The 'best' puppy food?

[rockybalboa]

We pick up our new sprocker puppy later on today and I am firmly in panic mode. The breeder is giving us a bag of the food they are on and has said that we can switch her over to whatever we want over time. What should I be looking for in a puppy food? I nearly picked up some Burgess Sensitive puppy food in B&M earlier but put it back on the basis that I had no idea whether it was crap or not. All these claims about being British made, hypoallergenic, wheat free etc might just be puff as far as I know. Our cats are fussy old buggers so get fed what they like fancy bloody gourmet pouches, irrespective of whether it might be the 'best' food for them. In their younger days we fed them James Wellbeloved because the vet had recommended that. Is that a good brand to be looking at for puppies? I have looked at the websites for Eden and Millies Wolfheart but it's all a bit baffling to be honest! Will our puppy trainer and/or vet be able to make recommendations on this front? Should I just leave her on what she's on for now? I don't actually know what that is because I keep forgetting to ask.

If you're happy with what she's already on and she seems to be doing well I would leave her on it for a few weeks while she settles in. Her tummy might get a bit upset at first but it'll probably be to do with the new environment and experience more than her diet. Then if you want to change in a few weeks just substitute a quarter of her old food for the new food for a day or two then substitute half, then three quarters and then give her all of the new food. So she has time to adjust.

This is a good site for comparing dog foods :)
all about dog food.

Our Springer X GSD is on Wainrights puppy food and he seems to get on well with it.

I agree 100% with the statement above. We got a puppy and I was desperate to get him on the 'best' food out there - so I rushed out to the dog store and listened to the sales pitch and I got some really expensive made locally dog food. I did the transition as directed but my poor puppy had loos stools and was very gassy I was sure he had a parasite so off to the vet we went who tested him and sample was clear so the vet asked what food he was on and I told him and he said despite it being marketed towards puppies the food I had was too rich for puppies and told me to switch back to the one the breeder had him on. So I did this and when we got through the transition period his tummy settled down his stools are firm and he's not nearly as stinky. His coat is beautiful and he is growing at just the right pace.

When I was going through this someone told me that its best to keep puppy on the food the breeder uses for at least the first 6 months if not a year because the breeder will know what works for their lines.

Good luck with your puppy

We alternate between Bob & Lush and Eden for our dachshund. Both high in meat and we find them to be the best dry food (wet or raw wouldn't work for us). We always get complimented on his shiny coat and he's a very healthy weight for a breed that can be prone to greed and being a little 'portly'

As PPs have said though, every dog is different so work out what suits you. We switched him over when he was about 4 months old.

Completely agree with the above! At 4 months my girl now seems to have a fairly strong stomach but despite changing gradually, the new 'super' food I decided to buy upset her as a tiny pup. We buy the vet's own brand now. I'm sure it's not as rich in vitamins and protein as the top foods and it's a nice wee money spinner for them but she's happy, shiny coated and growing well! Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk but as pp said, 'best' brands don't guarantee happy tummies!

Well it turns out that she's on Skinners which is a common working dog food (her dad is a working cocker) and that seems to be ok so I shall just pick some more of that up tomorrow. Thanks all!

Try her on raw. For a dog that size it will be no more expensive than crappy kibble.

Skinners is a decent food. In fact, if your pup is growing well and her poos and coat are good (maybe bit iffy for short while due to change of scene as MostAmused said) then whatever she's on is a decent food. Bear in mind that dogs basically evolved to eat scraps, rubbish dump contents and human shit (oh, and expensive leather handbags). Frankie says.......enjoy your new puppy!