[C4D]

Hi Cheryl,

I agree with Red in that many dogs are considered senior at 7 and it is always a good idea to run a complete blood panel, urinalysis, and a thorough checkup at that age, if you haven’t done it before. I run these on my dogs every year regardless of their age. He is also correct about the water, but really all dogs should be getting some fresh or canned food mixed in kibble to help keep them properly hydrated. At the very least, add warm water to the kibble to ensure that they are getting more water in their system. Exercise is very important for senior and all dogs as well.

I have had many dogs in my life and currently have several. I never feed them a “senior” dog food, even at almost 15 years of age (large breed). I have a nearly 11 year old dog Lab who has stellar panels and is very active with a daily 2 mile rigorous walk. She eats a combination of canned/moistened kibble and raw or fresh food daily. They all eat that combination. The biggest concern when they are older is to keep any extra weight off and that they aren’t having any health issues that diet would need to address. Senior dog food is really marketing. If you looked at all the senior dog formulas on the market you would find they vary all over the place in protein levels, fat and fiber. As senior dogs age, they metabolize protein less efficiently, so if you choose one that is lowering the protein, you would actually accelerate the reduction in muscle mass.

Keeping the weight off is very important and feeding a better food that doesn’t contain fillers will reduce the poop factor. You also need to feed them according to their “ideal” weight (not their current if they are overweight) and activity level. I feed slightly less than the recommended feeding guides on almost all foods. Even thought my dogs get daily brisk walks, I still consider their activity level “typical” on the DFA calculator. You need to count any treat calories in that daily total. You also need to get an accurate measuring cup for feeding.

Here’s the link to the DFA calculator:

/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

[Cheryl N]

I have a total of 4 dogs to feed at my house. Two are mine, 7 & 8 years old, large breed.
Two are grandpups, both 6 medium sized.

When should I begin feeding senior food? I am trying to reduce the weight of all 4 in addition to trying to find a “poop” free dog food…you know, less to pick up…

Any suggestions? I currently feed all of the Diamond Naturals Beef and Rice. Would love to stay in the $30-35 range if possible. They eat 40 pounds about every 3 weeks, feeding them according to their weight.

Thanks!

[Pitlove]

Hi Dianna- What makes you think he doesn’t like the size of the kibble? Most of the kibbles that are for LBP’s are larger because the dogs mouth is larger. I feed Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult and the kibbles are a good size for my pitbull. The kibble is the same size for the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. I can see Wellness being smaller because even though its appropriate for LBP’s its “marketed” for puppies in general which could also mean small breeds.

The Eukanuba LBP formula is actually not too bad and is correctly formulated for your Bull Mastiff pup, so if he is willing to eat that perhaps go back to what you know he likes.

My personal favorite LBP food is Fromm Gold LBP so its unfortunate that it didn’t work out for him.

[dianna M]

Hi everyone. I have a 6 month bullmastiff puppy who is a picky eater.. I have tried a few of the top brands like fromm, taste of the wild, dr. Tims. I also tried wellness before I knew about the green tea extract. Anyways the breeders fedd eucanuba which I mixed while transitioning and he ate his food fine no issues the problem is once the transition is mostly the top brand he won’t eat it. My conclusion is he doesn’t like the little baby kibble in all those brands. He eats eucanuba, and wellness no problem and even if mixed with the better brands.

So is there any great brands for large breed puppy with a bigger kibble??? Or is there an ok brand with big kibble that I can always mix with a better small k ibble food. I really want to feed him a great quality food but I am at a loss.

[blaire t]

I have a 10 month old chocolate lab. We recently did a blood test to find the cause of a repeat rash on his groin area. Turns out he has several allergies, but I’m going to start with the food. The vet recommends sticking with “puppy” for a bit longer if we can, but the list of food suggestions from the lab doesn’t have a single brand listed on this site. Any recommendations? Has anyone heard of California Naturals or Canine Caviar?

Thank you!

[Pitlove]

Well, it’s still good information to have that those 2 are actually ok for large breeds. Though I would never recommend them over my other favorite LBP foods.

Best of luck with Orijen! It’s an excellent food.

[Pitlove]

Michael- Thank you for being a responsible LBP owner. As far as I know TotW is NOT formulated appropriately for a large breed. What you can do however to confirm that, is email them as ask for their as fed levels of calcium and phosphorus and put it into this calculator

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

If it comes in at a ratio of 1.5:1 or higher it is not safe.

Two foods I love that I will recommend to you that ARE formulated correctly for a LBP are Fromm Gold LBP and Precise Holistic Complete Large/Giant Breed Puppy.

