When to switch foods?

It's been about a year agoe but they made me put one of those halo collars on her for the first two or three weeks and then they took the stictches out and taped them up with for a couple more weeks. After the stitches came out i let her play with my friends male pup and my moms shit zu...I also had a male at the time but he wouldnt get ruff with her but she'd tear him up so i just had to watch him around her.

 

Well that gives me some hope! I would hate to get them done and then something happen. Plus we have a place in mind and it's about 150 miles from where we live so accidents aren't allowed! lol

 

damn thats a long drive!

 

Yes it is but Iv'e seen their work and it's definitely worth the drive! (Plus I have relatives that live not too far from there where I can stay lol)

 

have you tried this food http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=cal-home.Some really good stuff.

 

Your 7 month old pit looks real good. What is the weight on your dog. I am also getting my pups ears croped on the 1st of Aug. and I hope that it comes out right.

 

To answer the original question....Now would be a good time to switch to adult food.

 

if you would have started with Canidae dog food it is for all ages and is also a great dog food for a good price, about 30 bucks a 40 p. bag.

 

I am a vet tech, and i think, and have found out that S.D. is garbage! Now, i DO believe for ACTUAL large breeds (labs, mastiffs, great danes etc) large breed puppy food is good for them to start out on (helps slow the growth process to try and prevent H.D. in large dogs). But, unless you expect your dogs to be large like a mastiff, i'd say its not needed.

Further more, i WOULDNT switch to lamb and rice. Lamb based foods tend to have alot more calories (resulting in fatter dogs unless you properly measure your food) and i see dogs tend to have more GI upset and problems on the lamb.

I'm not a nutritionist by any means, but i speak from what i've seen.

 

Just because your dog has some thin hair, DOESNT mean that it has allergys! I have a male that is thin haired on his belly as well, always has been.

If you really think its allergys try some Benedril for a few weeks. That z/d dog food is RIDICULOUSLY priced!!!! Especially if you buy the "Allergen-Free" gold bag. And that food isnt a for sure thing either, they usually end up allergic to that food as well.

 

BUMP!....................

 

“what about the anti-allergic prescription diet by science diet, my vet put my female on it because he thinks she has allergies. Socks is the food Z/D perscription diet by Hills?”
Why are you feeding that poison? If you went with a premium kibble instead of the Science Diet garage, your dog would improve greatly. Just look at the ingredients…nothing but cheap poisons in it! No wonder your dog has skin problems, not only is the ingredients poor, the calcium/phosphorus ratio is off, as is the Omega 3/Omega 6 fatty acid ratio, and on top of that it uses BHA. Do your dog a favor, find a new veterinary and dog food!

“I feed Science Diet because I like it and I like the results I have seen from it.”
That’s great, still it’s a garbage kibble not designed with a dog in mind! Being you think it is a good food, please post the ingredient and benefits of them.

“As for a need for "puppy feed" that is your opinion but I would like to feed a food that promotes healthy development, not "bulk up as quick as possible".”
It’s not my “opinion”, it is a FACT! If you truly do want a “food that promotes healthy development”…why are you feeding cheap, poor quality kibble? It is the cheap poisons most feed that “bulk up” dog way before they should…hence the reason for “large breed formula’s”.

“I plan on switching to Diamond Lamb and Rice because lamb and rice is easier on stomaches than chicken.”
At least it is a better garbage kibble you’re switching to.

“I didn't ask the question on what age to switch to adult food to be criticized on what I feed. I asked the question to know when is an appropriate age to switch to adult from puppy (for those of us who feed puppy).”
I didn’t criticize you one bit, just informed you that you’re feeding garbage to your dog and recommended you search the board, to find something more suitable! There is no answer to your question; “appropriate age to switch to adult from puppy”, being the only difference between a pup and adult is the caloric intake one requires. Their GI tract or basic nutritional needs don’t change at a certain age.

“My dog is bred for show and I'm not trying to make her huge, I want her to meet the standards and so far she is perfect.”
That’s great she is “bred for show”, that doesn’t make her nutritional need different. How is feeding a premium kibble going to make your dog “huge”? In fact it’s the polar opposite it is the cheap, poor quality kibble that balloons the dogs up faster than their skeletal growth can handle! A properly balanced, high quality, dog food lets the dog mature at a natural growth rate, all the will providing everything a dog needs for optimum health.

 

not giving you a hard time but i have to agree also that science diet is crap. It does have a lot of filler and also has a lower digestability rating than a premium food. also if you feed better food your dogs don't have to eat as much because they will be getting what they need out of the food. Also a lot of vets do promote science diet as well as other dog foods and i am willing to bet they just may see a few dollars from doing so. I have found that bil-jack and sportsmans pride are great foods for bulldogs. They have the right amounts of protein, fat, Omega 3 & 6 acids, and a high digestability meaning your dogs will process and make use of a higher percentage of what they eat meaning they will not have eat as much. Bil-jack you can get at most pet stores like petsmart - it is a little pricey at about $33 per 35 lb. bag, but again your dog will not eat as much. I have a 72 lb. weight pull dog that i work several times a week and he only eats about three cups per day of bil-jack. I have most of my dogs on sportsman's pride though because i feel that it is almost as good as bil-jack and only runs me about $17 per 50 lb. adult formula bag, it may be a little harder to find usually more at mom n' pop places than big chains. I get sportsmans pride from a fellow breeder who has it delivered to her. hope this helps

 

like i said before i never feed it before i always feed pro pac performance or natural choice. i was just doing what my vet told me to do to see if it helped

 

lets just answer the woman's question... look whether u feed your dog dollar store crap or the most premium puppy food i agree with mia, now would be a good time to switch though i have heard that its best to feed puppies puppy food until they hit a year of age....

 

Finally an answer. Thank you!

For everyone else, I guess I'll have to call my vet back and tell him that is recommended Science Diet is so-called crap. Maybe I go to spending $40 for a 40lb bag of Solid Gold.... since that has NO fillers or NO added flavors and it's all natural, plus cuts back on the allergies. Or is this "crap kibble" also? I'm sorry but I think my game-dog.com days might be done with. Simple questions get turned into complete madness and that just isn't my scene.

 

Hmmm, now I don't post much but I do a lot of reading on here and I really can't see where your question has turned into "madness". All I see is a few knowledgeable people trying to help you and your dog out. People giving advice for the sake of the dog is absolutely absurd in these times, I suppose...

And to further the madness, here's a very helpful site on kibble. http://www.iei.net/~ebreeden/kibble.html

 

Tex the more I read what you write the more I learn...glad I lost my need to argue...lol...by the way I took your advice and am off SM...thanks for the input Im already seeing a little difference in what the food is doing

 

oh dont give up so easy...learn from the dogs ..dont quit...trust me stick around your skin will callouse over before you know it..and you might learn something in the process.