[P G]

Anybody know how the Calcium Content Calculator located on this page works?

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

I’m putting together a spreadsheet of my own and I can’t quite figure out how the calculation is done. Thanks!

[Kristin S]

I’ve scrolled through a lot of the forum discussions looking for help picking out a new food but i didnt get far. Here is our situation –
7 year old, 125 lbs Germany Shepherd-mastiff mix. He has back and joint problems already. He needs to lose about 15lbs. He is very INACTIVE. He also has yeast problems so we can’t do potatoes.

Any suggestions?? Thanks a lot

[Jeannine M]

I am getting a new pup on Saturday and right now am having a hell of a time trying to figure out what to do puppy food wise. It is a 12 week old Mastweiler- otherwise known in the old days half mastiff half Rottweiler (mutt)!😄 I originally bought my first pup, same “breed” 22 years ago. She died 12 years later and I just had to have another of the same mix but in the meantime that mix became a designer “breed” called a Mastweiler. I can see why because you can not believe what amazing dogs they are! So in searching for the same mix I could only find a breeder which happened to be clear across the country from me and hella expensive for a “mutt”! He was the best purchase I EVER made. Honestly, truely, the love of our lives. Too late to make a long sad story short but we lost him August 31st just 8 short years later. January 2 he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left rear leg and after an agonizing decision decided to amputate but 7 months later he was gone.😢 Said I would never get another animal again but two short weeks later the quiet in my house was deafening, we hated being home.
Fast forward and after contacting the same “breeder we got BOSCO from our new pup is coming Saturday!! NOW to my question😏- she has the pups on TLC all life stages dog food
but it doesn’t look to me like it has that much meat protein, and I also don’t see max calcium. I’ve read everything on here and am tired of going back and forth trying to figure this out. I was wondering if someone could recommend one that would be the best to start with or should I stick with the TLC? BOSCO was 140lbs and quiet tall but VERY athletic. Hoping this dog isn’t quiet so big for health purposes but you never know! Thanks in advance!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Byron-
Is your dog a full grown adult? If yes, you don’t necessarily need to choose a large breed recipe. I’ve fed both Victor and NutriSource senior/weight management foods successfully. But, I mostly just try to pick kibble that is a little lower than average in both fat and calories and then add a little topper to keep them feeling full. The brand I feed my lab mix dogs most often is Whole Earth Farms. Good luck to you.

[Ramona F]

Hi Erin
My lab was 14 lbs at 8 weeks and big in the litter and she is 90 lbs now at 2.5 years . I have fed her grain free fish with a switch once in a while to duck and turkey. For the first year I spent money on the high cost foods such as Orijen Large Breed Puppy. I now feed Horizon Pulsar.
I chose Grain Free to avoid hot spots and because my last lab had cancer at 12 and the recommendation was to remove grains. I had fed her lamb and rice.
I never feed milk as its another source of hot spots.
My lab is healthy vibrant and strong.

[pitlove]

Hi Erin-

Fromm is a great food and company. I like their Gold Large Breed Puppy formula. The Fromm website only lists the “as fed” and “dry matter” data in their techinical analysis for the HeartLand Large Breed Gold, which according to the article on DFA for the calcium calculator will not give an accurate read out on the ratio of Ca:P and Ca:kcals. I’d see if you can email Fromm and ask for the “average” or MAX levels of calcium and phos and then use those numbers.

Grain free vs grain inclusive is a non factor for growth. The important things are regulating calcium intake with an appropriate diet and making sure you are using a food with low energy density. Keeping your puppy lean throughout growth and life will help her better her chances at proper growth and development. It is also going to be important to work with your vet in determining if she is growing at a proper rate given her upringing at the kennel she came from.

[pitlove]

Hi Nick-

What type of store are you looking to shop at? Petco? PetSmart? If so, the best choices from those stores are going to be either Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy or Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. Both AAFCO feed trialed, formulated by veterinary nutritionists, low energy density, and restricted levels of calcium and phosphorus. If you are not interested in feeding one of those brands let me know.

Also, can you order online?

