[John P]

What about Blue Grain Free Wilderness Large Breed Puppy food.

[pugmomsandy]

I just plugged the numbers in and got 4 with a ratio of 1.5 to 1. I’m not sure where you got 2% from.

Did you use the calculator here:

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

[Kim W]

Although this is rated 5, when I put ingredients through the calculator, calcium was 5. Elsewhere on the site I read it shouldn’t exceed 2% for large breed pups. Have I made a mistake?

[Pitlove]

Try Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy. It is highly recommended for Danes. My boyfriends brother uses it for his and he has since he was a puppy. He grew perfectly and still looks amazing. He’s in great health.

[Kelly K]

check this thread, I haven’t read the whole thing but it might be a good start
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[Marionne H]

I’m looking for recommendations for kibble for the small breed dog I recently adopted. She’s on Evo Small Bites Chicken and Turkey, but I have concerns about Evo’s quality record. I did a bunch of research and decided we’d try Acana…got a bag of Wild Prairie today and offered her a few kibbles. The kibbles are just a little too large for her, she has to pick each one up and break it and didn’t seem at all thrilled with the taste of it. So, back to the drawing board for me. Recent changes in the pet food market make it difficult to know what is safe. Looking for a high quality petite kibble from a reputable company.

[Analicia H]

Hello,
I have a 4 month old Dane who was on Iams Smart puppy food plus Eukanuba Large Breed (half and half). Breeder has his Danes on this diet for years, and never had a problem. My puppy is constantly having soft stools and problems with anal glands. The vet recommends the Royal Canin Food because of probiotics and omegas added to it (he sells it at his office). From what I see this website has low ratings for that food. He cannot be on grain free or large breed (giant breed is recommended since they have different needs). I would love to be on Orijen but I can’t afford that… Any recommendations? Thank you 🙂

[Pitlove]

About 20 years ago, many clinical studies proved protein to be a non factor in large and giant breed puppy growth. So I would not worry about that. As for feeding an adult maintenance food, that is an old old tired theory that many breeders, dog clubs and vets still maintain, however it is absolutely incorrect. Also you have to understand that the dog food industry has vastly improved their LBP formulas. Most are now in compliance for the recommended amount of calcium and are much more safe to use than an adult maintenance formula which will have calcium levels that exceed those needed for a growing LBP.

The other huge thing with these giant breeds is keeping them at a Body Condition Score of 4/9 throughout growth (and really their whole life). Do not over feed, do not free feed. You should be fine.

[C4D]

Just anothere one to throw into the mix might be Propac Ultimates. They have a large breed puppy formula and are very reasonably priced.

[Pitlove]

Hi Scott-

Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy would be a good choice, but if you do not want to use that food and will be shopping on chewy.com here are some foods that meet your needs that are within your budget of less than 2$/lb.

http://www.chewy.com/dog/dr-tims-kinesis-all-life-stages/dp/52925

http://www.chewy.com/dog/fromm-gold-holistic-large-breed/dp/32616

http://www.chewy.com/dog/nutrisource-large-breed-puppy/dp/38141

http://www.chewy.com/dog/taste-wild-high-prairie-puppy/dp/34836

http://www.chewy.com/dog/taste-wild-pacific-stream-puppy/dp/34840

Just want to note though that these are not grain free (except for the last 2). Grain free is not so much the issue unless a grain allergy is already known. The bigger concern is the calcium/phosphorus and the calcium/calorie and these foods meet those requirements.

[Scott M]

I have two 6 month old mastiff brothers. They have been on Authority Large Breed Puppy, which I have always considered a pretty good mid grade dog food. We recently decided to switch foods for our dogs, which was actually sparked by my interest in getting signed up with Chewy for home delivery since I am at Petsmart just about every other day buying food.

I have done a lot of reading on here, including researching the lady’s list that had ratings and calcium content of grain free dog foods. After researching, I found that ALL of the foods on that list cost 2-3 times as much as the mid grade food we currently use.

