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  1. #1
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    Puppy Diet Problem

    Hi Everyone,

    I have a 9 week old fox red lab who is having some diet problems. The breeder had been feeding them Royal Canine and after a week of having him I switched him to Ancana (better quality, higher protein) After doing so he had Diarrhea which I was expecting with a diet change at a young age (7weeks) Just after a week with no sign of change I introduced pure pumpkin to help settle things, which it did. After a week of the pumpkin I slowly elimited it from the kibble and sure enough he had the runs again. I'm now back to the Royal Canine which I hate because its a low quailty food. My question is should I start mixing the two over a period of time to help introduce or move on to another brand?

    Thanks!!!

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redlab View Post
    Hi Everyone,

    I have a 9 week old fox red lab who is having some diet problems. The breeder had been feeding them Royal Canine and after a week of having him I switched him to Ancana (better quality, higher protein) After doing so he had Diarrhea which I was expecting with a diet change at a young age (7weeks) Just after a week with no sign of change I introduced pure pumpkin to help settle things, which it did. After a week of the pumpkin I slowly elimited it from the kibble and sure enough he had the runs again. I'm now back to the Royal Canine which I hate because its a low quailty food. My question is should I start mixing the two over a period of time to help introduce or move on to another brand?

    Thanks!!!

    Hi there.
    One of the biggest mistakes new puppy owners make, is changing a puppy's food. Puppies are very stressed when they leave their mother and litter mates, then with a change of food, one is asking for trouble. If you trusted your breeder enough to purchase a puppy from them, you need to trust that the food they choose is appropriate for the puppy to grow on. Even if you dislike the food, if the puppy is doing well on it, don't change until at least the puppies adult teeth have erupted at age 6 to 7 months. You may have to watch your guarantee/warrantee to make sure you haven't voided it by feeding a different food. I would not switch to yet a different food again, just go back to the Royal Canin for now and let him settle.

    So did you get him at 6 weeks or 7 weeks? You mention that you changed the food after having him a week then said (7weeks) in parentheses. Its much better for a puppy to be ready for leave their dam and siblings when they are 8 weeks or older. In some states it is illegal to sell a puppy under 8 weeks old, I am not sure of the regulations in Calgary Canada at all.

  3. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Shelley For This Useful Post:

    barry581 (05-31-2014), LabLady101 (06-04-2014), Tanya (06-05-2014), ZRabbits (05-31-2014)

  4. #3
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    There is nothing wrong with Royal Canin. I think people are fooled into thinking the boutique brands are better, and then the pups get sick and can't tolerate the food.

    Follow Shelley's advice above. Keep him on the breeder's food through teething.

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to JenC For This Useful Post:

    LabLady101 (06-04-2014)

  6. #4
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    Hi Shelly,
    Really appreciate the advice and I will stick with the Royal Canine until he's older as you instructed. We were originally supposed to pick him up at 8 weeks but our breeder was driving out or way and to save us two days travel she brought him to us. Although he was 7 weeks he was already a good weight and was ready to be separated from his litter.

    Thanks again!

  7. #5
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    I fed Royal Canin to Sophie until she was 15 months, and I've got Bruce on the same food, as it's what his breeders feed, and I trust them to know what's best for thier pups. Sophie did really well on RC, and I'm sure Bruce will also. I did switch Sophie to Fromm grain free at 15 months, and could not be happier with the results, and I'll do the same with Bruce when the time comes.

  8. #6
    Puppy kwillia's Avatar
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    Ok, this is helping me with Tucker. I will keep Tucker on the IAMS Puppy food for a while. I just worry because it doesn't state for large breed. I will talk to the Vet again at the next checkup in a month.

  9. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kwillia View Post
    ... I just worry because it doesn't state for large breed. I will talk to the Vet again at the next checkup in a month.
    You don't need Large Breed food for pups, so no need to worry about that...

  10. #8
    Puppy kwillia's Avatar
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    I had no idea that labs pups don't need to be on large breed puppy food. Great info. What are the issues that I need to be concerned about with pups growing to fast and calcium in food? As I stated previously, I had a 12 year old lab that passed recently and he had so many joint problems and arthritic problems at a young age. The parents never had problems and I was very concerned that it was related partially to the food I feed him as a pup. 12 years ago a vet told me to keep him on Kibbles and Bits and than switch him to adult food at 6 months. He also was neutured at 9 months not sure if that played into the problems as well. I will join the thread on neuturing to address this part. Bottom line, I just want to provide the best for "Tucker" and educate myself on how to do it.

 



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