# Please Help!! food advice for a shar pei puppy!



## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

Hi all,

I really hope someone can help me, I have been on the computer ALL DAY NIGHT researching for the best dry mix food I can buy for my shar pei puppy- that I am getting on friday at 8 weeks old.

the breeder has advised me to buy puppy food and they have said any brand will do... however I have read from several reputable sources that a shar pei puppy needs adult food as they grow fast?

I have found lots of seemingly good foods such as Canadae, merrick etc but they are all american based, I need a good dry food I can get hold of easily in the UK, from somewhere like pets at home.

Looking at their food on their site, the best 2 I have been able to find are:

Wainwrights salmon and potatoe complete dog food
Salmon Protein 23%
Potatoe 21%
Sorghum
Whole grain barley 10%
Atlantic fish meat
Whole linseed 4%
sugar beet pulp 5%
sunflower oil

and I won't bore you with the rest as they are far down on the list, things with chloride in, mariglod extract, yucca extract, alfalfa, and dicalcium phosphate....

PROTEIN 21%
FIBRE 3.5%

I have researched extensively on dogfoodanalysis.com and by using the data I got from there have come to the conclusions that I need a dry food that has a high meat content, salmon is good- basically, potatoe is better than rice, no grains, etc. and to watch out for filler.

I read somewhere that red meat isn't good for a shar pei, so was looking at chicken feeds, but the salmon flavors seemed to have better ingredients, plus the chicken feeds are full of water.

Ok so the next one seems quite new and I can't find any reviews:

Pets at home ADVANCED NUTRITION sensitive dog food salmon/potatoe
FRESH salmon 42%
potatoe
potatoe protein
sugar beet pulp
pea starch
sunflower oil
minerals
salmon oil
salmon digest
brewers yeast
sodium chloride,
and so forth with all the chlorides, yucca extract, marigold, L- carnitine, then at the end it says: total salmon min 42%.

This is a relatively high meat percentage and double what is in wainwrights, however could it be that some of the salmon is made up of the salmon oil and salmon digest? it does say fresh salmon which certainly looks good.

oh and protein is 26% fibre 2%.

Anyone out there know the pros and cons of these ingredients? or how the 2 products might compare? 
the wainrights seems to have less meat content but it also has lower protein levels which I read is good for a shar pei? 

Please don't tell me about raw food diets etc now, I know they are better but I don't think I'll have time to make something like that up and for now just want to get a good dry food mix as I am getting the puppy in a few days! I am also very limited on funds at the moment, have chinchillas, a cat and 2 children plus a baby on the way! so just need something easy and quick for now.

I am also aware of the breed and any potential eye problems etc, I am putting money aside for vet bills as I anticipate these to be plentiful with this dog! but I am in love with him and am a very determined individual and I always make things work out.

So enough of that anyway, just wanted to cover my back as I know people don't like to hear about feeding dry dog food, the breeder has them on that now, I can't remember what brand she said, but she feeds her older dogs royal canin, I am not sure about this one, I heard it was very pricey? and on the dogfood site it didn't seem too good.

I really appreciate any advice/help with my question, I will probably be able to get some sleep when I have some more info and advice! thanks guys. x


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## Joseph Todd (May 16, 2011)

Food selection for a puppy is :
If your dog is a few month older then give him in food fipronil 9.8%,S-methoprene 8.8%.The fipronil gets help to the oil of the skin and hair follicles and nourish to bones and makes a tummy stronger.

Gradually starts to give him/her meat but boiled meat.


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## Blondie (Feb 27, 2011)

Didnt wanna read and run, but I cant really advise as I dont feed any of the complete foods - wont say whta tI think of them all, LOL! I feed raw meat and bones.

Good luck with ya pup though, but ya breeder should really be giving better fedding advice than that!!


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## xxwelshcrazyxx (Jul 3, 2009)

Have you tried to go onto KC site and see who breed's these stunning dogs, email one or two of them and ask them for advice, I am sure they wont mind and if they do they wont reply


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## Guest (May 16, 2011)

Ok I don't know much (or anything) about Shar-peis but I do know a little bit about food.

