Getting my new pup on Friday! First time owner

[CJacko97]

Thanks for the info!

I bought this on Amazon.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XFTVZKX?psc=1&smid=A2J8UF1DKGX9UK&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp&tag=ff0d01-20

So I will try this, it was listed at 6* food on the help forum and it's one of the only ones available that I could buy on Amazon that shipped within a good time-frame. I was just worried when reading up about the fact if changing the dog food right away it could cause harm to the dog, but I'm more than happy to go direct to the Orijen, because I do not have any Royal Canin food.

 

[Bulldog2001]

Thanks for the info!

I bought this on Amazon.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XFTVZKX?psc=1&smid=A2J8UF1DKGX9UK&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp&tag=ff0d01-20

So I will try this, it was listed at 6* food on the help forum and it's one of the only ones available that I could buy on Amazon that shipped within a good time-frame. I was just worried when reading up about the fact if changing the dog food right away it could cause harm to the dog, but I'm more than happy to go direct to the Orijen, because I do not have any Royal Canin food.

The dog may have a little loose stool while getting used to the food, so you can always try to add some canned Pumpkin Purée NOT pie filling pumpkin .

That can help the transition.

I highly recommend rotating the proteins no matter what you feed to prevent food allergies and picky eater.

Do you have any local pet stores near you?

Are you open to feeding raw diet dog food?

Does it have to be available on Amazon? Does Chewy .com ship to you? They have more food options I think and may be cheaper than Amazon. Just a thought.

 

[CJacko97]

Highly appreciate your recommendations.

We have a pets at home, but it's not the best, I'm going to visit the weekend and take the new pup down after she's had her second vaccination, so I can measure her up and get her a Harness etc.

I would be open to a raw diet dog food, is this just a matter of visiting a local butcher, and purchasing raw meat, or does it have to be dog-specific meat?

I've just looked at Chewy.com and it's based in the USA, and I'm in England, so unfortunately the transit time & also the import costs would make it more expensive.

 

[benny]

If you're going into this already not trusting your breeder, you may want to re-evaluate things.

 

[CJacko97]

In regard to what? The Royal Canin food? I trusted the breeder, but then it's everyone on here that has said otherwise.

 

[benny]

In regard to what? The Royal Canin food? I trusted the breeder, but then it's everyone on here that has said otherwise.

That's understandable. My comment is more about the "I made the mistake and trusted my breeder" comment that was made earlier.

the "you" is a general you and not necessarily directed at you @CJacko97

IMO you should make as strong a bond with your breeder as possible. If there's a reason why you can't or won't, then a re-evaluations prior to picking a dog up is crucial. This doesn't mean feeding what they feed, but it does mean having some amount of trust in them.

 

[CJacko97]

Ah ok! Noted.

I will definitely be making a good strong bond with the breeder, it's actually one of my very close family members very close friends. So I will always be able to keep in touch with them no matter what!

I do appreciate absolutely everyones advice in this thread, it's been a great help overall and has helped me decide on a lot of things!

 

[Bulldog2001]

Highly appreciate your recommendations.

We have a pets at home, but it's not the best, I'm going to visit the weekend and take the new pup down after she's had her second vaccination, so I can measure her up and get her a Harness etc.

I would be open to a raw diet dog food, is this just a matter of visiting a local butcher, and purchasing raw meat, or does it have to be dog-specific meat?

I've just looked at Chewy.com and it's based in the USA, and I'm in England, so unfortunately the transit time & also the import costs would make it more expensive.

Does Pro Dog Raw deliver to you?
I googled raw dog food in England and that’s one that came up.

Some pet stores have a raw diet selection in the frozen section.

Butchers I don’t recommend cause they sometimes use fatty meat scraps and don’t use the correct nutrients for balanced dog food.

There is usually some that deliver the raw food to you.
Pre made raw dog food has meat organs and bone and some veg. They have to have the proper amount of meat organs and bone.

Some people think feeding raw dog food is going to grocery store and buy a steak and that’s it.
No that’s not balanced, so it’s best for buying dog specific that’s already done.

Primal Raw, K9 Natural(have freeze dried too that you just add water and serve), are common good freeze dried raw food you just add water and serve.

Primal has a frozen raw too, Stella& chewy and vital essentials all have frozen raw premade you can buy.
There is also Steve’s raw food.

Those are good commercial brands of raw dog food that may be available to you or your pet food store.

Is Pro Dog Raw brand available to you?

Sorry I didt realize chewy wasnt a option, I haven’t ordered from them before either , and they don’t ship to where I am anyway.

 

[Bulldog2001]

That's understandable. My comment is more about the "I made the mistake and trusted my breeder" comment that was made earlier.

Who and what are you referring to for that quote??

??

 

[Bulldog2001]

In regard to what? The Royal Canin food? I trusted the breeder, but then it's everyone on here that has said otherwise.

In my opinion, all dog owners should do our research on good dog food and before thinking/assuming anything the breeder is feeding is good quality especially when puppies before health issues pop up.

Sometimes people are too busy or don’t want to do the research or look into good quality dog food and what’s best for them. That’s why here on this forum, is members will give the answer that Royal Canin is not a good food so if your open to other foods it’s in the dog best interest to keep the dog healthy and avoid low quality dog food.

 

[CJacko97]

Hey! It looks like they do!