[Erin R]

Need some help. I have 3 mo Lab puppy & she’s been underweight since we got her. Her breeder merged 2 litters for total of 21 puppies fighting for food out of 4 large feeding “troughs”, so most were underweight and had strong food fighting drive. When I got her at 8 weeks she was only 11 lbs, and I’ve been trying to very slowly add weight to her, but being careful to not overdo it. She’s now 14 weeks old and just now 20 lbs. I’ve been feeding her Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast as suggested on Hound Mom’s list. She loves her food, but today I was shocked to find a large cockroach in the bag- dead. It’s a ziplock bag, and we don’t have any in our home, so I know it came from plant. I’m done with this food brand & feel like I’m back to square one. I liked the price point for that food, as well as grain free, although I don’t know if that’s really a huge issue for her. I see Fromm’s Gold Large Breed Puppy on her list, but I don’t see the Heartland Gold which is grain free- anyone have input/experience with either of those and whether Heartland will work or not for calcium? Thanks!!

[Nick B]

Hello, we just adopted a 10 month old golden retriever puppy (Margo) and looking for the best food on a budget and fairly easy to find. The foster parents had been feeding Margo Fromm Beef Frittata Veg and it is a little pricy for us just getting started. Are there any good options that are more affordable and easier to find in local stores?

Also, in your list of best foods, none of them mention large breed puppy formulas. Is that just a given or are the options listed fine for any age dog?

Thanks!

[aimee]

Hi Molly,

If you are using Purina Smartblend Lamb and Rice, as Pitlove said, it is an All life Stages food. Purina reports the average nutrient analysis Ca content as 3.48 grams/1000kcals. I’d consider this level appropriate for an 8 month old large breed. I don’t see any need for you to switch off of it. As a bonus it has been through feeding trials

[Molly F]

Ok, I’ve gone and gotten myself all worried and worked up now!
Here’s the story: I have an 8mo old female GSD who came from pretty large stock. She was on LBP food until about 6mo when I switched her over to Purina One Lamb and Rice, partly because I had read it was recommended to switch large breeds earlier (old info, I know) and partly because she was SOOOO itchy on a chicken based food. The switch to lamb did seem to help with the itchy skin, but now I’m all stressed out that I’ve messed up her growth by taking her off puppy food too soon. I’m thinking of doing her half and half on the Purina and TOTW puppy.
I guess my questions are:
Will it help/make any difference to add puppy food back in at this point? Should I switch her back to all puppy?
I know TOTW isn’t the very best, but it’s pretty good for my price range. I’m not really anti-grain and still make some toppers/treats with cooked grains.
I guess I just need some more input…..

[pitlove]

Hi Lauren-

You might have luck with Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. I have a picky pitbull who needs to be on a grain inclusive fish based food and Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach was the only food he’d actually eat. Pro Plan in general seems to have really good palatability. Not to mention he has very small firm poop on Pro Plan unlike on some other supposedly better foods.

Best of luck!

[pitlove]

Aimee, as always thank you for stepping in with the math! You know how I hate math haha.

Oh golden, don’t ever think you can not speak your mind. Trust me, you are one of the least offensive people on DFA when it comes to the way you voice your opinion. And thank you for your kind words. I’m very passionate about my large breeds.

I personally do like SkeptVet and appreciate his passion for ethical and science based veterinary medicine.

[goldenstar]

Thanks pitluv for explaining about THK. And thank you for your opinion and about what works for you. Your knowledge and help has been great.
Without reading your post, I may have still been feeding my large breed puppy THK and that it would not be the best option for her growth. I respect your opinions.
I respect everyone’s opinions and wish I had not have jumped in before. I realize the
skeptvet is very passionate about helping pets.
I am open to holistic healing. I knew nothing about bad ethics. But I rely on my traditional Vet. I have been going to the same Vet for over 20 years.
I am open to all healing.

[HoundMusic]

@ Susan W

Thanks so much for the Verus recommendation – it looks to be exactly along the lines of what I have been trying to find, at least ingredients wise! Will definitely have to look further into that one.

