[Susan]

Hi Patty,
are you walking her daily, throwing a ball in the yard or park for 20mins X 3 times a day? Excerise will help her lose weight, get her into a routine with her excerising, eat meals the same time, feed 3 small meals a day, if she is hungry then start adding beans with her raw food or as a treat, buy the frozen beans, make sure she goes on daily walks, same time everyday…
A raw diet does make the dog lose weight, cause they are not eating all those carbs that’s in dry processsed kibbles, they are eating what their bodies have been build to eat, raw food, a dog has a short digestive tract made to quickly digest raw meat & move quickly into the small bowel before any bacteria starts to breed, the raw meat moves thru the stomach quickly into the small bowel then large bowel then poo…
A raw diet is healthier, higher in protein & higher fat what a dog needs….
I’ve just started my 9yr boy on Dehydrated Raw Diet. “Frontier Pets” due to declining health, I have to try everything before I put him to sleep, I just wish I started him on this dehydrated raw diet earlier when it came out… I know in the past my boy lost weight when he was eating a home made raw diet, I didnt want him to lose weight, I had to increase his raw diet to keep his weight on, the home made raw diet stopped his yeasty smelly skin, stopped his red paws, then I started a raw elimination diet & found he can not eat chicken, it was the chicken causing his red paws & itchy smelly skin, he also suffers with Seasonal Environment Allergies as well Spring & Summer & baths are best for environment allergies, you wash off the allergens that’s on their skin & paws……
Are you bathing her weekly or twice a week? or as soon as you see her really scratching, rolling around on carpet grass scratching herself give her a bath in a medicated shampoo, it will reduce her itchy skin & paws. I use “Malaseb” Medicated Shampoo for Patch, the Malaseb kills any bacteria or yeast on his skin & paws, relieves his itchy skin & red paws, puts moisture back into his skin & leaves him feeling so soft & silky.. Buy some Malaseb shampoo & start bathing weekly or every 5 days especially now Spring is here….
Look for a raw wet diet or dry air dried raw diet or dehydrated raw diet & stop the Wellness Core dry kibble, if you have 1/4 to 1/2 a bag of the Core then take it back to pet shop & buy her some more raw food, just feed her the raw diet for 1 month & you will see a difference, have you looked at Ziwi Peak air dried & wet can food raw? Ziwi Peak has limited ingredients & good for dogs who have food sensitivities & environment allergies, You don’t need to feed as much as you do with the dry kibble, the 1/2 a cup comes in the Ziwi Peak bag, here’s their site https://www.ziwipets.com/ contact Ziwi Peak if you have any questions.

[Kevin M]

Well if Evo is being phased out there that goes.

Thanks crazy for cats! I’ll figure something out. Until I started looking for the upscale brands large breed usually meant large bites.

His is a pretty creative dog… whatever gets it done right!?

[crazy4cats]

I can’t help to think that he looks adorable doing that. But, it’s not my floor! 😀

Did you check out the Editor’s Choice budget friendly brands for a large breed puppy? I have fed some Authority Large Breed adult food that was big kibble. I have 85 pound lab mixes and it slows them down a bit when they are eating. Not sure about their puppy food though.

Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Yes, definitely most important to make sure it meets the calcium requirements of a large breed pup over the size of the kibble. Agreed!

Looks like the poster is looking for both qualities. That is why I recommended that he check the websites of the Editor’s Choice recommended large breed puppy foods. Many will show a size comparison on them.

[Mike Sagman]

Kibble size affects palatability only. Nothing else. Kibble size has zero effect on the nutritional value of any food.

Calcium, phosphorus and calorie ratios are critical for a large or giant breed puppy and should take precedence over the size of the kibble.

My recommendation: Use the Custom Search link and select the Type 2 – LG Br Pup option and check the “Dry” feature. This will remove canned and raw foods from the list. I found 43 individual recipes that would be suitable for your Saint Bernard puppy.

And there are many more if you’ll select a recommended brand or sub-brand you like and choose one that meets AAFCO profiles for either Growth or All Life Stages AND contains the words “includes the growth of large size dogs”.

Another suggestion: Avoid switching to an Adult Maintenance food until your puppy reaches 24 months.

Hope this helps.

[Kevin M]

I have one large Breed Dog and One Giant Breed Puppy (Junior) 11 Months. None of the editors choice foods have large/Giant Breed puppy, they are just foods for all ages. Moreover, I cannot find any of them with large kibble bites. My St Bernard can’t keep the small kibble in his mouth. Any suggestions?

