Is Purina Beta Puppy really that bad?

[Josie81]

Hi,

my Alfie is just 6 months old now and I have been feeding him on Purina Beta since I bought him home (when he was around 8 weeks-old), as this is what the breeder fed him on. I always assumed that this was quite a good brand/make of food, but have recently read some really bad reviews on this -so I am just wondering if this food really was a bad choice and whether you feel that I should change? I am also wondering how much of an influence feeding this food has made on his development?

Thanks in advance for any opinions/advice.

Josie x

[Abbi]

This is a good site to give you a view on what's in your dog's dinner.

www.whichdogfood.co.uk

Don't beat yourself up if you see that it's not got the best ingredients, as your little pup is still young and if you decide to change you've got years ahead. It's best not to change a pups food to start with anyway as their tummies are delicate and with all the other changes in their lives it can be quite a disruption.

I used to feed James Wellbeloved but my dog wouldn't eat well and had lots of colitis and after a lot of research I realised that it was the ingredients that didn't agree with her and she knew it, and that's why she didn't want to eat it. I now feed a raw diet and have never looked back. She now loves her food and has never had another bout of colitis.

[maddy74]

Willow was weaned on Beta and she had awful sloppy poops when she came home. We decided once she had settled to change her food. We did this, nothing seemed to agree with her as a pup. 

She is now on Barking Heads and I have to say the ingredients are good and she loves it. Most of the time her poops are nice and firm and she doesnt have wind. 

If you are thinking of changing remember to do it gradually, over a few weeks. Most places will send you samples if you visit their websites.

Good luck. 

[Jonnydog]

My last cocker, Jess, came to us on Beta puppy so I just kept her on it as like you I had no reason to believe there was anything wrong with it. In due course both she and Jonny (springer) went on to Beta adult with no problems for Jess, but Jonny developed terrible skin allergy. Eventually the vet persuaded me to try changing the food to Burns and the skin allergy disappeared. Jonny's been on it ever since. So the Beta was fine for one dog but didn't suit the other. Now Burns doesn't suit Penny as she couldn't keep weight on, so I changed her to raw, but Jonny stays on the Burns.

I think what I'm trying to say in a long-winded way is that different foods suit different dogs. There are better quality foods out there than Beta, as far as ingredients go, but it's up to you.

[Walshies]

Fudge is on Beta puppy with some Barking Heads mixed in and he has been fine - firm jobbies with no problems. We add in some chicken, salmon or tuna at tea time and he loves it. Not once has he failed to clear his plate. To help his dandruff we also add in Evening Primrose Oil and he is fine. We are shortly to move him on to adult food and will continue with the BH and Beta Mix. Agree with Jonnydog - different stuff suits different dogs and trial and error may be the order of the day.

[Josie81]

Hi everyone and thanks for the replies!

Alfie seems to be doing fine on the Beta Puppy -he appears healthy and only has the occasional soft poo.

I had a look at the website you mentioned, Abbi, which was really useful thanks. Looking at the ingredients, I think I might change to something better when he gets nearer adulthood. I am just feeling nervous about changing in case it is a change for the worse.

I have considered feeding raw meat too, like mince meat -but is there a chance that he might get food poisoning? I know this is probably a silly question, and I know that a lot of people on here feed raw with no issues, but I would worry about him becoming poorly.

Thanks

Josie.

[Lovely]

Lovely has been on a mixture of beta puppy and nature diet since i got her with no problems. I tried a couple of different brands but she wouldn't touch them. I changed to wainwrights wet food as she prefers it but am sticking with the beta, unless i encounter any problems i don't think there's much point in changing especially as she has wet food as well which hopefully compensates for any deficiencies in the beta.

[Mudmagnets]

Hi everyone and thanks for the replies!

Alfie seems to be doing fine on the Beta Puppy -he appears healthy and only has the occasional soft poo.

I had a look at the website you mentioned, Abbi, which was really useful thanks. Looking at the ingredients, I think I might change to something better when he gets nearer adulthood. I am just feeling nervous about changing in case it is a change for the worse.

I have considered feeding raw meat too, like mince meat -but is there a chance that he might get food poisoning? I know this is probably a silly question, and I know that a lot of people on here feed raw with no issues, but I would worry about him becoming poorly.

Thanks

Josie.

The only thing with feeding mince (or any other raw meat) I believe from reading on here -  you cannot mix raw with cooked i.e. kibble, etc as the dog digests it at a different rate, altho you can give them for either meal - say kibble for breakfast & raw for tea

 I feed Smudge Burns & Naturediet, so may be talking out of my hat. 

[Jonnydog]

Hi everyone and thanks for the replies!

Alfie seems to be doing fine on the Beta Puppy -he appears healthy and only has the occasional soft poo.

I had a look at the website you mentioned, Abbi, which was really useful thanks. Looking at the ingredients, I think I might change to something better when he gets nearer adulthood. I am just feeling nervous about changing in case it is a change for the worse.

I have considered feeding raw meat too, like mince meat -but is there a chance that he might get food poisoning? I know this is probably a silly question, and I know that a lot of people on here feed raw with no issues, but I would worry about him becoming poorly.

Thanks

Josie.

The only thing with feeding mince (or any other raw meat) I believe from reading on here -  you cannot mix raw with cooked i.e. kibble, etc as the dog digests it at a different rate, altho you can give them for either meal - say kibble for breakfast & raw for tea

I'm not about to contradict anyone, but lots of dog owners mix raw mince with kibble with no ill effect. It sounds a bit like the 'don't mix proteins and carbs' point of view that some people use to diet. 

[Mudmagnets]

Hi everyone and thanks for the replies!

Alfie seems to be doing fine on the Beta Puppy -he appears healthy and only has the occasional soft poo.

I had a look at the website you mentioned, Abbi, which was really useful thanks. Looking at the ingredients, I think I might change to something better when he gets nearer adulthood. I am just feeling nervous about changing in case it is a change for the worse.

I have considered feeding raw meat too, like mince meat -but is there a chance that he might get food poisoning? I know this is probably a silly question, and I know that a lot of people on here feed raw with no issues, but I would worry about him becoming poorly.

Thanks

Josie.

The only thing with feeding mince (or any other raw meat) I believe from reading on here -  you cannot mix raw with cooked i.e. kibble, etc as the dog digests it at a different rate, altho you can give them for either meal - say kibble for breakfast & raw for tea

I'm not about to contradict anyone, but lots of dog owners mix raw mince with kibble with no ill effect. It sounds a bit like the 'don't mix proteins and carbs' point of view that some people use to diet. 

Well, like I admitted at the time, I was not sure - it was just the general feeling I got from reading different posts