@ Pitluv

I always thought large breed foods might be the way to go for this problem, but I’m seeing evidence that what these dogs do best on is low to moderate phosphorous levels with higher amounts of calcium – the LB foods I’m seeing have decreased calcium to slow down growth, so IDK anymore if that would help 🙁 That’s why I’ve been so frustrated, here.

@ Inked Marie

You must be tempted to strangle me about now for always taking my sweet time about checking the forums *grin*

The pup in question is the blueticked hellion (a.k.a. Brady) in my avatar, with his breeder @ about 10-11 weeks 🙂 He’s 4 months now, and already making a fine start harassing the rabbits. If you can believe it, I only have one other pic of him giving me a dirty look after being taken home from the airport. Probably need some incentive to take more 😉

[goldenstar]

Mary.. on page 38 pitluv explains about the calcium to calorie ratio for THK and large breed puppies.

[mary s]

Wow, well, thank you all for your opinions. First, THK is on Hound Dog Mom’s list as OK for Large breed puppies, and she even mentions in a post, that before she started feeding raw it was what she fed. It sounds like some more current “suggestions” differ from what she was putting out there at the start of this list. Second, regarding research…..I lived my research regarding traditional vet med. I had two littermate brothers with IBD. They weighed 52 and 58 pounds with bloody mucus filled poop, and could have died from the IBD. 3 different vets wanted to scope them, keep them on metranidozole (sorry, I’m sure I spelled that wrong) and steroids indefinitely. The raw diet, supplements, and homeopathic remedies are what saved their lives, and they went to 85 and 75 pounds. and lived to be 12. It might be beneficial for some of you to look up true homeopathics before some of the judgements. However, I am not interested in a debate either. I just came here for some help. Anyway, while disappointed, I am more certain of what I am doing. And thank you to whomever said they were glad he was doing better, because he is…..no blood, perfectly formed poop – without the harsh medications that only suppress the symptoms anyway. I think we may be in the wrong pew, but I wish you all the very best of luck with your dogs 🙂

[goldenstar]

Mary…My Golden is almost 8 months old, but I had some problems with her foods giving her very loose stool. I was giving her Orijen Large Breed Puppy food and had to transition her on to another because she was sensitive to something in the food. It was a stressful time so I understand your concerns.
I had her on THK for a short period of time and her stool was always pretty soft. I also found out that though it states it is ok for large breed puppies, it is lacking for meeting the nutritional needs for a large breed puppy due to its calcium to calorie ratio.
Pitluv… brought this to my attention, so check into some posts a few pages back.
It can also be confusing with all of the info available to us now. This is just my opinion, and I am no expert, but the skepvet is to the extreme opposite of holistic health. It is important to research all information, but some of the critical advice of the skeptvet is harsh and frightening. Again this is just my opinion.
It can be overwhelming with all of the info we have available today. I am glad your puppy is better.

[Susan W]

My dogs were having issues with the food I was feeding them so I switched to homemade food – which was good until I didn’t have the time to do it anymore. I looked around & did lots of research. I settled on VeRUS. Their itchiness & overall health improved greatly w/o digestive issues. They have a large breed puppy food and they publish their ingredient list & nutritional profiles on the website. If you have questions, they actually take the time to answer them. If you contact them, they’ll send free samples. I get my VeRUS food via PetFlow which will give a discount if you auto-ship. It’s very good dog food and the cost is in line or less than some of the other premium foods. You can find them by searching for VeRUS pet foods.

[mary s]

