[Kenneth A]

PitLuv:

Thank you for responding to the post I left for Hound Dog Mom. I believe you have hit the nail squarely on the head when you when you make the comment, “Personally, I see no reason to switch simply because this website rates it 2.5 stars, especially since you’ve noted your dog is doing quite well on it.” Maybe it is paralysis by analysis – LOL!

The issue I face, like I suspect many members of this site, is that we chose Earl to be a member of our family and thus want to provide him the best we can afford. The question when it comes to “best dog food” is highly contentious and most of us that know of dogs that have done well on “cheap dog food” and dogs that have done poorly on very expensive brands.

The Vet, Show Dog Competitor, I purchased Earl from fed all 20+ of her dogs Pro Plan Focus. She had Labs that were 15+ years old and she told me she had been very happy with Pro Plan. In fact, she commented on one highly regarded Brand and said she had seen to many dogs with digestive issues, skin issues and ear infections to recommend it. I happen to have fed that brand, thinking I was doing right by my dog, to my previous Lab and he had ear infections and stomach issues.

So, in conclusion, I guess I am barking up at an empty tree and will continue to feed Earl on Pro Plan Focus. The advice seems to be don’t go create a problem when you don’t currently have an issue.

Thanks again,

Ken

[Andrea V]

Information overload!!! I need some help please! With so much social media I believe I am asking the wrong people for advice. I have gotten a million different responses to what people feed their Cane Corso. We are bringing our puppy home in three days, he is a full blooded cane Corso. Eventually I would like to do the raw diet but definitely need to learn more about that. What is an appropriate kibble to start him on? I heard the blue buffalo wilderness is great? Any thoughts?

[InkedMarie]

Andrea,
I do not know what page but start going backwards thru the pages in this thread & look for the list of appropriate foods for large breed puppies.
I personally wouldn’t feed a Blue product. Choose a food from the list; you can order from Chewy dot com which is a great place to order pet supplies from. I’d leave your pup n the food from the breeder for a week or so then transition.

[pitlove]

Hi again Ken-

I’m very glad I could be of help! Hound Dog Mom certainly paved the way and it’s unfortunate that she’s so busy with school that she can’t be around to post.

Don’t forget, you can always switch up his food once he is done growing if you’d like to give him variety! But I personally do not think you are doing a disservice to him by using Pro Plan. This website uses very specific criteria to rate dog food, non of which factor in how well your dog will do on the food. It is assumed that a lower rated food is a bad food, however not even Dr. Mike believes that

He says in the article on this site “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”

“So, does that mean a one-star dog food is bad for your dog?
No, probably not. A dog food with a low star rating isn’t necessarily a bad product.”

[pitlove]

Hi Andrea-

Welcome and congrats! I love Cane Corso’s! That is the next breed I plan on owning 🙂

I can certainly understand how crazy you must feel right now worrying about the best food to feed him. There are so many choices now for large/giant breed puppy foods, how can you possibly pick a best one?

Obviously calcium levels are of upmost importance, but so are other things like digestability, palatability, bioavailablity just to name a few. Also because growth for large and giant breeds is such an important and critical time in their life, I do prefer (but am not commited to) brands that have nutritionists staffed or consult with nutritionists to forumlate the food. Since I’m relying on this food to provide everything for my puppy in the proper amounts, I place value on that. Most of the companies that do that are larger companies that have more resources because of more money. I do understand however, that many people do not feel comfortable using brands of food from larger companies like Purina and Hill’s. A food I would highly consider looking into if you do not want to use a product from Purina or Hill’s is Dr. Tim’s Kinesis (not the grain free). It is formulated by a vet and a veterinary nutritionist and has gone through feeding trials. Another brand I also really like is NutriSource because of it’s high digestability and palatability.

Another huge thing that people overlook with growing large breed puppies is by all means keep them lean! It keeps stress off the joints and growing bones and can also greatly help reduce the risk for bone disorders during growth and later in life. You can use the Purina Body Condition Score to access his weight and make sure he is staying at a 4/9.

Best of luck! Post some pictures if you can when you get him!

[Andrea V]

Pitluv – whow. Thank you so much! I guess I have some research to do. I will look into these products more again today. It definitely has become overwhelming with so many choices. And I already have a million pics lol.. The breeder is prolly excited to get him off his hands so I stop bugging him with pics lol. How do I post one on here?