[Rick W]

I forgot I didn’t provide this group an update. I wanted to let everyone know that we solved the riddle in case others are needing the same help. I stumbled across what some might consider a “hole in the wall” pet shop but inside that shop was a couple whose passion are your pets and solving riddles like what we were dealing with. When I described everything to her, she put our dog on a different food with different supplements. By the way, I forgot to mention above that he was dealing with bad eye drainage too which I didn’t know was relevant until she asked. Bottom line?? He is allergic to chicken and everything we were feeding him had chicken in it. We are now on a the large breed puppy food from NutriSource whose main proteins are turkey and whitefish. It’s grain-free as well. She also changed his probiotic from ProPlan version to a brand called Herbsmith. The specific probiotic is Microflora Plus. Last, we were giving him canned pumpkin and she suggested a more concentrated version (dehydrated) that we sprinkle on his food. The brand is Super Snouts and the product is called Pumpkin Latte. It’s a mixture of pumpkin and whole goat’s milk.

Soon after switching over, he was much better and he no longer has all that drainage in his eyes. Glad we found her!

[Suzanne S]

Hi,
I have a large breed 16-week old puppy (Beauceron) who came from the breeder on a low-quality food. I migrated him over to Acana Pork & Sweet Potato, grain-free. He had loose stool for several weeks, despite a slow transition, so I did some research and decided to try Orijen. He’s been on Orijen Puppy for almost two weeks and is still having very loose stool, and he’s recently become quite itchy. I’d like to find a high quality dry food that has some grain and does not contain chicken.

I get that grain-free is nice, but it would be good to have choices, too. There are recent studies that indicate too many legumes and other “fillers” that are taking the place of grains are not necessarily beneficial either. Can’t seem to find a good balance of non-poultry protein, healthy grain, and 4.5 or 5 star quality.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks so much for your input!

[crazy4cats]

My 6 1/2 year old male labs are eating a Fromm weight management formula right now and really like it. I also feed Whole Earth Farms frequently with good results. I hope you find something that they like and is a good large breed puppy food! Good luck.

[crazy4cats]

If I was to get a large breed puppy I now, from the Editor’s Choice list, I would probably feed either the Wellness, Fromm or Whole Earth Farms. Another food mentioned on here a lot, is the large breed puppy Purina Pro Plan formula that I would seriously consider. It is a few tiers up from the Purina Beneful that you are feeding. Best of luck to you!

Have fun with your new bundle of cuteness!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by crazy4cats.

[crazy4cats]

Are you feeding that adorable puppy a proper large breed puppy food? Puppies that are going to be 50 pounds or more should be fed a food with controlled amounts of calcium in order to keep the joints healthy.

There are some recommendations on the Editor’s Choice List.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Susan]

Hi Sarah,
sounds like your dog is in pain & needs a LTD food that has just 1 meat protein & 1 carb only,
sometimes pet food companies do a recall just to be on the safe side & there was nothing wrong with their food…it will normally say they did a “Voluntry recall” …Canidae was one of these companies did voluntary recall, cause their food was being packed at the same plant as another pet food that was havinga recall but there was nothing wrong with the Canidae food they did the recall just to be safe..
I wouldn’t be worrying about recalls, alot of these recalls were done years ago & the pet food companies have never had another recall since…..Its very hard to find a dry kibble that has 1 meat protein & only 1 carb…

I would try “Natural Balance” LTD Sweet Potato & Bison or Sweet Potato & Fish or Potato & Duck formula.. or “Ziwi peak” air dried but Ziwi Peak is expensive or “Canidae Pure” Formula’s, Pure Wild, Pure Sea or Pure Sky but they have about 6-7 ingredients or Canidae’s other brand “Under The Sun” Large Breed formula..is very limited in ingredients.

Potato & Sweet Potato firms up the poo & the firm poo will express the anal glands naturally…
I can see when Patches poo has expressed Patches anal glands, I see clear fluid running down his black bum, then when we get home from our walk I use the Huggie baby wipes, I get the Coconut oil baby wipes & wipe his bum, the wipes are nice & cool on their bums..
I’ve never seen Patch ever lick his bum or his wooohoo….

Patch use to have anal gland problems, he has IBD the vet use to express every time we saw her monthly but since I found out what foods he’s sensitive too he has stopped his bum surfing on my rug…..

[pitlove]

Hi Ange M-

The best thing you can do is find a food that states it is for a large breed puppy. Now I will warn you, some that make this claim are not actually large breed puppy safe because the company formulating the food doesn’t actually understand what causes developmental issues in growing LBPs on the diet side of things. Holistic Select was a really good example of a company like this.

The companies that are going to have the most trustworthy large breed puppy foods are Purina, Science Diet and Royal Canin. There is no reason to “avoid” any ingredients in a puppy on the assumption that maybe just maybe, he could one day develop a food sensitivity. This is absurd and will only cause you to be more confused. There is also no need to feed a puppy a rotational diet as suggested above. If something does happen, it will be almost impossible to know the cause. I went through this myself, so I can no longer recommend rotational diets.