I have a 9 week old Irish Setter puppy. He weighs 19 pounds. The breeder had him on Iams Large Breed puppy food. I wanted to get him off of that food, and had started adding a very small amount of yogurt and pumpkin to that food….I also added trippet. never more that a teaspoon. I was giving the additions for about 3 days, and he developed loose, mucus, stool I added more pumpkin, and the next day his stool was bloody and loose. We had a puppy check scheduled for that day, on Monday. He had started having loose poop on Sunday, and Monday morning lots of blood. the vet told me it was because I was giving him trippett and yogurt, and pumpkin. She wanted to put him on all this medication, and worm him (negative fecal). she also did a parvo test (neg). It was a hellish visit. I did not give him the meds, stopped everything but the Iams LBD and gave him homeopathic remedies and did energy work. He is fine now, his stool was formed without any blood within about 7 hours. This has left me hesitant to start The Honest Kitchen though. I was going to transition him over to THK Thrive after he had been with me a week…..not sure what to do now. Vet told me Irish Setters (I have had them for 45 years) have sensitive stomachs, and they do well on the “crap” food (she was referring to Iams), and to leave him on that. Iams is not on Hound Dog Mom’s list (don’t know why), but can I get some advice, encouragement, thoughts….any help 🙂 I wanted to add, THK, Thrive is 4463 kcal, 1.24 calcium, and .98 phosphorus, as fed.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by mary s.

[pitlove]

Hi HoundMusic-

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like what you are looking for is a large breed puppy food? Only reason I say this is because LBP formulas have the restricted levels of calcium you are looking for because of the growth issues LBP’s are succeptable to.

If that is what you are looking for I can make some recommendations. Let me know.

[Jenn H]

Don’t listen to whoever it was who told you to skip the lg breed puppy food.
Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adults. And sm & lg breeds have different needs from each other.
If you choose an adult food it must say “for all life stages”.

Hound Dog Mom’s list is a very good starting point.
I sttill always contact a company directly before committing to a food and ask: if their diets are designed by a board certified nutritionist and what is the max calcium & phosphorus on a dry matter basis.

Right now I am raising a puppy that is going to be much larger than my other GSDs. The last dog I had that was so big I adopted at 3 so I didn’t have to worry about the growth stage.
I weigh this guy every week. He gained 2 lbs/wk from birth until he was just over 1 yr. Now he gains about 1 lb. He’s 15 months. Pretty soon I will probably weigh him every 2 wks.
The reason for this is because it is most important that you control the rate at which they grow. It’s not about growing him as fast as possible. It’s about keeping him from growing too fast.

[John b]

Ok thanks for the responses…

i will keep my guy on the fromm large breed puppy …..

one more quick question when should i switch him to fromm large breed adult 12 months?

[crazy4cats]

Yes, it’s on the list. Please listen to your vet over the pet supply store clerk. It is important for your pup to stay lean and not grow too fast. But, it is also important that it gets all the vitamins and nutrients included in puppy food that a growing pup needs. And, most importantly, the calcium percentage needs to be appropriate for a growing LBP. Also, large breed food, both puppy and adult, are typically lower in calories and fat due to control growth and keep trim as adults.

I’m sure the store employee meant well as that used to be the belief. There is a nice article about choosing food for a large breed puppy. A bulldog/mastiff sounds awesome. Our neighbor has American Bulldogs, father and son. Impressive and nice dogs. I’m sure you’ll take great care of him/her.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by crazy4cats.

[pitlove]

Hi John B-

It is very easy to explain why you are hearing these recommendations. They are practices that were considered effective 30-40 years ago before companies came out with foods formulated to properly meet the needs of a growing large and giant breed.

Now that we have better choices, it is no longer the recommendation from any veterinary nutritionist to feed a large breed puppy an adult maintenance diet.

This is the advice from Dr. Rebecca Remillard ACVN when asked about switching a Great Dane diganosed with pano to an adult food to slow growth:
“Please do not change the food from large breed growth to any adult formula and do not ADD any more calcium. This is exactly the opposite of the current recommendations.
I am sorry to hear that such outdated information is still being given out and causing more harm than good. The published studies in this area are about 15-20 yrs old now. I can assure you with that information; she is not certified by any Veterinary authorizing body, and if not certified by a veterinary board, she cannot legally be making diet recommendations on dogs with any medical condition for a price. Anyone can make diet recommendations for free.”

This is her website:https://www.petdiets.com

You are able to post questions to her and her staff of veterinary nutritionists in the “Ask the Nutritionist” section.

[aimee]

Hi John B,

The pet store employee needs to sharpen up his/her nutritional knowledge…. that advice is outdated. It may have had some validity many many years ago before puppy foods formulated specifically for large breeds were available, but not only is it is no longer valid, but it could be dangerous!

