Feeding.

Hi! Me and my girl Ruby are new here. I have seen some terrible food posts over the last few days, so am hesitant to ask but I will any way.

We have had Ruby for three weeks and have been feeding her the grain free Holistic Select for dogs and puppy health and Tucker Time puppy roll. Does anyone see anything particularly wrong with this without it turning into a raw vs everything nightmare like I have seen on Whirlpool?

She really likes pig ears also, but how many is too many? I go through a pack of five a week. They only last about an hour.

Lastly she had her twelve week needles on Thursday and now has a largish marble sized lump on the back of her neck I have had a couple of dogs in my life but never a Staffy and have never noticed this before.

I look forward to getting to know you all better and thanks in advance!

Hi there and welcome to the forum, when you get a chance, why not come and introduce yourself here https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

I can't comment on the food as we get very different brands over here but I'd say 5 pig's ears is definitely too many a week. Are they the dried type? Although they're ears, pork is still fatty and should be given in moderation. Maximum once a week, I'd say. If you're looking for chewy things to keep her busy with you may like to try a stag bar.

My Vinny sometimes has reactions to injections which would result in a close-to-tennis-ball size lump at the injection site. My vet advised that is was a reaction and to massage it daily just to break down the lump and keep an eye on it. Vinny's used to take absolute ages to go down but if you're at all worried, pop her to the vet just to have it checked over.

We'd love to see pics of Ruby when you get a chance she's looks gorgeous in your avatar!

Hiya welcome! The food looks okay for a dry food, it does seem to have a LOT of ingredients, which personally I try to keep as simple as possible. I can't find the ingredients for tucker time online for some reason! Is she doing well in the food and are you happy with it? 5 pigs ears a week does seem a little excessive, they're very salty and fatty, I only tend to give them every few weeks if that! Instead, I opt for kongs stuffed with nature diet and raw bones for chewing. I make all of my own training treats to ensure that I know what's going into them

Ah, did the needle come out okay? I've seen this in kennel dogs before.. One was some kind of allergic reaction and the other had a small piece of the needle left stuck in his neck and had to have surgery to remove it. I'd imagine it's more likely to be the former, but would get her to the vets for them to have a look/feel around anyway!

Like rach said the food looks ok, are you happy with her condition? Is there a reason your not to sure about the food? Darcy has had small lumps at injection sites before, if your worries give your bet a call

Hi Ladies.

I never really thought much about the fat content, which is stupid in hind sight as pork is a Sunday favourite around here...
I am new to the breed and do want to know she get's what she needs so she has the proper support for the fast growth puppies go through. I have only had little dogs in my adult life who never got much bigger than she is now! I made a typo earlier, she had her 10 weeks needles last Thursday, the lump doesn't seem to bother her though it does feel quite firm. Will keep an eye on it.
My query about the kibble is mainly because the breeder was feeding her Royal Canin however when I went to purchase it myself the staff talked me into this grain free Holistic Select because "Staffies can be quite itchy", not knowing any better I went with the advice.
The vet remarked that she was in wonderful condition, her coat and skin etc, so while it is agreeing with her I will stick with it. So we have another 4 weeks or so of home detention. I was under the impression she could go to puppy school before her needles were over. Vet said ten AFTER days last vaccination! Which is fine really though I worry about socialising her. I thought that was imperative until about 18 weeks. She loves the car ride dropping the kids at school and picking them. She cries when they get out in the morning but wags at everyone walking past the car after school. It's so cute.

Oh yes I googled the antlers. First I was like REALLY? Will see if she likes them.

Personally I wouldn't give a pup stag/antlers. I think they should be left until your dog has all its adult teeth fully grown. We picked up our 8 week old pup yesterday and we are going to try frozen carrots to help with teething.The plan is to not give her any treats, except training treats, until she is much older. I do think pigs ears are good for adult dogs, we gave our last dog a couple of them a week for years and I think they helped keep his teeth clean. I used to buy boxes of 25 but stopped when I found a load of beetles in had taken up residence in the half box we had left!
Pete.

I think the food people were right for sure, the food you're feeding now sounds MUCH better than royal canin! I'd never feed that food personally. And they're also right that they can be prone to skin problems, it's much more wise to prevent a skin problem with good food than try to fix it when they're already itchy and uncomfortable. Definitely keep an eye on the lump.. Just make sure it's not infected or anything.

In regards to the socializing, do you have any friends with vaccinated healthy dogs that you could visit at their houses and mix her with? I agree it's very important to get that socialization in early, you're right that she's at a vital stage for socialization. So cute about her wagging at the people lol, you could carry her to places to meet new people (men/ women/ children/ people with walking sticks/ wheelchairs etc)

Hi there Peta, I cant really advise on the jabs etc as not had a puppy myself but in regards to healthier treats, stuffed kongs are fantastic and can last for ages if you freeze them. Daisy loves banana and peanut butter. I also make baked sweet potato chews and tuna or mackeral loaf. If you have a look around in the Health and nutrition section you'll find lots of ideas   

Daisy probably only has 1 or 2 pigs ears a month but does have other dried meats as treats (she's fed raw) such as intentines, liver, heart etc

That's the most important age for sosializstion. I took baby peppa to friends and family with dogs and cats the only problem was she was so sweet her little face looking out of the handbag all the world and his mum had to come and say hi to her so it took me hours to get somewhere. she still loves all the attention .

Bane has had an antler since he was quite young. They are great as they keep them occupied and don't get soggy or smelly. They are however very hard, so we only gave it to him for short periods of time at first. Kongs work great too and frozen things come in particularly handy when they start teething!

As for the socialisation, we were told he could start interacting with known healthy, vaccinated dogs a few days after his first vaccination. Luckily the neighbours have a golden retriever so they have been best buddies since Bane was about 9 weeks old We also took him to as many places as we could, in the car, to our friends and family, walking to the shops (carried in our arms) just about everywhere to get him used to the outside world!