[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 8 years, 2 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 8 years, 2 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?

[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.

[Jackie B]

A rotation diet, or adding a topper, might help. Details on rotation diets here: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

But an 11 month old Golden Retriever still counts as a large breed puppy. Make sure that any food you are using on rotation is still appropriate for a large breed puppy. Editor’s Choice has a whole list: /reports/puppy-foods/

[Jennifer S]

Hi everyone,

I am getting a puppy in a month (large breed) who is currently on a raw food/kibble diet. I am clueless about feeding anything other than kibble and I feel like I have a lot to learn in 4 weeks. Here is what the breeder has the pups on right now:
1 part Honest Kitchen freeze dried veggies
4 parts organic Menhaden fish meal
4 parts slightly cooked or raw chicken/liver/pork/turkey. (Rotating between these and what is available)
4-8 parts N&D Farmina grain free kibble from Italy. Chicken or Boar.

i would like to keep some kibble in the mix so that my newbie fears of the dog not getting all his nutrients is put to ease, but I would like to continue the basic diet that she has them on. My question is about replacing the menhaden meal. I researched it for awhile and found that it is unsustainable, is vastly overfished, and it’s use in pet food is having huge negative ripples in the ocean food chain. So I need to find something else to take the place of the fish meal. The breeder says she uses the fish to provide iodine, vit. D, and good fats. Wondering if I can use some Thorvin kelp for the iodine? How much? and some fish oil squirted on top for the fats?

What are your thoughts about what I could add to the recipe to replace the fish meal? Keep in mind that this is a large breed so I’m also trying to keep the calcium content low.

Thank you!

[RollTide10]

I adopted my Lab/GSD Mix from the shelter roughly 12 weeks ago (they said he’s 2 years old). They were feeding him Royal Canin Medium Adult so I thought to keep it as his diet. That is, until I discovered the numerous bad ingredients in RC. I also noticed that my dog would be scratching/nibbling on his back every so often, not constantly but still a cause for concern. So I thought to attempt to combat this with some grain-free food. (Perhaps I was wrong to assume so?). After much research, I decided to try out Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Chicken/Turkey…seeing that it’s not only affordable but contains pretty good ingredients.

My pup loves food so he has been chowing down WEF with no problem (for 18 days now- including a week of transition time) but I’ve noticed that he’s been shedding a lot more than usual and small clumps of hair is falling from his tail. I also discovered a 2″ long (literally a line) bald patch where his back and hip-bone connect (ruled out fleas). I’m not sure where it’s from but I have a hunch it may be caused by WEF (they won’t say how much Omega-3 is in their grain free chicken and turkey recipe, just that it is formed naturally.)

I’d like some advice, please, on which food is good to transition my pup to. Should I move him back to Royal Canin or try another type of food (whether with or without grains)? I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding dog food but I’m completely overwhelmed. I read Dr. Mike’s article on calcium/phosphorus levels for large breed puppies but what about my (supposedly) 2 Year old pup? What are other things I should look for in dog food besides protein, fat, fiber, and calcium/phosphorus?

Thanks in advance.

[Tyla M]

Sheryl,

I had a similar situation with my lab puppy. I had her on Fromms large breed puppy but she was constantly itching. I used Welactin on her food for dry coat. It helped a little but she was still itchy so I changed her to a different Fromm’s line ans LOVE it. I am now using the Hasen duckenpfeffer because it is grain free, chicken free, and first 3 ingredients are meats. I believe it was the chicken. But if you lile fromm’s, look at their other foods. This one is all stages and low calcium and phos. Still. But they have many options.

[Sharyl M]

Hello – I have a 5-month old Bernedoodle (Bernese x Poodle) male. Chose Fromm’s Puppy Gold because of their place on Editor’s Choice list for large breed puppies, but also because of the calcium amount – I know it’s dangerous to “force growth” with too much. However, BIG CHALLENGE. He’s developed extremely itchy skin with lots of dander, really suffering. Suspecting it may be the food (or an ingredient in the food, like grain and/or chicken), I am having a hard time finding a quality food, however, since all of the Editors’ Choice and recommended large-breed puppy foods/grain-free seem to have chicken as prime ingredient -or are too high in calcium. I REALLY NEED SOME SUGGESTIONS – thinking of going to Fromm’s Heartland (mainly meat as prime ingredients) although calcium is pretty high. Thanks in advance!
Sharyl in Sisters, OR

[pitlove]

Hi L C-

Was the breeder feeding him Fromm Large Breed Puppy or a different brand of food?

Also in your other post you said he was 14 months old, but in this one he is 14 weeks old. Can you clarify which age he is as that matters a lot.

[2doodlemom]

Hi: I have a 14 week old Bernie doodle puppy that’s currently on Fromm Gold large breed puppy food for over 1 month now. But he has had diarrhea and very loose stools for the past 3 weeks. Gone to vet and all check up is ok, but vet put him on an antibiotic/deworming and Probiotic. His stools firmed up a bit for a few days and now back to loose stools. I have done a lot of research including reading all your posts on here, thanks to all. But I don’t know which food to switch him to or if I should even switch him. I like what I have researched about the Fromm Gold large puppy food. But also would like his stools to be more film. Thanks for your advice.

[Susan]

Hi amber,
Has the vet put her on a 2-3week course of Metronidazole yet? the Metronidazole will help with the bad breath, her stomach & her bowel, also is she on an ant acid reducer like Pepcid or Prolosec? especially while having the Dex injections & the steriods pills, steriods will upset her stomach & the vet should put her on a ant acid medication…
I’d change her food to “Natural Balance” Limited Ingredient Potato & Bison, Potato & Duck or the Potato & Fish LID formula’s, these formula’s have teh least ingredients, have you tried the Natural Balance LID formula’s?
Ask your vet can you put her on Metronidazole for 2-3 weeks & an ant acid like Losec, my 9yr old IBD boy is on 3 week course of the Metronidazole a low dose, I give my 18kg (40lb) staffy 200mg Metronidazole every 12 hours with a meal also are you feeding 4 smaller meals a day instead of the 2 large meals, have you tried a cooked meals instead of the dry kibble?
As we get older our stomach doesn’t work like it use to, she may not be digesting her food properly causing the bad breath have you tried any Gastro vet diets? look at Royal Canin Intestinal Gastro Low fat wet canned food for a wet canned food…. I feed some meals cooked & the other meals a low fat kibble & my boy is heap better when he eats the cooked meal.. Try & keep her calm with her stress & when dogs shake can mean she has pain, maybe see a different vet, sounds like she has Coltis (IBD)… what breed is she?

[Nagisa D]

One of my dogs is legume intolerance. He can’t have grain-free food since they contain legume. He has been on Fromm Chicken A La Veg and Duck & Sweet Potato and has been doing very well. The problem is – since Fromm stopped dealing with the online distributor we are buying dog stuff from and I have to drive some distance to get Fromm. I have been searching for an alternative but it has been very difficult. Even the ones labeled “rice,brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potato, etc..” have some form of legume in them (For example, Canidae All Life Stages Lamb Meal and Rice formula has peas in it, Nutro Wholesome Essentials Chicken, Brown Rice, and Sweet potato recipe has split peas.)
Anyone have a dog or dogs with legume intolerance and have recommendations on which dog food work well??? Mine is an adult (4 yrs old) Greyhound (large breed).