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My new Golden Retriever - Pi

3K views 14 replies 14 participants last post by  vcm5 
#1 ·
I got Pi yesterday - 8 weeks old male golden retriever. A small, furry bundle of joy :)

The breeder I got him from was feeding him some type of Eukunuba, but I heard Orijen is one of the best foods available, so that's what I got him (the store didn't have the Large Puppy kind, so I got the regular puppy).
He loves eating it, but seems like the transition is too sudden for him, since it is giving him diarrhea... not much fun since he isn't housetrained yet.

Are there any tips for making this transition easier for him? I'm pretty sure the Eukanuba he was getting was low quality (most of their foods get 2-3 stars on DogFoodReview.com), so I'm reluctant to mix it with the Orijen food, but maybe there are better ways?

Also, I'd like to give him a bath some time soon -is 8 weeks old enough for a bath? Do I need to use special shampoo, or just water is OK too?

 
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#2 ·
Orijen is a high quality food, but may be too rich for a new puppy. You should always transition to a new food gradually. We fed our Max Eukanuba Large Breed puppy food until he was 16 months old, and he did quite well on it. Also, do not believe everything you read on dog food review sites on the Internet. Many people think Eukanuba makes a quality product.

Adjusting to his new home is a lot for a puppy. As few changes as possible will make it easier for everyone. By the way, he sure is an adorable puppy.
 
#3 ·
Welcome, congratulations on Pi, he's so adorable.

As Max's dad has said, you need to do a gradual switch of Pi's food. Mix some of the new food in with his old food gradually with each feeding until you are feeding only the new food over a 7 day time frame. Some food manufacturers recommend doing it up to 10-14 days to avoid stomach upset. Main thing is it has to be done gradual.

If he continues to have diarrhea, don't wait too long before getting him seen by a Vet. Puppies can get dehydrated very quickly in a very short time.

Hope the stomach upset goes away soon, he's a real cutie. Looking forward to seeing lots more pics of him.
 
#4 ·
I agree with the above posters. His food needs to be changed gradually, and Orijen may be to rich for such a young puppy. My 2 girls are no longer puppies but the cannot tolerate Orijen's sister brand Acana, which a step down from Orijen, as it is too rich for them. I now feed a middle of the road food and they are doing well on it. I think the best advice is use the food that your puppy does best on. I have also seen numerous posts on here that recommend leaving a pup on the breeder food until the puppy has had a chance to adjust to its new home etc., usually at least a month.

About a bath, I have bathed puppies as young as 4 weeks. I use the kitchen sink and diluted baby shampoo.

Pi is so cute, they are that little for such a short period of time. Congratulations and enjoy your new puppy.
 
#5 ·
As many upthread have said, do any food transitions slowly. Orijen may be too rich for a young puppy so for now I'd stick with the Eukanuba.

You can give him a bath anytime. I wouldn't use human shampoo though, a dog's ph is different than ours and may dry his skin & coat. use a shampoo especially formulated for puppies.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
Pi looks like a little cutie. Changing food has to be done Very gradually or puppy will get a bad tummy upset ...as Pi has done. My GR puppy Loki turns 16 weeks old tomorrow & we have had him since 7 weeks old. His breeder fed the pups on Pro-Plan for large puppies & gave me a very big bag of it. I've never been a great fan of this, so I switched to Eukanuba Large Breed Puppies, after a week ...so allowed him to settle in with as few changes as possible. I did the switch very slowly, adding just a few Eukanuba biscuits to his Pro- Plan. When I saw his little tummy was fine with the addition of the new kibble, I slowly increased the amount of new kibble. I now actually give him a mix of the two, but when the Pro-Plan finishes, he will be just on the Eukanuba. I have only ever heard good things about Eukanuba, & certainly Loki is thriving .....I also give him other food too. I would only give him large breed kibble, as this is specially formulated for their bone growth development ....very important for large breeds, as puppies can have a lot of stress on their joints & you don't want him to have problems in adulthood.

It would be very unwise to continue feeding your baby on that new kibble ...in fact, you probably need to feed him cooked rice (without salt) & cottage cheese or cooked chicken ( steamed ) until the diarrhoea clears up, or he is just going to continue having it & will becoming very sick, stop eating & drinking,& get very dehydrated ...that happens very quickly in a young puppy. If it continues, as said above, you should definitely get him to a vet. My baby Loki accidentedly got hold of the kibble I feed my adult papillon on, & he got diarrhoea the next day. Also vomited once. I took him straight to the vet & he was given an antibiotic injection which covered him for 48 hours, plus medicine to settle his tummy, & vet told me to feed him Only the chicken, cottage cheese, plain unsweetened yogurt & cooked unsalted rice. He loved that food & was fine within 24 hours. Enjoy your new baby.
 
#8 ·
What a beautiful puppy! Well, as other said, be careful changing his kibbles. I would not trust website reviews. There are a lot of hidden agendas.

There is a reason why your breeder fed a certain type to your puppy. I would continue with whatever instructions that was given to you. From my own experience, I did not change Cody's kibbles until he was four month old. Per the instructions from his breeder, I switched to an adult kibble. If you do some research, one of the reasons is to moderate his growth. You don't want a GR puppy to grow too fast too soon.

Hope his diarrhea is now a thing of the past.
 
#9 ·
I would not feed this to your puppy. If you want to feed this brand, wait awhile, and then buy the adult formula.
 
#10 ·
Welcome to GRF! Your Pi is adorable. :)

Bathing (I think your food questions have been answered!): go ahead and bathe him. Try to get some puppy shampoo. If not available, warm water is good. People have a different skin Ph than humans so best not to use what you have for yourself.
 
#12 ·
Pi is adorable....Congrats!!

I have been feeding Brisby who is 5 months old now Orijen Large Breed Puppy since I brought her home. I started gradually mixing the Orihen with the Purina Puppy the breeder had her on for about 1 - 2 weeks until I totally migrated her to the Orijen. She is doing well on the Orijen with nice firm stools etc.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all the replies, guys!

We visited the vet today for a routine checkup (11 pounds, and growing :D), and turns out he picked up an intestinal parasite somewhere!
We got some anti-biotics that he will be taking twice a day over the next week, as well as special Eukanuba kibble that will help him get through it quickly.

He seems to like it well enough, seeing as he devoured it immediately :)

We'll keep him on the Eukanuba for now until the stomach issues go away.

Other than the diarrhea he's quite joyful - not house trained yet, but we're working on it, showering him with praise any time he goes in the potty zone in the apartment, or in the yard. Hopefully we'll be seeing results within a few weeks :)

I'll post updates as he gets better, thanks again to all of you!
 
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