puppy food

[nj dutchess]

whats a good puppy food 4 my pup i wanna show her in the october show in woodtown nj

[miakoda]

You're actually better off putting your pup on a good/great quality food that's for all stages (puppies through seniors). ;)

Do a search on here for "nutrition" or "dog food" and you will find more than enough threads on the topic. Happy reading! :)

[Suki]

^ i agree.
according to AAFCO, the nutritional requirements for pups and adults do not vary all that much. no need to switch foods if you're feeding a GOOD quality kibble that's meant for all life stages. puppy and senior specified foods, imo are just a way for food manufacturers to "suck you in".

When buying pet food, choose only those products that carry the statement "Formulated to meet the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile for..." because they follow these guidelines. It is not a requirement to meet AAFCO standards in order to sell pet food, so buyers beware. Check the labels and compare products.

The nutrient list is divided into two separate profiles. One profile is for growing, pregnant or lactating dogs and one is for adult maintenance. The nutrients are listed on a dry matter basis. What this means is that if you are comparing products, the moisture content of the food must be taken into consideration. If the food has 75 percent moisture, then the remaining nutrients make up 25 percent of the food.

Take each nutrient amount and divide by 0.25 to obtain an accurate dry matter amount to compare to the nutrient guidelines or even to compare one food to another. If the moisture content is 10 percent, then 90 percent make up the rest of the nutrients. Divide each nutrient value by 0.9 in order to get an accurate value.

Current AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles

For Adult Maintenance

Unless otherwise listed, all values are minimum requirements:

Protein.........18%
Fat..............5%
0.6% (maximum 2.5%)
Phosphorus...0.5% (maximum 1.6%)
Potassium.....0.6%
Sodium........0.06%
Chloride.......0.09%
Magnesium.....0.04% (maximum 0.3%)
Iron............80 mg/kg (maximum 3,000 mg/kg)
Copper.........7.3 mg/kg (maximum 250 mg/kg)
Manganese........5 mg/kg
Zinc...........120 mg/kg (maximum 1000 mg/kg)
Iodine.........1.5 mg/kg (maximum 50 mg/kg)
0.11 mg/kg (maximum 2 mg/kg)
Vitamin A.....5000 IU/kg (maximum 250,000 IU/kg)
500 IU/kg (maximum 5000 IU/kg)
Vitamin E.......50 IU/kg (maximum 1000 IU/kg)
1 mg/kg
Riboflavin.....2.2 mg/kg
Pantothenic Acid..10 mg/kg
Niacin..........11.4 mg/kg
Pyridoxine.........1 mg/kg
Folic Acid......0.18 mg/kg
0.022 mg/kg
Choline.........1200 mg/kg

For growing puppies, pregnant and lactating bitches

The majority of nutrient minimums are the same except for the items listed. The maximum for those listed does not change.

22%
Fat................8%
Calcium............1%
Phosphorus.......0.8%
Sodium...........0.3%
Chloride........0.45%
Vitamin B12....0.022 mg/kg

more reading:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main

[spaceghost]

i like "Taste of the Wild". Its an all life stages food, but i think the calcuim levels are a little too high for a pup.

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

also take a look at http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

[Virgil dogs]

i like "Taste of the Wild". Its an all life stages food, but i think the calcuim levels are a little too high for a pup.

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

also take a look at http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
Can you realy ever have too much calcuim for a pup?I have heard this somewere before and am curious.

[spaceghost]

Weather or not your pit bull is a medium or large breed depends on its heritage. If your pups parents are approaching the 60 pounds or larger mark, I would feed a large breed type food.

Large breed puppy food has the following specifications:

1.5% calcium or LESS, preferably closer to 1.2% (MOST IMPORTANT)
Protein 25% or higher
Fat as close to 10% as possible

If your pups lineage is of smaller stature, then you can be less strict about the requirements, particularly the fat/calorie content, but I would still try to avoid foods with more than 1.5% calcium just because puppies less than 6 months of age do not metabolize calcium the same way adult dogs do.

heres more info on calcium...
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=81488&highlight=taste+wild

[Crash97]

Can you realy ever have too much calcuim for a pup?I have heard this somewere before and am curious.An out of balance calcium ratio can cause bone growth issues in larger dogs which in turn can lead to hip dysplasia.