Transition a puppy to new food

[rathsog]

We are picking up our 9-week old Bouvier puppy on Monday and was told by the breeder, our pup, Luna is currently being fed Nutro Max Puppy food. From what I've read, it seems like a funky choice for a pup and would like to get her off that as soon as possible.

So my questions are this: how do I go about transitioning our puppy, is it totally necessary to feed wet food and what do you all recommend as a better, more organic/healthy choice?

Thanks for the input!

[luvMyBRT]

We recently added a Black Russian Terrier to our family. He was also 9 weeks when we brought him home. Immediatly we started to transition him to Orijen Large Breed Puppy (this is what I recommend to you). We switched him slowly, over a weeks time. He did wonderful with the change and just loves the new kibble.

When swithing your pup do it slowly. Your pup may take longer to transition, as it really depends on the dog. Just watch his stool and adjust accordingly. The first few days add in just a little bit of the new food, if his stools stay firm after that then add in a bit more, etc.

No, you don't have to feed a wet food. Some here do, some here don't. Currently I am not feeding Duncan any wet (letting him fully adjust to the Orijen LBP), but will probably look into adding some in the future for more variety for him.

I will say that it did take a bit for our pups stools to firm up and he did have a bit of gas. Just make the change slowly and know that it may take a month or so for his stools to totally firm back up.

Congrats on the new pup!

[CorgiPaws]

I would definitely get Orijen if you can get it in your area, by far the best commercial kibble.
As far as canned food goes, I personally think that it is really a good thing to include if you're feeding a commercial diet, especially if you don't rotate your kibble frequently. I think it's the easiest way to include many different protein sources and keep as much variety as possible in a commercial diet. The added moisture is definitely a bonus, too. I wouldn't call it entirely necessary, but I think it for sure has it's place in a commercial diet. That being said, I would first worry about a nice, slow transition onto a better dry food, and then add the canned foods in after the digestive system is stable. Puppies generally adapt pretty quickly.

What you DON'T want to do, is pick one dry food and feed that and only that for the life of your dog.

ETA: and congrats on the puppy, by the way!

[sal101011]

congrats on your new puppy! i agree with the rest, Orijen is the best of the best if you can find it, if not, try online. There are many good foods out there, but not many GREAT foods, but Orijen is one of them. I also agree on the transition, see how the pup adapts, if your pup feels right at home, a 7 day transition is fine, if the puppy is still hesitant in his activity, a bit longer might be better. enjoy the new addition to your fam!