[haleycookie]

So protein doesn’t matter (unless your dog is sensitive which is unlikely at that age) the most important thing you’ll want to find at the moment is a proper large breed puppy food. Two of my favorites are wellness and Fromm large breed puppy foods. Feed that for about a year and a half to two years and after that it doesn’t really matter what you feed. One of the only difference between a large breed adult food and a regular adult food is pieces are bigger for a bigger mouth. So I’d recommend if you try the Fromm to just switch to adult fromm at the right time and just rotate flavors to prevent any sensitivities from popping up. Or even do a rotational diet of all the food brands he likes best and agrees with him and that you like best just to mix things up and to avoid any chances of a recall or recipe change if you’re feeding the same food for years in and out.

[pitlove]

Hi Tyler-

It sounds like you have a large breed puppy. If so, large breed puppies have unique dietary needs and can not be fed a regular puppy food. You also need to be careful when feeding a food labeled for “all life stages” unless you are certain is it LBP appropriate. For this reason I tend to gravitate to companies that are known for producing reliably correct large breed puppy foods. My favorite one being Purina Pro Plan. Purina has spent millions of dollars on food trials and research on large breed puppy nutrition and growth. The price point may also be better for you and it is a widely available food. One other thing to note is that Pro Plan in general is highly disgestable, which will be great for his stomach given that he came from a shelter situation. Shelters are horrible places for dogs/puppies to be and it is very stressful, so GI upset is not uncommon in newly adopted dogs/puppies.

[crazy4cats]

Hi LuckyLab-
Curious why your vet thinks your pup needs a turkey only diet? Are you doing an elimination type diet?

My dogs did really well on PureVita’s turkey and sweet potato formula. It’s just a bit too expensive to feed it to my two large labs regularly.

I’m not sure if it is appropriate for a large breed puppy though. You’d have to check on that. Best wishes!

[pugmomsandy]

You would still need to contact the company regarding foods being appropriate for large breed puppies, but Earthborn Holistic Venture is an LID diet.

[Susan]

Hi Tyler,

I got email of the latest study done in February on popular dog foods that were tested for toxins & contaminates, below are the first 12 brands that got 5 stars for product purity.
American Journey Lamb & Sweet Potatoes got 3 stars….
You will notice white meats Chicken, Turkey & Pork seem to be cleaner meats & kibbles that have fish as main protein seem to be very high in toxins & contaminates, so your best not feeding a dry kibble that’s fish/salmon etc, I go to Aldi’s & buy their tin Sardines & tin Salmon in spring water, add 2 spoons to one of her meals a day…
Aldi’s have a new kibble called “Heart To Tail” Pure Being it has pretty good ingredients, go to the “Review” section up top of page, look up “Shep dog dry food” scroll down & you’ll read peoples post about Aldi’s new brand called Pure Being, DFA hasn’t review the new Pure Being formula’s yet, there’s grain free & grain kibbles, people have put up the ingredient list, fat, protein & fiber %…. I wish I could get Pure Being in our Australian Aldi’s, my dog does really well on kibbles that have sweet potatoes….

5 Star freeze dried raw, dehydrated raw formula’s & dry kibbles.

* “Buckley Liberty” – freeze dried beef, freeze dried Chicken, G/F Lamb dry kibble & Chicken dry kibble formula.

* “Canisource Grand CRU”- ALS Turkey dehydrated raw dry food, Pork & Lamb dehydrated raw dry & red meat dehydrated raw formula.
Iwould stick wit the TOTW Victor Nutro & Diamand

* “I and love and You” – Naked Essential G/F Lamb & Bison dry kibble, Naked Esssentials G/F Chicken & Duck dry.

* “Nutro” Natural Choice, small breed Chicken & lentils recipe, Natural Choice, Chicken & Lentils dry recipe, Lamb & Lentils dry recipe, Nutro Wild Frontier Open Valley dry recipe, Nutro Wild Frontier Rolling Meadows dry recipe.

* “Diamond Natural” Chicken & Rice dry formula & small breed puppy dry formula.

* “Proffessional” – Lamb & Brown Rice dry & Chicken & Pea formula dry.

* “Dog for Dog” Lamb Meal & Brown Rice dry.

* “Purina One”- Smart Blend Chicken & Rice formula, Smart Blend Healthy puppy Dry formula,

* “Fresh Pet” Chicken recipe dry.

* “Canidae” ALS Lamb Meal & Rice Dry formula, Canidae’s “Under the Sun” Adult G/F Lamb dry, UTS adult G/F farmed raised chicken dry, UTS G/F Puppy with Chicken dry.

* “Simply Nourish” Adult Chicken & Brown Rice recipe, Chicken with peas & potatoes G/F recipe dry.