[Andrea V]

Inkedmarie – thank you for the info.

[pitlove]

Honestly I’m not 100% sure. You can usually upload them to a website like I m g u r (no spaces) and then post them here using one of their links.

[Susan W]

Andrea,
While you’re researching puppy foods, please check out VeRUS. I have been feeding my dogs this food (adult formulas) for about 6 months and it has made a HUGE difference in them! They have a large breed puppy formula, they have canned foods, they supplements. If you fill out their contact form, someone will get in touch with you and ask/answer questions before sending samples. The samples are great. At least you’ll have something to try that won’t cost you anything.

[DogFoodie]

Susan W,

Are you affiliated with VerUS in any way or do you have a vested interest in the company?

[Susan W]

Um, no, DogFoodie. I am just really impressed with their food and their company. Why?

[DogFoodie]

I was curious because you’ve recommended their food in almost every post and sometimes that’s indicative of a financial interest in the company.

[Susan W]

Oh. As I said, I’m really impressed their food and the response from their company. My dogs are much healthier now that they’ve been eating VeRUS for a while – in fact the benefits were almost immediately evident. I always recommend VeRUS because that’s what I feed. I recommended 4Health to everyone before I got a huge bag of moldy food. I’ve gone from Pedigree to 4Health to making my own to VeRUS. Let’s just say I NEVER recommended Pedigree. 🙂

[GSDsForever]

Posting this 2013 article from DVM DACVN* (board certified veterinary nutritionist) Susan Wynn, in case it hasn’t already been posted or read:

(The whole website page has food information, discussion, recommendations for feeding large breed puppies. But scroll to the very bottom for the Susan Wynn vet journal article.)

Why choose a large breed puppy food?

Or click on these to read only Wynn’s article:

http://valorgoldens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/food-lg-breed-1.jpg

http://valorgoldens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/food-lg-breed-2.jpg

http://valorgoldens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/food-lg-breed-3.jpg

http://valorgoldens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/food-lg-breed-4.jpg

*double board certified

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by GSDsForever.

[pitlove]

@goldenstar

I got an email back from Holistic Select regarding the Large & Giant Breed Puppy formula. When I used the numbers they gave me and put them into the calculator tool on here this is what I got

Calcium = 6.8 g per 1000 kcal
Ca to P ratio = 1.8 to 1

WAY too high…

[goldenstar]

Thanks so much pitluv for taking the time to do this and getting back to me. Definitely too high.

[pitlove]

You’re very welcome. Just goes to show you never trust the bag. Orijen large breed puppy was the same way until they reformulated it.

[Debbie S]

Hello all I have a almost 9 month old golden doodle. I have fed her as a large breed as that was what I was told to do. she is suppose to be more on the medium size with a max weight of 45 lbs. I have been feeding her nutro limited ingredient lamb and rice formula. she has issues with chicken. I am not sure of the ratio for the calcium and phosperus I have seen here. where is the place I could enter that info and figure it out? she has done well on this food but I want to make sure I am giving her the best for her. she is not a great eater. usually eats later in the day. I like the idea of topping with tripett so I am def going to order that. I just need to know about the calcium and anything else I should be concerned with. My belief is I don’t need to feed her like a working farm dog cause she is just a family pet.
the max calcium currently is 1.50 phos is max 1.30
calorie content is 3760kcal/kg
I am a new pet owner haven’t had a dog since I was a kid. I appreciate any advice.
Debbie

[pitlove]

Hi Debbie-

This is the tool that we all use to calculate ca/phos ratios and ca/calorie ratios

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

When I use the numbers you gave me for Nutro Natural Choice LID Lamb and Rice this is what the calculator tells me

Calculate
Calcium = 4.0 g per 1000 kcal
Ca to P ratio = 1.2 to 1

Safe, but…approaching the safe upper limit of 4.5g/1000 kcals for the ca/calorie ratio

You do not have to feed her for a working dog since she is not and that would cause her to lose too much weight, but you always want to make sure she does not get overweight.

