[Mikey T]

I'm still not really clear on what food to start her on. I was thinking about Diamond, but keep reading conflicting opinions about dog food

Most info on dog food on the web is innacurate myths that are nothing more than marketing gimicks an ploys. The best dog food for your dog is the one that works for you. I general recommond at least starting off with what the breeder is feed because they general know what works well for their dogs. however every dog is and indivdual and some do better on different brands.

For example I have a four different times with five different times tried to feed wellness, which is a highly praised dog food. My dogs did poorly on it every time. This does not mean welness is not a good food, as noted by many recommendation just not the right food for my dogs. When trying a new food start out with the small bag available and see how they do,. If you like the result continue if not move on,

 

[Mikey T]

every dog is different along with each food. I general recommend starting out at about 25% less than the manufactures recommendation based on the weight of the dog.

Lear to ascess the dogs body condition. Do not be afraid to ask your vet for help in this. A lean dog lives a longer, healthier life than an overweight one. The average basset and therefore people perception of the breed is overweight.

see [ur=http://www.caninesports.com/fatdogs.html]corpulent canines[/url]

purina body condition chart
Keep in mind this chart is a bit old 4 to 5 is now considered ideal not 5

Purina® Study Confirms Link Between Body Fat and Chronic Health Conditions

Other Purina research found that most owners couldn't accurately assess their dogs' body conditions. When owner and expert scores were compared, only 28 percent of owners characterized their pets as above ideal body condition, while 79 percent of the experts scored those same animals to be above ideal body condition. Dr. Larson says this gap is serious because pet owners are not likely to recognize that their pets are overweight and even moderate excess body fat can lead to problems.

 

[Mikey T]

How much should I feed her?

on the bag of puppy food their is a chart based on age and weight, ! general recommend feeding 10-25% LESS than the manufactures recommendation to start. but you have to adjust the feed amount up and down based on the dogs Body Condition, There is no magic wand or formula other than constantly assessing the puppy

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Dog Diet Do's and Don’t's

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Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.

That is probably a lot thinner than you though a puppy should be but is necessary to prevent a host of orthoepedic condition that are know to be cause by overnutrition in larger breed dogs.