Correctly formulated large breed puppy foods are specifically formulated to help prevent growth disorders, that is the whole purpose of them. : )Adult dog foods.. not so much

In regards to Fromm…. both the “adult” and the “puppy” large breed are formulated for growth and there really isn’t that much difference between the two. Both report Calcium at 3 grams/1000 kcals which is the level nutritionists recommend, so either would meet your dog’s nutritional needs. But if the company itself recommends their puppy over their adult line, take their advice. Other companies’ adult foods are totally inappropriate for a growing large breed pup which is why to advice to use any “high quality adult food” is incorrect.

This article addresses the adult food for puppy myth http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=3501

[goldenstar]

I dont know why someone would tell you that, but I would “not” feed your large breed puppy an adult food. I agree….Stick with a large breed puppy food that is on the list for large breed puppies here at Dod Food Advisor.
Congrats on your puppy.

[InkedMarie]

I highly suggest you choose one of the foods on the list that is somewhere in this thread. The person who designed the list spend a great deal of time researching and if I had a large breed puppy, I’d use her list.

[John b]

Hello i tried going through this forum and i am still beyond confused…
i have a 12 week old american bulldog/bull mastiff Mix ….

anyways vet says to stay on a large breed puppy food..
currently on Fromm gold large breed puppy..

a person who seem’s to have alot of knowledge at a pet food store says i should not feed the puppy formula .. and go straight to the Fromm large breed adult food or another high quality adult food .. or im going to have problems… ive read alot online saying skip the puppy food aswell..

and i called Fromm and they say only feed the large breed puppy until like 18 months!!!
im new to this any advice would be appreciated

[Spy Car]

As I mentioned in the other thread, both you and your dogs are likely to be a lot better off following a Prey Model diet as opposed to using recipes by Dr Pitcairn that undermine the advantages of a raw diet by including unnecessary (and counterproductive) grains and vegetables and excluding highly positive soft edible bones.

Feeding whole foods in the right ratios will eliminate the need for supplementation, and optimize health. Also easier on you.

Dr Pitcairn’s approach is outmoded and not widely followed or esteemed in the raw feeding community. It is too much like trying to emulate commercial food at home, instead of feeding a natural whole food diet.

As to bones, I don’t personally feed turkey legs, but some people do. I do feed turkey necks. All chicken bones (raw) are good.

Oily-fish is good, but limit to twice a week feedings (not daily) as most of the most-beneficial fish species have a substance that can block Vitamin B12. This substance, called Thaminaise, passes quickly. It is not a big deal unless you feed a lot of fish on a daily basis.

What are health cuts for dogs are cuts that include plenty of fat. Lean cuts, like inexpensive trimmed beef heart and be supplemented with animal fat. Dogs need to transition to fat burning, so better to being with lean meals and work up slowly. And you need organs.

Once growth plateaus you are better feeding once a day (post wind down from the day’s activities). When not fed grains/carbohydrates (as it ideal, and a prime reason to do a raw diet) dogs turn to the superior (for them) fat metabolism. When fat burning dogs have nearly unlimited stores of energy, so don’t need multiple meals throughout the day. Better if durning their active time they run and play on empty stomachs (especially in large breeds that have risks of GVD aka bloat/torsion).

I’d ditch Dr Pitcairn, which is what I’d suspect you’ll hear from virtually all the raw feeders you encounter. It is both a hassle and a diet with highly questionable downsides.

Bill

[InkedMarie]

Dogs have no need for grains and raw food with grains makes no sense. You need to join a raw food community to find out how to feed your large breed puppy. Don’t count on stretching your dollar. If your budget is thst tight, a smaller puppy may have been smart but you already have the dog so now I time to find other raw feeders with large breeds

[mary s]

