15 week old Franky is eating 1/2 cup twice a day...

[LinoD]

hey all,

my new pup Franky isnt eating as much as i'd like...i put one cup out for him to eat but he only eats about half a cup twice a day, 10am and 6pm...

he's been home with us for 4 days now and im using half Iams puppy(that's what the breeder was feeding him) and half Chicken Soup for pup's...

how much did your 15 week old frenchie eat ?

thanks,
LinoD.

[sakirby]

that is about how much oscar ate too when he was franky's age. i would try gradually switching him to a better food that he is more interested in. have you thought about raw?!! oscar gobbles ALL his raw food up in about 3 seconds. and then he looks around for more.

[LinoD]

that is about how much oscar ate too when he was franky's age. i would try gradually switching him to a better food that he is more interested in. have you thought about raw?!! oscar gobbles ALL his raw food up in about 3 seconds. and then he looks around for more.

yeah, i've been thinking about it... plus, Fran reminds me every day that i should be. :D

any recomendations for places on the west coast that sell raw ?

[sakirby]

lol, i know fran is one of the main reasons i switched oscar to raw. well, i will do some research for you as i am moving to san francisco in a month so, i will need to find a west coast raw dealer as well. try some searching online. i swear by raw. oscar never refuses to eat it, and his bowel movements are rare, consistant, and he rarely has diarrhea which he used to have ALL the time! i would HIGHLY suggest a raw diet.

[sakirby]

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/

well, i looked for bravo in LA and it doesn't seem there is a local dealer (which suprised me, i mean come on, it's LA!!!!!!). but, there is one UPS shipper in CA that you can look at. they would ship you the food.

http://www.naturesvariety.com/

this is what i feed oscar. there are 12 stores in LA that sell it! check out the site for all the listings of places. so, i would recommend this. but, look at some other brands too. this one is pretty expensive. i probably spend about $30 a month to feed oscar. but, for me, it is worth it. and i would rather run to the store than constantly be ordering it online and having it shipped in big packages to me. but, that's just me :)

[adora's mom]

Nature's Variety should be pretty easy to find in LA, Lino. I live in Orange County and there are at least 6 stores close by that carry it. Pretty much any pet store that carries premium foods should have it.

[Borgan]

Hi Guys,

We feed Nature's V. and it IS expensive. We spend close to 70$ CAD a month (4 bags), and Luna still seems to be on the slender side (we're feeding the bag's recommendations). I'm sure there is a cheaper alterative for us west-coasters... I've just gotta get out there and look. We have a lot of local dog food producers here that do all organic, etc. (the westcoast obsession with health). I'm sure you would find something local in CA.... as long as it's got the right ratio of protein-to-veg-to-mineral.

[LinoD]

hey guys, great !! thanks for the info !!

NV looks like it's the way to go for me with so many retailers here in LA...

so, should i do a slow transition, mixing the raw and dry...

fingers crossed ! i really hope Franky likes raw !

what do you guys do when you travel with your pup, is the freeze dried good as well ?

thanks again all !!

[franp]

Give Franky a meal of raw,don't mix the two..And I think you can probably just switch cold turkey..

Mixing raw and kibble will give Frankie diarhea..

When I travel, I look where I am traveling to and see where Dari's food is sold.When I go to Ca, I will have my friends get some of the Nature's variety for her.. Or I will go into a supermarket and get some chicken or turkey.

[sakirby]

i agree with fran.

i wish i would have just done it cold turkey with oscar. the gradual thing(kibble in the am, and raw at night) seemed to still cause problems so, if i could go back, i would try it cold turkey first and see what happens.

also linoD, if i can't give oscar raw food (someone taking care of him doesn't want to deal with it, travel, forgot to buy it, etc...), then i give him nature's variety canned food. i have several cans in the cupboard for "emergency" situations where i can't feed him raw. he loves it as well, and it is still good for him. sometimes raw can be a hassle so, it is good to have a backup in my opinion. :D

[LinoD]

ok, great info so far...thanks guys !

when feeding NV raw madlins, are you guys squishing them into a ground beef type of texture of just leaving them as a little puck ?

[sakirby]

i squish them with my fingers. but, that is just so oscar doesn't inhale them quite as fast. if i leave them whole, he literally sucks them up in 2 seconds. when i mush them up, it takes him 6 seconds to eat. :D

[franp]

Same here; I mash the Bravo or Ms Hoover inhales faster than a speeding bullet.

[miss heather]

Stella's eating Nature's Variety too.
Expensive DEFINETLY... she's only 6 months and according to the website feeding instructions (I think more accurate than the bag... especially if you have a young pup) for her age and weight she is eating 16 ounces/day :eek:
This is costing me approx. $35 CAD (about $29 USD) every EIGHT days.... really giving my pocketbook a workout!

That said... she is doing so well on it I wouldn't dare change it... her health is worth every penny to me.

I absolutely mash it up first... otherwise the hoover takes over :lol:

I've never tried the freeze-dried for times when we can't feed raw, but I'm surious about it as well... anyone else tried it?

[sakirby]

heather, i haven't tried the freeze dried nature's variety yet either but, have thought about it. let me know if you try it. i have fed oscar the canned food when i have forgotten to buy raw or something for a meal. he loves that too! and i think it is still pretty good for him. :D