* “Eagle Pack” Large & Giant Breeds Naturally Dry formula & Small Breed Chicken Meal & Pork Meal dry formula

Yesterday I bought a bag of “Wellness Core” G/F Large Breed kibble, I got it 1/2 the price cause it’s due by date was ending of 25th March 2018, the kibble is still good, it’s when you open the bag of kibble & the air/oxygen gets to the oils in the kibble, then the kibbles starts to go rancid, so make sure if you buy large bag of kibble get out enough kibble for daily use for about 1-2 weeks & store in an air tight container & put the rest of the kibble in a dry cool place & make sure kibble bag is air tight, I sticky tape the kibble bag, if it has no seal on it, then I put the bag of kibble into another plastic bag seal, then I store the kibble bag in one of those plastic storage containers & I put it in the coolest part of the house where my air condictioner is so it stays cool…

Shop around for bargans & rotate between different brands, Victor, TOTW, Nutro, Diamond, Eagle Pack & Pure Being, this way your dog will have a healthy stomach & stronger immune system cause she’s eating a variety of ingredients & she isn’t eating the same brand ingredients 24/7 & if the kibble she is eating is high in toxins then she wont be eating it for too long to cause any health problems later on cause your rotating with other brands…….

[LuckyLab]

Hi guys,

Have a 10 month old lab that the vet wants me to try on a turkey only ingredient diet. Looking at Zignature and Nulo Freestyle. Any preference between the two? One better for a large breed pup perhaps?

Both seem great but Nulo is certainly pricier of the two.
Thanks for the feedback.

[Jennifer S]

Hi everyone,

I have a 9 week curly coated retriever, should turn out to be about 80-90 lbs or so. I’ve read enough about dog nutrition to know that I need to be watching the Calcium/Phosphorus ratio and keep it close to 1:1, or at least not over 1.3:1. This is easy when determining kibble, but it seems like there are differing opinions about how much bones contribute to this calcium ratio. I was at the local pet food store (where they pride themselves on being very knowledgeable about nutrition) and they told me I should get the meat that had bones ground and organs ground up with it because the calcium from bones affects dogs differently and they poop out what they don’t need. The same thing with giving him bones to chew on. The breeder also told me that they will just poop out the extra calcium and I only need to worry about the Ca:P ratio with kibble.
I took puppy for his first vet visit today. I chose a vet who is fine with raw diets and knows about nutrition. She told me calcium is calcium and that when she does blood work on dogs that get lots of bones, their blood calcium levels tend to be higher. She said I shouldn’t be feeding any meat that has ground up bones in it or giving bones to chew, at least until he is older and I don’t have to worry as much about bone formation.

What do you all do for your large breed puppies when feeding raw? Do you give bones to chew? Do you think bone calcium acts differently in their system than the added calcium in kibble? Thanks!

[anonymous]

Hope these articles help. When you do “research” you are going to get all kinds of opinions.
Traditional veterinarians have very different views on diet than traditional veterinarians.
So you will get a lot of conflicting information, and some of it will not be accurate.
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/
Have you considered Pro Plan Focus? I think they have a large breed puppy formula.

Good luck with your new pup!

Here it is https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-focus-puppy-lamb-rice/dp/52422

[Jeff R]

Hello, New to this forum, I am picking up a 8 week old Golden Retriever puppy, and looking at food options for the Large Breed puppy. I was looking at mixing a freeze dried raw food like Grandma Lucy’s, or maybe Dr Harvey’s, with a little K9 Natural, or Darwin’s raw frozen. Would this be appropriate, I’m I over thinking this, he will be on a large breed kibble when i pick him up, and I was wanting to switch him over after a week or two. Or do you have other recommendations, or stay with a good quality kibble, like Fromm’s or Wellness Core?

[Margaret G]

Hi Josh, Origen Large Breed Puppy is on the Editor’s Choice list for large breeds. So Ca/Ph levels should be good. However, it is a very expensive food and from what I have read on some other sites, many pups find this food too rich and have tummy troubles. You can try it and see how your puppy does. But there are a number of other foods out there that are less expensive and still very good. Purina ProPlan and Fromms are both good. And mixing some canned to keep him eating will help him transition.

[pitlove]

Josh-

It’s important to first look for a food that actually states its for a large breed puppy. While it’s true that some brands have puppy foods that meet the ca/phos requirements for LBPs most do not. Wellness is not a bad brand and they do have large breed puppy specific foods. I am not a fan of Orijen/Champion Pet Food products. They are a marketing company solely dedicated to selling you a trendy pet food at an outrageous price. I’ll pass.

[Nadine H]

You could also add a little of the canned he likes to a good quality kibble, he might eat the kibble that way. ProPlan for large breed puppy is a good choice as Pitlove mentioned. My vet has told me that adding a couple of tablespoons of canned to kibble can also prevent bloat. Something about the different textures of the food. I wouldn’t think he would be getting a balanced diet feeding only the canned.