Hello pitluv – I am new to the forum. I am getting an 8 week old Irish Setter in a few days. I have been reading this thread for a many hours (whew!) and first want to say a huge thank you to all….especially Hound Dog Mom. My puppy has been on Iams large breed puppy food. I will want to transition him to another food asap. He is 7 weeks old and weighs 14 pounds! That seems like a lot to me…but I haven’t had a setter puppy in 12 years. I have the lists, and HDM’s comments read, and am leaning towards The Honest Kitchen and Fromm’s large breed puppy. I will feed him raw eventually, but my vet is saying to wait until about 8 months because he is a Setter. I stopped reading at 850 comments, and would like to know if there is a newer list after that (around Sept, 2013) that HDM may have posted/compiled. The last list I am referring to is where she included raw and grain inclusive? Also, I read a comment you made a few days ago about Orijin reformulating the large breed puppy…is that correct? Is it now acceptable for the LBP list HDM started a few years ago? I remember she did not recommend it back then. Thank you.

[pitlove]

Hi Laura-

Have a look at NuriSource. It is a very easy to digest food that many people use in cases like this and they make a large breed puppy formula. Then you can always change to something else when he’s stable or continue using NutriSource.

[laura t]

Hi everyone. I am late to the game learning about Blue Buffalo and was told it was reputable, which I am sure it is, however our beautiful 4 month Charcoal Lab who has been eating the large breed puppy formula has had maybe one solid poop his whole life. And the last 2 weeks has been throwing up the food. I passed it off for a while because he likes to explore and I am constantly picking things out of his mouth. But the last 3 days have been horrible with throwing up his food. I went online to investigate… and found the consumer affairs reports. SIGH!!! I have been causing this all along. So I wanted to use a new food. My question is… normally you slowly introduce new food. Seems silly to mix something that is already upsetting his tummy with the new food… but don’t want to make things worse. How did people switch over to their new food?

[laura t]

Hi everyone. I am late to the game learning about Blue Buffalo and was told it was reputable. However our beautiful Charcoal Lab who has been eating the large breed puppy formula has never had a solid poop. And the last 2 weeks has been throwing up the food. I passed it off for a while because he likes to explore and I am constantly picking things out of his mouth. But the last 3 days have been horrible with throwing up his food. I went online to investigate… and found the consumer affairs reports. SIGH!!! I have been causing this all along. So I wanted to use a new food. My question is… normally you slowly introduce new food. Seems silly to mix something that is already upsetting his tummy with the new food… but don’t want to make things worse. How did people switch over to their new food?

[only1aileen]

Have you tried adding 100% pumpkin? Not the fortified kind at the pet store, but regular 100% canned pumpkin found in the baking aisle at your grocery store? If you haven’t, and she likes the food that is making her run to the corner, try adding a spoonful of pumpkin to her meal (they LOVE pumpkin) and it should help regulate her. I got this advice from my vet, the people I trust at my local pet store, and from other more experienced dog owners. I had similar issues with my Lab when she was a puppy–and that was on Canidae All Life Stages in 2014. I then transitioned her to Canine Caviar’s puppy formula, which was great until I realized that I needed to have her on a large breed puppy food and I discovered Orijen. My go-to’s since then have been Orijen and Acana, she loves both. I will keep her on them as long as the quality continues to be consistent.

[Karen B]

I do rescue and have had 3 large breed puppies with SIBO. All 3 have intermittent diarrhea and periodic vomiting. All 3 cleared with no reoccuramce after 6 weeks of Tylan powder aka Tylosin twice a day for 6 weeks and a raw diet. Dosage for the Tylan is:
<10 lbs: 1/16 Tsp BID on food
11-25 lbs: 1/12 Tsp BID on food
26-50 lbs: 1/8 Tsp BID on food
50+ lbs: 1/4 Tsp BID on food

As for the raw diet, Steve’s works well and they will deliver for free (rawpetfood.com)

[Byron M]

Any suggestions / recommendations for large breed weight management Dry brands?

[Kathleen C]

I wrote in on June 30 about having trouble getting my dog to lose weight. Not a Large Breed Puppy, but still wanted some info on Wellness Core Reduced Fat and Annamaet Lean and Light. I was able to control my dogs weight with the Wellness but not with the Annamaet or the Weruva, which he was on for awhile. Annamaet has less protein and probably more carbs than Wellness and I would like to find out if Wellness is back to its better pre-Diamond reviews or if there have been any recalls lately. Also, does the higher protein less carbs of Wellness make that much difference? Remember that Wellness actually did give out their carb amounts when questioned about it and they were much lower than the Advisors guesses.