Our breeder suggested feeding a mixture of Authority and Purina Pro Plan as that is what she feeds her dogs. She is a respected breeder, but after all I have been reading, I’m not sure that is the best.

Here’s what I’d like to find out. I’d like to bump of their food to a much better dog food, but I don’t want to pay $2 per pound (we currently pay 78 cents). We are capable of paying whatever is necessary, but just don’t want to go too high end on the food unless it really, truly is necessary.

Is there a budget friendly great dog food (we feed kibble now) that would be a great match for our mastiffs?

[Ed W]

Has any one tried Acana Puppy Large Breed Formula . I would like to here back on any ones thoughts . Thank you Ed .

[Pitlove]

NutriSource Large Breed Puppy is 400 kcals/cup

Dr. Tim’s Kinesis is 415 kcals/cup

Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy is also 400 kcals/cup

These are all chicken based though. Not sure if that was alright for him.

[Coonhound Mama]

Hello friends,

Just wanted to see if anyone could recommend some good whole prey style treats for raw fed large breed dogs. I currently feed dehydrated organs, meats and some dairy but would like to try something different that might take her a little longer to chew. I don’t want to add too many calories as these would just be quick treats. I’ve been looking into dehydrated rabbit’s feet and ears for starters as she is a 60 lb dog and these seem as though to be appropriate.
My apologies if this should have gone under the Raw Food forum, just figured it pertained to treats so I’d stick it here!

Thanks guys.

[Alexis Y]

Wow! You guys are amazing in your knowledge! I have just added my first Irish Wolfhound puppy to our family 2 days ago. I originally started reading this forum because I want to ensure she receives the best food I can provide. Her breeders started her on wellness just for puppies canned food at the time of weaning. They suggested Wilderness puppy for dry food, but after reading the previous posts, that won’t be happening. Can anyone give me a good suggestion on what to feed her. Her stool is soft serve like and I’d love to remedy that if possible. She seems happy with the wet food, but, is there a benefit to wet vs dry? I’d prefer to feed dry food as I’ve always had better experience with dry with previous pups(none have been as large as she will be).
I live in a very small town and I’m not sure how experienced our vet is with this breed. Though she has always been great with my other babies, this little girl is a bit less common and a lot bigger(eventually) than my other babes have been.
I want to give this little girl the best beginning to ensure a long, happy healthy life.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[laconrad]

Somehow the notion that dogs are pure carnivores has permeated through internet chat forums, among some non-medically trained people working in the pet industry (groomers, trainers, etc.), and those that take their information seriously. This notion is based by in large on the multiply erroneous notion that dogs are essentially wolves, and since wolves are pure carnivores, then dogs necessarily should be fed as wolves would eat.

I stated multiply erroneous notion because the true fact is that EVEN WOLVES ARE NOT PURE CARNIVORES! While it is true that wolves generally require and eat a high level of protein in comparison to dogs, they also consume a significant amount of vegetable matters instinctively, as doing so is necessary for optimal physiological balance and gastrointestinal health in the species. Wolves consume vegetation from routine grazing on grasses and by tearing open the stomachs of their herbivorous prey and eating the contents.

The other true fact is that dogs are not wolves, but differ from the wolf in DNA structure by about 0.8 %. That may not seem like much, but only a 1.2% difference in DNA separates us from the chimpanzee. Few would suggest that we should model our diet around that of a chimpanzee.

Thousands of generations and selective breeding that made domestic dogs more adaptable to life with humans was responsible for the evolution that today differentiates dogs from their ancient ancestor. Among the most prevalent difference between dogs and wolves that resulted is gastrointestinal physiology and how it impacts overall gastrointestinal and other organ health. In the process of canine domestication, humans essentially their early more wolf-like canine companions what they ate, and over successive generations, the species adapted to a more omnivorous diet.

Dog owners jumping on board with feeding their dogs nothing but meat, essentially a pure protein diet, is fraught with potentially serious health consequences. All one has to do is understand protein metabolism to see the problem.

