Puppy Diet

ace35 · Nov 17, 2008

Hey guys just curious to know what type of food you fed your
beags when they were pups.. At the moment im feeding Ace kibble in the morning and lunch but at dinner il give him diced chicken meat that has been cooked with no spices with raw carrot and he loves that. But the problem i have is hes not touching is kibble during the day and will only really eat it when its got the chicken in it. I have also tried 4 types of kibble ranging from pedigree, purina, chum and sciene diet ( im assuming you guys have these brands in the states?) anyways he'll eat abit in the first few days and then doesnt tuch it and iv tried mixing them but he still leaves it, and i dont want to be giving him meat at every meal as iv been told that the dry food (kibble) is mostly what he should be eating, and i dont really want to feed him can food. So i was wondering if any of you guys had some ideas for certain foods that i can cook or prepare for him other than what im doing.. any ideas would be much appriciated.

Zowie · Nov 17, 2008

I've got a 4 month old monster right now, he gets Wellness puppy kibble and inhales it as soon as it's down.
I had trouble with my older beagle eating her kibble a few years ago, she just didn't want anything to do with it. It came down to firmness - call the dog, put down the dry kibble, leave it down for ten minutes, then it goes bye bye. If the dog didn't touch it, offer again in the afternoon or evening, same deal - ten minute window. Dogs can go days without eating, so there's no worry of starvation, though a beagle will certainly put on a show. If you stick to your guns for a few days and offer JUST dry kibble for ten minutes at a time, the dog learns fast that if they want to eat (THEY DO) then they only have one option.
Often owners will try to tweak foods to make them more appealing to dogs but this translates to the dog as if I hold out, something better will come along.
The ten minute rule has worked with both my dogs - my older girl now eat her dry kibble as soon as it's down. My puppy's had a few days when he didn't want to eat his food - took it away, gave it back later and down it went!
I hope that helps somewhat. It is important for puppies to get nutrients to grow up healthy, so if he isn't eating please keep an eye out out make sure he's still drinking, urinating and moving his bowels, just to make sure he isn't ill. Reduced appetite can be plain old stubbornness or an illness, and those other behaviours will let you know if it's the second.
Good luck!

ace35 · Nov 17, 2008

Originally Posted By: ZowieI've got a 4 month old monster right now, he gets Wellness puppy kibble and inhales it as soon as it's down.
I had trouble with my older beagle eating her kibble a few years ago, she just didn't want anything to do with it. It came down to firmness - call the dog, put down the dry kibble, leave it down for ten minutes, then it goes bye bye. If the dog didn't touch it, offer again in the afternoon or evening, same deal - ten minute window. Dogs can go days without eating, so there's no worry of starvation, though a beagle will certainly put on a show. If you stick to your guns for a few days and offer JUST dry kibble for ten minutes at a time, the dog learns fast that if they want to eat (THEY DO) then they only have one option.
Often owners will try to tweak foods to make them more appealing to dogs but this translates to the dog as if I hold out, something better will come along.
The ten minute rule has worked with both my dogs - my older girl now eat her dry kibble as soon as it's down. My puppy's had a few days when he didn't want to eat his food - took it away, gave it back later and down it went!
I hope that helps somewhat. It is important for puppies to get nutrients to grow up healthy, so if he isn't eating please keep an eye out out make sure he's still drinking, urinating and moving his bowels, just to make sure he isn't ill. Reduced appetite can be plain old stubbornness or an illness, and those other behaviours will let you know if it's the second.
Good luck!

Thanks i will definatly try that next time i feed him, he is drinking his water and urinating and moving his bowels so hopefully its just him being stubben but i will try that thanks again

Smeagle · Nov 17, 2008

Hi Ace and Sam

I live in Oz too

How old is your pup? What diet does your breeder recommend?

I wouldn't be cooking the chicken mince - raw food is much better for dogs when cooked, and by cooking the mince you are cooking out all the good nutrients that the dogs absorb.

When my pup was between 2-6 months I fed her three small meals a day, between 6-12 months I cut out the middle meal and fed her twice a day and now she's two years old I feed her once only in the morning and sometimes feed bones at night.

I wouldn't feed any of the dried food you have - there are much better super premium brands out there that aren't grain based, such as Royal Canin, Eagle Pack Holistic and Orijen, all of which are available in Vic.

Also - when it comes to feeding, give him 15 minutes to eat the food and if he's not interested remove it and don't feed him again until his next meal. Dogs won't starve themselves and he has probably learnt that he doesn't have to eat the kibble on its own, as if he doesn't you will add chicken mince or something yummy into it.

Hope this helps

ace35 · Nov 17, 2008

Originally Posted By: SmeagleHi Ace and Sam

I live in Oz too

How old is your pup? What diet does your breeder recommend?