[InkedMarie]

This is an updated list of grain & white potato free foods. I included dry food only, no wet, raw, dehydrated or freeze dried. I included no part of white potato. Some foods on the prior list have been discontinued and a couple I can’t find ingredient lists for. I used the foods websites, not a pet food sellers website.

ACANA-Meadowland Regional
Wild Atlantic Regional
Appalachian Ranch Regional
Heritage
Heritage Freshwater Fish
Lamb & apple singles
Pork & squash singles
duck & pear singles
Wild Mackerel singles
Grasslands

AMICUS-small & mini breed adult
small & mini breed senior & weight management
small & mini breed puppy

ANNAMAET-Salcha Poulet

ARTEMIS-Osopure salmon
Osopure bison

AVODERM-senior health
joint health grain free chicken
Revolving Menu-all

BACKWOOD-buffalo & field pea
chicken & field pea
salmon & field pea

BROTHERS COMPLETE-all

BY NATURE-grainfree turkey & sweet potato
grain free ocean whitefish & green peas

CALIFORNIA NATURAL-all grain frees

CANIDAE-PURE Land
Pure Wild

CANINE CAVIAR-grainfree puppy
Leaping Spirit
Open Sky
Wild Ocean

CHICKEN SOUP-grainfree beef
grain free lamb

DAVES-both grain frees

DOG FOR DOG (formerly Freehand) both grainfree’s

DOGSWELL-Live Free salmon
Live Free chicken
Live Free turkey
Live Free lamb

EARTHBORN-Great Plains Feast
Meadow Feast
Large Breed
weight control

EVANGERS-grainfree whitefish & sweet potato
grain free chicken
grain free Meat Lovers Medley

EVO-all

FROMM-4 Star lamb & lentil
4 star pork & peas

GO! Sensitivity & Shine LID Duck
Sensitivity & Sine LID salmon
Sensitivity & Shine LID venison
Sensitivity & Shine grain free turkey

GRANDMA MAE’S COUNTRY NATURALS-grainfree only

GREAT LIFE-Dr E’s LID buffalo
Dr E’s LID duck
buffalo
salmon
chicken

HALO-Vigor turkey, chicken & salmon

HEALTH EXTENSION-grainfree buffalo & whitefish
grain free venison & chickpea
grain free duck & chickpea
grainfre salmon, herring & peas

HI TEK NATURALS-lamb, sweet potato & herring
chicken & sweet potato
Alaskan fish

HOLISTIC BLEND-Marine 5

HOLISTIC SELECT-grainfree adult health

HORIZON-Pulsar: fish
chicken
turkey
Legacy: salmon
adult
puppy

I AND LOVE AND YOU-salmon & trout
Nude: Simply Sea
Poultry Palooza
Red meat medley
Naked Essentials-lamb & bison
chicken & duck

KASIKS-Wild Pacific Ocean
Free Range lamb
Free Run Chicken

LOTUS-oven baked grain free turkey

MERRICK-grainfree rabbit & chickpea
grain free venison & chickpea

MUENSTER-grainfree all life stages

NATURAL BALANCE-Wild Pursuit: Trout/Salmon/Tuna
chicken/turkey/quail
lamb/chicken/guinea fowl
LID: legume & duck
legume & Wagyu Beef

NATURAL PLANET-rabbit & salmon
duck & whitefish

NATURAL PLANET ORGANICS-all grain frees

NATURES RECIPE-grainfree chicken, sweet potato & pumpkin

NATURES VARIETY-Instinct: all

NRG-Optimum line

NULO-all

NUTRISCA-all grainfree

NUTRISOURCE-grainfree chicken & pea
grain free seafood select
grain free lamb & pea
grain free small breed chicken
grain free Prairie Select

ORIJEN-all

PET BOTANICS-Healthy Omega chicken
Healthy Omega salmon
Healthy Omega lamb

PET KIND-all

PINNACLE-grainfree trout & sweet potato
grain free duck & sweet potato
grain free chicken & sweet potato

