General Question itchy bulldog puppy food?

Derby

New member
Jun 24, 2013
13
0
Denton, Tx
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United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Derby
Hello! I just got a sweet 8 week old English Bulldog puppy yesterday and can't get enough of her! I knew that English Bulldogs are kind of known for health problems, so I decided to pay the extra money for the "great" Science Diet puppy food that the breeder and vet recommended. After looking around online and on this forum, though, I now know that's not the food I want to stick with. She doesn't seem to be having problems right now except for occasional itching. It's not excessive or hard scratching and she's not losing hair from it, but could it still be helpful to get a food with less grains? The vet said "she's not losing hair, and dogs just scratch." She doesn't have too hard or soft stool, and she usually poops when she gets up, after eating in the morning and at night, and once or twice during the day. I say "usually;" since I got her yesterday :p

I guess my main question is, is it better to start slowly changing from Science Diet to something more nutritional now even though it doesn't seem to be causing her problems? Unless occasional scratching is a problem. And if I do switch, should I try something without grain, or just something more nutritious? Maybe Fromm Puppy Gold or Blue Buffalo?

Thank you so much for any tips for a new English Bulldog owner! Happy to find this site!
 

Casper

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2013
1,716
215
Slidell, Louisiana, United States
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
"The Stallone Bros"
Hello, and Welcome to you and to Derby..... @ 8 weeks old, I know your in for the ride of a lifetime, These little guys come with so much personality pre-installed, Their a wound up ball of energy with their bullyness, lol. Your going to be just like us now, and addicted, But it's okay, Hold on, strap in and enjoy this site, it's the most experienced website on the web for our Pets, I stopped by here also, researching foods, and became an instant fan, these guys are like Family, and Derby will surely reap the benefits......Onto your food question, Their tummy's are so sensative, its hard to believe. When I first got my Rocky, he was on Purina, So I bought Purina to start with, I was using small kibbles instead of the large he was use too, and a different formula evidently, and it tore his tummy up. After a trip to the Vet for medicine to calm his tummy down, I was able to move him onto Blue Buffalo sensative formula (Grain Free) help with Allergies, Only to find it had chicken, and didn't have much protein in it. After researching the food Ratings page under articles, I found most here use Fromms, Beef Feritta or Pork and Peas, The really exciting thing is, Fromms really caters to our pets, They offer nutritious foods, ones they will eat, and they do a lot of research for their ingredience, and if your using one of their 4 Star Foods, you can feed one Flavor in the morning, a different that evening and don't have to worry about the transition. I use Blue Buffalo, which is readily available to me without mail order, but through here you can get a code for free shipping on foods over $50.00 I believe, not positive, and of course you know most of the time, depending on your state, you get away without tax, just sayin....Food changes are difficult, and best put, should be done in 9-10 days. Start out with 1/4 cup new food, and 3/4 cup old food, for 3 days, Then 50/50 for 3 more days, then 75/25 the finaly 3-4 days, then 100%. There poop should remain consistant, Formed, but not runny, Firm !! The science Diet i once thought to be a good food, and is mostly peddaled by Vet's who receive kick backs on the sales, and once upon a time was one of the best foods on the market, Today with all the research, Lab tests etc, nutrients and vitamins, protein and everything else considered, put Hills Science Diet pretty much out of the running. The trick here is to find a good food, Like many of our breeders use the Fromm's Puppy food in the Pink Bag, and then at about 7-8 months of age switch over to an adult food kibbles. On here you will get a lot of great information, and you'll see we all do things a little differently, Point being, find a great food for your pet, that wont interact with his allergies, and go with it.... Slow Transition is Best.... and read, Read, and Read more of the articles here, and learn all you can, you and Derby will both benefit so much !!! and last....Welcome to our Family !!! :)
 

Davidh

Head Pooper Scooper
Staff member
Mar 21, 2011
13,407
848
Katy, Texas
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
[MENTION=8699]Casper[/MENTION] has given yo some good advise. I would wait about a week or so before switching food to let your baby get used to her new home and settle in before the change. Finding the right food is always a challenge and trial and error. We feed our pups FROMM Puppy Gold in the pink bag, but FROMM 4 star foods are an all stage food so you can feed them as well. Good luck with your new pup, as she is a cutie, and looking forward in seeing more pics of her.
 
OP
Derby

Derby

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Jun 24, 2013
13
0
Denton, Tx
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United States
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Derby
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
Thank you guys so much for the advice! I went ahead and ordered some Fromm Puppy Gold and hope she will love it! I'll take Casper's advice and add it in little by little.
 

bullmama

Owner/Administrator
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
24,756
1,251
Tucson, Arizona
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Keep us posted and what a cutie you got there!


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk :)
 

cowsmom

..........
Apr 27, 2011
6,996
384
Virginia
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
Sarah aka cow
well i see casper beat me here but yes i would wait a few weeks then make a slow switch. keep us updated on how it goes. :)
 
OP
Derby

Derby

New member
Jun 24, 2013
13
0
Denton, Tx
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United States
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Derby
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  • #8
Thank you guys so much! :-) So far I've just been adding some Fromm to the top of her regular food and she doesn't seem to notice. She's definitely not a picky eater! I have to crate her before I sweep because she tries to lick up the dust pile! :p But we're still making a slow switch for her tummy and it's going great so far!
 

cowsmom

..........
Apr 27, 2011
6,996
384
Virginia
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
Sarah aka cow
oh thats wonderful. keep us updated. yes sarah does that but she smells things no licks. she will smell anything to death if its new or even if its been moved. :)
 

Marine91

The New Casper
Staff member
May 15, 2013
8,698
556
Blips and Chitz
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Harlea 5/4/13 - 8/25/22
Thank you guys so much! :-) So far I've just been adding some Fromm to the top of her regular food and she doesn't seem to notice. She's definitely not a picky eater! I have to crate her before I sweep because she tries to lick up the dust pile! :p But we're still making a slow switch for her tummy and it's going great so far!

That is good to hear that she is adjusting well to her new food.
 
OP
Derby

Derby

New member
Jun 24, 2013
13
0
Denton, Tx
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United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Derby
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  • #11
That's funny, I wish Derby would sniff things before she licked them :p She still hasn't had problems adding in Fromm, but her newest tummy test is the rawhide she swallowed today! I gave her that before seeing all of the anti-rawhide posts on this site :/ I freaked out when I realized she'd swallowed the whole soggy square that had folded in half, but that was about 3 hours ago and there hasn't been anything fishy. She's still playing like crazy, sleeping and pooping. I'm keeping a close eye on her, though, and ditching the bag of rawhide despite her love of them!
 

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