Whether or not to feed puppy food is a very controversial subject! I don't think there is a right or a wrong. Personally I would feed puppy food for at least the first 2 months, and then change onto adult if I thought there was a need for it. I changed my own dog to adult around 7-8 months. I can't really help with that - it's a decision you have to make by yourself.

It's a little worrying that your breeder has said 'any food will do'!  As you have researched, there is a vast difference in food quality and you definitely want to feed a good food!!! 

I would ask the breeder what they are feeding, because you want to stick with the same food for the first few weeks (even if it's a rubbish food) because the puppy will have so much change happening that it needs a constant. Pups often suffer tummy trouble when first brought home anyway, and changing food straight away is going to make that even worse. A good breeder will give you a few week's worth of whatever food they are feeding for you.

Make sure that when you do change foods, you do it gradually by mixing a little of the new in with the old.

The two foods you detailed there are both good middle of the range foods. A lot of people here feed Wainwrights (and I did for a while too). I don't know about Shar peis and protein levels but I don't think a level in the low to mid twenties is bad. Generally a good food with lots of meat is going to have a fairly high protein level, because that protein comes from the meat. But maybe someone else can help with this.

Other good foods that you may want to look into include Orijin, Acana, Arden Grange, Fish4Dogs, James WellBeloved, Burns etc. You might also want to look at complete wet foods - good ones of these are Wainwrights, NatureDiet, Natures Harvest, Lily's Kitchen etc.

Hope this helps a little and someone with more breed knowledge can help.


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## babycham2002 (Oct 18, 2009)

McKenzie said:


> Ok I don't know much (or anything) about Shar-peis but I do know a little bit about food.
> 
> Whether or not to feed puppy food is a very controversial subject! I don't think there is a right or a wrong. Personally I would feed puppy food for at least the first 2 months, and then change onto adult if I thought there was a need for it. I changed my own dog to adult around 7-8 months. I can't really help with that - it's a decision you have to make by yourself.
> 
> ...


Mckenzies advice is spot on.

Find out what breeder is feeding, do carry on with that for a while.
Yes definitely breeder should be giving you better food advice.
I did keep my pup on puppy food for a while, she came to me on jameswellbeloved puppy and I had her on that for a while. But I do think its by the by really and if you have read about sharpeis wanting adult, then a good quality adult will be fine.

Good luck with your new puppy


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Echo what's already been said to keep pup on the food he is having regardless of what it is until he has settled in and possibly had his jabs (if he's having them). It's the only thing that will remain constant in his little life and changing foods can cause tummy upsets at the best of times.

Of the foods you mention, I would highly recommend the Advance. Other varieties in that brand arent as good (cereals) and WW is better. The Advance however has twice the fish (as you say) and no cereal.

Have you considered feeding a bit of wet?? When I first got my pup, I had no idea wet foods have improved loads and now feed all wet


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## pearltheplank (Oct 2, 2010)

OK long time pei owner here. Best dry available for your pup is an adult version of either Fisf4dogs or Wafcol salmon and potato

The 2 you have mentioned are not bad but have beet pulp and/or barley. The best dry food to feed your pup is one with ABSOLUTELY NO GRAIN/CEREALS. Protein needs to be lower in a pei with compromised kidneys, thats all

What colour/coat are you getting?


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

Thankyou for all the tips and advice!! This is the kind of thing that makes the internet worthwhile! :001_smile:

I had found Wafcol myself actually and looking at the ingredients it's sure looks better, athough there is only 32% salmon in it? and I don't know if the advanced nutrition one is really all that salmon they are saying, when further down there are things like salmon oil and salmon digest? could these also be contributing to the percentage? it's a pets at home brand but then again so is wainwright. 
The wafcol for puppies has a shar pei on the cover, which makes it feel a little reassuring, and the protein percentage is 29%, the wainwrights puppy salmon and potato version is 30% protein and 3% fiber. Do you know hwat the fiber percentage should be? I read in one place that it should be lower than 4% and over 4% in another! most of the dry foods are under but the wafcol one is 6% fiber, does that just mean firmer stools?


I can get a 15kg bag of wafcol for £43.99 and a 15kg bag of the waiwright one is £33.49, I don't know how much the advanced one is, it's £9.99 for 2.5kg so would work out around £60 for the 15kg worth.

