Feeding/Nutrition

Question
I have a toy poodle that is about to turn 6 months old.  I bought her from The American Dog Club.  The guy at the store sent me home with Precise Puppy Kibble and Wing Lang wet food.  He told me to give her the wet food and when we finished the case to put her on the dry food; however, the vet put her on Pro Plan wet food 2x day.  I've been told that Pro Plan has no nutritional value & the kibble is better for her teeth.  I've been slowly weening her off the kibble; mixing a bit of the wet with more kibble.  I'm down to the last bit of wet and still unsure of putting her on strictly kibble.  I've been to every website and can't seem to find the right answer!  I tried asking the vet but he didn't seem to have any particular answer as to what is better for the dog. She is only 5 1/2 lbs.
Please provide your best nutritional advice for my dog!
Thanks.

Answer
Reliable information on dog nutrition is hard to come by.  Who else except the dog food companies has the resources to do controlled studies?  Can we trust them?  If not, who can we trust?  I trust the dog guide school I volunteer for. They have thousands of dogs in their program, breeding records, health records including X-rays at a year old, and the incentive to find out what is best and let those caring for their dogs know.  What do they feed?  Dry Pro Plan chicken and rice.  Other service dog schools feed similar chows, Iam's, or Eukanuba.  I know of thousands of dogs leading long, active lives on those chows.  When they have to retire, it costs the price of a nice car to train replacements.  Cutting corners on food would be stupid.  

Jumping around from one protein source to the next can create problems later if she develops food allergies.  The dry kibble helps the teeth, jaws, and breath. I would stick to the kibble you are feeding now.  If she won't eat it, cut back a little on what you are feeding.  If it still is a problem, get back to me.

Much of the bad mouthing of chows like Pro Plan starts with people selling more expensive chows.  It is very appealing to people convinced you get what you pay for.  I have challenged people time after time to provide me objective data proving the premium chows are better.  Nobody ever has tried.  

My 6 month old Nita is going to be unhappy with me tonight.  No dinner, none at all.  I have been cutting back on it and will only be feeding her in the morning now.  Likely that is Ok for smaller dogs too if more convenient for you.  She has been on adult chow for about 2 months now.  In the larger breeds, an early switch to adult chow promotes slower growth and stronger joints.  When you do switch to adult chow, try to stick as close to the puppy chow as you can.  Make the change over a week.