Before protein can be absorbed into body’s cells and tissues for metabolic and physiological purposes, it must first be broken down into small chains of proteins called peptides, and in some cases broken down to the individual molecular protein building blocks, amino acids. Once absorbed by the gut, amino acids and peptides are then repackaged and utilized by the body.

It all sounds lovely, but protein metabolism does not come without a price, as it generates a toxic waste product called ammonia. In fact, many common meat protein sources are as low as 78% utilized by the body with the rest represented as waste. Luckily, like us, canines have a liver that converts ammonia into a less harmful molecule called urea, which is then excreted by the kidneys in urine.

However, the liver and kidneys over time become overwhelmed with a diet heavily laden with protein, because these organs are constantly burdened with detoxification. Over time, if excessively taxed in this manner through diet, these organs become compromised, leading to degenerative disease, chronic renal failure in the case of the kidneys, and cirrhosis in the case of the liver.

Physiologically, dietary protein for the average adult canine should not exceed 25% of the total daily nutrient intake. In high performance dogs, such as those that participate in in field or agility competition, that requirement may be increased to 27%. Beyond this level of protein the dog suffers deficiencies in other key nutrients, such as soluble and insoluble fiber and anti-oxidants to name a few, while unnecessarily taxing his liver and kidneys with excessive protein metabolic waste.

Canine owners that feed raw are the biggest offenders with regard to overloading their dogs with protein, many feeding nothing but a raw meat diet. For these pet owners that are committed to raw feeding, if they are feeding their dogs nothing but meat, I would urge them to integrate fresh or cooked vegetables to represent at least 50% of total dietary intake. Green beans, carrots, broccoli, celery, and spinach are all healthy vegetable sources for dogs. It is also a good idea to integrate complex carbohydrate sources, such as brown rice and sweet potato, as well as some canine safe fruits like cantaloupe, apples, and pears.

What is most troublesome to me is that some commercial pet food companies are taking advantage of the canine pure carnivore hype and creating diets that are heavily laden with protein, even going further to validate this false notion in their promotional tactics. I was actually inspired to write this post after having seen a TV commercial two nights ago from a large, well known pet food company touting its newest diet as having one of the highest protein percentages in the industry.

I caution all canine owners to not buy into the hype, not listen to non-medically trained people that recommend a dietary regimen without understanding that over time it does damage to the liver and kidneys while denying the canine other essential nutrients; and reject pet food companies touting false claims, who clearly value sales far more than the well-being of their canine consumers. If in doubt, talk to your veterinarian to help you sift through what is best to feed your dog.

Dr. Roger Welton is the President of Maybeck Animal Hospital and CEO/Chief Editor of the veterinary information and blog online community, Web-DVM.

[Don P]

My breeder required us to have our Labrodor on NuVet Plus Wafers for her 1st year in order for her health guarantee to be valid. We fed our lab puppy Fromm Large Breed Gold puppy food and gave her a wafer per the directions. She is beautifuL, great coat, big brown eyes and no skin problems at all. I have been happy with our food and NuVet Plus Supplements.

[Pitlove]

Hi Debbie-

With a growing large breed the first and foremost important thing is that the food is nutritionally sound and secondly that it provides the proper calcium levels and a proper calcium to calorie ratio.

Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy may have ingredients that most on this site deem less than desirable, however it is a nutritionally sound food that is feed trialed on large breed puppies and provides the correct calcium levels, along with the proper calcium to calorie ratio.

Using consumer reviews to judge the quality of a food is going to leave you more confused about which food is right for your dog then when you started. Emotion plays too much of a role in most pet parents choice of dog foods and they can be swayed very easily by a nice looking ingredient panel and not question for a moment if the food even provides the proper nutrition for their pet, assuming that if the ingredients look good the rest will fall into place. Find a food that your dog does well on and enjoys eating that meets the needs of a growing large breed.