[Debbie S]

Thank you pitluv so I notice the ones you recommend but I need one without chicken or turkey and large breed puppy that seems hard to find unless I am not seeing all.
Thank you

[Eric C]

I have been feeding my 12 week yellow lab Dick VanPats Natural Balance. She is clearly gaining a bit too much weight, but this is likely due to my portions being too high. However, after doing research here I do want to change food. I am torn between the following:

Fromm – Heartland Gold Large Breed Grain Free Puppy
Fromm – Gold Hollistic Large Breed Puppy
Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy
Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Puppy

The chart I saw posted early in this thread seems to only one of these Wellness listed, but not sure which one it refer to. Also, the Fromm listed in the calcium chart has the Fromm Four Star Nutritionals, but not the puppy specific formulas. Has the chart been updated? Is there a better choice for my lab for her hips? Does this mean only the Fromm and Wellness listed in the chart has the recommended balance of calcium ideal for my late breed?

Thanks in advance

[pitlove]

Hi Debbie-

Take a look at Taste of the Wild. They have 2 puppy foods that are LBP safe and don’t have chicken or turkey.

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/dog-formulas/high-prairie-puppy-formula-with-bison-roasted-venison/

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/dog-formulas/pacific-stream-puppy-formula-with-smoked-salmon/

[Eric C]

based on the calcium and phos and other information, I think I am ordering Fromm Heartland Gold Large Breed Puppy

[pitlove]

Good choice Eric, Fromm is a great company

[Eric C]

Thank you so much. I tried really hard to take in all the information and use the calculator that was provided on the page. I could not afford Orijen, but think this is a good choice. I love the new pup and want to do all I can. Thanks for all you do!!!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Eric C.

[goldenstar]

I actually have my Golden on Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy right now. I had to take her off of Orijen due to potty problems. I wasn’t sure what was causing the problem, but decided to try something without chicken. I had to find a different food fast and found this at my local pet store.
I know this company has had issues, but she is doing really good on the food. I used the calculator and the numbers looked good.
I was thinking of gradually switching her over to Fromm, but she seems to be doing so well on this food, I may keep her on it. Unless anyone has information that I should know about.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by goldenstar.

[Maria K]

I think that you could probably find something better than Taste of the Wild’s High Prairie Puppy formula. They have some other formulas that are great, but some are subpar. You get the same kind of spectrum as Fromm and Orijen though. You have to be careful which formula you feed. I would see if you could find a better quality formula with one of the brands you are already considering.

[Debbie S]

Pitluv thank you for your response. in looking at the ingredient list is there a concern about salt? and tomato pomice, canola oil? not sure why they are using canola oil when it also has salmon oil which is far better. and what is LBP sorry to be ignorant I am not familiar with those abbrev. thanks for the input.

[pitlove]

No problem haha LBP stands for large breed puppy

Personally what I would do if you are ever questioning why a company chooses to use certain ingredients, is either call or email and ask them about it specficially. If you aren’t happy with the answer they give you or you feel like they are making excuses move on to another food.

[Debbie S]

so in searching I see a brand Nulo that people mention. I like the ingredient list on the salmon and pea puppy but it does not say that it is specific to large breeds?? any one know anything about them. also don’t have the full analysis on website. I need to call them unless someone here knows about them. I am just not real comfortable with the company that makes TOTW, Pitluv. Who knew finding a decent food for my 10 month pup would be so complicated lol.

[pitlove]

I was actually going to suggest Nulo to you however I saw it had turkey meal in it and you were wanting to avoid it. It is safe for large breed puppy. I was able to get the nutrient anaylsis from the rep (we carry Nulo at my work).

[Debbie S]

I was more concerned with chicken as that has given her stool issues in the past. I have given her an occasional treat with turkey with no issue. I did see it had chicken fat but I am guessing that any issue for a dog may be the protein and not necessarily the fat. do you know if they offer samples to try? I see a small pet store in my area supposedly carries it so I may go get a small bag and see how she likes it and if we have any issues. Where do you work btw? and thank you for all your help.

[pitlove]

Yes dogs only react to protein, not fat in terms of immune system responses like allergies and intolerances. High fat diets for some dogs can cause stool problems however.

They do have samples and they may send you some. I would just email and ask.

I work at a small family owned pet store.

