# whats best to feed my 8 week old pup



## Bentley J

Hi i will be picking up my new Chihuahua puppy this Saturday and really would like to know whats the best food on the market for a Chihuahua as its not just about now its whats best for him 4 the rest of his life.
i been told hills Science Plan by some people and by some Natures Diet which would u say?
or is it best me doing home cooked food if yes what?
thanks for your help in advance


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## Lisa T

Hi, I feed James Wellbeloved to Bella and she does very well on it, its avaliable in pouches as wet food and also as a kibble. I mix and match between the two adjusting the amount accordingly.


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## Bentley J

Thank u Lisa T where would i get this from?
are science plan and Natures Diet not that good then?


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## carrieandcricket

Hi and congrats on your new fur baby. You can go to dogfoodadvisor.com and they will have lists of food. The higher the stars the best. Five stars is the best. I feed Cricket Blue Wilderness. But they have a lot of others to chose from. If you want to feed people food, you can raw feed. There is a really good thread on here how to do that, also how much to feed a day.


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## pupluv168

Hello. I would recommend Acana, Orijen, or Blue Buffalo Wilderness. If none of those are available, look for another grain free food. Science diet is one of the worst foods on the market. Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble is a great resource. Look for a 4, 5, or 6 star food that is grain free. Beware of Diamond products they were recently recalled. If you come up with a list of potential foods and post it here, members will be more than happy to give you feedback.

As Carrie said, if you want to feed meet, make it a raw diet. You need to be careful to make sure that you balance the diet with meat bones and organs. Brodysmom is a particularly good raw feeding advisor. Home cooking does nothing except deplete the meat of valuable nutrients.


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## Mouvelous

depending on where you live you can find different brand of food i feed mine blue buffalo puppy grain and gluten free its one of the best you can buy at your local petsmart I am very happy with the food my dogs love it and been doing excellent on it. I also dehydrate meat and organs for snacks and treats. Some people on here feed there dogs ziwipeak which is far more expensive when you live in the states but is one of the best food out there. Some people feed raw. I am sure you can read old post in the diet and nutriton section of the forum and see what people are feeding there chi's 

Please do your own research on this. some people like to do raw and like kibble some people like freeze dried or make there own. There is very good food out there either way. 
Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings will help you compare processed dog food.


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## Wicked Pixie

Hills is promoted heavily by vets over here, but it is not a quality product. I have heard good things about Nature Diet, but have never used it myself.
When I fed kibble I used James Wellbeloved grain-free, which is probably the best kibble produced in the UK.
I now feed raw, in my opinion there is nothing better. If you choose to go down the DIY route, you can buy just about everything your dog needs in supermarkets and there is a huge amount of info on how to feed a balanced raw diet on this forum.
If you are happier with a pre-prepared food I would recommend Natural Instinct which can be bought online at Natural Instinct - Home Other pre-made raw diets available in the UK include Honey's Real, Raw, Organic Dog Food Supplier - Home and Wolf Tucker Barf Raw Dog Food | wolftucker.co.uk I have heard only good reviews about Honey's, Wolf Tucker is a new company.


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## Bentley J

Thanks all you are all so kind im researching all u have said my hubby has only gone and ordered a few trays of natures harvest i want a good dog food so im looking not that i have long left


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## Bentley J

thank u all u are all so kind for helping me how about natures harvest? as my hubby has bought a couple trays of this back im am researching all u said n will look 4 4 0r 5 star products
thank u


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## lulu'smom

I would suggest you listen to wicked pixie-Stella as food and its pricing does vary greatly whether you live in USA or UK. For example. Ziwi Peak or ZP which has been mentioned is fabulous to start with and carry you through the rest of your dog's life, but it is more expensive to get it in UK than USA although some still do. Ziwi Peak gives most if not all of the benefits of raw without actually feeding raw. Many on this forum in the USA and the UK do feed raw and there is a section that explains much about it. Homecooking does give the benefit of knowing exactly what you are feeding your dog, but the cooking does "cook out" many if not all of the vitamins and nutrients your dog needs. I once heard a vet say that done incorrectly homecooking is one of the worst diets for a dog and can so serious irrepairable damage and even cause death. Homecooking cannot be done without supplements, but even then be sure you study well to be sure you are covering everything your dog needs. For my person opinion, I have read many people in the UK advise James Wellbeloved as satisfactory. It is not sold in USA. I personally prefer ZP or Acana. There are others that are 4 and 5 star foods that are certainly good I just have my reasons due to my personal research for what I like.


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## NachoPup

Soild Gold here, works great for us.


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## Wicked Pixie

I wish we had the variety of quality foods over here that you have in the USA, but we don't.  American, Canadian and (in the case of ZP) New Zealand products have to be imported and ordered over the internet which makes them prohibitively expensive for a lot of people.


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## Bentley J

thanks all James well-beloved wet n kibble it is i will get a small bag n a few pouches n see if he likes it
u guys are so kind thank you


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## EmberLuvu

If you're looking for a good food still then I highly reccomend Wellness or Nature's Variety Instinct/Prairie- the first two foods Ember ever had- and they are really amazing foods.

I also reccomend, for the bit of cheaper pricing, 4Health or Taste of the Wild if you've got a local TSC. Anything rated 4 or 5 stars on Dog Food Advisor is a good food.


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## OzChi

I feed ZiwiPeak in the a.m and a meal of raw meat in the p.m to all my dogs including my 17 week old puppy. 

Yes ZiwiPeak is expensive but you don't use much, a 5kg bag lasted me 4 months for 2 dogs. It's hard to get outside of the US (crazy because i'm in Australia which is 4 hours from NZ where ZP is made) but I order mine online and buy the big 5kg bags to save a bit of money. Feeding the raw meal at night brings the cost down because I shop late afternoon at my local asian market when they are selling off the unsold stuff really cheap. I buy in bulk and freeze portions so I can take them out in the morning for the evening meal - easy. If I forget to defrost I lightly scramble them an egg (in butter because fat is important for dogs) which they adore. I also give trimmings off whatever meat i'm cooking for myself and my husband so those meals I consider 'free'. 

My dogs eat chicken, pork, turkey, beef (except my girl who is allergic), lamb and fish. Because of the ZiwiPeak being a nutritionally complete food I don't have to worry about the ratio of meat/bone/organ so it's simple. I give a chicken wing tip or two a couple of times a week for their teeth which I also get from the market for about $0.60 a kilo - ridiculously cheap. My dogs absolutely thrive on this mix, they are lean and have beautiful coats and minimal tear staining. I couldn't recommend this way of feeding highly enough.


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## carrieandcricket

EmberLuvu said:


> If you're looking for a good food still then I highly reccomend Wellness or Nature's Variety Instinct/Prairie- the first two foods Ember ever had- and they are really amazing foods.
> 
> I also reccomend, for the bit of cheaper pricing, 4Health or Taste of the Wild if you've got a local TSC. Anything rated 4 or 5 stars on Dog Food Advisor is a good food.


I was feeding Cricket 4 health from TSC, and the last time I opened a can it was old food that I wasn't going to feed her.


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## missydawn

Blue buffalo,wilderness small breed.very affordable at petsmart.I get the dry and can.I mix in a little of the can with the dry.It's a number 5 on the dog food advisor


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## Thor

I feed Thor Acana Pascifica - he had allergies to grain and chicken as well I believe. He loves the stuff and has a healthy coat and no tear staining. As a reference I get a 5lb bag for $20 and it will last approx 2 months.


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