Hi

I am new to the forum, I have a 9 Week old Golden Retriever puppy bitch which we have had for just over a week, she has settled in really well. I would welcome your advice on a puppy diet as this is the first dog I have had.
She is currently on 3 meals a day 2 of those are Beta puppy food ( soaked) and the other meal is Winalot puppy meat with small bite mixer, there is no problem with her eating the meals as she generally eats it all up,she is very active and boisterous, her coat is nice and shiny, but the problem is with her poos, more often than not they are a bit on the the sloppy side.
I have looked at previous threads on the forum and am quite confussed as some owners say it could be the Beta that is causing the runny poos and is a poor choice of food where other owners say that it is a quality product.
Should I change the Beta for something else or continue with it? I do not know what to do for the best as there are so many different types of dry puppy food to choose from.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

At 9 weeks it's more usual to have a puppy on four meals a day rather than three; it could be that the amount at each meal is a bit too much and is overloading her stomach, causing the loose poo. Giving her the same amount of food, but in four, evenly-spaced meals, will solve the problem.

It's usual to cut down to three meals a day at 12 weeks, then two meals a day at about 6 months.

I agree with jeangenie over volume and meals etc.  What I would say is that Purina make 3 types of food and different levels of quality and price (this was info I was given by a Proplan rep at Crufts year before last) The premium food at the top of their range is Pro-Plan, then in the middle is Beta and their budget range is Bakers.  I would opt for a premium dog food rather than a budget one so the ingredients are of a higher quality.  I personally wouldn't use tinned or pouched meat - try real meat if you want to add it to complete. There are lots of 'better' dog foods out there, everyone will have their opinion on which is best, or you could look into a natural diet which IMO is the best! Whatever you decide to do, if you change the diet, you will need to do it carefully as not to upset his tummy. 

I have always been a believer in your dogs poo is a reflection on its health and suitability to its food.  Small, firm and not too smelly is what you are aiming for. Colour depends on meat & bone content - mine eat raw meat and bones so are paler and tiny and hardly smell.

Hope that helps. :-)

Hi

I also have Goldens and have now for several years fed my puppies on Royal Canin Maxi Babydog.  I think it suits them and puppies have done very well on it.  I also feed 2 of the 4 meals she should be having with wet food - I use Butchers canned puppy food as it has no additives in it, or I feed them a little minced meat with mixer.  Never had trouble with runny poos! 
Is her worming up to date?
Good luck with her.

Hi Shaun668 Welcome to the forum.

I have Goldens and my youngest is now a 12 week old little girl.
When she came to us at 8weeks she was also on Beta and i gradually weaned her off that. She also was very loose on it.

She now has wainwrights complete puppy salmon and potato from pets at home,i have used this for puppies before and found it to be good food for settling the tummies.I have tried others but have found this always works for mine.
I feed 4 small meals a day mixed with a desert spoon of nature diet wet food also from PAH. I also give scrambed egg on one of the meals with the wainwrights complete....i never feed the amount it says on the bag as in my opinion its far to much.
Good luck with your new puppy.

Thanks for all your prompt replies you have been most helpfull, our pups poos have improved today but I will be closely monitoring her, if they worsen I will switch to another brand.
Secondly what else can I feed her on to give her a bit of variety in her diet? I was thinking about adding chicken / mince / fish / gravy etc to her dried food would this be ok

Beta ProPlan went straight through my pups when I tried it, so even a 'quality' food is no good if it doesn't suit your dog.

If you choose to change the dry feed, be sure to make it very gradual, rather than run into more problems.  You may find, as someone has already suggested, that feeding little and often makes a difference.  I've never heard of a 9 week pup that was already on 3 meals a day.  Changing to 4 may be all that is needed.

As for adding chicken, fish etc I too like to give my dogs something with the dry feed.  Just be sure to introduce gradually, a small amount to start with, and you will encounter less problems.  I would try to get the sloppy poos sorted before introducing loads of different stuff though.

Congrats on your new pup!  :-)

Leave out the gravy, its high in salt which dogs are not naturally able to take. :-)

I've always had issues with less firm poo with my goldie, but find mixing meat and veg's in helps.  Tinned food can be rich for her (except the nature ones or webbox chubs , which work wonders).  I've just found a food the agrees with her and makes proper stools, its one of the cheepest also, webbox dry complete.  i only usually get these results if i give her bones 3/4 times a week.

i believe in feeding half human half dog food for a healthy dog she is 13 now and still going well (not bad for a goldie).

you could try her on bones, I buy lamb ribs, they go down very well and she gets most from our meals ect.

Good luck and many happy and wet (lol) years with her.

Do you find Lamb ribs safe to give as I have an aussie and always wanted to give him a bone to chew. I used to have collies and one of them broke a front tooth on a bone so was a bit worried this time.

Try and put your puppy on dry food that allways works :) give him 6 or 4 hand fulls a day , because he will grow into a big dog :)

yes I find lamb ribs good, i have a small breed also so teeth are delicate.  They manage fine with them, in fact its gone very quick. (lol)

Thanks for all the replies, just a quick update Ruby is now 16 weeks old and doing really well with firm poos. I switched her onto Wainwrights large breed puppy food, she has become a little fussy and will only eat it with a bit of wet food.
We occasionally feed her some chicken / pasta instead of kibble, which she really enjoys too, one more question for other Golden Retriver owners how much food should she be getting at this age, we currently feed her between 125g-150g + 1/4 tin wet food 3 x a day. Is this too much? as she has a bit of a tummy on her.

I think you've probably answered your own question really - if she is a bit roly-poly she is getting too much. I don't weigh the food for my lot, I've got a pretty good eye now, but if any are getting a bit porky I just reduce the amount he/she gets.

Maybe she is a little fussy as she is not hungry and getting to much...just cut her back slightly if she is roly poly.

My GR is 19weeks now and is quite slim and leggy...i still give her 4meals a day rather than 3 (my choice)of smaller portions.
She also has wainwrights puppy but not large breed.