PIONEER NATURALS-all grain free

PRECISE-both grain frees

SOLID GOLD-Mighty Mini
Lil Boss
high protein with duck

SPORT DOG FOOD-Elite Beef
Elite whitefish
Elite chicken
Elite venison

TASTE OF THE WILD-Appalachian Valley
Pine Forest
Southwest Canyon

TUSCAN NATURALS-Ocean

UNDER THE SUN-All grain frees

VICTOR-grainfree active dog & puppy
Yukon River
lamb
chicken
Ultra Pro
Hero

WELLNESS-Core Wild Game
adult chicken
Tru Food: adult salmon & turkey
adult lamb
adult chicken
puppy

WILD CALLING-Rocky Mountain Medley-all
Western Plains Stampede all
Xotic Essentials-all

WYSONG-Epigen 90

ZIGNATURE-LID trout & salmon
LID kangaroo
LID turkey
LID lamb
LID duck
LID whitefish
Essential multi protein

ZOIC-all

4 HEALTH-puppy
small breed adult

[Eric C]

Fromm large breed puppy. It has been great so far for my lab.

[Marissa B]

My puppy Harvey is one year old, and ever since May he has had pretty bad allergies. From when he was a puppy we had him on blue buffalo chicken and rice large breed puppy and then he got bad itchy welts with diarrhea. Then we switched him to Zignature salmon (limited ingredient diet). That seemed to work for about a month or so, the welts came back, his hair started coming out and diarrhea also followed along with vomiting. We took him to the vet, chest and stomach xray came back normal, blood levels came back normal in his cbc and LFTs. They gave us a medicated shampoo, started him on Hill prescription zd and started him on steroids. Needless to say reading the ingredients on this hills I’m not overly impressed, seems like there is a lot of fillers and its 90$ a bag!!! I don’t mind paying if it works, but now it seems like his welts are back, he won’t eat the food unless we put sweat potatoes on top and his shampoo isn’t helping. I’m lost at what to do, every time he comes off steroids he gets the welts back. I don’t have enough money to keep taking him to the vet every few weeks for tests and drugs and food etc. I’m considering a raw diet possibly because every time we put him on the bland diet he is completely fine with no itching and welts and long term steroid use at his age scares me. Any advice is greatly appreciated! 🙂

[Jenn H]

When I am trying to decide what brands to feed my large breeds I always contact the company and ask them the MAX calcium & phosphorus is on a dry matter basis.
Companies are required to label the min. That’s not helpful when you have to know the upper limit of certain nutrients.
Even if I have fed that food before. If it’s been a while I contact them again to find out about any changes.
Many foods say they are formulated for large breeds yet have calcium amounts at or beyond the max. You must find out the exact percentage.

[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.

[InkedMarie]

Anice,
Go to the Diet & Health Issues forum here on DFA & read the stickie on Large Breed Puppies on the top.

[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.

[InkedMarie]

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

[Jason R]

My Golden Retriever just turned 10yrs old and he is about 12-15lbs heavier than the vet would like. He was diagnosed about three months ago with Cushing’s disease. I’ve been waiting until we found the right medication/dosage to treat the Cushing’s before I made any dietary changes.

For the last few years, he has been eating Blue FREEDOM ‘Healthy Weight’ dry food. He also has been getting 1/3 can of wet BLUE Freedom Senior Chicken as a topper. The more I learn about BLUE, the less I like them. Their food is also overpriced when there are foods of similar or better quality available for less.

We finally got the Cushing’s medication to the necessary level a few weeks ago. At that point, I had researched a lot of foods and decided to switch to NUTRO. In particular, I’m feeding him NUTRO Lite Chicken flavor dry food and NUTRO Large Breed Adult Weight Management canned food (again, as a topper). I also supplement his food with green beans, green peas and sometimes half of a sweet potato as a treat.

I’m curious if anyone else here uses NUTRO and, if so, what is their opinion of it?

[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.

[Eric C]

My girl really likes the Fromm Large Breed Puppy.