Choking - I'm done with Wellness Core

[rayandsarah]

Rowdy used to choke on TOTW. I put a squeak toy in his bowl and it slowed him down some but would still choke every once in awhile. Now I add either some yogurt or a spoonful of canned food and he hasn't choked since.

 

[sriley]

Puppy food is never necessary. It was created as a marketing gimmick by the major dog food companies.

Puppy food per se might be thought of as a gimmick, but many higher protein kibbles on the market are not recommended for dogs under the age of one (particularly for larger dog breeds). Heck, Orijen makes a large breed puppy formula that isn't recommended for dogs under the age of one! Not everyone agrees about the safety of feeding high protein kibble to dogs that are still growing skeletally. Higher protein kibbles are relatively new on the market and there isn't enough research just yet to suggest one way or the other whether high protein kibbles are safe for growing pups. It all boils down to doing some research and making an informed decision that will best suit the dog.

 

[sriley]

Rowdy used to choke on TOTW. I put a squeak toy in his bowl and it slowed him down some but would still choke every once in awhile. Now I add either some yogurt or a spoonful of canned food and he hasn't choked since.

Same here with Sarge. We affectionately refer to him as our Hoover when he eats because he literally inhales his meals. When he was a pup, he ate so fast that the kibble would come back up 5 or 10 minutes later whole. Since then, I mix some plain yogurt in with his kibble at breakfast and some canned food in with his evening meal and it has worked great at slowing him down.

 

[dropzone]

Rowdy used to choke on TOTW. I put a squeak toy in his bowl and it slowed him down some but would still choke every once in awhile. Now I add either some yogurt or a spoonful of canned food and he hasn't choked since.

Good suggestions, thank you. Right now I'm feeding RAW because I got tired of the choking but due to cost I may feed him RAW in the morning and kibble in the evenings. If I do, I'll try adding some canned food to help with the choking.

Puppy food per se might be thought of as a gimmick, but many higher protein kibbles on the market are not recommended for dogs under the age of one (particularly for larger dog breeds). Heck, Orijen makes a large breed puppy formula that isn't recommended for dogs under the age of one! Not everyone agrees about the safety of feeding high protein kibble to dogs that are still growing skeletally. Higher protein kibbles are relatively new on the market and there isn't enough research just yet to suggest one way or the other whether high protein kibbles are safe for growing pups. It all boils down to doing some research and making an informed decision that will best suit the dog.

That makes sense, but considering how many extremely healthy dogs started off their puppy-hood eating RAW, which is nearly all protein, I tend to lean towards there being no danger in a high protein diet.

 

[TwoDogs]

Puppy food is never necessary. It was created as a marketing gimmick by the major dog food companies. Smaller companies had to follow or risk never selling food to puppies. Data to support this is abundant. I also wish to feed grain free for which there are almost no "puppy" labeled foods. If anything, his puppy food contributed to the problem by teaching him there was no need to chew. Don't believe all the writing on the bags without doing some research.

There is Grain Free and then there is Grain Free/High Protein. Wellness Core is an extremely high protein diet that is not recommended for puppies. There are plenty of grain free option out there that provide a moderate protein level perfectly appropriate for puppies.

Puppy formulas are not just small sized kibble--they typically have different levels of protein, fats, and essential nutrients than adult maintenance formulas. It pays to read the bag so you know what you are feeding.