I don't want to give my puppy inadequate food, (yes I know dry is not ideal but I will be giving him supplements when I find out what these are, I have read cheese, yoghurt, carrots so far) so was wondering if it is really worth getting the Wainwrights to save a tenner?

I don't think it will be really in the long run, so I think I will definitely get the WAFCOL.

I will ask the breeder to give me some food although they seem a bit blaze about it. He is a full pedigree, comes with papers, puppy insurance for 4 weeks and is wormed, fleed and has had his eyes tacked.

He is a lilac horsecoat, he is adorable, I had to chose between him and a lilac bearcoat, which was difficult but the horsecoat was giving me more attention and playfully attacking the other dogs that came near me! haha! so I think he had already decided I was his!
The bearcoat seemed lethargic, although the cutest thing I ever saw he was moping around and trying to sleep on the 2 occasions that I saw them. (the other dogs use him as a pillow!) I will try and upload a pic if I can, now I have the important stuff sorted I just need to find a nice name! can I do that on here? or is it for more important stuff? x


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## pearltheplank (Oct 2, 2010)

Try petplanet, slightly cheaper but only by a few quid. Although the bag has a pei on it, please do NOT buy the puppy food. Yes the grain free is dearer but it really will save you money in the long run ie better overall health, no running to the vet because he has skin problem caused by the grain

The bears are the most laid back in temperament by far, so was probably just his normal self. My girl is horsecoat too


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

The Adult salmon and potato from wafcol has 25% salmon wheras the puppy one has 32% and the protein percentage is 24% in the adult, 29% in the puppy...

does this matter? they are the only differences I can see, is it better to have more meat but more protein? or less meat, less protein? I know you are supposed to give a shar pei as low a percentage of protein as you can, but other people have said that is only in shar pei with liver problems and the crufts website recommends puppy food as they state that a growing an energetic pup needs that extra protein. 

Am not arguing with you! lol I just want to see if it is worth getting the adult one and cutting the meat percentage back a little? and if higher/lower protein count really matters?

The breeder has it on puppy food too, so should I stick to that for a while? was thinking if I did get the puppy food I would use up the bag then get the adult one the next time? 

What color is your girl? what's she called? I was thinking of Alfie for my boy but I think it is a bit common.

I also like snuggles, baloo, simba and crumpet! x

(have you got a picture of your girl? I hate calling them bitches! I know it's the correct term but I just hate it, I think the word should be demolished! did you have to get her eyes tacked when she was a pup?)


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## pearltheplank (Oct 2, 2010)

Protein levels need to be lowered when kidneys are compromised but not in a normal healthy dog. As for puppy food, because of the speed they grow, they may develop severe problems in their legs and joints if fed PUPPY FOOD.

I feed raw but the 2 foods I mentioned are the only ones I would consider as a stand by. Believe me, it is not worth saving a few quid on a bag of food when you realise how it can affect them. I cannot tell you what to feed but am just giving my opinion based on experience

Heres my girl, Pearl, as a pup and adult


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

Aww she's lovely! Mine is supposedly a miniature so not sure how big he will get but his mum looks smaller than average. They have a pup they kept from the last litter and he is quite big...

SO sorry to keep harping on, but just to clarify: The adult is definitely better despite the slightly less meat percentage? is it the higher protein levels in the puppy food what is bad then? I was wondering what it is about them that makes them grow quicker when the ingredients are almost the same. 

How old is your pearl now? is a chocolate dilute? x


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## rocco33 (Dec 27, 2009)

> the breeder has advised me to buy puppy food and they have said any brand will do...


that sounds a bit worrying. Apart from the fact that the puppy should be kept on the same food that the breeder is using while they settle into their new home (their digestion is very immature and a change of food could easily upset them), I think a breeder should know what best suits their pups.

I'd find another breeder before finding a food.


