puppy kibble | solid gold wolf cub

Almost three weeks ago, I got a call first thing on a Sunday morning that I'd be fostering a puppy that afternoon. A 13 week old puppy.
At first, I was like ok.... then the panic set in that I was SO NOT prepared for a puppy! Especially nutritionally.

I ran out to find a decent kibble that I could feed, and also some wet foods (will describe in next post) to make into a sort of 'soup' to make sure puppy was also getting some real meat and proper hydration.

Once at Petco, I settled on Solid Gold Wolf Cub (even though he is a smaller breed of dog, the analysis is OK for all dogs) for his base kibble. Why? Well the ingredients are good enough, as I have been told "you have to be careful not only with the calcium & phosphorus levels but also an appropriate amount of DHA" and this line by Solid Gold has all these covered.

Most dog feeders have 'heard' that the problem you face with feeding a puppy (specifically of a larger breed) is the high protein levels in most of the better puppy foods. It is actually the calcium, and its ration to phosphorus, that is more of a growth concern. Puppies cannot regulate calcium like adults can and too much can cause them to grow more rapidly than nature intended. This has been said to cause problems such as dysplasias, HOD, OCD etc.

The Ingredients:
Bison | Salmon Meal | Brown Rice | Millet | Cracked Pearled Barley | Rice Bran | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Parsley Flakes | Pumpkin Meal | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Carrots | Broccoli | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin Supplement | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

According to dogfoodanalysis.com, the guaranteed analysis is as follows:
Protein, Min 26%
Fat, Min 12%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calcium, Max 1.5%
Phosphorus, Max 1.2%

According to the label on the bag of kibble, Salmon Oil is the source of DHA. 

So, he likes it. He will be switched to raw once the grinder is up and running ;)