If you still do not wish to use ProPlan or Nutro, some other foods that I can suggest are:

Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy
NutriSource Large Breed Puppy
Precise Holisitic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy
Hill’s Ideal Balance Large Breed Puppy

[Deb B]

Hi Debbie…been trying to reply to your question, but having trouble. Anyway…we fed proplan to out 13 year old lab up to about 6 months ago…just felt it was time to give her a better quality food after all these years! We decided on Acana…and she loves it, and it is a little more pricey, but I think worth it. Coming from Canada, we are also happy to support a Canadian brand…you might want to check it out…really good quality.

[Debbie S]

I have a 6 month old goldendoodle that is currently on nutro large breed puppy chicken.
she was on proplan puppy when I got her and I knew that was not a great food. I did not know that nutro was not that great either. I want to switch her but find all this confusing.
I thought the high protein foods were for more active dogs. I had a slow transition with her from proplan she seemed to get loose stools easy. any advise is appreciated.

[Lily B]

I’m looking for dog food suggestions for a small toy breed. She’s currently on Solid Gold small breed, but I find that she seems to struggle eating the hard kibble. She has been to see two vets, and both have indicated there is nothing wrong with her teeth or bite, though she seems to tilt her head when she crunches on the hard food. She doesn’t like the food when I pour some hot water on it, though will happily eat canned food.
I’m wondering if there is a product on the market that sells small portions of wet food (not the large cans), or someone who makes a soft dog food that is yellow corn/by-product free. My husband buys her the Moist and Meaty stuff from the grocery store and sneaks it to her which she loves and has no problem eating I just would prefer to feed her something better nutritionally.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Freddy-
Did you say you have two G/S pups? Are they litter mates? We have two golden lab neutered littermates. Wow, what a handful!!!! They are 4-1/2 now, and are doing great. But we also had a rough start. Two with loose stools and diarrhea is stressful! Have you checked out the website that I mentioned earlier? I printed the whole section on digestive disorders and refer to it often! It was like a bible for a while.

http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

I used and recommend the Vetri-Probiotics BD, Gastriplex and Phytomucil. Also, I used unsweetened applesauce due to the pectin in it. Instead of pumpkin, maybe you could try sweet potato. You might want to try one of the Victor lines. I think their chicken/rice and lamb/rice both are ok for large breed pups. Their food contains montmorillonite clay which some recommend for colitis.

One of the most recommended brands on this site is Nutrisource. Their large breed puppy formula would be worth a shot as well.

Have you tried feeding a little less food to see if that helps? My dogs are doing great on Pure Vita Turkey and Peas right now, but not sure if the calcium is correct for LB pups. Best of luck to you!

[Susan]

Hi, have a look at the Royal Canine vet diet kibble Guaranteed Analysis that he’s doing well on & pick another kibble with same ingredient used brown rice, the low fiber% & low protein% like the Royal Canine vet diet has, the Protein is 23% & the Fiber is 3.2%….
My boy gets acid reflux, so I have to watch the fat% & Fiber % & carbs cant be too high, I have to keep fat % around 10-14% fat & fiber 3-4%…..

I just looked at the Australian Pro Plan Large Breed puppy Ingredients & Guaranteed Analysis & I think the fiber was too high at 6% fiber & the Protein was high at 28% these two things can cause acid reflux & the bad ingredients, so when looking for a new kibble stick with a lower fiber % around 3-4% & a lower protein % around 24% like the Vet diet kibble he’s eating has…..
Wellpet makes some good brands
“Wellness” Puppy large breed
“Holistic Select” Puppy Large Breed Lamb & Oatmeal, Brown rice, fiber is 3.50% Protein 23% very close to the Royal Canine he’s eating at the moment…
“Holistic Select” Grain Free Adult/Puppy Salmon & Anchovy Sardine meal, Protein is 28%min, Fiber is 6%max both higher like the Pro Plan was, so maybe the grain free might cause acid reflux??
Eagle Pack” Puppy Large breed Lamb meal Oatmeal brown rice
Here’s the Holistic Select site you can see ingredients & guaranteed Analysis… I know the Holistic Select & Eagle Pack is easy to digest like the Royal Canine claims to be …also Holistic Select is 100% guaranteed money back so if your dog has any health problems… also email the kibble company & they will answer any questions you may have…
http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog

[Pitlove]

Hi Lorelee-

Others may have different opinions, but I feel it is best to keep a large breed puppy on a puppy formula that is correctly formulated for a LBP until 18 months of age. Most are done growing by then and it gives an extra cushion of safety to make sure they are still growing slowly. However, a lot of people switch to an adult maintenance food at a year old.

