Puppy for for small breeds?

[Skyesrocket]

A lot of companies are making food specifically for small breed pups. Their tummies are so small that they can't hold a lot of food, so need to get all of their nutritional requirements in a small amount of food.
I feed mine Purina Pro Plan for small breed pups. They seem to do well on it. I always go with the chicken. Chicken/Rice combos. I just think it digests easily. I have seem some of the lamb and other combos, but so far the chicken has worked well, so that's what I stick with.
Carrie

 

[glowworm]

Hi, I just joined today and have been coming to the site the last couple weeks. I saw your post and wanted to reply...
I'm a registered vet tech.

Here's the advice that I learned in school that I give to clients searching for a (dry/kibble) food:
1. Your dog should like the food
2. The first ingredient should be meat based and the second or third ingredient should be too.
3. By-products are not bad. In the wild, a wolf strips the entire carcass, including all the organs and stomach contents. These contain many nutrients.
4. Corn is not bad either. Corn is a highly digestible protein. A very low percentage of dogs can develop an allergy to corn, so obviously these dogs need another option, like rice.
5. Lamb (and the newest being turkey) was brought out on the market in response to dogs having allergies to beef and chicken. Some people started switching to lamb thinking it was "better." Lamb is no better than chicken or beef, in fact many dogs do better on a chic/beef diet than lamb. The bottom line is, you do not need lamb or turkey unless your dog has food allergies, which a vet will help you find out.
6. Some dogs just "do better" on one brand of food than another. Don't be afraid to try something new (remember to make the switch gradual by mixing brands together).
7. Your dog is a puppy, so feed a puppy food until at 6-8 mo for a small breed. Many brands tailor to consumer needs and offer many options on their foods, in your case you can try to find a toy breed food, which usually come with smaller kibbles too. make sure you feed your puppy at least 3 times a day until she/he is 6 months old.

I personally feed my dogs Purina Pro Plan which they like, they have solid stool, and its not too much $$ like some of the very high end foods.

-Elise