I wouldn't be cooking the chicken mince - raw food is much better for dogs when cooked, and by cooking the mince you are cooking out all the good nutrients that the dogs absorb.

When my pup was between 2-6 months I fed her three small meals a day, between 6-12 months I cut out the middle meal and fed her twice a day and now she's two years old I feed her once only in the morning and sometimes feed bones at night.

I wouldn't feed any of the dried food you have - there are much better super premium brands out there that aren't grain based, such as Royal Canin, Eagle Pack Holistic and Orijen, all of which are available in Vic.

Also - when it comes to feeding, give him 15 minutes to eat the food and if he's not interested remove it and don't feed him again until his next meal. Dogs won't starve themselves and he has probably learnt that he doesn't have to eat the kibble on its own, as if he doesn't you will add chicken mince or something yummy into it.

Hope this helps

Its nice to know im not the only one on here from oz..

Ace is 3 months old and when i got him the breeder was feeding him pedigree puppy can food and milk, but he only said feed him this for a week or so and feed him whatever type of puppy food you like.

I know the brands you mentioned and i might try so of them but i just started him on the brand science diet as it was recommeded by my local PetStock and also our vet said it was a good brand.

I will try what you said about only allowing him the 15 min window to eat and i wont cook his meat tonight and see if he eats it, thanks

Smeagle · Nov 17, 2008

Originally Posted By: Ace & Sam

Its nice to know im not the only one on here from oz..

Ace is 3 months old and when i got him the breeder was feeding him pedigree puppy can food and milk, but he only said feed him this for a week or so and feed him whatever type of puppy food you like.

I know the brands you mentioned and i might try so of them but i just started him on the brand science diet as it was recommeded by my local PetStock and also our vet said it was a good brand.

I will try what you said about only allowing him the 15 min window to eat and i wont cook his meat tonight and see if he eats it, thanks

Science Diet is full of grains, and vets often recommend it as they sell it - there are much, much better brands out there for the same or similar price range! Grains are filler and do nothing for dogs, they go straight through them.

Canned food and milk is not a very good diet for puppy (or dog)

Glad to hear you aren't continuing to feed that!

You can also try giving him a raw chicken neck to chew on, I used to give them to Daisy when she was a puppy and she loved them.

I'm sure PetStock also stocks the Dr Billinghurst BARF patties, which are also excellent - I'd have a look for them next time you are there if you want to feed meat, you can feed the BARF patties instead of dried food too.

ace35 · Nov 17, 2008

Originally Posted By: Smeagle

Originally Posted By: Ace & Sam

Its nice to know im not the only one on here from oz..

Ace is 3 months old and when i got him the breeder was feeding him pedigree puppy can food and milk, but he only said feed him this for a week or so and feed him whatever type of puppy food you like.

I know the brands you mentioned and i might try so of them but i just started him on the brand science diet as it was recommeded by my local PetStock and also our vet said it was a good brand.

I will try what you said about only allowing him the 15 min window to eat and i wont cook his meat tonight and see if he eats it, thanks

Click to expand...

Science Diet is full of grains, and vets often recommend it as they sell it - there are much, much better brands out there for the same or similar price range! Grains are filler and do nothing for dogs, they go straight through them.

Canned food and milk is not a very good diet for puppy (or dog)

Glad to hear you aren't continuing to feed that!

You can also try giving him a raw chicken neck to chew on, I used to give them to Daisy when she was a puppy and she loved them.

I'm sure PetStock also stocks the Dr Billinghurst BARF patties, which are also excellent - I'd have a look for them next time you are there if you want to feed meat, you can feed the BARF patties instead of dried food too.

Oh really i wasnt aware of that, but i will have a look out for that Barf patties, which of the dry foods that you mentioned earlier do you recommend?

Smeagle · Nov 17, 2008

Originally Posted By: Ace & Sam

Oh really i wasnt aware of that, but i will have a look out for that Barf patties, which of the dry foods that you mentioned earlier do you recommend?

Its so hard when you are a puppy owner, there is so much information around its hard to know what is right for your pup!

I feed a mixture of raw and dried food, so my dogs get a lot of fresh raw bones like chicken necks, wings and frames as well as cow bones and lamb flaps and lamb shanks as a treat. If I have some BARF patties, I feed a patty instead of any dried food.

When it comes to dried food it really depends what your dog does well on, I am feeding mine on Royal Canin at the moment and have been doing so for a while now, but I am thinking of changing to Eagle pack Holistic as EP has less maize than RC and better ingredients, IMO. When it comes to grain free food like Orijen, I know people whose dogs do really well on it, and some whose dogs didn't agree with it (probably too rich for some dogs).