Also just wanted to mention, now that he has been neutered, watch his calorie intake even more carefully. Neutered dogs can gain weight easier because of hormone changes and one of the worst things for a LBP while they are growing is to gain weight.

[Lorelee H]

Hi guys!
I’m new here — just found this forum. Thank goodness for you all!

I have a 13 month old labrador retriever, large, stocky English lines, currently weighing around 87 lbs. He was neutered 3 weeks ago.

His breeder had him on Purina Pro Plan puppy and I kept him on that until he was diagnosed with acid reflux. He is on a daily Pepcid and per vet he has been on Royal Canin prescription high energy food for several months. No more problems with reflux.

SO, my first question (if you made it this far!): I’d like to transition him to another food. Vet (of course) suggests that he stay on Royal Canin prescription or Hill’s or an over the counter Royal Canin.

I’ve checked out Fromm, Acana, Wellness, Orijen. Also the food sold at Costco (my last lab was on their lamb and rice and did great).

Second question: Should he be on the puppy version OR the adult version?

Thank you SO much for your advice!

Lora (and Truman!)

[Pitlove]

Hi Gabrielle-

Sounds to me like you may be used to smaller dogs! Especially between those 2 breeds mixed together, she will not be done growing by 7 months. With large breeds it is recommended to feed a large breed puppy formula up to 18 months of age to play it safe and make sure they grow correctly. Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy is a good choice and I would personally keep her on that food. This food has been feed trialed with large breeds as well which is a plus. I understand your concern about her dropping weight, however it is far better for a LBP to be a little underweight than overweight by even a few pounds.

What has the vet said about her growth?

[Lisa O]

It simply means you are going to have a big dog lol! Nutritional requirements are based somewhat on the breed,,but more so on what the average optimal weight of that breed should be. Larger breeds usually reach their height around the 1 year mark and then may fill out a bit more throught second year. Stick to a good brand that does not have more calcium than is needed and optimum protein levels. If your dog is growing at fast rate, as mine did, feed three meals a day so that she gets a steady flow of nutrition and not overload her body, as I am sure she is pretty active and has high energy needs.
I now only feed Acana or Orijen to my dogs along with some homemade fresh food. The actual,best way to tell if you are over or underfeeding is by the body shape. They should not be rotund and you should be able to feel a bit of the ribs. Obviously, weighing her every few weeks is a tell tale sign. Hope this helps!

[Gabrielle L]

I have a 7 month old German Shepherd/Alaskan Husky mix who was the largest of the litter. I was told her parents, fully grown, were 55 and 50lbs, but with Kota, there seems to be no end in sight. She, in November weighed roughly 33lb at the vet and since seems to have DOUBLED in size. She doesn’t seem to be overweight, and is active and happy, but I’m a bit worried about “over growing” her and hurting her overall health and development. My best estimate puts her at around 65lbs and she still seems to be growing (in January we estimated roughly 55lbs). I was warned that her parents matured at 18 and 24 months. I’ve adjusted her food between several brands until we got Eukanuba large breed puppy formula and she seemed like she wasn’t starving 24/7, but it seems like she starts losing weight/starving if she gets less than 2.5-3 cups of it twice a day. I’m not sure if I’m just used to small and medium sized dog breeds, or if I need to adjust her diet and/or prepare for a giant. Any advice?

[Michelle B]

Okay, so the cases above are examples of ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE. Evidence of that sort does not give you a strong case when you are trying to prove a point.