[pitlove]

Hi Josh S-

Unfortunetly, this puppy formula you are using is not fine tuned to suit the needs of a growing large breed puppy, so I would recommend another food.

Firstly, he should be taken to your vet and examined to make sure that if he was truly malnouished as you say, there is not an underlying condition (intestinal parasites etc) that would be causing poor appetite. I would not rely on the shelters vetting personally.

Once medicial issues have been ruled out, I would move him to Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy hard food. Haven’t known a dog to reject Pro Plan and it is highly digestable, so it will be easy on his stomach.

[InkedMarie]

Look at the Diet & Health forum here…on top highlighted in yellow is a stickie on Large breed Puppy nutrition. Warning: it is very long, you may want to start from the last page.

[LeighAnne W]

Looking for your advice on what’s best to feed my 14 wk Female European Boxer Puppy? She is currently eating Simply Nourish Puppy- Natural Chicken/Brown Rice Recipe. She isn’t having any issues with this dry formula, in fact her vet says “she looks great, leave it be” … I just want to ensure I am providing the very best for her that I possibly can. Thank you kindly.

[Jenny Rellick]

I believe the most Ketogenic food on the Editor’s Choice list is Primal Freeze-Dried Canine Venison Formula. The Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content is 62% protein and 1% carbohydrates. It is high in fat, which is okay for dogs, but you should be careful of how many calories you feed. If dogs are like people, what looks like a small serving will satisfy your dog’s appetite after a few weeks. If your dog gets pancreatitis, a high-fat food may be bad. In that case, a canned food for a weight control may be your best option. Wellness Core Grain Free Weight Maintenance (Canned) has a dry matter estimate of 50% protein, 16% fat and 26% carbohydrates. Grain-free low-fat foods are not all ketogenic. Some include potatoes and legumes full of carbohydrates.

If you feel like you would be feeding Bambi’s mother to your dog, the next most ketogenic food is Stella and Chewy’s Chewy’s Chicken Dinner (Freeze-Dried.) Its dry matter is an estimated 51% protein and 12% carbohydrates.

For a large breed, these freeze dried ketogenic foods are expensive. The next best ketogenic foods on average are wet, but not all quality wet foods are ketogenic. The Editor’s Choice canned foods with 5 stars are a good place to start looking for high-protein, low carb foods you can afford.
Fish oil, such as Bayer Snip Tips, is supposed to help a wide range of brain-based neurological conditions, and I think CBD oil is an excellent supplement.

[pugmomsandy]

Earthborn Holistic Venture has limited ingredient kibbles but I don’t know if they are appropriate for large breed pups.

[gdijess]

I have a 9 month old rottie who I am looking to add some other brands to his food rotation. He does have a few diet restrictions and I unfortunately am limited as to what I can get.
He is Allergic to Chicken and Lamb and definitely does better on limited ingredient diets. I prefer to stick to grain free foods but I am open to other options. He gets really gassy on fish foods (He’s currently on Zignature catfish right now) He does have quite a few sensitivities that we are trying to work out but I’m still not sure as to what they are.
He does best with Pork, Bison, Venison, Duck, Rabbit, and Beef as far as proteins go. He does okay on potatoes but I prefer sweet potatoes or peas in his food instead of potatoes. The food has to have appropriate calcium and phosphorous levels for a growing large breed puppy, He is already 100lbs and still has some growing left to do. (I don’t mind doing this part, I just want some other brand recommendations. I’ve combed this site up and down and haven’t found a one that I have access to yet. )
He does the best on Zignature Pork, but he has also been on nutrisource large bread puppy chicken and rice, Zignature Lamb, Natures Domain puppy, PureVita Duck and Oatmeal, and Taste of the Wild South West Canyon.

I wanted to add Acana Duck and Pear as well as Earthborn Holistic Venture Rabbit but unfortunately I can’t get it where I am at. (I work at a pet store and I order the dog food for the store so I can get quite a few different brands.)

I know I am probably pretty picky, but I’m just looking for other options because he does get bored eating the same kibble and I don’t want to risk him developing any other allergy or sensitivities.

