Hi

My first post here and looking fro some advice please.

We are getting a Rhodesian Ridgeback bitch on weekend of 9th / 10th of May.
She will be 8 weeks old.

I was wanting some advice on what to feed her.
I have been recommended Burns but I have also been recommended to avoid kibble and feed her on chicken carcass etc.

What do you guys think would be the best thing for her?
I want to do things right and provide her with the best possible.

Appreciate any advice.

Andrew

The breeder should provide you with a feeding schedule which will also show you what the pup has been eating up till now.  There are a couple of ridgie folk on here who will be able to advise you what they feed their dogs.  There are good quality kibbles out there that don't have a massive price tag attached if you are wanting to have the convenience of that.  I feed skinners kibble, many others feed burns or arden grange.

Hi Andy!

~ Welcome to the Forum! ~

I would say that your wisest move at present would be to discuss this in the first instance with the breeder of your pup. A good breeder will have the knowledge and experience to know what suits their dogs best for optimum nutrition in these formative years/months/days :) Find out what they advise and ask what their rational was behind this choice.

There is an old adage "one man's meat is another man's poison" and this holds true for our dogs too! You will find on nearly all the topics regarding different feeds on this forum that there will just as many folk who say "XXX brand is great my dogs look fantastic" and those that say "well when I put my dog's on XXX brand we had explosive diahorrea and they lost condition....."

All dogs are different and for that reason I would say you would be better listening to guidance from your breeder who knows the breed and dog well :)

Remember when Pupster comes to you it will be a huge change in environment, water, smells ..... the less you can minimise the change and upheaval for little one the better :) Keeping them on breeders recommended diet is wise until all has settled.

Should you decide to change the diet thereafter, it will really be a case of whittling down the feeds that suit your pocket,your dogs requirements and health and then its 'suck it and see' Im afraid (as I said earlier all dogs being different)

Although I feed a raw diet to my dogs (My family are Norwegian this is how we have always through the generations fed our dogs) I would say that you would need a 'mentor' and to read up and educate yourself. A lot of money goes into the research of Nutrition in commercial dry/wet dog foods and its not to be tinkered with by an un-educated layman as long term effects cannot be reversed and go unnoticed short term by the time un-educated owners get signs&symtoms of nutritional problems in their dogs it could be too late.

There are plenty of threads in our feeding forum for you to browse and get an idea of experiences and comments from other owner/ breeders on here of the varying diets.

Best of luck :)

Hi Andy

I've got 2 Ridgebacks (male & female) and I know there are plenty of other folk on here who have them too!  As the other posters have said your breeder should've already told you what she/he feeds the dogs on.  If not, question them now! 

I'm not going to get into the raw v. dry food debate i'll just let you know what I feed my two on.

My female was initially on Nutro Large Breed Puppy food when we collected her but I changed her over onto Arden Grange Large Breed Puppy when she was approx. 6 months old.  My two are 3yrs old and 17mnths old and are very happy on Arden Grange Large Breed Adult food now.

Good luck with her they can be a challenging breed but are also very loving - let us know how you get on!

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the forum! In my opinion, if you are feeding a commercial food, the best thing you can do for your dog is to take an interest in the ingredients of the foods (I have no problems with feeding raw or anything like that, it is my personal choice.) I'm sure you will get lots of advice on here regarding different products, but your pup is as individual as you are. As long as you make an informed choice, you can't fail to do what  is best for your dog!

andy its really nice that your asking all these important questions (this and the innoculations) before pup arrives, well done you :) and congratulations on the puppy!

i'm with the others, stick with your breeders diet sheet for several weeks till pup is settled.

there are loads of raw feeders on the forum who are always really helpful if you consider going down that route. i did it for a bit but soon decided i didn't have the best set up to do it properly, one for when i've a massive chest freezer and a better wage! i'll say this though my boy loved it!

were there any foods that caught your attention? can you tell us what the breeder has your pup on now and you can get some opinions on it?

so does she have a name yet?