Let’s keep in mind that most dogs that eat meat are being fed crap foods such as Beneful, Science Diet, Pedigree, or Purina which contain lovely ingredients such as animal byproducts, mystery meat, ingredients from China, and loads of corn. And which are notorious for having frequent recalls.

And perhaps people that feed their dogs vegan diets are more health-conscious than the average dog guardian (who feeds their dog the above brands). So maybe this means that their dogs often eat fresh veggies such as kale, broccoli, bell peppers, etc, which are shown to reduce a dog’s chance of cancer. Cancer is a common cause of death for dogs over 10 years of age, so the inclusion of fresh fruits & veggies would skew any outcome.

What you need is a long-term (10 years or longer) study that follows three groups of dogs (you need a large enough sample, 100,000 dogs per group would be best). One group will eat a meat-heavy quality kibble such as Orijen. The vegan group will eat a comparable quality kibble such as…? The third group, which is your control group, will eat the most commonly fed kibble, which will probably be something like Pedigree. Then follow those dogs for their entire lifespan. But don’t just look at how many years they live (their date of birth must be DOCUMENTED), also look at their health, well-being, and overall quality of life. You also have to look at factors such as breed of dog (or whether they are mutts), whether they were neutered or spayed (and how old they were when it happened), how much and what types of physical exercise do they get, etc. All of these factors need to be controlled so that you can determine the effect of the diet without making conclusions based on correlations. And the study must be unbiased (not conducted or financed by a group that has a political or financial interest in pushing meat or a vegan diet). If there was some way to make the study double-blind (such as reformulating the kibble so that the owner or the scientist could not recognize which kibble the dog was eating), then that would increase the validity of the study.

Completing a study of this magnitude would give us the clearest idea of which diet is the healthiest for DOGS. I put dogs in caps, because you can’t apply nutrition studies done on HUMANS to dogs. Canines are primarily carnivores, while our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, are primarily herbivores; although they eat small amounts (5% of their diet) of animal protein like monkeys and termites. The average human diet is so far from what is biologically appropriate for us.

This is what I like to call SCIENCE!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Michelle B.

[Susan]

Hi, please try a kibble that has lower protein & lower fat % around 12-15% for the fat & 25% for the protein, I bet her poos will firm up when the protein is lowered, some dogs just don’t do well on very high protein kibbles….My boy can eat a cooked meal that’s just chicken & some sweet potatoes & broccoli & zucchini & does excellent poos, give him a kibble or dehydrated food that’s over 30% protein & 15% fat & he does sloppy poos as the day goes on the poos are sloppier & does about 4-5 poos a day…..When I put him on a lower Protein & lower fat kibble his poos are excellent again & he only does 2-3 poos a day… I sometimes put Patch on the Flagyl when I change his kibble if poos are real yellow & sloppy the vet told me to put him on the Flagyl (Metronidazole) for 1 week while introducing a new food…
also ingredients try a puppy kibble with less ingredients, may be an ingredient she’s sensitive too & causing the problem… “California Natural” have a Puppy Chicken & Rice with only 6 ingredients or Lamb & Rice Large Breed with just 4 ingredients give it a try… http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/
if the new food doesn’t work then do what Crazy For Cats said have a Giardia & Coccidia test done, I read you have to take in fresh poos over 5 days 3 different poos from different days as Giardia can be hard to detected & vets just right it off & say oh they don’t have Giardia after 1 poo sample if its negative….. I read the other day dogs can get Giardia from eating bird poo… but change the food first hope its the higher protein, that’s simple to fix, finger X then she can stop the Flagyl, its good to keep some Flagyl in the cupboard just in case it starts up again….

[crazy4cats]

Hi Curtis b-
Here is a link that I found helpful when I was dealing with the same issue with my pups who are now 4-1/2 yrs old: http://www.dogaware.com. Check out the health section which includes digestive orders. There is a ton of information on my favorite subject…diarrhea! Lol!

