# Small breed vs large breed food?



## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

So, I've posted about Hans and his diet before....he's been eating a variety of high quality kibbles and my own homemade raw grind. He loves it and he is doing great on it. But, we are gearing up for a 3 week camping trip. Hans is going with us and we are all staying in a tent with no refrigeration. 

Obviously raw is not a good option for the trip. I got a few samples of freeze dried raw foods to mix with his kibble, and he HATES them no mater how I prepare them. Even the highly recommended brands. All that has been accomplished is a lot of wasting food. 

He will eat canned food no problem, so I think that's probably the best option. I would prefer to have small cans/packages, so I can use one can per meal and not have open canned food to store. That brings us to my question - can he eat "small breed" canned food as a topper short term? Is there a nutritional difference? He's 3 years old, so growth isn't a concern. I'm just finding more options in small containers of food that are labeled as being for small dogs, which makes sense. 

And yes, I am catering to him - I'm not going to force him to eat something he hates. We tried that, and it was frustrating for all of us.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I was discussing this with my vet; however, it was large breed vs small breed PUPPY food. I think large breed vs small breed food matters most when they are puppies. So the vet said this: large breed dog food tends to be lower in fat and caloric content. Their size varies with how quickly they metabolize food. I have both small dogs and a large poodle mix puppy. I feed the poodle mix specific Large Breed Fromm Puppy, and the rest just gets Acana Pacifica. The vet said Lucky can eat the Acana in a few months. I think small breed food would be just fine as a topper for a short amount of time. 
I found this article helpful: Do I Need a Breed Specific Dog Food? | petMD
Also found this article talking specifically about small breed dog food: http://www.akc.org/content/health/articles/food-for-small-breeds/


----------



## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

For an adult dog, and only for a few weeks, I don't think it would really matter if it's large or small breed. Have you tried any dehydrated vs freeze dried raw? I do also have some acquaintances who take raw camping and just pack it with dry ice. I don't know about 3 weeks but they say it stays cold for a long time.


----------



## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

It won't matter for short term if it is small breed food or regular food as the topper on his kibble. It would matter a little more if he were a still growing pup. 

I would just find small cans of something he likes with a high enough protein level so that he will feel satisfied with his meal. Did you try the Grandma Lucy's dehydrated food? Poppy LOVES it! She thought the Honest Kitchen stuff was weird and she likes most foods but wrinkled up her nose at that one. I did too!

Happy camping ? ??


----------



## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

I wrote a whole long post, and somehow my computer ate it. 

When we got Hans, we were determined that he would eat only dry kibble (I'm not sure why, honestly). He was not excited about that at all, skipped meals, and seemed like he didn't feel good, probably because he was hungry. We switched to Ziwipeak, which he liked better than a lot of other kibbles, but still not enough to eat really well. We added canned as a topper and he started cleaning his plate with enthusiasm. We replaced the canned with raw because I think I can make a better quality raw grind for the same cost or less than canned. 

Now that he's eating every meal, he seems much happier, his coat is better, and he doesn't get hunger pukes. Now he gets Ziwipeak, Wysong, or Natures Logic kibble (we rotate periodically) and his raw. I use canned for short trips instead of the raw (some of the family we visit regularly isn't a fan if the raw but they are ok with the canned food in the refrigerator). 

For freeze dried, we have tested Primal, Northwest Naturals, Stella and Chewys, Honest Kitchen, Vital Essentials (I agreed with him on that one - it didn't seem appetizing at all) and Sojos. I haven't tried Grandma Lucy's. I am beginning to think maybe he doesn't like the texture. Freeze dried is so expensive...I would gladly spend the money if he ate it but it's too pricey to waste. We did discuss bringing raw, I'm just not sure we'll be able to get more dry ice where we are going and I'm worried about the meat being thawed for that long. 

I did find a food called Tiki Dog that comes in small cans or big cans. It doesn't seem to be for small breeds. It gets 5 stars on dog food advisor, and it sounds good enough that I wish they made human food . I picked some up to try and will let you all know how it goes. I used the last of my raw, and I want to get him switched to what he'll be eating on the trip to avoid any tummy issues while we are on the road. 

This is the one I got:
https://www.chewy.com/tiki-dog-kaua...GWaCGaBeVpS8Vh3RXl94QaAu548P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


----------



## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Tiki Dog is a really good canned food. We sold lots of it at the local pet/feed store where I used to work. I don't ever remember returns or allergy issues with this food. I think it should work for your camping trip.

Have fun!

VQ


----------