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## pearltheplank (Oct 2, 2010)

She is nearly 4 and a chocolate dilute, yes

I am not certain of the ins and outs but trust me, adult formula is better. I work with rescue too and many skin problems are due to diet. My girl has the most healthy skin and coat you can imagine


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

wrinklepop said:


> Thankyou for all the tips and advice!! This is the kind of thing that makes the internet worthwhile! :001_smile:
> 
> I had found Wafcol myself actually and looking at the ingredients it's sure looks better, athough there is only 32% salmon in it? and I don't know if the advanced nutrition one is really all that salmon they are saying, when further down there are things like salmon oil and salmon digest? could these also be contributing to the percentage? it's a pets at home brand but then again so is wainwright.
> 
> ...


If it says 32% salmon meal that's what it'll be, the rest will be in addition to that. I'd check with wolfcol that the salmon stated is salmon meal, not fresh salmon, I know fresh salmon sounds better to us, but they take the % into account before dehydration, after dehydration is will be VASTLY less if fresh salmon is used, so you'll end up with about 3% salmon. If it's salmon meal, it will be 32% salmon. So I'd give them a call and check that.

If you want a fish based grain free I also recommend fish4dogs, fantastic food. It's about £35 a bag at vetuk and is better than both wainwrights and wolfcol.

Have you considered wet food? Or are you set on dry? I know there's pro's and cons to both, including personal preference. I feed wet with dry mixed in (change the feeding amounts to compensate) as my dogs do better on this.

You're pup is absolutely fabulous!!


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

Lyceum said:


> If it says 32% salmon meal that's what it'll be, the rest will be in addition to that. I'd check with wolfcol that the salmon stated is salmon meal, not fresh salmon, I know fresh salmon sounds better to us, but they take the % into account before dehydration, after dehydration is will be VASTLY less if fresh salmon is used, so you'll end up with about 3% salmon. If it's salmon meal, it will be 32% salmon. So I'd give them a call and check that.
> 
> If you want a fish based grain free I also recommend fish4dogs, fantastic food. It's about £35 a bag at vetuk and is better than both wainwrights and wolfcol.
> 
> ...


Thankyou! Thanks for the info on fresh salmon as that is what was making me lean toward the advanced system one, (42% fresh salmon) I looked for the fish4dogs one but couldn't find it, maybe I am spelling it wrong! I will look again now as I will be ordering the food tomorrow.

I dunno why I prefer dry, am sure I read somewhere that it's better for a puppy, but I guess I could gradually start to mix with meat, although am sure I read also that mixing isn't any good! lol I think I read too much!

I am obsessive complusive so things like this drive me crazy! I have only had a few hours sleep the past few days over something this silly! everyone thinks am nuts so it's nice to get all the support on here.

@pearlthepink: Ok I will go for the adult food, it's better to be safe than sorry, thankyou, I know you don't really agree with dry food so thankyou for the non judgmental and practical advice. x


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

by the way have just found the fish for dogs, looking at the ingredients now, if going with an adult food should I chose a small kibble or a larger kibble? I have been looking at medium dogs too, that's correct isn't it? I wouldn't consider him to be large as he is a miniature and shar pei are medium dogs anyway aren't they?


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

again just a quick one the fish4dogs has beet fibre and brewers yeast- are these fillers? x


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## pearltheplank (Oct 2, 2010)

wrinklepop said:


> @pearlthepink: Ok I will go for the adult food, it's better to be safe than sorry, thankyou, I know you don't really agree with dry food so thankyou for the non judgmental and practical advice. x


I used to feed dry for many years with other breeds and started my girl on dry. I didn't know anything about the possible effects till Pearl hit 7 months and OMG, the state of her skin. It was dreadful and she itched like crazy. The vet was offering steroids which I refused, put her on raw and never looked back. This is why I get so passionate about the right food for the dog, as I have seen what it can do


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

Just looked up BEET PULP on Dogfoodanalysis and this is what they say about it:


"Beet pulp is filler and a controversial ingredient  it is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required."

Which is a shame as the fish4dogs looked promising....


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## wrinklepop (May 16, 2011)

pearltheplank said:


> I used to feed dry for many years with other breeds and started my girl on dry. I didn't know anything about the possible effects till Pearl hit 7 months and OMG, the state of her skin. It was dreadful and she itched like crazy. The vet was offering steroids which I refused, put her on raw and never looked back. This is why I get so passionate about the right food for the dog, as I have seen what it can do


That's terrible! am glad she is healthy and happy now and yes she does have a beautiful coat, I think I will definitely look into making him a raw diet when I have sorted things out. At the moment I am getting the house puppy-proofed and ready for his arrival, finishing off some college work and when he is here I will have to introduce him to the cat, I don't know about my chinchillas, I might just leave them as they are and hope that he doesn't notice them! and if he does try and distract him from them. If he does bark at them, consistently I will have to find somewhere else in the house for them.