I agree with Naturella’s suggestion of Perfect Form made by The Honest Kitchen. I still use it periodically. It has somewhat of a strong odor and most likely needs to be mixed well into your pup’s food. Pumpkin never worked for my boys. I never tried the diagel mentioned by Freddy, but I used propectalin with success. I also think FortiFlora probiotic for diarrhea is helpful. I don’t use as a maintenance probiotic, but it’s good to control loose stools.

My dogs ended up having a tough case of giardia and coccidia. Please make sure your vet is specifically testing for those parasites because they can cause intermittent loose stools. Also, very importantly, have you seen the info on what to feed large breed pups on the review side? Controlled calcium, growth and exercise are very important for their growing joints.

Also enzymes never really worked for my pups either. By the way, you can buy a lot of these recommended supps on Amazon, Healthypets, and/or Chewy.com. Good luck and check back in with what’s going on. Honestly, it took me a long time to get my pups on track. I hope it’s quicker for you!

Oops! One more thing, I think Freddy’s idea of doing a 3 to 5 day dose of Panacur dewormer is a great idea in case your pup has an undetectable parasite. It is one of the best to rid of those nasties.

[sharon s]

Hello, I’m new to this forum, having some trouble getting started. I want to know if anyone has rating for Blue Seal puppy food to a large breed pup. I see it has a good rating, however, I’m not sure it can be fed to larger breed pup. I’m in knots over what to feed that is affordable. Have fed Blue Seal for many years.

[Jan C]

My 12 yr old Chow mix has loose, mushy yellow stools. could this be a food allergy? one of his liver enzymes is elevated, but not the other. He has been checked for addison’s disease, negative. his stool has been tested for O and P, I don’t know the results yet, grrr.
I feed him Nutro senior for large breeds. Any ideas for an alternate food would be appreciated. not sure if I need to eliminate grain, or go low protein?

Thanks, Jan

[InkedMarie]

Thanks, Pitlove. Not having large breed dogs, I didn’t know that.

[Pitlove]

Hi David-

I responded to you on the other thread, but now that I see you have a Bulldog you definitely do not want to feed it EVO as it is an adult maintenance food and you have a dog whos breed is prone to hip dysplasia because of their stocky build. He should be fed an ALS or large breed puppy food with restricted calcium to help him grow slowly. This will reduce the risk of him developing hip dysplasia and any other developmental orthopedic disease.

[Pitlove]

Hi David- There are differences between adult and puppy food, but puppy food being the only one with high protein is not one of them. Plenty of ALS and adult maintenance foods have high protein. The most significant difference is puppy foods have higher calories and adult foods mostly have too much calcium for a large breed puppy.

EVO Herring & Salmon is an adult maintenance food and therefore should not be fed to a puppy. I would return it for something that is ALS or a growth formula.

[S B]

Thank you for all the help with the food. I finally desided on NutriSource Large breed puppy food.

[glen s]

Farmina has the largest kibble size I’ve ever seen, although I have not seen the sizes used for large breed dogs. (BTW at the other end, NOW had the smallest.)

[Pitlove]

Most large breed foods will have bigger kibble and lower fat to help keep weight off them since we all know having an overweight large breed can be devasting to their joints. They also tend to add glucosamine and chondrotin to those foods, not that it matters since the amount is not theraputic.

Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult would be my suggestion.

[InkedMarie]

I am not positive but I don’t think there are special needs for large breed adults. Hopefully someone who knows for sure will answer. Blue has had it’s share of problems; a quick google search will give you info.

[Darek N]

Hello there. I have a Golden Retriever and had follow Large Breed Puppy Food List. I try few different kinds of Fromm Four Star but he had loose stool so we settle on Erthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and Dr. Tims Kinesis. now that he is going to be a one year old should I change his food to something different or start adding some supplements for joints. I just want to make sure that I’m feeding him properly spatially that he is going to be a year old.
Thank you for any advise

[Lisa W]

I have three Goldens. Two are 8 and one is 5. I have been feeding Blue Large breed and am thinking of switching. I don’t see any recommedations for large breed. Any suggestions?

