What is everyone feeding their frenchie?

[kwb]

I am curious as to what everyone else is feeding their dogs. Mia is 10 months old and I am feeding her Nutro brand dry food for puppies. I feed her twice a day about 1 1/4 cups per feeding. I mix some dried liver in her food and often will add some cooked chicken with the dry food.

She seems to be doing good and her coat looks great. She has had a couple ear infections and I noticed some of the messages here mentioning the possibility of food allergies as the cause.

I checked out Bravo foods on-line ( http://www.bravorawdiet.com/products.html ) which is raw foods - but have not tried it.

Just curious...

[Kelly+Manja]

manja gets kibble in the morning at about 9am with some canned food mixed in (changes from time to time at the moment is My Dog canned food) and shares my toast and butter (he just gets one piece he loves it so much!)
for dinner at about 6pm he gets kibble again mixed with some raw meat like a chicken wing.
Kelly

[Olivier]

Athlon usually gets cooked or raw beef or chicken mixed with rice. Sometimes he gets kibbles too. He also shares my mother's toast for breakfast :)
Schedule is like with Kelly: 9am and 6pm.

Olly

[franp]

Dari was a TERRIBLE eater ; so much so that I had to literally force feed her for the first 4 years of her life.It did not matter what dog food I tried.She hated them all.And they hated her.Soft, smelly bm, and GAS.

Finally ,out of total desperationI went to a raw diet.I had not tried it sooner because I did not know I coudl buy it premade.Well,let me tell you, I could not get the food on the ground fast enough.Dari inhaled her meals..

Not only did she like the food, but the change in her was incredible.Her bm is firm and NO GAS.Her coat is soft and shiny.Her breeder came to visit and was astonished at the change in her overall apearance.

Once of the reasons besides that I love this is that she is eating human grade food. No by-products. No filler (corn). her last checkup at the vet was perfect.

Dari weighs about 22 pounds; she gets about 4 oz of Bravo a day. As for treats; 5-7 good quality dog biscuits and some fruit along with a chicken neck..

One happy dog.

[frogdog1]

Well I feed Isabella Chicken Soup for The Puppy Lovers Soul, and sometimes I mix a bit of Iams savory gravy into it. Her sisters Abby the pug and Lucy Loo the boston get the same thing. Nan

[gilazno]

when biggie was a puppy he was fed Nutro high performance kibble (it was what the breeder had him on)
we switched him to innova because it was said to be a better food but he hated it
he is now fed canidae which is not that easy to find in some places 2x's a day
7am and 6pm both feedings we mix the kibble with something else..chicken, beef, turkey etc..

i am proud to say biggie is quite "regular"
:lol:

[lynnoyw]

Hihi..im new member from Malaysia..BowbOw Usually get Cooked liver,Pig meat and vegetables for her lunch and Dinner..bUt whaT i had cOncern,she is getting fatter and fatter.. :) Anyway nice tO meet u ALL..

[Olivier]

Hihi..im new member from Malaysia..
Welcome! How old is BowbOw and what is her colour? :)

Olly

[adora's mom]

Adora gets California Natural Puppy dry food (Lamb & Rice) as her main food for now. I've started working in 1-2 medallions of Nature's Variety Raw in the evening. She loves the raw food. Even the first day she was at our house, she promptly stuck her head in Beckham's bowl and chowed down. I had to pry the bowl away from her!

She'll be on 25% California Natural dry & 75% Nature's Variety Raw soon.

I started feeding my 1 yr old APBT mix, Beckham, this way when when he was about 4 months old. He had AWFUL food allergies, itchy skin, dander, diarrhea, vomiting, lots of gross, awful stuff. I tried a lot of different foods before we got the mix down right :)

It's so confusing trying to figure out what to feed these Frenchies! I've read not to give them too much protein, but then I read that they are especially prone to grain allergies. Mon Dieu!

I'm glad to see that several of them are doing well on Innova or Canidae. I tried both of these on Beckham, which he loved both, but they were too rich for him.

