hi, I just switched to Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish 2 weeks ago. My pup has healthy poo (not smelly) and healthy coat.

What I'm concerned with is the protein level 21% too low for my 3 month old toy poodle pup? She gets daily walk of 30 minutes and 90 minutes during weekend with several plays and mental exercise throughout the day.

Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish
Crude Protein 21.0% minimum
Crude Fat 10.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% maximum
Moisture 10.0% maximum
Calcium 1.0% minimum
Phosphorus 0.9% minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.5% minimum
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) 0.01% minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids 2.0% minimum

I feed her this brand coz it's hypo-allergenic. My dog tend to scratch and bite her paws and I suspested she has food allergy and I ceased feeding her chicken. I'm wondering if Addiction or Orijen would be better for her because they have more meat as ingredient compare to Natural Balance that uses more potatoes than meat. But I'm worrying too much protein would be bad for her as toy poodle has weak stomach generally and I just switched food 2 weeks ago, don't know if I should slowly switch her to another brand again.

I hate the fact that she is not getting the best food available. NB rated with 4 stars at dog food analysis.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_re.../cat/all/page/5

This post has been edited by sherly: May 11 2010, 02:54 PM

Hi, was feeding her sportman's pride given by pet shop previously. Yup, she came from a pet shop and I was told she was on this brand of food after her weaning.

I will continue feeding NB for a few months to check on her reaction then.

She hasn't completed all her vaccinations. But I only walk her in secluded area and didn't let her sniff on anything. Yeah, I'm aware of the risk involved.
90 minutes is the longest we walk her on weekend, we split it into 2-3 short sessions.

I was actually encouraged by a US trained dog trainer last weekend to socialize my puppy by bringing her to friend's and family homes to expose to new people and healthy vaccinated dogs. She said it would be too late if u wait until all vaccines are done as the first 4 months of puppy's life is critical stage for its social development.

---

Added on May 11, 2010, 6:20 pm
I would definitely say 21% protein is way to low for a 3month old.

What brand were you feeding her when she started to chew her paws? This is a symptom of food allergies but for a puppy so young to have severe food allergies and in fact food allergies in dogs of any age are in fact very rare. I'm guessing she came from a pet shop?

I wouldn't switch up to a food with a very high protein level right away as the sudden increase in protein could be a shock to the system in any breed. Try using a food with a moderate protein level (around 25%) as well as one with a good ingredients list.

I also wouldn't say that poodles have weak stomachs, they are generally pretty hardy little dogs.

Remember that you need to keep feeding one brand of food for at least 6 months to get a accurate read on whether it is good or bad for your dog. If your dog seems to have a bad reaction to a food that should be good for them, keep them on it to see if they are just reacting to toxins from previous foods working their way out of your dogs systems.
(Of course if your dog has severe vomiting, skin rashes/lesions or any other condition that is threatening their well being and health switch food immediately (after checking with a vet that something else isn't causing the symptoms) rather than continue with the trial).

One last unrelated thing: Has your puppy completed all of her puppy vaccinations? if not you shouldn't be taking her to places where other dogs go. (Wait until 2 weeks after the final puppy vaccination to be safe). Also with toy breeds i would say 90 minutes is quite a lot of walking for a pup, i would cut back a bit at least until she is older and spend more time on mental stimulation and play type exercise.

[/quote]

This post has been edited by sherly: May 11 2010, 10:58 PM

Haha me too, want my dog to get exercised else she will get restless but also scared she will will pick up disease. Good thing is I work from home, I can keep an eye on her all day, will rush her to vet on any sign of illness.

Yeah, gotta be very cautious.

This post has been edited by sherly: May 12 2010, 12:35 PM

guys, where can I find go! or now! in penang?

My toy poodle is still eating Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish, still having itchy body. What other dog food can I give her with around 25% crude protein? She just run around and play in apartment, not really active.

This post has been edited by sherly: Jun 3 2010, 02:41 PM

I got my dog homemade treats from this http://pawsome-treat.blogspot.com/

I feed my dog with orijen puppy + natural balance canned food (lamb), her scratching is getting worse. Now I can see dried red clots on her body. The dog foods I gave her has omega, isn't it enough?

Yup, I do know the important of dog walking. Used to walk her daily until ppl warned me about the risk of picking up diseases. My dog is still 3 month old, not fully vaccinated yet. Now I can only train her leash walking and play fetch in apartment to exercise her.