[A K]

I finally made decision to go with Orijen Large Breed Puppy. I got my first bag and started to make the transition.

Thanks everyone for all the advice!!!

[Elizabeth B]

I have an almost 1-year-old St. Bernard who is on a large breed puppy formula that needs to be anything but chicken (it drives him mad with itching, a common thing we’ve experienced with mastiffs/giants we’ve owned over the past 20 years) and I’m trying to track down a formula that has a large kibble size.

His problem is simply that the smaller kibble falls out of his mouth or gets stuck in his flews and goes everywhere while he eats, and it is a total mess. He has, of course, pendulous lips and the larger size kibble works much better, but I can’t seem to find one in the formula we’re looking for in a brand that rates at least 3.5 or 4 stars. I know dogs don’t chew their food like humans and kibble size has become somewhat standard, but other than some Iams formulas (they have chicken) that I know to have larger size (nickel or so) it is a minor frustration to pick up the small kibble that winds up everywhere.

I put his bowl inside a rubbermaid type tub so that catches a lot of it, but it still goes all around the feeding area when he lifts his head, dribbling all over. Once spring comes and the inevitable ants arrive it is going to be a real issue.

I know this is a fussy question, lol, but since you can’t tell the size of the kibble without buying the food first, and most large breed puppy foods don’t come in small packages to sample, I thought I’d ask here. I also understand that owning a Saint means we’ll never have a neat and tidy house again, and we accept that for sure (worth it!!) but if there’s a simple solution that involved simply switching brands that would be one less thing to deal with.

[losul]

Chloe, I agree mostly with ed p. I think it’s really good advice. It’s hard to calculate an all homemade diet for pups for all their needs. I feed alot of homemade for my adult for several years, but I still couldn’t feel confident or comfortable doing it for a pup, at least not without going back to the books and even then probably not for 100% of the diet. It doesn’t have to be kibble necessarily, but commercial balanced quality kibble and/or canned and/or commercial raw. You can always start to add a small amount of homemade to his diet, only keep small enough that it doesn’t throw off the balance. I’m not familiar with some of the meats you have either.

Is he a large breed? If so, proper balance is even more so important.

[crazy4cats]

Hi S B-
I’m not a big fan of Blue either. Especially after the recent lawsuit against them. I believe they are extremely overpriced and you can find something equal or better for a better price. Also, I wanted to let you know that the WEF puppy food was recently taken off the list of approved large breed puppy foods. Again, Fromm Gold, Horizon Complete, Orijen, Wellness, Eukanuba and Hill’s Ideal Balance all have puppy foods that fall within the guidelines.
In addition, Pitlove who has researched LBP foods recommends Nutrisource and Precise large breed puppy foods. Best of luck. Your new pup is sooo cute! Good job getting his pic loaded.

[crazy4cats]

Hi SB-

I believe that the Whole Earth Farms Puppy recipe falls within the guidelines to be safe for large breed puppies. I’ve had good luck with this brand.

The foods that Pitlove mentioned are also great. German Shepherd puppies are adorable. Best of luck to you!

[Pitlove]

Hi S B- Take a look at Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, NutriSource Large Breed Puppy or Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy. If you’d like to go the route of feeding foods that have been feed trialed with large breeds you could try Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy, Hill’s Ideal Balance Large Breed Puppy or Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy.

[Jenn H]

Congratulations!
Boy are you in for a surprise. I think you’ll find the puppy to keep you much busier than cats. But I assure you it’s all worth it. When it comes to training you get what you put into it. All the other stuff you get so much more though. It’s a wonderful experience to raise a puppy.

A great starting point is nutrition. Proper feeding can go a long way in overall health.
I’ve only had large breeds so their requirements are much different.
There’s no lack of advise here when you reach out. I’m sure you’ll find this site very helpful.

[S B]

H!
I have a 4 month old German Shepard, I’m trying to find a good large breed puppy food for him. I’m feeding him Whole earth farms puppy food but its not for large breed. I’ve done a lot of research. And don’t know what would be the best for him .