[franp]

Hi Lesley,
Good to have you here!
My Dari was the PICKIEST eater and with awful gas and soft bm..Raw was the way to go..She just loves it.
I use Bravo for a couple of reasons. It is really easy for me to get and it is economical..
Your girl is very cute.
One of the major benefits that comes from raw(regardless of breed) is reductiton of skin ailments that are related to grain..As you have seen.
Again ,welcome.
fran and Dari.

[adora's mom]

Hi Fran,

You're absolutely right, raw is good, good stuff! :)

I think I read on another thread that you feed Dari Bravo? I am not familiar with that brand, but definately will check it out. I always try to be aware of everything available - I'm a total research nut!

BTW - what type of meat is in Bravo and have you noticed that Dari does better on certain meats?

I've only given Adora the Nature's Variety Lamb so far since I don't want to upset her tummy, but with Beckham I rotate through the meats. They have Chicken+Turkey, Beef, Lamb and Venison.

Just wondering if you've noticed a difference with Dari depending on the meat?

-Lesley

[behsci]

Please answer this question, guys:

To save on $$$, can I feed my Frenchie on a good, wholesome diet such as what's on www.naturesvariety.com (quality raw w/o grain products) when it's a puppy during it's formative, growing years. Then, when it's older, switch to something like Eukanuba or Iam's food? I'd like to know what you think about this. Thanks!

[franp]

Please answer this question, guys:

To save on $$$, can I feed my Frenchie on a good, wholesome diet such as what's on www.naturesvariety.com (quality raw w/o grain products) when it's a puppy during it's formative, growing years. Then, when it's older, switch to something like Eukanuba or Iam's food? I'd like to know what you think about this. Thanks!
I think that this is a very bad idea. Have you ever read the ingredients in Iams or Eukenuba?

Honestly, how much money do you think you can save over the lifetime of your dog by doing this?And what do you think you will be doing to the health of your adult dog??Many diseases occur in adults like cancer that come from bad food.
Google Dr Jean Dodds and read her articles about the connection between illness and the wrong food.By products and grain. I am sorry if I sound harsh; but your idea is totally contrary to me.

These are high maintenece dogs and we all should be prepared to spend the money to take care of them; be it for food or vet bills.Scrimping on food ,IMO is inappropriate.You would be undoing all the good of the raw.

[franp]

Hi Fran,

You're absolutely right, raw is good, good stuff! :)

I think I read on another thread that you feed Dari Bravo? I am not familiar with that brand, but definately will check it out. I always try to be aware of everything available - I'm a total research nut!

BTW - what type of meat is in Bravo and have you noticed that Dari does better on certain meats?

I've only given Adora the Nature's Variety Lamb so far since I don't want to upset her tummy, but with Beckham I rotate through the meats. They have Chicken+Turkey, Beef, Lamb and Venison.

Just wondering if you've noticed a difference with Dari depending on the meat?

-Lesley
Bravo seems to be a brand more available on the East coast.

I rotate her protien sources; the only one I don't use is the beef. No particular reason. Used to give her allot of lamb;but it is very fatty so I cut back.She gets chicken blend, turkeyblend, duck, venison, and duck.

The diet plan that I use calls for rotating; are you planning on starting to rotate with her? If you transition the new protien slowly , you should not have a problem. Try chicken as a new souce IMO first, It is bland.Are you using the lamb with the bone?How are you giving her calcium?
I use the blend cause the bone is ground in.. Every so often I give her a chicken neck, she is in Heaven :D

[adora's mom]

Please answer this question, guys:

To save on $$$, can I feed my Frenchie on a good, wholesome diet such as what's on www.naturesvariety.com (quality raw w/o grain products) when it's a puppy during it's formative, growing years. Then, when it's older, switch to something like Eukanuba or Iam's food? I'd like to know what you think about this. Thanks!

I would recommend you look in to Canidae(www.canidae.com) - it's relatively inexpensive (about $27 for a 40 lb bag) and high quality. It does contain rice, but that is the only grain. Or Innova, California Natural or EVO (www.naturapet.com). I would definately stay away from products with corn or wheat. I wouldn't use Iam's or Eukanuba, due to the corn content & by-products.