[Susan]

Hi Donna,
If you think they’re drinking heaps of water then they probably are drinking too much water, when my boy was eating Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb he’d drank heaps of water some days then he stopped eating the dry kibble, so he made the dision for me to change dog foods… When your pups grow up & are adults start rotating between a few different brands of kibble with different meat protein, so they aren’t eating the same dry kibble 24/7 & add some fresh whole foods to their diet…..
Have a look at “Canidae” All Life Stages, Large Breed Puppy formula’s, Canidae have 2 large breed puppy formula’s their Turkey & Brown Rice & their Duck, Brown Rice & Lentils large Breed puppy formula..
Here’s Canidae’s site, click on page 5 both formula’s are there, Canidae has heaps better ingredients then the Iams puppy formula…
or look for Large Breed Puppy in “Holistic Select” “4health” “Victor” “Sport Dog Ellite Series”
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Donna C]

We currently have two puppies that are now 5 mths old. WE have two labs prior. WE have noticed that they are drinking a lot of water especially after they eat. Does anyone have any information regarding high sodium content in dog food. We currently feed them IAMS puppy large breed which I just read is not the “best” food. I am hoping for some recommendations. Thank you.

[pugmomsandy]

There are no affordable freeze dried raw foods for large breed dogs. The freeze drying process is just too expensive.

[Zen B]

I am hopelessly new to this type of feeding. I do Old English Sheepdog breed rescue and own several OES. I decided to try Dr. Marty’s freeze dried raw food and received a ONE POUND bag. The instructions based on my dog’s weight require a little over two cups a day. Given the cost (about $50/bag) there is absolutely no way we can afford to feed all of our dogs and foster dogs this diet without going bankrupt. The dog I am testing with this food absolutely loves it and she is the pickiest eater on earth. Can you suggest a freeze dried raw dog food that is excellent quality yet affordable for feeding large breed dogs? Thanks in advance (I am trying to learn as fast as I can)

[pitlove]

Hi Jason-

He does in fact need to stay on large breed puppy formula especially because he was neutered too early. This is critical for correct growth. Of the two options you have offered, Diamond Large Breed Puppy is the only option that would be appropriate for him.

Also, before jumping to the conclusion that he is having an adverse food reaction, you need to see the vet to eliminate all other causes such as fleas, mites, environmental and seasonal triggers. Adverse food reactions are not as common as people on the internet would have you believe, especially not in a 4 month old puppy.

[Jason P]

Thanks haleycookie,

My Tripp is 4 months and is about 35 lbs. He is going to be a big boy! He was a rescue, so he has already been neutered. The scratching started not long after we changed his food to a higher quality brand (Victor), so I was assuming that is what triggered it. I will check on the Large breed puppy options in my area.

[haleycookie]

If you think he’s going to be over 55-60 lbs as an adult then he needs to stay on a large breed puppy food for at least a year and a half. Also avoid neutering him until then as well if he isn’t already neutered. I also recommend Fromm large breed puppy or wellness core puppy. Both are formulated correctly for large breed growth. However. I’ve heard the 4health is good for sensitive stomachs. I would try a large breed puppy food first (make sure it has the proper calcium to phos ratios though not all large breed puppy foods do) then if for whatever reason he’s showing to have a sensitive stomach I would then try the 4health. Also have you been to the vet for the scratching? I would do that first just to rule out any health issues and make sure it’s not environmental allergies.

[Jason P]

I need to switch my Rot/mix pup (4 months old) from his food due to constant itching. I am really debating whether I need a large breed puppy food or if I can just go to adult food that I will want him to be on. Here is what I have it narrowed down to:

Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/diamond-naturals-large-breed-puppy-dog-food-40-lb-bag
or

4Health Salmon and Potato: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-salmon-potato-formula-adult-dog-food-35-lb-bag

Any words of advice between the two? Is the 4Health good enough for a growing large breed puppy?

[2doodlemom]

My Berniedoodle is 16 weeks old and he has been on Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy since he was 10 weeks. He started to have very sift stools and diarrhea about 3_4 weeks ago, we check everything at the vet, all clear but he was on a deworm and antibiotics for 1 week, he got a little better for 1 week and now its back to complete soft stools and diarrhea again.
We have eliminated all other possibilities so only can thinks its his food. Has anyone had this experience? And if we need to switch to a different food for a large breed puppy what would you recommend? Some people say we should go on a single ingredient food or a GI prescription food by the vet. Please help. Thanks.

[Kenneth A]

Hi All:

I have a 2 year old, male, English-Style Labrador that has been fed Purina Pro Plan Focus since he was 8 months old. Earl (Lab) currently weighs 80 lbs. and had TPLO Surgeries on both rear legs during the fall last year. The breeder from whom we purchased Earl was a Vet., trained show champions and fed all of her dogs Purina Pro Plan.

There seems to be a tremendous amount of marketing hype with dog foods. While I am happy to be a member of this site I remain very confused with the prospect of selecting the proper food for Earl.

Earl is not currently suffering any digestive issues (no gas, loose or discolored stools) on Pro Plan but I have this nagging concern that I should be feeding him a higher quality (higher rated) food. Somehow I believe the old comment: “You are what you eat and I suspect this also applies for dogs.” A few months ago I tried a Fromm Formula, Dry Food, and Earl’s stools were larger and black in color. He ate it fine and I fed him a large bag but with the larger stool volume (larger than Pro Plan) I did not think Earl was digesting the food well so I went back to Pro Plan.

