Hi there,

I have an 8 week old pup who I collected yesterday. She is currently fed on Beta puppy but I was wondering if its okay to give her Nature Diet for her evening meal. I know that I would have to change over gradually but was wondering if this was okay.

Also can anyone recommend some treats that are suitable for an 8 week old pup. All the ones I can find, even the ones for a pup all say that they are not suitable for pups under 4 months of age.

Thank you for your help

Edited: Sorry just wanted to add, what can I add to her food to make it moist and more appealing, ive heard that natural yoghurt is good and was wondering about tuna. Is tuna in oil okay?

hello you didnt mention what breed the dog is.....?
i feed my terrier on nature diet, i think its the best thing since sliced bread, but thats my POV.

i had the same problem finding treats for my puppy under 4 months, in the end i gave in and got some of the puppy markies and tubos and just gave her a smaller amount than suggested for her breed - so as not to fill her up, but make her feel special (and stop her eating the furniture, my socks, sponges, slugs, me, etc.) :D

i ended up adding a tiny bit of canned food to her usual complete meal so as to tempt her to eat it. unfortunately she sucked out the meat and left the biscuits so now she's mainly on the canned stuff, which is more expensive (and fart inducing !)

I find that using small bits of her normal dry food worked well as a treat during house training etc.

I too have an 8 week puppy on Beta, thought that it should be moist although the breeder was feeding it dry, but after 24 hours discovered the pup likes it best dry. I give a bonio and also any of the soft chews that are made by recognised pet food people. Pups are eating machines and the extra treats will do no harm, don't over do the protein though.

I have found that by using (very) small amounts of dry food (ie one little bone bickie) and lots of fuss my 12 week old springer can now do loads of stuff, he just eats less at meal times.

Treats - carrot slices / little bit of cheese / cut up boiled egg

Moist maker - gravy granules with hot water or just plain hot water left to soak over the dried food (make sure cool before putting it down) ;)

Hi guys,
I've always used carrot, cheese, apple, or my 2 particular favourites, Spam Light (yes, there is such a thing!:) ), or homemade liver cake. The liver cake is easy to make, contains no yucky artificial additives and you can cut it up to the size you want. I always use lots or garlic in mine, its good for pups-keeps their teeth clean and more amazingly, keeps their breath fresh.
If you are trying to make the dry food more moist, I would advise you to use plain warm water- the problem with gravy granules is that most of them have very high salt content, which can be a problem.
Enjoy
Ali :)