of EPA/ DHA), potassium chloride, sodium silico aluminate, flax seed, salt, fructo-oligosaccharides, calcium carbonate, salmon meal, taurine, brewers yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), choline chloride, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C*), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], marigold extract (Calendula officinalis L.), trace minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite] , preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid, rosemary extract.

The only protein is the chicken meal. You can do better than this for your dog.

Bottom line, what you save in food costs you spend at the vets, in my experience.....

Amen to what Blanche said. Penny is on grain-free - we alternate Taste of the Wild and Orijen ever 4-6 months or so. Whenever she gets wheat, she gets a yeast and bacterial ear infection. $$$$$ When she gets corn or soy, she has gas that blows out the windows and knocks me off the sofa. Other than her current mild pancreatitis, she is in very good health for a 13-14 year old pug. And she is getting better really fast. Good food is worth its weight in gold - you feed less (Penny gets 1/8 cup twice a day with pumpkin and yogurt and salmon oil), and the pug does better. And there are side benefits - Penny's fur is black velvet. No kidding.

BTW, is that your soon-to-be puggie in your avatar? Adorable! Male or female? Be warned, black pug girls are divas who rule with an iron paw.

Yes, that is my Pug! Her name is Miss Piggy Pugabear AKA Piglet. I went to the pet store, that I mentioned before, today and I was in a hurry when I went in so I couldn't look at all the food they had, but I did find the Arcana and the Orijen. I almost thought they were way out of my price range until I realized that the price tag on the shelf I was looking at also had an arrow pointing down to the big bags underneath. I think I will be going with Arcana to begin with and will see how she does with that though. I really appreciate all the good advice, I never realized there was so much stuff to take into consideration when purchasing dog food so I am very glad I asked.

She gets the pug formula now since she is little ove r a year. We went to the store yesterday and I was looking at the brands you suggusted and they seem to be the same price as the royal canin. She had an ear infection a few weeks ago I didnt think anything of it being her food we have pet insurance so her vet is paid for in the monthly bill we get, I took her in and they never said anything about it could have been her food. I will be changeing for food, now which one is something I should get? She doesnt have any allergies shes just a picky little girl. I do know petco and petsmart carry for the most part all of the brands you named and you can return them if your dog wont eat them.

pugfish wrote:She gets the pug formula now since she is little ove r a year. We went to the store yesterday and I was looking at the brands you suggusted and they seem to be the same price as the royal canin. She had an ear infection a few weeks ago I didnt think anything of it being her food we have pet insurance so her vet is paid for in the monthly bill we get, I took her in and they never said anything about it could have been her food. I will be changeing for food, now which one is something I should get? She doesnt have any allergies shes just a picky little girl. I do know petco and petsmart carry for the most part all of the brands you named and you can return them if your dog wont eat them.

She may not have allergies now, but the most common age for dogs to develop them is age two. And the Medi-Cal Pug formula is mostly marketing. If you look at the ingredients in the Pug formula and the ingredients for, say, the Golden Retriever, you will see VERY little difference.

and you are right--the Medi-Cal is not cheap. You can afford to do better. as to what to get--get one of the no grains formulas and I would stay away from chicken and beef. Those tend to be the two most common protein allergies.

I was looking at Nature's Recipe Farm Stand Selects Vegetarian Recipe and Blue Buffalo Life Protection Weight Control Chicken & Brown Rice Formula,,,,Good,Bad?

pugfish wrote:I was looking at Nature's Recipe Farm Stand Selects Vegetarian Recipe and Blue Buffalo Life Protection Weight Control Chicken & Brown Rice Formula,,,,Good,Bad?

I have to say....I don't think a vegetarian diet is meant for dogs. I understand humans that are vegetarians - completely. But, I don't think it is nutrionally correct for dogs.

As for the other formula, the Blue Buffalo, I would recommend trying for a different protein source than chicken. And, unless you have weight concerns, I would not think you would need to use a weight control formula.

For my fosters I have always used either Wellness Super Complete Mix, the one that uses fish as the protein source, or I used Natural Balance LID Fish and Sweet Potato formula.

For my own pugs, I use The Honest Kitchen. This is fantastic food, and it is human grade!

I have done a lot of research (and am still not even close to done) on figuring out the best diet and what to and not to add. If you have about an extra hours straight a month that you can put aside for your pup you can do raw for the same or less than the price that you pay for kibble. I use Pugpillows recipe posted on the forums to make Lola's food. I switch the protein source everytime I make a batch and I have to make more every 3-4 weeks. Between shopping at Costco and buying whole items and shopping at my local farmers market I get everything I need at around 20 bucks per batch. The start up cost to switch to raw will run you about 60-70 bucks for supplements and things but once you have it all you wont have to buy it again for a long time. I would like to suggest looking into it as its really the best food you can feed your pug. Just be sure to shop savvy and remember keep a price in your head that you want to spend and stick to it.

Just to let you know you kind of need a strong stomach to prepare this stuff, it can be a little stinky.

Lola's current food is..

1.5 lbs Mackeral, 1.5 lbs Chicken necks, 2 lbs Whiting, 1 lb Misc Meat from my trimmings (Beef, Pork, Chicken trimmings from me cutting our meat), Apple Cider Vinegar, Chicken Livers/Beef Heart, Green Beans, Carrots, Spinach, Lettuce, Ground Kelp, Coconut Oil, Parsley, Garlic (VERY little), Then I add either Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, or Yogurt to each meal.

She goes nuts for it. When I started I bought 40 4oz ziploc bowls for storing. I make it to where the batches overlap about a week so that the stuff can get a really good freeze on it before serving it. You will need a food processor and a grinder or just replace the bone in stuff with bone meal. I grind the fish whole heads, fins and everything else. The recipe that Pugpillow came up with is just about perfect and if you do raw over kibble you know 100% what your dog is eating and where it came from.

