Need suggestions for puppy nutrition

Hi Fr4nn,

Edited: I thought you said pyometra,so i went into a huge speel of how such a young pup couldnt possible have had this this..sorry... [X(] Hope you didnt read this before i got a chance to edit it [sm=blush.gif]

What food are you currently feeding?Your dogs immune system doesnt seem to be in tip top shape,so a good food is absolutely essential! So many problems in such a young babe,she needs all the support she can get from healthful,natural sources.

As for rotating different foods,i really think it's a good idea.I usually have around 3 different brands,mostly also different protein sources,on the go at the same time,they get a different kibble/canned for each meal.Eating the same food for each meal every single day is an unhealthy feeding regime IMHO.

Some foods i can recommend are:

Timberwolf organics [linkhttp://www.timberwolforganics.com]http://www.timberwolforganics.com[/link]

Naturesvariety [linkhttp://naturesvariety.com]http://naturesvariety.com[/link]

EVO,innova [linkhttp://www.naturapet.com]http://www.naturapet.com[/link]

I also listed some other on the thread titled "dog foods i like".

Stay away from supermarket brands,purina,beneful,ol roy etc as they mostly crap [:'(]

Science diet,iams,euk etc arent much better [&o]

The best foods are found in the small independant pet stores or feed stores(hay and oats),not from the big box pet stores or supermarkets.One exception to this would be petco which carries natural balance wet and dry,this is a decent food.

It's Ok, I was about to asnwer that. Either way I'm not 100% sure it was pyoderma, but all of the test they did on her were negative(she was tested on mange, fungus, and some other things, she was in pretty bad shape).
Anyway, I had some left ove of uppy chicken soupr from a puppy that was staying here, after that I bought natural balance potato and fish formula, and the vegetarian formula, I was reading somewhere that the vegetarian formula is not good.
A few days ago I ordered the southern chicken and herbs formula form timberwolf organics.
But there is so many good brands out there, I heard the Eagle Pack for large puppies is also very good. She is a big puppy she weight around 25lbs at3 months and a half.
 
 

Looks like you're on the right track with good foods.SO many people come on here thinking beneful et al are the best foods to feed [&o]

I would never feed a dog,a carnivore, a vegetarian diet unless there was some dire medical reason to do so and the dog wouldnt survive on any other diet,which would be a rarity anyways!

You could start supplementing her with fish oil and vitE,Timberwolf make a good salmon oil,these will help some with her skin.There are tonns of other supplements you could give,but will post more on them in the morning,hopefully someone will be on in the meantime to give you some  suggestions.

You should post about your girls problems in the health section,you may get more detailed answers over there.

Pyoderma (I'm not sure that's the right word for some reason but it's late and there's laundry a-waiting) - if it's what I think you mean, it's really more of a symptom and it's basically an infection of the skin.  Pustules, bleeding, cracked skin and hotspots, right?  Mostly on the belly, tail, feet maybe, and around the mouth?

It's caused by an opportunistic bacteria, which is what she was being treated for.  This means that for some reason her immune system is really compromised.  She got the infection because of the lowered immunity, not the other way around.  Please be absolutely sure that you give every bit of the antibiotic you were given.  It's vital that you continue it even if she doesn't have symptoms any more.  Skin infections are extraordinarily hard to beat with antibiotics - two months is actually a pretty average time - sometimes it takes four or six months, unfortunately.

You can help her in several ways.  Food is one really important way, as Edie says.  Look for a very simple food - a grain free would probably be best.  There's two reasons for this - antibiotics are hard on the digestive system, and the digestive system is the first link in your dog's immune system.  Good high quality food that isn't too "busy" will go a long way towards helping your dog build a stronger immune system.

Look into supplements that will again help the immune system and support digestion.  Probiotics are key when on antibiotics.  I always recommend a supplement rather than relying on food sources, when dealing with long term antibiotics.  Probios makes a product for dogs - it's a tasty gel that dogs usually love.  There's also one called Fastrack, same deal.  Don't overlook vitamins - they really do work.

Continue the antibiotics until they are finished, then don't be discouraged if your dog's skin problems reappear.  Consider consulting a specialist at that point, however.  Even if your vet thinks they know what the symptom is and how to treat it, many general practitioners don't have the training or experience to eyeball a skin symptom and say immediately, "Oh, this is typical of allergies/chemical sensitivity/autoimmune disorder/
underactive thyroid/whatever."  I've had this experience many times, and never has my vet resented it - on the contrary, she's glad I care enough.  And every time I consult a specialist, she adds that knowlege to her own experience.

Good luck!

The reason I stopped on the antibiotics is because they werent' working for her anymore, she took 3 difefrents antibiotics, can't rebember the name, I can say she is much better now, There is a picture of her the first week she was with us and a picture of 2 weeks ago. She is a very lucky puppy, she was found on the freeway, she also had a penrose drain on her back,  somehting bit her and gor infected.


[linkhttp://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e256/fr4nn/Guria12.jpg]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e256/fr4nn/Guria12.jpg[/link]

[linkhttp://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e256/fr4nn/GURIA.jpg]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e256/fr4nn/GURIA.jpg[/link]

I now that she need a really good quality food, I was also giving her  3v cap for the skin, and I give her daily NuVet.

Wow! Her lips were really swollen in the first pic! She looks 10 million times better! Just make sure you keep close tabs with your vet and let him/her know that you quit giving the antibiotics and that you think she is doing better without them.