# Need to switch her food ASAP!



## K_Bens (Aug 17, 2020)

I have a 3 month old German Shepherd puppy named Rogue. She is amazing! Smart, adorable, energetic, and eager to learn. I want to provide the best care I possibly can. This is my first time raising a puppy (I had an adult rescue for 14 years prior). My vet said she needed to put on some weight and suggest I switched to a large breed puppy food. She really pushed Purina pro plan, and Royal Canin. I naively took her word and bought a bag of RC without researching. I figured vets know best right? Wrong. Apparently vets in Canada push the brand because they either sell it or make some type of profit from it. After researching further on here and online, I’ve realized it’s horrible. Rogue doesn’t even seem to like it. My question is, what puppy food do you guys recommend? I’m totally open to everyone’s advice, but I live in Ontario, so some things may not be available to me here. I really want to get her off this food. I have learned a valuable lesson on this topic. Please help!!!


----------



## Catrinka (Aug 6, 2020)

My pup likes Orijen LBP which is made in Canada (although there's also a US processing plant now). It's made by Champion Pet Foods which also carries the slightly less expensive, but still very good Acana line.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I'd really suggest raw. PM sent.


----------



## doubleroll (Jul 5, 2011)

We had a similar issue with our pup. We switched from Diamond puppy to Diamond large breed puppy to Lotus without much luck getting her to eat. Even with Stella toppers which she just picked on the topper. Then tried Orijen LBP and she finishes her meals happily and has put on a decent amount of weight.


----------



## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

David Winners said:


> I'd really suggest raw. PM sent.


Raw for puppies too? I heard it was not recommended. What do you feed for puppies ?


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

SuperAndre said:


> Raw for puppies too? I heard it was not recommended. What do you feed for puppies ?


I feed puppies raw. I recommend you do a bunch of research. It's really important to get your ratio right. I've been feeding raw for a long time (mostly wild game) but I'm not comfortable teaching someone else.


----------



## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

David Winners said:


> I feed puppies raw. I recommend you do a bunch of research. It's really important to get your ratio right. I've been feeding raw for a long time (mostly wild game) but I'm not comfortable teaching someone else.


We feed raw to adults. I think I prefer staying with puppy food to ensure I don’t mess anything up. Thank you!!


----------



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Canada has some really great brands made right here, and Ontario has become kind of a place to be for premade raw. 
First Mate, Horizon, Petcurean, Boreal and Canadian Naturals are all Canadian foods/companies. All are kibble. There is at least half dozen raw food companies right in Ontario. Canadian Naturals kibble is probably the most budget friendly and it's a decent food, sold at all Global Pets stores. Petcurean makes Go! which is a pretty good kibble and readily available. Horizon's Legacy foods are also good food and sold all over. First Mate can be tough to source but the company is really good at connecting you with local suppliers and a lot of stores that don't carry it will order it for you. I have been able to get it in Cochrane, Beaverton, Sault Ste Marie, Timmins, Kirkland Lake and North Bay.


----------



## Mr.millenium (Nov 13, 2020)

SuperAndre said:


> Raw for puppies too? I heard it was not recommended. What do you feed for puppies ?


Been doing raw for so long since puppyhood


----------



## Gwyllgi (Aug 16, 2017)

Ive been feeding raw to puppies and adults for many years, I feed as nature intended and prepare all the components, no premade raw.

I would recommend reading 2 books by Dr Tom Lonsdale MRCVS, Raw Meaty Bones and Work Wonders.


----------



## Jorski (Jan 11, 2019)

Quite a few people on here have had success with Fromm. In Ontario, it's available from Global pet stores.
They have both grain in and grain free recipes.
As a pup, I fed my guy From Gold Large Breed Puppy. This is the grain inclusive recipe.
Asking about food is always tricky. There are a lot of opinions. The best bet is to do a lot of reading and research and become more familiar with how to read the labels.


----------



## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

I am doing Orijen mixed with honest kitchen love dog food


----------



## CEMC (May 2, 2020)

I started my GSD puppy with a raw diet but I wasn't sure he was getting all the vitamins & minerals he needs. I decided to transition from 100% raw to Blue Bison Mountain Puppy kibble/raw. He loved the mix for weeks but then started to get picky with the kibble. Now I really have to coax him to go for it and I'm noticing some itching/scratching going on that wasn't there before. I decided to start transitioning back back to 100% raw starting tomorrow. Maybe later I'll try again with a different kibble but for the time being I'll stay with raw at least until well after the itching stops.


----------



## CEMC (May 2, 2020)

I fully understand the confusion when it comes to what is best to feed our dogs. 

We started Bruno, my GSD puppy (now 9.5 months) with raw diet mixed at home as soon as he came home with us at 8-weeks old. We used raw chicken, pork or beef mixed with portions of raw organ meats, green veggies (spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc.), carrots, sweet potato, frozen fruits & yogurt. He loved it & was doing fantastic on it but after a few months he began to show signs of allergies (itching). 

After some trial an error experimenting we concluded that it was the raw chicken which was the most affordable fresh meat & therefore the one we fed most. Since this was our first attempt at raw diet we had also had our doubts about what we were doing all along because we weren't 100% sure the mix we were giving him was providing all his vitamin & mineral requirements so we decided to transition to Blue Bison Puppy kibble. At first he liked very much but after a few weeks not so much. We started to mix it with some raw food like hamburger, eggs, liver or fish so he would eat it while we transitioned to Purina Puppy (lamb & rice) which just like the Blue Bison, he liked at first then not so much & we again began adding raw to it to get him to eat & this is where we are now. 

Since then we read that feeding raw mixed with kibble was not good so now we are deciding whether to try to find a kibble he likes and stay with it or returning to 100% raw & hopefully arrive at an affordable, balanced raw mix without the raw chicken component (which having bones provided him with the calcium needs). 

Since chicken is so affordable we would like to be able to continue feeding it. We have read that growth hormones given to chickens can be the cause of allergies & that boiling the chicken will eliminate the toxins and the bones remain safe to eat whole. There are others that say that is either not a good thing at all or that it isn't worth the trouble and expense. And that is the problem we all seem to face with the raw diet, there are many opposing views about it and we simply don't know who is right.


----------