[Sandra W]

Hi all – I wanted to chime in on the fats/protein issue. My dog has a very sensitive stomach and gets sick on food that is too fatty. Sick as in up-chucking. I have to be really careful with all dog foods, even dry foods. My doggy baby is a GSD and is about 18 m-o. I read a lot of this thread from the more recent posts (this year & last) and did a lot of research. I contact several pet food companies and asked for samples and usually just got auto-email coupons for a few dollars off. I’m going to get on the Verus bandwagon with Susan. Their VP responded to my contact! Yes, they’re a small company but I like that they care enough about dogs to ask questions and communicate. I’m feeding the Verus large breed puppy food & will for a few more months. Around the end of the year I will start switching over to an adult Verus formula. I know if I have questions or issues, I can contact the people at Verus and get answers. That’s important to me.

[Chris S]

Hey, new here and new to larger breed dogs. I just got an American Bully, she is 8 weeks. Will probably be about 60lbs full size, maybe a little more. I really want to stay with a 5-star brand. I know a lot of people ask what the best for my (dog breed here) and there isnt a clear cut answer as all dogs are different, but would like maybe 3 recommendations to try out before just picking and buying at these price tags.

I’ve seen a few good things about Bully Max High Performance, but mostly from their website and (what I assume) affiliated sites. It also is pretty new and is an “all-stage” type of food. Maybe its just my misconception but I would think a true “puppy” blend and even better “large puppy” blend would be best depending on the brand.

I have also seen great things about Orijen which they have a “large puppy” blend and am leaning towards it as of now, partially for that reason.

Any other suggestions and also am I truly just wrong, about the “all-stages” vs “puppy” blends.

[pitlove]

Hi Chris-

I can see why Bully Max has it’s appeal, as it is marketed as a food specificially for “Bully Breeds”. Problem with that food is the same problem as all other breed specific foods. Not enough is known about each individual breeds dietary needs currently for there to be a basis for breed specific nutrition. Right now the best thing to focus on (especially with how some of these bullies are bred) is proper growth.

Many vet’s feel that a dog should be fed a food specific to it’s life stage and not an all life stages food. Personally, I don’t know that there is enough or any research out there to indicate that an all life stages diet is inappropriate or worse than a growth diet. However it is important that the formula be safe for a large breed puppy. Any time you are questioning if the diet is safe, you need to email the company and request a nutrient anaylsis of the formula in question. You then need to take the numbers they give you for the calcium and phosphorus and the kcals/kg and input them into this tool

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

If the diet exceeds a 1.5:1 ca/phos ratio and a 3g/1000kcals ratio, it is too high and inappropriate for your bully.

[Chris S]

pitluv,

Thank you for your quick reply.
Your response on Bully Max and that it was so new was the exact reason why I was asking for everyone’s thoughts on it.

Another reason I was leaning towards Orijen is it has both the min and max calcium/phosphorus values on their package, at least from the photo on chewy.com. It shows calcium max/min 1.5/1.2 and phosphorus max/min being 1.3/1, so it never exceeded the 1.5:1 ratio even if phosphorus was at min and calcium at max.

I must have missed the part of 3g/1000, and according to the calculator and the info from the picture it looks like it can range from 3.2-3.9/1000.

So should I dismiss Orijen and begin a hunt for another.

[Susan W]

Hi Chris,
I climbed on the VeRUs pet food bandwagon when they had a person contact me and they sent me actual samples of their food (instead of coupons). I have had FANTASTIC results from feeding my dogs their foods.
Neither of my dogs is a puppy anymore. However, VeRUS HAS a large breed puppy formula in addition to their regular puppy formula. You can contact them via their website. They have a lot of info there and they will answer your questions, as well. Their website is veruspetfoods.com
They’ve never had a recall, either. It’s a great company with great products.

[pitlove]

As far as I know about Orijen, their large breed puppy formula is safe since they reformulated it a few years ago

[Chris S]

@Susan W I hadn’t heard of them, but I’ll look them up and get some more info, thanks for the recommendation.

@pitluv OK thanks for the clarification.

Any other recommendations?

Right now she’s on Blue Buffalo Wilderness but she doesn’t seem to care for it, she’ll nibble it but for her to really eat it I have to mix it with wet. I have also seen others say they’d never feed their dog Blue but didn’t see any reasons given.

