Need food & supplement suggestions (and switching food) for 11 week old puppy

[elonepb]

Hi all,

We are picking up our new bulldog "Butter" on August 31st. He will be 11 weeks old by that time and is currently enjoying (apparently a lot) Purina Puppy Chow that the breeder is giving him. Having done enough reading, I want to switch him to something far better for him. So that presents a couple different questions I have.

1) What are the opinions on the best food for a puppy bulldog given their needs? The stickies didn't seem to address the puppy side of things, only food recommendations from what I read. I seem to have read that perhaps bulldogs as a breed don't need "puppy" food because of protein considerations?

2) Recommendations on how to switch him to the new food? Keep him on the Purina and move it over slowly by mixing in a little?

3) Where can I read more information about how many times and how many cups I need to give him? I believe I read it's a percentage of his current weight which depends on how old he is and the development process.

4) Any supplement recommendations would be most appreciated

Thanks so much!

 

[AngAngeles13]

I am not qualified to make smart recommendations to you yet, but I just wanted to say BUTTER!!!! What an awesome name! Congrats on your new addition!

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Congrats on the new addition to your family, how exciting! What I would chose for a new pup, personally at least, would be one of the Fromm Four-Star formulas. They are made for all life stages so any of those formulas have complete nutrition for any age dog. As far as the amount to feed, when Samson was a puppy I just followed the guidelines on the bag. I would break up feedings to two to three times a day. Then when he became an adult I scaled it back from what it said on the bag because he started gaining weight. When transitioning from one food to another I have always followed the 1/4 new food 3/4 old food for 2 days, then half and half for 2 days, then 3/4 new food and 1/4 old food for 2 days. As for supplements, the only supplement I gave Samson starting from puppy age was a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement, I had read alot about bullys hip and joint issues and I was determined to do what I could to prevent it happening to Samson. Hope that helps, good luck! And congrats again!

 

[Marine91]

Many members here feed the Fromm's 4 star line as it is an all stages food that is good for puppies and adults. I currently use the Fromms Puppy Gold in the pink bag as that is what our breeder was feeding at the time I got my baby which is good as well. As for transitioning I would do it over a minimum of a 10 day period starting as their stomachs tend to be on the sensitive side of things. As for how much to feed.... That is something that is different for a lot of bullies. In my case Harlea gets 1 3/4 cups split between two meals a day, but also gets fruits and veggies throughout the day for treats and snacks. Others will do 1/2 to 3/4 cup 3 times a day or one of the many other variations. As for supplements..... For supplements there are several out there. The most common ones i have read about here are NuVet and HardyPet. We use HardyPet Complete for Harlea but there are choices out there.

Feel free to take a look around at many of the information articles on the left hand side of the home pages as it contains some great information and always as questions if you aren't sure and the people here are wonderful and love to help.

 

[Davidh]

Congrats on your new pup. We feed our pups FROMM Puppy Gold, but one of ours when she got 11 weeks old she didn't like it anymore so we switched her to FROMM Pork and Peas, which is an all stage food, so now at 14 weeks old we have both of them on the Pork and peas. I would wait about a week or two for your pup to get used to his new home before changing food and then slowly transition him over to the new food, taking about 7 to 10 days to do so. Plus feed him 3 times a day. About 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups per day. If you feed too much their poop will be soft, if their poop is hard then feed just a little more and if it gets soft then back down a little bit. That is a good way to gauge their food intake until he gets older.

 

[elonepb]

Thank you all for the input, it is very helpful!

 

[cowsmom]

i cant add to much to what has been said but will look for pictures of your new baby

 

[BrooklynStar]

Suggestions can only get you so far - in the end it's up to you and your bully to decide what works for you both. Fromm makes a great food, no doubt about it; along with Nature's Logic, Nature's Variety, and Wellness, too. I think I have tried every food possible when it comes to my bully. I started with the 5 stars and moved my way down the ladder and they all gave him vomiting/diaherrea. Even after an allergy test showed us what he wasn't allergic to - no dice. We finally ended up on Purina Mini-Chunks (the vet suggested it) and after a month his stool is PERFECT and no signs of vomiting either. Most would say that's a horrible food, but in the end it's the only one that agreed with him. The suggested food guide is a great place to start, but in my opinion is no way considered bible for what will work or not.

As for feeding sizes, you go by what's on the bag and adapt to your needs. If the bag says 2 to 3 cups a day and you notice he's gaining weight - then cut him down. If you see he is still hungry, give him more. The intructions on the bag are also a guide and should not be considered an absolute truth.
Indeed, my bulldog is the prime example of going against the popular trend so find what suits your needs and what your bully likes. Some foods my bully would not even touch, and others he gobbled right up. Goodluck!