# When to s too adding water to food



## m0mof6 (Apr 18, 2018)

Currently we add water to Smokey's food and let it get moist. He is 7weeks and 4 days old. When is he old enough for dry food without the water?
He almost never eats it all during food times but since the vet said he is a bit underweight we are using more food than we were the first couple of days so he has the option of eating more. Which, of course, means that some of the food is wasted.

We feed Blue Wilderness so his food is kinda expensive. If you have a really good large puppy food that is cheaper if love suggestions.


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## [email protected] (Jan 16, 2018)

If he's got teeth, he should be old enough for dry kibble. If he doesn't eat all the kibble in his allotted time (15-20 minutes) I'd put it aside for the next mealtime.

Lately I have added warm water to my pup's food, along with a chondroitin "aspic" made from boiled ham bones and a dollop of canned pumpkin to make a stew (my husband calls it 'watery glitch'). Boon loves it. No chance there'll be anything left after 5 minutes. 

And we're currently feeding "Good Natured Chicken and Barley" puppy food because that's what the breeder started them on and when the brand was discontinued, it was marked down to $3/bag and darned if we didn't buy it ALL. Boon is now 5 months, and I am going to switch to "American Journey Salmon and sweet potato" adult food soon to keep him from growing to fast. See if that brand has a puppy variety.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

You may reconsider Blue Buffalo as a brand. Plenty of problems mentioned here on the form. My vet has seen many stomach problems on that food.


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## m0mof6 (Apr 18, 2018)

wolfy dog said:


> You may reconsider Blue Buffalo as a brand. Plenty of problems mentioned here on the form. My vet has seen many stomach problems on that food.


What brands do you recommend that aren't too expensive. We are a large family on a lower income in a rural area and the Blue Wilderness was one of the only large breed puppy foods that I saw at the store. We can go to a larger city for shopping (We go once a month currently) or order from online if needed but can't go any higher cost-wise (which would have to cover shipping if shipping online) If there is a better brand that is cheaper that would be even better. TIA!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Check out Chewy.com and dogfoodadvisor.com. The higher end foods may be more expensive but they may very well save you in vet costs down the road. Raising a GSD well is costly. I rotate a few brands on Large Breed Puppy. So far: Wellness and Fromm.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

I fed Blue Wilderness for a while until I started hearing bad things about it. Now I feed Fromm. I buy it from petflow.com and it is delivered right to the door, free shipping. I think the price is similar, but it's been a while so I'm not 100% sure.


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

I'll personally always soak my kibble. It's crazy how big some kibble expands, and with a breed prone to bloat, it's just a simple precaution I take out of worry as my girl's granddam passed to bloat on top of limited activity pre/post eating. 

Some relatively cost effective but good food brands to consider are:
- 4Health
- Earthborn Holistic
- Victor

These foods are pretty good, and around the same price for a 30lb bag as Blue Buffalo. 4Health can be found at a Tractor Supply store, as can Earthborn Holistic.


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