Throwing Up His Food

Question
QUESTION: I have a 4 month old mini schnauzer and for the past couple of days he has been throwing up his breakfast.  I feed him Purina Beneful and the food hasn't changed, we try to curb him eating everything outside.  But mostly it seems to be his 1st meal of the day he throws up.  Could there be any reason for this?  Also, he is not always super active after he eats.

ANSWER: You might want to have him checked by your vet to make sure that there isn't anything going on, like some sort of viral infection or something. He could also have ingested some "contraband" that he is unable to pass and he is trying to barf back up.

Beneful is not a good food. It is mostly grains and chicken by-products, which can be any part of the bird, including beaks, feet, and feathers. Any *REAL* meat is down in sixth place on the ingredient list (ingredients listed in descending order by amount), and since it is chicken, and not chicken meal (chicken with the water removed), something like 70-75% of that chicken is nothing more than water. The first ingredient of any dog food should be meat, preferably meat meal. I would certainly change his food to something more nutritious, such as Eagle, Wellness, Canidae, Solid Gold, Flint River Ranch, etc.

Karen

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

QUESTION: Thanks!  Is there a store bought food that you recommend?  I have never heard of the ones you mentioned..

Answer
I don't believe there is a grocery store that sells any pet food worth buying. You can find some good foods at some of the pet supply stores, and if you do an online search for particular dog (or cat) foods, many company sites will locate nearby dealers for you simply from your zip code. (ie. search for "Eagle dog food").

Karen