To throw another idea at you, some people feed entirely raw diets - they either make their own mix of food, or feed entirely BARF patties. I like dried food for the convenience, but I do like to mix it up with some patties and raw food.

Hope I haven't confused you too much! LOL

beaglesmom · Nov 17, 2008

Okay, back to the dog food ratings - Here's a chart showing grades for some of the popular foods. I'm a hobby breeder - and all my dogs are fed Nutro Natural Choice - which the pups are weaned to when they're old enough. I have fed a combination raw food, home cooked and kibble diet in the past, but now mostly just do the kibble, as it's just too time-consuming with 9 dogs to do anything else. There are better rated foods out there - but I live in a small rural town - and the Nutro is the best food available to me locally and all my dogs love it. Science Diet is NOT rated well - (gets an F), but many vets recommend it because: 1) they really don't know much about canine nutrition; and 2) they sell it so naturally they recommend it.

If I had a better supplier for raw foods, I'd probably just do a BARF diet, but at the prices charged here I can't afford it. Most dogs do very well on a Bones & Appropriate Raw Foods diet. Mine still get chicken backs, necks, wings for treats occasionally. I NEVER feed canned foods. Kibble is much better for their teeth.
I hope this information is useful.

Start with a grade of 100:

For every listing of by-product, subtract 10 points!
For every non-specific animal source (meat or poultry, meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points!
If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
For every grain mill run or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points!
If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. ground brown rice, brewer's rice, rice flour are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract 2 points
If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
If the food contains barley, add 2 points
If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count chicken and chicken meal as only one protein source, but chicken and beef as 2 different sources), add 1 point
If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

Grading:

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 and below = F
___________________________________________________________________
Here are some foods that have already been scored.

Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland/(that would be from Costco/Price Club) Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice, and Oatmeal/ Score 94 A
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Ol Roy Premium Dog Food / Score 53 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

MyKale · Nov 17, 2008

Diesel does this from time to time when we feed him to much table scraps. i think its cause if you see that they are not eating then you feel bad and give them something you know they will eat.

its just a way of a dog training you and not you training the dog... haha... so what i do is give him no treats before he eats his kibble.. and if he still doesnt eat then the food is out there for him to eat but no human food at all. no matter what. until he learns his place again

haha... he is getting better at it now.

i think the thinking is if i dont eat kibble now i will get CHICKEN later!!! so of course they want the better chicken. so they waite

Brien · Nov 17, 2008

Looks like you've already gotten a lot of good info. from some other members. Here's my two cents...

Get a high quality dog food. We actually went through an hour long nutrition class during our puppy training which helped a lot. After researching numerous brands we're currently using Rachel Ray's line of dog food which can be found at Wal-Mart. In our opinion it offers the best grade of dog food for the price.

I think we started Bodie out on 1 cup in the morning and evening. Keep a schedule, this will help you better manage potty training. As your dog gets older you can start gradually increase the food intake. Bodie gained a pound a week for the first 16 weeks. Currently he's getting 2 cups in the morning and evening. During the day when know one is home he gets his Tricky-Treat ball which is filled with about 2 cups of kibble. With that he has to work to get the food throughout the day.

One last note of food intake. A lot of it depends on the activity level of your dog. Bodie has a dog run during the day to move around and play in. He also gets 2 walks a day. So he burns off a lot of energy and eats accordingly.

Java · Nov 17, 2008

yep, sometimes you just gotta out-stubborn a beagle. as many have already pointed out, there's little chance a hungry beagle will reject food.

Sephly · Nov 17, 2008

Blue buffalo! best dog food, completely organic and natural kibble, its excellent. Alittle pricey but you can feed less since you get most of the nutrition and supliment with healthy snacks of carrots etc. inbetween meals as you see fit.

Smeagle · Nov 17, 2008

Hey guys, the OP actually lives in Australia and we don't get Blue Buffalo or Rachel Ray's line of dog food here

Brien · Nov 18, 2008

Oops, sorry I must of missed that. Does Benjamin Christie have a line of dog food?

Smeagle · Nov 18, 2008

LOL I don't think so, hehehe, but we do have Dr Billinghurst

http://www.barfaustralia.com/

ace35 · Nov 18, 2008

Firstly thanks to you all for giving me some advice as of last night i gave Ace only a 15 min window to eat his food he picked at dinner last night (because it had raw beef in it) didnt eat this morning and picked again at lunch. But i have stuck to my guns and taken away the food when his times up, I will continue to do this and im sure he will get the idea.

With some of the brands you guys have mentioned i know smeagle may have already posted this but we dont get those brands in australia unfortunatly but i will keep an eye out just in case and beaglesmom thanks for all that info on what is/isnt good in dog food, i will definatly be taking that in account when i choose what to buy him.

Puppy Diet

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