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Offline 1sttimecockermum

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New puppy, am I doing right
« on: May 18, 2008, 05:27:54 PM »
Hi, we have just got our first cocker puppy, he is almost 10 weeks and fed on Purina Pro Plan soaked in water, he dosen't really seem to relish his food, gradually eating it, so I tried mashing a teaspoon full of Butchers puppy food in the foil container in to tempt him, this works but his poos are a little softer since I've done this, am I right to do this ? also he sometimes eats his poo if I'm not quick enough to scoop, Is this to do with what he's eating ? TIA
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Offline spanielcrazy

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2008, 05:47:40 PM »
Actually, there are better quality foods available than Purina, you might want to look into James Wellbeloved, Burns, Arden Grange or some others. There are a lot of carbohydrates and junk in cheaper dog foods that the dogs body can't use so it just comes back out in (big, soft :P) poo. May help with the poo eating too if he gets on a higher quality feed  ;)
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Offline Letichia

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2008, 05:50:52 PM »
Quote from: spanielcrazy on May 18, 2008, 05:47:40 PM
Actually, there are better quality foods available than Purina, you might want to look into James Wellbeloved, Burns, Arden Grange or some others. There are a lot of carbohydrates and junk in cheaper dog foods that the dogs body can't use so it just comes back out in (big, soft :P) poo. May help with the poo eating too if he gets on a higher quality feed  ;)

I agree with the above, there are also some good quality wet foods if you would prefer to feed a wet diet like Nature diet, Natures menu and burns moist food to name a few.
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Offline 1sttimecockermum

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2008, 05:54:13 PM »
Thanks for the reply, The breeder was using the Pro Plan so we just carried on with it, is it ok to change him at 10 weeks? I did want to feed dry food but is he missing out on taste etc? He seems very hungry and worries for his meals then seems disapointed when given them ?
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Offline spanielcrazy

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2008, 05:59:39 PM »
Yes, you can change him over, just do it slowly, over the course of a week or so, adding in a small amount of the new food at first, keep that mixture for a couple of days then add a bit more, wait a couple days and so forth till he's completely switched over.

Puppies grow very fast and have a lot of demands on their bodies so if they are unable to get the nutrition they need, due to low quality food and/or not liking it, then they will always seem to be hungry
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Offline 1sttimecockermum

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2008, 06:31:56 PM »
Ok thanks, think I'll change him, JWB seems quite good and it looks like there are 4 flavours, would it be OK to alternate the flavours on a daily basis for variety ? Sorry for all the questions but I'm completely new to this!! :D
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Offline spanielcrazy

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2008, 06:49:38 PM »
No, best to put him on the type specifically for puppies and keep him on that till he's about 9 months old. After that if you want to rotate flavours you can
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Offline Joules

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2008, 07:55:16 PM »
Agree that JWB is a much better food and the sooner you change over the better - just do it over a week or so as has been described ;)  If he does not seem keen on the dry food, you can add some warm water - makes it smell more so sometimes works for picky eaters  :005:  Dogs seem to be quite happy to eat the same food every day once they are on something they like so no need to worry about different flavours.  :D  Otherwise, if he is not keen on the kibble on its own, you can use a mixture of wet and dry food - I used to feed Coco Naturediet with some kibble.  Just make sure it is the complete puppy version and, if you mix the foods, you adjust the quantities accordingly or you might end up with a porky pup! ;)  :005:
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Offline Karma

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2008, 07:59:03 PM »

JWB does several different flavours of puppy food...
We always found Honey ate more enthusiastically when she started a new flavour of kibble, as we would get a different one each time (didn't really have storage to have different flavours on offer).
 :D
Changing flavours never caused any side-effects...
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Offline KellyS

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2008, 08:35:21 PM »
No! I would keep him on what your breeder has used at least until he is 6 months old. He would have been weaned onto this food, by adding other meat etc you may make him fussy or upset his digestion. If your worried he's not eating it maybe worth having a chat with the breeder, it maybe he's a slow eater and/or still adjusting to his new surroundings ...
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Offline Annette

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2008, 08:47:32 PM »
It's ok to change the food so long as you do it gradually.

But be warned, it might not stop poo-eating and he  may always be a fussy eater.

Whatever you do, don't start swapping and changing too much because he seems to not be keen on it. That will increase any faddiness and will make life much harder for you in the long run.

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Offline bracken

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2008, 08:59:38 PM »
I have used JWB for all my dogs  :blink: they love it especially the fish  :luv:
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Offline ICCA

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Re: New puppy, am I doing right
« Reply #12 on: May 18, 2008, 10:08:05 PM »
No! I would keep him on what your breeder has used at least until he is 6 months old. He would have been weaned onto this food, by adding other meat etc you may make him fussy or upset his digestion. If your worried he's not eating it maybe worth having a chat with the breeder, it maybe he's a slow eater and/or still adjusting to his new surroundings ...
 
 
Further to Kelly's comment above - I have to agree with Kelly, I think it is best to keep him on what he's used to for a period of time, give him chance to settle etc - you say that he's awfully hungry - perhaps he is due another worming dose - speak to the breeder get as much advice that you can from them.
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