I've just went on their website now, and they're offering a sample pack for the equivalent of around $20. It comes with:

2 x Puppy Chicken & Green Tripe- 500g
2 x Puppy Turkey & White Fish- 500g
3 x Puppy Beef & Chicken- 500g
3 x Puppy Chicken- 500g

"An assortment of our delicious gourmet recipe meals, in a convenient 5kg pack"

Overall, without the "sample pack" discount, you're looking at around $50 per 5kg, which is still cheaper than the current $70~ I have just paid for 6kg of Orijen.

I will definitely check with the pet store on the weekend if there's anything in there, that might be cheaper without delivery costs etc, and do some research on it. I honestly didn't realise there were high-profile dog foods that just aren't up to scratch, you would think that with all the marketing they do that they'd be offering a good product.. But research so far has suggested that the more-marketed brands are actually the worst ones!

EDIT: I have already purchased 6kg of Orijen, is it possible to still order this cheap puppy pack, and mix it/give it different food on different days.. Or is it recommended to just stick to 1 food?

 

[CJacko97]

This is exactly what I was thinking, I have read a lot about the fee's involved with vets, and overall it is probably actually just cheaper to pay for the "good" food, and skip a lot of health issues, than having to pay so many vet bills with the cheaper stuff. Also, puppy would be healthier, happier, and live longer, which is the MOST important part

 

[Bulldog2001]

Hey! It looks like they do!

I've just went on their website now, and they're offering a sample pack for the equivalent of around $20. It comes with:

2 x Puppy Chicken & Green Tripe- 500g
2 x Puppy Turkey & White Fish- 500g
3 x Puppy Beef & Chicken- 500g
3 x Puppy Chicken- 500g

"An assortment of our delicious gourmet recipe meals, in a convenient 5kg pack"

Overall, without the "sample pack" discount, you're looking at around $50 per 5kg, which is still cheaper than the current $70~ I have just paid for 6kg of Orijen.

I will definitely check with the pet store on the weekend if there's anything in there, that might be cheaper without delivery costs etc, and do some research on it. I honestly didn't realise there were high-profile dog foods that just aren't up to scratch, you would think that with all the marketing they do that they'd be offering a good product.. But research so far has suggested that the more-marketed brands are actually the worst ones!

EDIT: I have already purchased 6kg of Orijen, is it possible to still order this cheap puppy pack, and mix it/give it different food on different days.. Or is it recommended to just stick to 1 food?

raw also has the moisture in it which keeps them hydrated and drink way less. Really good for the immune system and especially as a puppy, I would feed the best you can cause to keep Immune system good.

Raw just requires some freezer space but I find sometimes it is cheaper than premium kibble and it’s way healthier.

You can feed Kibble for dinner, and raw for breakfast for example.

OR this is what I would do,

Give raw for breakfast and dinner, and the lunch/snack is the kibble to use it up.

But I do NOT recommend mixing raw and kibble in the SAME Meal.

So feeding breakfast as raw by itself then dinner is kibble for example would work too, then you use up the kibble and can keep her on raw.

Still rotate proteins with the raw too to prevent food allergies and picky eater.


I would try the sample pack.

What does she weigh?

A 50 lb adult dog should have approximately 1 pound of raw per day of raw food.


That brand I recommend giving the 80/10/10 formulas. All their formulas look good even the puppy formulas.

Once thawed the raw in fridge, you can keep 1-2 days of raw dog food in fridge for once thawed.

 

[Bulldog2001]

This is exactly what I was thinking, I have read a lot about the fee's involved with vets, and overall it is probably actually just cheaper to pay for the "good" food, and skip a lot of health issues, than having to pay so many vet bills with the cheaper stuff. Also, puppy would be healthier, happier, and live longer, which is the MOST important part

Exactly! And that’s why I always recommend having the dog on a premium food if you can cause if you pay for low quality food(even vet food and that’s part of why the vets promote their low quality food) cause it makes $$ And a unhealthy food will cause health issues and back at the vets for health issues and more $$$.

Some vets are against raw dog food cause a healthy raw fed dog won’t have to see vet much which means less $$ for the vet.

I personally don’t even tell my vet my dogs are raw fed, she keeps saying they are healthy what do you feed, I say premium or fresh food.
Cause some vets are so against it.


And yes like you said, a healthy dog that won’t have health issues and doesn’t see vet often means your paying for premium food to Not see vet and pay for those vet bills.
For medication vets give, they come with side effects that causes other health issues too.

The quality of the dogs life too should be way better and longer.

Now I’m not saying there will never have health issues cause you feed raw, but it should be minimal to none, also depends on the genetics too.
But a healthy dog/puppy getting into premium fresh food can definitely prevent many health issues!

 

[CJacko97]

Thanks so much for all the info, it's so greatly appreciated. You guys here have given me SO much advice already.

At the moment, I'm not sure what she weighs, but I get to pick her up Friday - so I'll find out as soon as I can.

Yeah, I don't want an unhealthy dog, it's not fair, the dog doesn't get to choose what she will get fed. So I, as the carer, will have to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make sure she has a long healthy life.

I'm going to get some insurance, which I'm currently struggling with choosing, I will be doing more research into that. I think it's around $60/month for a decent insurance with a $100/premium and a $4000/visit limit. Here in the UK, I don't think VET bills are as expensive as in USA.

I've added a picture of Sash, who I'll be picking up in 3 days.