reply about 5 month old husky

Question
QUESTION: I use the sweet potato chunks for training purposes.  Lately I've been considering making him dog food from scratch, is it more expensive than dry dog food? When I'm paying $50 for a 33 pound bag of food  I seriously wonder. Should I try a new food for a while on him or should I try feeding him rice and ground turkey until it stops then slowly add a new food to that.

ANSWER: The training treats are fine, just not too many of them. If you do decide to cook for him, then you must learn how to supplement what you cook since home cooking by itself can really be very bad for a dog compared to even commercial foods. People thing that just because they cook for their pets that this is better--not necessarily. Puppies in particular need high fat foods and many vitamins and nutrients and unless you are savvy about this then I wouldn't do it. The same goes for grown dogs. Now if you are going to feed totally raw then you do need some advice on this. I do not do raw in my house but I do buy organic, frozen medallions (Nature's Variety) for my little ones but they are not puppies.

If he is doing well on the food you are using then dont try and fix something that isn't broken. YOu have a big dog and there is no way, if you are going to feed his WELL AND HEALTHILY that you can do this on the cheap. What puppy food are you giving him now?? I Hope it is a high quality one and not a Costco or Sams club special.

What is wrong with your puppy? Does it have diarrhea? Let me tell you this: ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKE NEW PUP OWNERS MAKE IS CONSTANTLY TRYING OUT NEW FOODS. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!! They have delicate digestive systems and thrive on staying on one food. Do not try to fix something that doesn't need fixing ok?? AGAIN, WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING HIM AND WHAT DID i MISS? "until it stops"--until what stops?? If your pup has diarrhea and you are changing his foods around then you are more than likely causing it. I know, been there , done that. Let me know. Sue

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: he gets fed solid gold wolf cub, his body is not agreeing with the food he is on now it just gives him diarrhea. Would it be okay to feed him adult food  now because when he eats my other dogs adult food he has solid stool.

Answer
First of all, Solid Gold, as I FOUND OUT WITH MY PUP, is way too  RICH for most puppy's delicate digestive systems so stop feeding that food...slowly,please or you risk really messing up his tummy. I am now going to pass along a little info I got from my vet plus what I have learned from experience over the years.

ALL DOG FOOD SOLD IN STAGES IS A GIMMICK. A really great dog food usually doesn't tout stages but having said that, puppies DO NEED MORE FAT AND VITAMINS THAN AN ADULT dog so simply giving your pup adult dog food NOW would be a nutritional mistake--for his future health.

So, quit the Solid Gold (go slowly please or you will risk future digestion problems--trust me on this--and waaaaaaay more diarrhea than you are currently seeing) and go to a food that is much easier for him to digest and not as rich. This is so important. I know so many people who have trouble with Solid Gold because dogs simply cannot digest it's ingredients which are obviously too much for them. When will they learn? I have called them and so have many people but they will not listen.

Please do not mess around switching foods once you find one that you pup likes and can tolerate. Remember good poop=good health. But right now, just good poop from the adult food he is sneaking, is not enough.HE IS A PUPPY AND HE NEEDS HIGHER FAT AND MINERALS ETC. and the puppy foods I am recommending have these ingredients. Also, LEARAN TO READ LABELS PLEASE. The first ingredient MUST BE MEAT and must not be followed by corn, by products or any other fillers. Look up 'reading dog labels' on google and you will get an eyeful on how to buy food for your dog.

I have had great success with Wellness puppy food with all of my dogs. Of course, there is always a chance that YOUR DOG might not tolerate it well but definitely SOLID GOLD IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. Whichever food you decide to try (read all the labels and see which you like best AFTER you educate yourself on what those ingredients mean for your pup)PLEASE INTRODUCE IT SLOWLY. Do not toss out the SG immediately but keep using it as you continue to add the new food you choose (wet or dry is your choice). If I had my druthers, I would go with the Wellness puppy kibble and see how he does. Try a small bag and slowly begin to mix it into the SG as you fade the SG over a weeks time. This way you give his tummy a chance to adjust. Ok? And if the wellness doesn't agree with him you can return EVEN AN OPENED BAG..IT'S A GOOD COMPANY. Most reputable, high end dog food companies have this policy.

Hope this helped you a bit...Sue







Canidae All-life-stages
* Merrick Puppy Plate
* Artemis Fresh Mix puppy
* Innova puppy