I am also having a baby in 5 months, so as soon as everything is calm and settled down I will definitely look into the raw diet, but for now just want the 'best' dry food that I can get. x


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

wrinklepop said:


> Just looked up BEET PULP on Dogfoodanalysis and this is what they say about it:
> 
> "Beet pulp is filler and a controversial ingredient - it is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required."
> 
> Which is a shame as the fish4dogs looked promising....


Fish4dogs is a fantastic food. Used by any forum posters (not myself btw, even thought I'm recommending it). Fish based foods make Novak hyper else i'd be feeding it.

Here's the info on beet pulp from the dog food project,



> Beet Pulp, the isolated fibrous material from sugar beets, is another ingredient that has an undeservedly bad reputation. It is a very gentle, beneficial source of fiber that is not only generally very well tolerated, but also has specific properties that make it suitable as a source of nutrition for the beneficial bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract. The sugar is almost completely removed, what is left in the pulp is only about 1/5 the amount of sugar that you would find in a serving of carrots of equal size. It is also colorless and does not turn a dog's coat turn red, like urban legends claim. The argument that beet pulp is an "unnatural" ingredient is often brought up, but people who present this complaint seem to forget that it is also not natural for dogs to eat highly processed commercial products with a carb content of generally 40% and more, and a moisture content of only around 10% as opposed to a more natural 60-70%. Added fiber is required to make such formulations work for the pets who eat a dry diet.


Few more links about beet fibre

http://holisticpetfood.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/do-you-buy-the-beet-pulp-is-bad-argument/

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2243+2244&aid=2705

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/beet_pulp_myth.htm

The only way you'll escape all fillers is by feeding raw. Or something like Orijin or Arcana. But even then the protien levels can disagree with some dogs.

I feed Simpsons sensitive btw, with wainwrights wet. They do a range of grain free foods with a good meat content.

Adult Sensitive


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## Guest (May 17, 2011)

It may be out of your price range but I just thought I'd throw this into the mix as you might be interested in it...

I feed a food called Ziwipeak. It's essentially freeze-dried raw and comes as dry (which looks like Jerky) and wet which looks like normal dog food. It has no grains at all or potato or anything like that in it, just raw meat and offal, blue and green lipped mussel and various herbs etc. Comes in venison, venison and fish, and lamb flavours.

My pup has NEVER had an upset stomach on it! (She has on various other dry and wet foods). Westies can also suffer skin problems which is why I choose to feed it.

It is expensive for a larger dog (although not as expensive as it looks because you feed very little) but I just thought I'd let you know about it because you seem very concerned about food, which is great!!!


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## poddett (Feb 6, 2013)

Hello !!!! Pear the plank ..... i need help on my pei !!! ive had a few over the years but my current baby has food alergies no end and i think raw def the way forward ... i cant give her any dry what so ever ( obviosly pei friendly ones ) or beef it been a long nightmare to make her ok .... shes much better now but can tell me your raw you give yours so i can give that a go , your help would be amazing i just want her to stop itching ... her ears better now as she mailnly of chicken and veg etc but still itching under chin and licking paws and i dont want her on drugs etc either ... vet said they were going to op on her ears but i knew it could be sorted by diet ( so far so good ) you would think they would advise being a vet and all !!! op should be last option !!! but just need to sort this last bit out on her .... thank you !!!!!!xxxx


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## Keztats (Feb 14, 2013)

Hi prodded. Just saw your message to pearl the plank for raw feeding a shar pei I would advise that you go to www sharpeiforum.com it's based in the states but it's solely for shar pei's and there is a wealth of information about homecooked and raw feeding. I joined a couple of months ago and have been homecooked feeding since and pei's ears have improved no end. For cleaning every other day to once a week/fortnight. I tried raw but it's just not for me, but many people rave about the health benefits. Good luck. X


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