# Moving to adult food



## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your support with my previous queries. Its been a very overwhelming few months and a huge learning curve!

I've been feeding Teddy a home cooked dinner (meat, carbs and some veggies as recommended by the vet) but supplementing this with pedigree puppy for small breeds (he gets pedigree for lunch and when I am unable to cook him his dinner).

Anyway, we ran out of Pedigree puppy a couple of days ago and its not available anywhere for the last 2-3 weeks. I've checked every shop that sells imported dog food in the city without any luck.

None of the store staff know when it will be back on the shelves so I suspect they either stopped importing it or its been held in the port (for what ever reasons!).

All shops only have either pedigree adult food for small breeds, imported adult food for large sporting breeds or the local dog food brands (not an option!).

Local brand dog food is made of industrial waste from corn, wheat and meat processing companies with some undisclosed "minerals". 
The best local dog food is made from wheat-by-products, corn-by-products and meat-by products (meat by-products being around 5-10%).
There was even one brand with no meat by-products but had fish flavouring instead!! 

Should I give Teddy home cooked food exclusively until he reaches 12 months or is it ok for him to eat pedigree adult food?
the packing for Pedigree adult food for small dogs says its for 12 months and over....
Teddy is a few days over 6 months.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Teddy Bear said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Thanks for all your support with my previous queries. Its been a very overwhelming few months and a huge learning curve!
> 
> ...


Adult food is just fine. The manufacturers like to have a number of "types" of food, just so they have more "real estate" on the pet store shelves!

If you are home cooking, I hope that you are using a recipe that makes SURE it is a balanced diet. Even supplementing it with Pedigree is not enough to make up for the nutrients he is missing in the other meals if it is not balanced. Good, well balanced home cooking is an EXCELLENT way to feed your dog, but more dogs (especially immature ones) are harmed by improperly balanced home cooking than are ever harmed by commercial kibble.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Thanks Krandall,

I bought Teddy a bag of adult pedigree and he fussed a little but seemed happy to eat it after I 
hand fed him some pieces.

I try give Teddy a balanced diet but he misbehaves sometimes and refuses to eat his veggies (then days like yesterday, where he only wanted veggies and didnt want his carbs and meat...)

I haven't been able to find all-in-one supplements to add to his meals but have been using more of a natural approach (eg fish oil, egg shell (for calcium) and bone meal powder) so I can't confirm that its 100% balanced.

He goes to the Vet for grooming every month so gets a general check as well. Besides being asked to increase his fiber, no other issues.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Teddy Bear said:


> Thanks Krandall,
> 
> I bought Teddy a bag of adult pedigree and he fussed a little but seemed happy to eat it after I
> hand fed him some pieces.
> ...


The problem is, nutrient imbalances, especially with a growing young dog can show up MUCH later&#8230; sometimes MUCH later. This is really not a place to go it alone. Unless you have a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist (or your country's equivalent) that you can consult and fine tune your diet for him, I would STRONGLY recommend that you do an internet consult with Sabine: http://www.dogfoodproject.com
She can help you create a balanced home cooked diet that will keep your dog healthy long-term. I'm sure it will take some work for the two of you to figure out exactly what to put in it, as she won't be familiar with your brands. But since he's a healthy dog, once you get it figured out, the consult could be a one-time expense that provides superior nutrition for the life of your dog.

If this isn't an option, I would rely on the commercial kibble for the lion's share of his diet, and supplement with lean meat and a SMALL amount of cooked veggies ONLY&#8230; No carbs. As it is, most commercial dog foods include more carbs than a dog needs. (they need very, VERY little) They also tend to be lower in protein than is optimum. What they WILL provide is a proper balance of nutrients, which you don't want to upset with too much supplemental foods.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yes what you are doing is not a balanced diet. here's her email if you want to consult with her [email protected]


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

study on home prepared diets http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10666

if you want the best source in my opinion is from a pet nutritionist . It is geared to your specific dog through the consult process. The only two persons recipes that I would recommend that you can get online would be from someone like

monica segal http://www.monicasegal.com/optimal-nutrition.html

Dr. Pitcairn http://www.drpitcairn.com/dr-pitcairns-complete-guide/


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Thanks for the awesome contacts.

Dave,
That was an interesting article!
I guess it's probably safer to let him eat dog kibble as his main meal but maybe he can still get a fresh meal for his Sunday treat.

There's so much support for alternatives such as home cooked and BARF diets, it's hard to know what to follow.

Do you add anything to dog kibble (eg fresh meat peices) or do they just eat that plain?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Teddy Bear said:


> Thanks for the awesome contacts.
> 
> Dave,
> That was an interesting article!
> ...


you can add some meat or cooked veggies TO a meal of kibble but only small amounts ie. less than 20 per cent of the calories. Home co oking is a bit of work but it is one of the healthiest methods so long as you follow a balanced recipe EXACTLY. Remember kibble is the lowest quality on the totem pole.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> you can add some meat or cooked veggies TO a meal of kibble but only small amounts ie. less than 20 per cent of the calories. Home co oking is a bit of work but it is one of the healthiest methods so long as you follow a balanced recipe EXACTLY. Remember kibble is the lowest quality on the totem pole.


Just want to add to this excellent advice that the only thing LOWER on the totem pole than kibble, is an IMPROPERLY BALANCED home cooked diet. So do it right, or don't do it at all.

Also, within each category there are better and worse choices. So, for instance, it is possible to find an excellent quality kibble that is a better staple food than a poor quality canned.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

good points Karen. This is why a consult with someone like Sabine is invaluable. you can find which option is best for you and find out what foods can be used to reach your goal , whether It be raw ,homecooked or kibble. She knows the best foods in all categories and will tailor it to your needs and YOUR DOGS NEEDS. Worth the investment many times over.


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