I am now thinking about trying foods from Nulo and possibly Natures Valley. Would those of you feeding Labradors either of these foods please respond with your results?

Thanks,

Ken

[Anonymous]

The best way for you to truly understand the answers to your questions is as follows: Look up your current food on the alphabetical list of dog foods, both dry and wet. Each analysis will enable you to learn the reasons why certain ingredients are not recommended. Grains, by large, are simply fillers: the dog FEELS full … and the dog poops MORE. Some dogs are allergic to particular grains and/or to rice. There are many opinions regarding wet versus dry versus raw versus frozen. Again, if you read up on the recommended foods, the ones that are 4- or 5-star winners, you will begin to understand. There is a lot of homework for you to do and a lot of homework for each and every dog owner. We come to our own conclusions and biases. Personally, I feed my Beagle dry with two tablespoons of wet on top. My best friend does the rehydrated frozen food for her Boxer. Boxers have a sensitivity to chicken, so she can’t feed that. I had a Dalmation that was allergic to grain, so I made him his food. Every breed is different. Don’t be put off: it’s fun and educational learning all this … and isn’t it about time people started wondering about what we feed our pets? Good luck. Never hesitate to ask questions on this forum. There are people here who are experts: I’m not. This is just MY opinion. Have fun!!!

[Susan]

Hi Rick,
Patch had an Endoscope done 3 weeks ago & was put under anaesthetic & the next day at night he was doing sloppy poo with red blood thru it I rung his vet & left a message & Patches IBD vet rang me back & said its probably from all the stress from going under anaesthetic nothing to worry about it will clear up this happens with some dogs.

I would change the Fromm Large Breed puppy formula, Fromm has alot of ingredients in their kibbles, find another large breed puppy formula with less ingredinets then the Fromm has, also the good bacteria in your dogs stomach & bowel is probably un balanced & he has more bad bacteria at the moment buy some “Purina Forti Floria” Probiotic & start him on a dog probiotic for his stomach/bowel & start a new LTD Kibble & see how he does….

Have a look at “Canidae’s” All Life Stages, Turkey & Brown Rice large Breed Puppy formula it has less ingredient & balanced properly for a large breed growing puppy. Good for dogs with stomach/bowel problems.
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-large-breed-turkey-meal-brown-rice

[Rick W]

*I posted this is a Editors Choice forum but didn’t know if I needed to post it here as well*

Hi,
We had our dog fixed a couple weeks ago and when we got him home, we had some issues with diarrhea and vomiting after eating. We chalked it up to anesthesia but went ahead and put him on a chicken and rice diet just to keep it bland until his stomach settled down. Then we dealt with him being constipated so we added some pumpkin to his bowl after much research on that. While his poop never fully returned to normal over the next week, it wasn’t diarrhea so yesterday we started to re-introduce a little of his dry food with the other ingredients listed above…last night he woke us up twice needing to go out and full on diarrhea ensued.

The only variable we can think of is the dry food (Fromm’s Large Breed Gold Puppy). It’s weird because he was just fine on that food prior to surgery. Could it be that he basically developed an allergy or incompatibility with this food literally overnight?
Any help would be awesome! When the vet was included in the conversation, we were told he is a healthy pup and not to worry about it…but we havn’t reach out yet this morning after this last bout.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Rick

[Rick W]

Hi,

We had our dog fixed a couple weeks ago and when we got him home, we had some issues with diarrhea and vomiting after eating. We chalked it up to anesthesia but went ahead and put him on a chicken and rice diet just to keep it bland until his stomach settled down. Then we dealt with him being constipated so we added some pumpkin to his bowl after much research on that. While his poop never fully returned to normal over the next week, it wasn’t diarrhea so yesterday we started to re-introduce a little of his dry food with the other ingredients listed above…last night he woke us up twice needing to go out and full on diarrhea ensued.

The only variable we can think of is the dry food (Fromm’s Large Breed Gold Puppy). It’s weird because he was just fine on that food prior to surgery. Could it be that he basically developed an allergy or incompatibility with this food literally overnight?

Any help would be awesome! When the vet was included in the conversation, we were told he is a healthy pup and not to worry about it…but we havn’t reach out yet this morning after this last bout.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Rick

[Jackie B]

There are currently 3 Nature’s Variety products suitable for large breed puppies on the Editor’s Choice list: /reports/type-2/ Check out that link to see the specific formulas.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

If you’re trying the homemade thing, i’d see if your vet has a nutritionist or a recipe plan that they like that is suitable for large breed puppies. You can also use balanceit.com. Are you trying to stay grain free? If not, Fromm gold makes a large breed puppy food that is good for sensitive stomachs. It’s in a bright blue bag.