Hi Andrew and welcome to the forum :)

As you will be able to tell from my username, I am a fellow Ridgeback enthusiast. I've had RRs since the mid eighties, have bred a few litters over the years and currently have 5 RRs with another arriving in June. I also have 2 Aussies.

I have fed a variety of foods over the years, including a period of just feeding a raw diet. If you decide to go along that route, you will need to do a fair bit of research. It is vital to get it right in those early months of fast growth. There a a fair number of good quality dried foods, I currently use James Wellbeloved for mine, with part of their diet being meat and bones. In the past I have also used Royal Canin and Technical. I know other people whose dogs are in good condition who have used other foods.

What is she currently being fed on? Feel free to pm (private message) me if you'd like to :)

Best wishes
Carina

Hi

Thank you for all the replys.
Pup is currently on Pedigree Chum Complete Puppy food. I think I would probably look to change her from this.

I have found a non branded food mad by a large animal feed store down the road from me in Otley, West Yorks. £30 for a 15Kg bag.
The puppy food contains the following:
30% Protein
14% Oil
2.5% Fibre
7% Ash

I've also read about people feeding things like sardines, chicken wings etc with the kibble.

There's just so many foods out there that I would like some recommendations on what is best for our new pup.
I'd like to feed her well whilst not breaking the bank!

My daughter has decided we are naming the pup Bumble from a program she watches called Fifi & The Flowertots.
There's no changing a 2.5 yr olds mind!!

Once again, thanks for the advice :)

Would add that as well as feeding the pup the same things as the pups breeder is I would also take a large container to fill with the water the breeder is using. I would take about 3 large clean bottles and then keep them in the fridge until required, but do not serve the water ice cold let it come to the room temperature one bottle at a time.

aww, bumble is a cute name! :)

well as has been said everyone likes different foods for their dogs, it all depend on the dog! for example as a food i like James Wellbeloved and wanted to feed my boy on it. However he doesn't seem to do well on the higher level foods and so i have ended up on the cheaper Autarky which seems to suit him better.

On other threads people have spoken positively about Orijen, Timberwolf and various others that i can't remember because its early in the morning :) there are loads and loads of threads on it if you use the search facility.

i always add something to Tios (my boy) kibble because he won't eat it without something to make it more interesting, sardines in tomato sauce are his favorite but i also use blocks of frozen meat or tripe that you can get in most pet shops. chicken wings are a nice treat and are good for his teeth, as is a big bone from the butcher. I'm sure you know but i'll emphasise just in case NEVER FEED COOKED BONES

this should bump your thread back up and hopefully one of the guys who are really up on nutrition will come and comment on the food your looking at

Is that from Blue Barn Andrew? I feed my old girl on theirs as she has various  problems and shes fine with it.

Pssssst! flora! your best to reply to the person your asking because otherwise they won't get the notification! :)

hth :)

Hi Flora

That's right, Blue Barn in Otley / Pool.
Sounds like it's just a case of trying dry foods until you find the right one for your dog!

Another quick question which may make me seem a bit thick!

Which are the best bones, meat for young pups?
I know bones must be raw, but what about the meat?

Thanks guys.

I am currently feeding mine a combination of James Wellbeloved and raw minced or chunked meat. At the moment, I've got lamb, tripe and beef mince in the freezer, and chunks of liver and kidney, also turkey necks and meaty lamb rib bones. I feed everything raw - except the liver and sometimes kidney, but only cook those because mine don't seem to like the taste/texture of it raw. My lot had meaty beef rib bones for their meal this evening (from one of our cows!)

Hi

Can anyone confirm which bones are best for a young pup?
Should I be going to the buthcher or picking stuff up from pet shops?

Also, any bones I should definitely not feed a young pup?

Thanks

> Also, any bones I should definitely not feed a young pup?
>

cooked ones! never ever feed cooked bones but appart from that anything goes. it depends if its for feeding or fun. for fun ask your butcher for a big bit of leg bone. for food chicken wings are a good place to start