# Kibble for new Puppy



## cody dumont (May 31, 2010)

I have a new Dutch Shepherd Puppy (11 weeks). The breeder feed kibble and I have him on the same diet. The food I have been using is *Royal Canin baby dog food #30.* I am just about to run out of his first bag and am wondering if there is a better *kibble *I should be feeding? (not wanting to do raw as of now). Also had some other questions related to diet.....Here they are:

1) Is *Royal Canin baby dog food #30* good stuff or is there a better dry kibble that can be found at the pet store (nothing special order please)?

2) I have been adding a rounded tablespoon of *Organic low-fat plain yogurt* to each meal. I am doing this because his ears are not standing yet. Someone at the Shc. Club recommended it for the extra calcium. Is this a good idea?

3) I am using raw meat (steak, ground beef) as treats for training and sometimes adding a little in with his kibble. Is this acceptable or should I do one or the other?

4) My last question is a little off topic but.....He is 15 lbs at 11 weeks (born 3-29-10). From what I am seeing in other pictures people have posted of their Dutchie pup's he seems real small. *Does 15 lbs at 11 weeks seem small to you guys and gals?* If so is there anything I can add to his diet to beef him up a little or is final size not related to this?

Thanks!

Tenbrook


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## cody dumont (May 31, 2010)

*- Here is a pic at 10 weeks old*


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

Is he healthy? Thats all that should matter, his size will develop, he may be on the smaller side, but you don't want to get him fat do you? All these other dogs may come from big boned lines, or are actually older than what people say....you never know. He does look a little on the small side to me, but as long as he is healthy and happy, go with it. 

Food??? I am not even going there...too many people on this forum have so many different views, all I am gonna say is a good food that is convenient for you to feed and get, healthy for the dog so he isn't fat, maintains weight,and keep his skin and coat healthy with no allergies...oh yeah nice firm stools!


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## Guest (Jun 14, 2010)

As long as he is well proportioned and energetic I wouldn't worry about size at all. Grow em slow. I'd give the pup some knuckle ends to gnaw on for calcium etc. as the pup will only absorb what if anything it needs. It won't throw off the balanced kibble. Pups don't need extra calcium. That is an old school wives tale and has been proven to be detrimental to bone health.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Vin Chiu said:


> As long as he is well proportioned and energetic I wouldn't worry about size at all. Grow em slow. I'd give the pup some knuckle ends to gnaw on for calcium etc. as the pup will only absorb what if anything it needs. It won't throw off the balanced kibble. Pups don't need extra calcium. That is an old school wives tale and has been proven to be detrimental to bone health.


Ditto. 

I'd add that not using "search" for this topic will do you out of some very detailed and useful threads. 

I think lots of folks just don't want to keep recycling the same thread every few months. (I don't mean your topic is any problem -- just that you will miss a lot if you don't go back and read the great posts on it from other threads.)


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## Timothy Saunders (Mar 12, 2009)

I like to use puppy gold as a supplement to any food I use . Just to make sure he is getting all of the nourishment he needs


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## Shane Woodlief (Sep 9, 2009)

Royal C food is overpriced crapp. Friend of mine did and ingredients comparison with other dog foods like Royal C and it was unbelievable how much Royal C was charging for their food compared to competitors. 

Go grain free a couple of really good ones are Origin or Taste of the Wild. They will not cost you a kidney either. Low Stool amounts, great teeth, beautiful coats as well good muscel development. They eat less of it than Royal C as well. If you cannot go raw go grain free. I supplement with raw knuckle type bones as well.

Good luck with the pup. My Dutchie should be here in August (hopefully!)


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## Erin Suggett (Nov 17, 2007)

Timothy Saunders said:


> I like to use puppy gold as a supplement to any food I use . Just to make sure he is getting all of the nourishment he needs


I am also a huge fan of *Puppy Gold* and have used it with all of my puppies. It really is _Gold!!_


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## Tamara Villagomez (Nov 28, 2009)

I third the Puppy Gold I currently use it on my german shepherd pup hes 3 months old and looks great awesome shiny coat as well!!


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Vin Chiu said:


> As long as he is well proportioned and energetic I wouldn't worry about size at all. Grow em slow. *I'd give the pup some knuckle ends to gnaw on for calcium etc. as the pup will only absorb what if anything it needs. It won't throw off the balanced kibble.* Pups don't need extra calcium. That is an old school wives tale and has been proven to be detrimental to bone health.


I agree with all but the bolded stuff. You can actually throw off balanced kibble if you feed more than 10% one way or the other, called caloric dilution. For example, giving a tablespoon of yogurt "for the calcium" was mentioned. It is likely not doing very much for the calcium to be quite honest, but it can change things around if it's more than 10% of the dog's daily calories. So a tablespoon of yogurt is likely fine for a younger pup. A jumbo sized kong given twice a day is probably not a great idea.


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## Rachel Kilburn (May 12, 2010)

cody dumont said:


> I have a new Dutch Shepherd Puppy (11 weeks). The breeder feed kibble and I have him on the same diet. The food I have been using is *Royal Canin baby dog food #30.* I am just about to run out of his first bag and am wondering if there is a better *kibble *I should be feeding? (not wanting to do raw as of now). Also had some other questions related to diet.....Here they are:
> 
> 1) Is *Royal Canin baby dog food #30* good stuff or is there a better dry kibble that can be found at the pet store (nothing special order please)?
> 
> ...


1) if you must feed kibble I started my GSD puppy on Innova Large Breed IMO its a better quaility kibble for puppies but now that the company that owns them sold out to Proctor and Gamble Idk about them anymore I switched my puppy over to a complete RAW diet when she was about 12 weeks old

2)Yogurt doesn't hurt, I feed Structure from CPN and I will until she is about 2 years old

3) Raw never hurts 

4) His weight right now has nothing to do with how much he is going to be when he finishes growing, it all depends on how big his parents are he will probably be somewhere in between their weights...


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Rachel Kilburn said:


> 3) Raw never hurts


While you probably didn't mean it that way, this statement right here is why I as a whole or partial raw feeder for 5 years now and a future veterinary nutritionist sincerely hope that the average American who can't even be bothered to cook for themselves won't try raw feeding for their dog. Raw does have risks and to deny those risks is foolhardy. Anyways...

While there has not been studies on this to my knowledge about mixing kibble and raw in the same meal, it is likely not a good idea. One of the main protectants of the canine GI tract is the speed at which it can pass things through. Gross to think about but true, that's one of the reasons diarrhea "works." It's an attempt to flush the pathogens out as quickly as possible with increased gut motility. Kibble contains about 10 percent moisture while raw meat is about 70 percent, so kibble digests much more slowly and could slow down the digestion of the raw food. The theory being that a dog would be more prone to harboring potentially dangerous or even deadly pathogens to either dogs or people because of a slower transit time. Canned food or homecooked food and raw would be a better idea, or separate the meals by a good 12 hours or so.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> ... While there has not been studies on this to my knowledge about mixing kibble and raw in the same meal, it is likely not a good idea. One of the main protectants of the canine GI tract is the speed at which it can pass things through. .... Kibble contains about 10 percent moisture while raw meat is about 70 percent, so kibble digests much more slowly and could slow down the digestion of the raw food. ...


Ditto. The two biggies: caustic stomach acid, and rapid transit. These are the dog's major mechanisms against raw-food pathogens settling down and raising a family. I don't feed raw to a dog who is on antacids and I don't artificially slow the transit time of raw by combining it with kibble. 

(Yes, many folks do it and yes, many dogs are fine with it. I know that.  )


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