Also I don't want to knock dog foods that use Human Grade meat or anything. But I cut meat for a living and I see what human grade meat can look like on a daily basis. We sale Choice or higher grade meat and we still get stuff in from time to time that you would not want to eat. Cows and Pigs both come in with cancer and other tumors in the meat. Now if that can happen at large food establishment what kind of meat do you think dog food places are getting from the human grade distributors. There is only about 3-4 main companies for meat and it happens with all of them. It isn't an everyday thing for us to get in a piece of meat that has a 5 lb tumor in it but it happens enough for me to really watch the meat that I buy and look for signs of a growth being cut out of it. This mixed with reading and learning everything from these forums and the two Raw meaty Bones books is what has set my mind to raw feeding.

Personal Pet Peeve rant: Weight control formulas drive me nuts. Just like with us, pug weight is about portions and exercise. Calories in and calories out. The only dog I feed a reduced fat diet to is my current foster due to her gall stone. Wellness makes an okay reduced fat kibble--still is largely chicken based, but there aren't alot of choices when you have a dog that needs low fat/high protein and can't eat raw. And dogs aren't vegetarian and were never meant to be vegetarian. this is a human construct that should not be applied to canids.

When I feed kibble, my dogs get no more than 1/3 cup twice a day and most of the time get 1/4 cup.

northernwitch wrote:Personal Pet Peeve rant: Weight control formulas drive me nuts. Just like with us, pug weight is about portions and exercise. Calories in and calories out. The only dog I feed a reduced fat diet to is my current foster due to her gall stone. Wellness makes an okay reduced fat kibble--still is largely chicken based, but there aren't alot of choices when you have a dog that needs low fat/high protein and can't eat raw. And dogs aren't vegetarian and were never meant to be vegetarian. this is a human construct that should not be applied to canids.

When I feed kibble, my dogs get no more than 1/3 cup twice a day and most of the time get 1/4 cup.

I don't know if it'll work for you but Acana makes a Light and Fit which is 35% protein and 10% fat. It's still a good quality Acana formula, so that may be an option. I like it better than anything wellness.

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=lf

MandyPug wrote:

northernwitch wrote:Personal Pet Peeve rant: Weight control formulas drive me nuts. Just like with us, pug weight is about portions and exercise. Calories in and calories out. The only dog I feed a reduced fat diet to is my current foster due to her gall stone. Wellness makes an okay reduced fat kibble--still is largely chicken based, but there aren't alot of choices when you have a dog that needs low fat/high protein and can't eat raw. And dogs aren't vegetarian and were never meant to be vegetarian. this is a human construct that should not be applied to canids.

When I feed kibble, my dogs get no more than 1/3 cup twice a day and most of the time get 1/4 cup.

I don't know if it'll work for you but Acana makes a Light and Fit which is 35% protein and 10% fat. It's still a good quality Acana formula, so that may be an option. I like it better than anything wellness.

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=lf

Thanks Amanda. It's something to consider. I've done okay with the Wellness Core stuff, actually. I've had a couple of dogs that did better on it than on Orijen which surprised me alot. I truly like Taste of the Wild, but until they get rid of the ethoxyquin, I can't risk using it.

Wellness was also something I was looking at. Guess I will try that one. Id like to do a raw diet BUT I really dont have time to make her food like that since we do have a baby on the way and all. I know it sounds greedy but I plan on breast feeding the baby. So wellness seems like a good choice by most.

A couple of things to keep in mind about food:

Of the three types of food; kibble, canned and raw, kibble has the least amount of nutrition per serving. There is usually quite a bit of starch added which is necessary to get the food through the extruder and into those little shapes. It is also the most convenient way to feed. The best kibble is still better than a can of Alpo. While a good quality kibble is higher in price, your dog will probably need less of the food (than a supermarket brand) because they are getting what they need nutritionally from a smaller amount of better food.

Canned is the next best nutritionally packed choice and raw is the best choice for pure nutrition. Prepared raw frozen and dehydrated raw are convenient ways of feeding raw if you don't have time to make raw food yourself.


Also, contrary to popular belief, it is MUCH better to change your dogs food on a regular basis. Whether it is every week or so, or different foods at different meals, your dog will be less likely to develop allergies, ear infections, skin problems, etc if the protein source is changed on a regular basis. Whatever food you choose, make sure the brand offers several protein sources that you can alternate between. Eating the same thing every day is not nutritionally good for a dog - nor would it be good for us.

I have been very lucky with my 2 on their raw diet. Their coat is wonderful, they have never had ear infections, they don't itch because of food allergies and they have both been really healthy. (Now, if only Kimchi could stay out of fights....) I pay for good food up front so I don't have to pay enormous vet bills in the future. Or, rather, so my vet bills are a bit less enormous.

Not Afraid wrote:
Also, contrary to popular belief, it is MUCH better to change your dogs food on a regular basis. Whether it is every week or so, or different foods at different meals, your dog will be less likely to develop allergies, ear infections, skin problems, etc if the protein source is changed on a regular basis. Whatever food you choose, make sure the brand offers several protein sources that you can alternate between. Eating the same thing every day is not nutritionally good for a dog - nor would it be good for us.

So true!!

I'll just throw my 2 cents in here...

I feed Yoda Ziwi Peak, and its FANTASTIC !!!!!! His coat is beautiful and silky soft, his farts are nothing like when he wasn't on Ziwi, his poops and tummy are healthy !
http://www.ziwipeak.com/nzl/home.shtml

Have a look, good research is all you need !

I feed Yoda veggies/fruit and cheese as treats, which he goes bonkers for !