[Carolyn]

Behshi...Fran gives good advice, as usual. Food should be one's least concern as far as $'s. Fran's Dari does extremely well on raw....and this is a dog who never enjoyed her meals prior to raw. I have not yet been converted to raw but I know many people who feed raw and are very happy. As far as kibble...we used to feed our two Nutro High Energy kibble but switched them a few months ago to Wellness. I believe it is more expensive than Cannidae (spelling?) but you get more for your money, IMO. Carolyn

[behsci]

What food brand do you think is the best and why?
Canidae, Natura, Old Mother Hubbard/Wellness, Nature's Variety, or Merrick?
Have you heard anything negative about any of these brands? I'd appreciate your replies!

[adora's mom]

Of those, I'd have to say IMHO:

1. Canidae - meat based, rice is the only grain, lots of digestive enzymes & good bacteria. I actually just switched my dogs to this from Nature's Variety (raw) and love it.

2. Innova (Natura) - meat based, variety of nutrients from ingredients, rich in oils for nice coat & can feed less since it's pretty high in calories

3. California Natural (Natura) - meat based, only 3 ingredients Lamb (or chicken), white rice & brown rice. This is a great food if your dog has a lot of allergies (Lamb formula esp.)

Nature's Variety raw is great IMO, definately recommend it. I took mine off of it because my older dog was having some problems with the protein content (most dogs that I know of do great with it). Nature's Variety dry, my dogs won't touch it, but the ingredients look good. I'm not sure about Wellness as I've never tried it. Merrick looks like good stuff, I bought a bag of it and it gave my pups massive digestive upset (too rich maybe) so I gave it to a friend.

[evangelie]

have any of you ever used the wysong brand? just curious.

[Minky]

Hi everyone,

After reading the some thousands of messages on www.boxerworld.com I am somewhat confused and in racking in brain as to what to feed the boys. I checked the ingredients on Royal Canin Medium and it was corn, corn and more corn. The Royal Canin Light, has poultry meal, barley and rice (but high fibre) and the Royal Canin Sensible has Rice (as first ingredient), Poultry Meal and Corn. I like the Royal Canin Light but am worried if I feed Vuitton and Fitch that, they may not keep their weight because it is a "light" formula. We do not have the Royal Canin Natural Blend formula in Australia.

In fact we do not have most of the recommended brands WDJ. There is Innova which you can only get at one particular store but the boys will not eat Innova. The other is Eagle Pack which can only be ordered online (I had to search high and low for a distributor). After reading Twist N Shout's comments on the product I may give the holistic chicken formula a try. My concern with getting food Eagle Pack is that (i) it only comes in a 15kg bag and (ii) given the limited distribution, it may be discontinued and I will have to try all over again.

The other options are Pro Plan, SD and Eukanuba which are readily available but no one seems to like.

So the question is whether I should get the boys onto RC light or RC Sensible which I know they will eat and readily available or try Eagle Pack which is harder to find?

As a footnote, I also give the boys chicken necks. Since I give them chicken necks, am I right in thinking that it doesn't matter that the RC Sensible Choice has rice as a first ingredient?

Sorry to carry on but any help is much appreciated.

Thanks

[franp]

If you already give them chicken necks; why not feed them a raw diet? ;) I have yet to see a dog that does not like it or do badly on it.

fran

[Linnysmommy]

All of our dogs eat Pro Plan. So, when we got Lenny we put him on Pro Plan puppy. He is doing great on it!!! appicon

[Minky]

Hi everyone,

With so much support for holisitic kibble, I have decided to change Vuitton's and Fitch's food to Eagle Pack from Royal Canin Puppy. The ingredients are mostly human grade and the boys seem to like it. It is slightly crunchy which is good for their teeth and I have noticed that their stool is firmer and less of it. They do seem to eat less of it. I supplement the Eagle Pack with chicken necks.

I will keep everyone posted on how the food goes.

I only hope it is it more readily available.