In regards to the probiotic, my cats were once given Purina Fortiflora. They loved it and two responded very well, one had loose stools (even worse after the probiotic). I gave it a shot for a couple of weeks because it can take time for the good bacteria to colonize. After that I had to find one that had more strains in it, as Fortiflora only had 1. Usually brewer’s yeast is used as an appetite enhancer (many cats can’t resist it) which may be what you’re smelling. The dog formula uses it as well and is also only 1 strain of probiotic.

What kibble foods did your vet suggest?

[Ivy K]

My Shiba was recently diagnosed with CHF. I emailed Wellness and they quickly replied with the info below. Hope this helps.

Wellness® Dry Dog

Complete Health Grain Free Chicken:
As Fed: 0.16%
Dry Matter: 0.17%
Complete Health Grain Free Lamb:
As Fed: 0.30%
Dry Matter: 0.33%
Complete Health Grain Free Fish:
As Fed: 0.30%
Dry Matter: 0.33%
Complete Health Grain Free Puppy:
As Fed: 0.45%
Dry Matter: 0.49%
Complete Health Grain Free Large Breed Adult:
As Fed: 0.23%
Dry Matter: 0.25%
Complete Heath Grain Free Large Breed Puppy:
As Fed: 0.40%
Dry Matter: 0.43%
Complete Health Grain Free Small Breed Adult:
As Fed: 0.33%
Dry Matter: 0.36%

Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 0.15%
Dry Matter: 0.16%
Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe:
As Fed: 0.41%
Dry Matter: 0.45%
Complete Health Lamb & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 0.29%
Dry Matter: 0.32%
Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 0.14%
Dry Matter: 0.15%
Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 0.13%
Dry Matter: 0.14%
Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 0.41%
Dry Matter: 0.45%
Large Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 0.23%
Dry Matter: 0.25%
Large Breed Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 0.40%
Dry Matter: 0.43%
Small Breed Complete Health Adult Turkey & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 0.30%
Dry Matter: 0.33%
Small Breed Complete Health Adult Whitefish, Salmon Meal, & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 0.31%
Dry Matter: 0.34%
Small Breed Complete Health Puppy Turkey, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 0.47%
Dry Matter: 0.51%
Small Breed Complete Health Senior:
As Fed: 0.15%
Dry Matter: 0.16%
Small Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Turkey & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 0.28%
Dry Matter: 0.30%
Toy Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 0.20%
Dry Matter: 0.22%

Wellness® CORE® Dry Dog
CORE® Grain-Free Original:
As Fed: 0.53%
Dry Matter: 0.58%
CORE® Grain-Free Ocean:
As Fed: 0.69%
Dry Matter: 0.755
CORE® Grain-Free Reduced Fat:
As Fed: 0.50%
Dry Matter: 0.54%
CORE® Grain-Free Puppy:
As Fed: 0.37%
Dry Matter: 0.40%
CORE® Grain-Free Small Breed:
As Fed: 0.23%
Dry Matter: 0.25%
CORE® Grain-Free Large Breed:
As Fed: 0.22%
Dry Matter: 0.24%
CORE® Grain-Free Wild Game:
As Fed: 0.22%
Dry Matter: 0.24%

[pitlove]

Hi RollTide10-

You are correct, at 2 years old your mix breed is capable of regulating his calcium uptake now and no longer requires a large breed puppy diet or for you to be concerned about the ratio of calcium and phosphorus. He can now be placed on an adult maintenance diet or all life stages formula. Most importantly now is keeping him lean (4/9 on BCS).

As far as foods go, it sounds like he was doing much better on Royal Canin, so if I were you I would put him back on that since it was already established that he was doing well. Itching his back a little bit is not an indication of allergies. Dogs get little itches just like we do, doesn’t mean we are having an allergic reaction and same is true for them. However with WEF it does sound as though, either the source of the Omega 3s is not as quality of a source as with Royal Canin or its not enough. BTW, as an aside, ingredient lists tell you nothing about the quality of a food, only what should be in it. Royal Canin has strict sourcing and has often denied shipments of corn that Kelloggs then buys from them for our cereal. So I would not worry about their ingredients being of poor quality.

[Sara K]

Instinct offers a puppy formula as well as a large breed puppy formula. I don’t see a review for the large breed but I am wondering what the difference is.

I have a new Boxer puppy, and he is doing well on the puppy formula, but I have gotten conflicting information from two different vets. One says the food he is on is great, the other recommended a large breed formula and suggested hills or blue buffalo.

I see that the puppy formula review says it is suitable for large breeds, and I don’t want to switch his food if it is unnecessary. Any information you can provide me to help me determine if I should switch his food is greatly appreciated.