we've just bought a puppy, the breeder was feeding her bakers complete and pedigree puppy food, i continued feeding this till the vet advised to mix her foods.

now we give her:

breakfast:a rusk and a weetabix in water mushed up
lunch: some boiled potatoes and either some puppy meat or mince or chicken
dinner: similar to lunch with veg
supper: a rusk and a weetabix

obviously i change it from day to day - just an example.

is this ok or should i be doing it another way

You're the person with the dalmatian, right? Which you're thinking of breeding?

First of all, stop changing her food from day to day.

The usual puppy feeding regime is as follows: at 8 weeks, 4 meals a day.

Breakfast and tea, either: soaked, plain puppy meal mixed with good-quality, finely chopped/minced meat (raw or cooked); OR: A good commercial complete puppy food (if dried, soaked before feeding).

Lunch and supper (to be dropped as the puppy gets older): Full-cream milk (ideally goat's) with one egg-yolk per pint, mixed with cereal, rice or porridge.

From your description, her diet is far from ideal. She is getting way too much carbohydrate and not enough protein.

Don't forget that it is perfectly possible (and in fact better than the regime she is on at the moment) to feed all four meals with a good-quality complete puppy food (Burns for example), preferably not one with added colourings. Infinitely better than rusk/weetabix with water. To be honest, that is practically starvation rations. It won't kill her, but it won't do her any good.

She must be very hungry to consider eating Rusk/Weetabix/Water :(

Why is he eating a rusk and weetabix?  Does she not have any teeth?   Rusks and Weetabix were designed for humans, not dogs.

Potatoes are not a vegetable I recommend for dogs either, especially not puppies.

Your dog would be better off on a good quality complete dog food such as Burns or Naturediet at all 4 meals; I would certainly avoid foods such as Bakers and Pedigree which contain sugars, salts, colourings none of which is necessary or healthy for any dog, puppy or adult.

Your puppy needs proper nutrition and you cannot make a first class product from third class materials. 

If that is the diet your vet advised I would change your vet. IMO all puppies should be kept on the diet the breeder had them on of at least the first 14 days and then if you feel you must change the change should be made over a 10 day period. Your breeder managed to rear these pups to 8 weeks why would you take the advice of the vet over the breeder who has proved they can rear pups the vet has only proved they can take your money.

I would think your puppy must be suffering or about to suffer a severe vitamin and mineral deficiency.  Stop changing the food and get it on a good quality complete puppy food.

Bev

I have to agree with the others,Dogs are carnivours,and you are feeding him like an omnivour :(

I too would advise to change vets,i'd say your dog may be literally starving to death as a cat would if just fed on dog food.

I would get him off the grains and find a good quality commercial food with a high meat content and supplement with a few raw meaty bones for the calcium-phospherous levels.

Good Luck

christine

"I have to agree with the others,Dogs are carnivours,and you are feeding him like an omnivour"

Ozzie,

Im not saying I agree with the feeding regime as it is at the moment, far from it, but Dogs are not carnivours. They can live in perfect health on a vegetarian diet, they produce a natural enzyme that turns vegeatable fats into meat fats.

My friends Lab cant eat meat, of any kind, it gives her a bad belly. So she gets a special vegie diet. :)

Sorry Gonzo, it is not a diet that makes a species omnivore, carnivore or herbivore, it is their design function; the dictionary definition is different to the scientific one!

The fact that dogs CAN survive and live on a diet of Custard Creams and marmite sandwiches does not make it a reccommendation!

As for turning vegetable fats into meat fats...............

Tell me, can you also turn water into wine?!

There are vegetarian diets for dogs that are based on soya/maize however neither is particularly natural or indeed recommended for many dogs.

LOL thome :D

It is a fact that thsi is what happens. Its not the same with cats though, they HAVE to eat meat.

"The fact that dogs CAN survive and live on a diet of Custard Creams and marmite sandwiches does not make it a reccommendation!"

I actually said that I didnt agree with the posters feeding regime at the moment. Im not reccomending they eat anything like Custard Creams and Marmite, if thats what you think think of a vegetarian diet, you're in for a very rude awakening :p

There are loads of vegie diets around, that you can buy or make yourself. As I said, my friends Lab is on a vegie diet, otherwise she gets a bad stomache if she eats meat.

The minerals found in meat can be fed in other ways than feeding meat. Its just easier to do this, and I know its more natural to eat meat, but some dogs cant take it.

Custard Creams and Marmite sandwiches? Vegetarian diet here I come! :-)

Can you point me to the text which states that vegetable fats can be changed into meat fats please?

Cos a vegetable fat is that derived from vegetable and meat fat is that derived from animals so I fail to see how you can change for example olive oil into lard?

Thome,

Fats required are easy to acquire from both plant and animal origins and are easily mixed into the diet.  Everyone agrees that linoleic and (for cats) arachidonic fatty acids are necessary.  (Linolenic is synthesized from linoleic by dogs and cats).  High quality fats are readily available, can be stabilized with Vitamin E and Vitamin C, and are fairly consistent in cost.  There.  That takes care of the fat in the diet.  Nothing complicated to this is there!

That does not answer my question!

you stated: "they produce a natural enzyme that turns vegetable fats into meat fats"

I reiterate, how?

I think perhaps you intended to word it a little differently otherwise a scientific breakthrough of biblical proportions has been made and remains a secret............ except to us! :D

Gonzo i would also like to hear the answer to tohmes question :)

As for the dogs are carnivours,i honestly dont have the energy to debate this obvious answer with you or anyone AGAIN!!

"As for the dogs are carnivours,i honestly dont have the energy to debate this obvious answer with you or anyone AGAIN!! "

I never asked you to :p I know where I stand on the subject.

As for the part with thome, I did word it wrong!

Agree this is not a good diet but it is not just veg they are feeding meat at two meals. Still thing at 8 weeks it should be on the diet the breeder suggested whatever it is.