Puppy Gal's Opinion On
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I believe Bullies should be fed a Puppy Formula Food for a full 24 months!!!I personally have NOT seen a Bully who was raised on Science Diet that had a good Bully shape, big head and big chest, but I need more input before I can make a definitive statement. English Bulldogs ... 2-6 months feed softened Puppy Formulated Food Feed them 3-4 times daily and ALL they will eat at each feeding. 7-12 months, softened puppy food, feed 2 times daily ALL they will eat!!!! 13-24 months, dry puppy formulated is OK (soaked is better), 2 times daily ALL they will eat!!!! Best however is to Free Feed, having dry food available at all times, plus feed them soaked food twice a day. I have raised more Bullies than your Vet or the Food Manufacturer and I know for a fact that Bullies need plenty of food and nutrients to fully develop their big heads, wide chests and big bones!!! The only reason to cut back (fat content not volume of food) would be because your 13-24 month old is FAT. Young pups will have growing spurts and need to be beefy!!! Also if not fed enough, their bodies and minds are not satisfied causing them to be TOO active/hyper, which then becomes a life long trait!! (Think about your own restless emotions when on a diet!!) I'm totally amazed that people will buy an English Bulldog Puppy then feed it cheap giant department store brand adult dog food or let it eat what it wants, like the cat's food. I even had one person to tell me they were feeding it the same thing they ate most of the time, sandwiches. (ugly words, ugly words!!!!) After they are out of the baby stage, why soak?? Dry food contains air, which produces gas!! Soaking the food in water at a 1:1 ratio will cause the air to be released. Also they will eat more food if it is soaked with water causing them to put on the fat cells they need to become a muscular, broad-chested Bully All newly acquired dogs need to be kept on the same food they were being feed by the former owner for a minimum of 10 days. If it's food needs to be changed because it has been feed one of inferior quality (big box store brands) make the switch slowly, but start immediately. Hip Dysplasia!!!Let me make a point that is interesting, I can't believe how many Bullies and other large dogs have hip dysplasia. We're getting an average of 850 visitors per day and I get sad e-mails all the time about Bullies with severe back and hip problems. Knock on wood - We don't!!??In researching the internet I found and read in detail many articles, some of them challenged the theory of it being genetic, saying the right blend of vitamins and minerals would prevent the problem or resolve it in young puppies who showed signs of potential problems. So I'm thinking if it can't absorb these from the commercial food for whatever reason, I suppose that could be classified as genetic... I did contact two people who previously owned Bullies, NOT OURS, that had dysplasia so bad they had to be "put down". Both had fed their Bully puppy a cheap brand of dog food, trusting the marketing of one of the USA's largest chains of "sells everything" stores. I didn't want to dwell too long on the subject because I didn't want them to feel responsible for causing the problem. I knew they would never forgive themselves. All that to say this, every dog I've ever had has been fed Purina Puppy Chow Original Formula, because they like it. (Since many Bullies are allergic to Lamb & Rice we have not tried that Formula, although I think I saw it at PetSmart.) Of course like people, Bullies like variety, so we feed some Bil-Jac or I buy marked down meats to add to the softened Puppy Chow. I sometime add beef and pork liver powder, which some of our gang likes but not all. At least once a week, I cook 20-30 lbs of chicken legs and quarters that I buy when they are on sale for. This is cooked in crock pots overnight to ensure it will literally fall off the bone, but these cuts are a lot of trouble because they have to have the bones, skin and fat removed before it can be added to their soaked Purina Puppy Chow....otherwise is will cause gas and diarrhea for most of our Bullies, but there are some who have tummies made of iron. We also cook a lot of whole turkeys for "our gang" when they are on 'sale' because we get more meat and less fat and bones for the money spent. Click Here to see my gravy, stew and treat recipes I am beginning to think I have just been plain lucky. I believe it must be that Purina Puppy Chow has vitamins and minerals that are easier to absorb than other brands of dog food. Information presented here is strictly my opinion based upon research and/or 50 years experience at rescuing animals of all sorts. Consult your vet and perhaps even get a second opinion from another vet about all you read on my website. |
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