This post has been edited by sherly: Jun 9 2010, 01:54 PM

Which floor cleaner is safe for dogs? I have been using some kind of tablets given by pet shop. I drop 1 tablet into a bottle of water, it will bubble up and dilute. Then I spray it on floor to clean up, was told that it can remove urine smell.

Not sure if she is having hot spots, all I can see is there are some tiny spots which she scratched until it bleeded then dried up and I noticed she sheds a little, i found 1 tiny furball on the floor this morning. Checked her body, can't find any hairless spot yet.


The shampoo I used is hypoallergenic shampoo from Gold Medal Pets. Yesterday, I went to bought an oatmeal shampoo and bathe her, I think it made her feel better but still scratch her body, not as severe as before though.

michael9413, I bought her omega pills and started feeding her, will continue monitoring her with my fingers crossed. You are welcome to bring your dog to Penang to socialize.

This post has been edited by sherly: Jun 10 2010, 12:46 PM

I googled Biscal and found this site. It's a japanese product.
http://www.itempost.jp/detail/2/PA01017598/6859081

The ingredients (after translation):

Flour, sugar, margarine, whole eggs, skim milk, cereal extract effect, oligosaccharide Calcium, green tea polyphenols

hi, u can go to wonderland pet shop II in tg tokong, it's after gurney traffic, shop is on the left side before the balai bomba. You can see cages of cats outside. They sell Orijen and some other brands.

Just went to Wonderland Pet Shop II today, they just started selling Go! Natural. Got 3 flavors ("Chicken, Fruit & Vegetable", "Salmon & Oatmeal", "Duck"). They even giving away free samples. I took duck and salmon samples. This is really good news for me.

This post has been edited by sherly: Jun 12 2010, 09:50 PM

Ok, this is the list of Penang Pet Shops I have visited and I will list some of the good dog food brands I found :

Toby's Pet Shop (Air Itam) : Taste of The Wild, Addiction
Wonderland Pet Shop II (Tg Tokong) : Orijen, Canidae, Go! Natural, Acana, California Natural (i think I saw Artemis there before, but not sure if they still have it)
CTY Aquarium : Orijen.
Loving Dog 'R' Us (infront of Gurney) : Natural Balance.

This post has been edited by sherly: Jun 13 2010, 05:00 PM

doggyfriend.com.sg sells Wellness

How you store your dog food? I personally found that by keeping the dog food in its original packaged bag is the best way. I usually fold the bag and clip it with cloth clippers and store it in cool and dry place.

---

Added on June 23, 2010, 11:25 amGo! Natural would be fine in either Salmon or Duck formula. If your dog is doing fine taking salmon, you should stick to salmon. I'd suggest you get samples from your pet shop to see if your dog accepts the food.

Dogs will usually eat cold thing. If your dog doesn't has any symptom of upset stomach after eating cold food, you can continue to do so. If you are worried, just let the fruits sit up in room temperature for a while before you feed them to your dog.

Make sure you get those plain yogurt (unflavored, no additives & no sugar) to feed your dog. A spoonful per day should be sufficient.

This post has been edited by sherly: Jun 23 2010, 11:28 AM

hi, my toy poodle puppy is now on a diet of Orijen Puppy mixed with Go! Natural Chicken, Fruits & Veggie. She is very healthy and I noticed she has increased energy and shiny coat. Was worried that Orijen's protein is too high for small breed dog, so I only give her 30% Orijen mixed with 70% Go! Natural.

---

Added on August 4, 2010, 1:51 amHi, have you checked whether your dog is having skin problem like mange or mites infestation. My puppy was previously treated with skin allergy, but turned out she was under attack of mange and this was pointed out by a groomer, lol. Vet gave her 2 injections and all her itchy problem is gone and I am glad that my puppy can eat chicken diet now, no more hypoallergenic food.

Besides Lamb, you can try to feed your dog Duck. Natural Balance has this Potato and Duck formula. You can also try Go! Natural's Salmon & Oatmeal or Duck formula, both are ideal for Allergies.


This post has been edited by sherly: Aug 4 2010, 01:53 AM

Just to share that my toy poodle has been eating Go! Natural dry dog food and MyBeau (2 pumps daily) for the past 7 months. She just turned 1 year old yesterday, has grown to a 12 inch tall dog which has exceeded the standard toy poodle size. I don't know if we overfed her or she has been getting very good nutrients. She is very fit, healthy with super soft fur but she is big when comparing with other toy poodles. I have been feeding her 0.8 cup of Go! Natural, which is 65% of the recommended portion 1.25 cup for puppy. I don't know if she should have been fed less or it was all about her gene.