I have heard they have had some calcium/phosphorus ratio issues in the past, but this was from our 1st visit to a new vet, who was trying to push purina, that she sells, on me. Have read that this is mainly due to the kickbacks they get not cause it’s quality food.

I had only bought a small bag so would like to start transitioning once its about done.

Thanks.

[Eric C]

My girl really likes the Fromm Large Breed Puppy.

[pitlove]

Hi Chris-

The main reason vet’s recommend Purina is because they believe in the food. It is formulated by nutritionists, veterinarians, and other specialists. Many vet’s feel this is important when choosing a food. They are also one of the leading researchers (aside from Hill’s) in large and giant breed puppy growth and nutrition. I personally feed Pro Plan and after trying many of the “better”(including Orijen and Acana) dog foods, find that Pro Plan works the best for my allergy dog and my food intolerant cat.

Of course the vet’s who sell Purina make money off of it, just like the independant pet store that sells Orijen makes money off that too. I’m unaware of vet’s actually getting kickbacks for selling food and I have worked at a vet’s office. They get discounts on food, but so do I working at an independant pet store and so do the workers at Petco and PetSmart. I personally don’t see the difference, but that’s just me.

Most people do not like Blue Buffalo because of the lack of integrity on the companies part and their dishonesty during the recent law suit. Also they are quite overpriced for what you are actually getting.

[Lauren Jean]

Hello =]
New member but an avid reader for years, was wonder what this dog food rating would be and if recommend for an English Mastiff pup 12wks. Use to feed my boerboel the grain free chicken & chickpea for all his allergy and skin issues. Thanks for all the great info and help keeping my furry loves healthy!
https://www.proteinforpets.com/media/pdfs/Naked-Food-Brochure-2016_TQQQUPa.pdf

[InkedMarie]

Lauren,
You’ll have to scroll *backwords* in this thread to find the list of approved foods for large breed puppies.

[Lauren Jean]

Thanks InkedMarie, I got that list. Just wondering if anyone else have ever used Naked Food by Protein for Pets and what they thought of their ingredients.

[pitlove]

Hi Lauren-

You will want to email Protein for Pets and request a nutrient analysis of the formula in question. Then you will want to use the numbers given for the calcium and phosphorus into this tool: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

If the ca/phos ratio falls between 1.1:1 and 1.5:1 and the ca/calorie ratio does not exceed 3g/1000kcals, the food is safe to feed your giant breed.

However, the only formulas I see on the link you gave are adult maintenance formulas, which is not recommended for large/giant breed puppies.

[Lauren Jean]

Thanks for the response pitluv 🙂
I did contact PFP to get the correct ratios. The kibble was a wonderful find for my adult boreboel w/sensitive skin & allergy issues who i home-cooked for but still needed a filler.
You are right about the nutritional needs for my pup, just curious if anyone had tried them. Went with Earthborne Holistic Meadow Feast, although still pricey most cost effective for me. My first puppy in many moons and quite a different growing experience than I’m use too. Along with fruits, veggies and all types of protein, wanted a worthy kibble to get what he needs to flourish. Otis loves eating (super fast), using a muffin baking pan to slow him down some. Buying dog food and getting quality you pay for takes serious time and effort, even with all the information can be a real headache. Thanks to all here on the DFA.

[goldenstar]

This may be a silly question or may seem obvious to some, but…..Will adding fruit and veggies change calcium to phosphorus ratio for growing large breed pup? What about adding other protein sources such as turkey ot beef?
Thanks.

[pitlove]

Hi goldenstar-

All fruits and vegetables (from what I’ve read) contain some calcium (some more than others). As do meats. So basically yes, adding any extras can possibly throw off the ca/phos ratio. However, I think it’s likely that you could add extras in small portions without unbalancing it so much as to put the dog at higher risk for bone disorders.

Truthfully though, I would personally aire on the side of caution until the pup is fully grown before adding any extras besides something like Tripett.

[Jenn H]

If Orijen is not budget friendly try Acana. Same company.
I have been happy with Acana and find that I don’t spend more per meal than I did with less expensive brands. With other foods I had to feed more and had dogs that still seemed hungry. Now they seem satiated being fed less.
It’s a dense food so transition slowly to avoid stomach upset.

[Author]

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