[michael s]

we are about to bring our GSD puppy home next week. The breeder has the pups on TotW puppy formula, but I’m hesitant to continue without knowing the calcium content which TotW doesn’t publish. Neither could I find it in Hound Dog Mom’s large breed puppy food calcium document. Does anyone know?

TIA 🙂

[Pitlove]

Hi Brie- Always nice to meet a fellow pitbull owner and first let me just thank you for taking one in with some behavioral issues. They are often euthanized for being aggressive etc.

My male pitbull has some skin issues as well, his mimic seborrhea. He gets patches of oily flakey skin and when the skin falls off it takes his hair with it and the end result is a sore that heals and the cycle is repeated. My vet firmly believes that his skin problems are environment related with possibly a minor food component.

So far I’ve tried a lot of different foods and I’ve used different supplements etc. I haven’t gotten around to going to the dermatologist like my vet recommended, but I’ve seen a vast improvement in his skin condition with the addition of salmon oil to his food. A lot of his hair has grown back and the flakey patches have reduced in number. He eats Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult which is mainly duck and chicken based. He is intolerant to beef, but it seems hes just fine on chicken.

My suggestion is to find a food with a protein and a carb he has never had before (there is no reason not to use grains if he is not intolerant to them. I view all carbs as fillers, but thats just my opinion) and see if there is any improvement. True elimination diets are not always easy or fesiable to do for a lot of people and it also takes getting everyone that comes in contact with the dog on board and monitoring them like a hawk. They can not have ANYTHING but that food.

Pitbulls are more prone to skin issues and I see that your girl is mostly white, which is also a contributing factor. My pit comes from a very bad breeder, who bred these skin problems into the litter. I didn’t know any better about backyard breeders when we got him, but now I feel as if I did rescue him even though most would say I didn’t.

Getting different opinions from different vets is also a good idea. 3 out of 3 vets I saw confirmed my boy was reacting to something in the environment. It might be helpful to talk to more than one vet and see if there is a consensus about the food intolerance.

Best of luck, keep us updated!

[Pitlove]

As far as I know the only thing that makes it for a small breed is the portion size. I am unaware of any special dietary requirements small breeds have (unlike large and giant breeds) other than that some prefer smaller kibble and they generally make the portion sizes smaller as they eat less.

From what you’ve said, it sounds like she’s just fine though. I wouldn’t worry about the petite entrees being marketed towards small breeds.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Pitlove.

[Tammy C]

I am raising 4 lab pups, all under the age of one. 4 can be incredibly expensive to feed as they can go through a 40 pound bag of food in 2 weeks or less. I want my pups to have great nutrition at a very reasonable price which is why I feed them diamond naturals large breed puppy lamb and rice. No corn, wheat or soy, no preservatives and packed with fruits and vegetables. Incredibly, most rural kings or tractor supply stores sell for 36.99 for 40 pounds. With multiple dogs I could never pay $45-$75 a bag like a lot of the puppy foods recommended here. Diamond had past recalls but seems to have straightened up the problems as my labs have beautiful coats, white teeth, lots of energy and no digestive issues.

[Pitlove]

Lazaro- Fromm has a wide range of formulas, some budget friendly, some not. However, I am a picky person about what I feed my dog, especially because of the issues he’s had with his skin and I would feed literally any single product Fromm has put out. Including their budget friendly Family Classics line. He’s currently eating the Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult and doing quite well. Definitely something to look into. They make a weight management formula, which is the Gold Coast formula. It’s fish based.

Chris- Have you used Fromm’s store locator function to see if they have a retailer near you? Chewy.com, like Lazaro mentioned, is very easy to order from and they even offer autoshipping. idk I love this food and its doing wonders for my pitbull and his skin and his pickiness. I recommend it all the time at work as well.

[Pitlove]

Is your vet concerned about her weight at all? If not then I’d say the portions you have created are fine. Her caloric intake is most important even though she is going to be a medium sized Golden and not a larger one. Weight gain for any puppy or adult dog is a serious problem.

What are you worried about in terms of the petite entrees being marketed towards small breeds? not meeting nutritional needs?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Ashley:
My dog is six, can eat anything, and has no health issues other than a tendency to gain weight during hot weather months. For canned foods I only take brands, ingredients, calories, proteins, and GA’s into consideration. I feed whatever recipe fits the bill regardless of what is on the label, puppy, small/large breed, Sr., etc. I try to feed foods with a fat to protein ratio of 50% or less; equal calories coming from fat and protein or more from protein than fat. For example, a recipe that is 4% fat and 8% protein would be ideal for him, 7% fat – 8% protein not so much. Some of the f-p ratios I feed can be up to 70% which is okay at this time since I rotate foods.

My budget foods are Tractor Supply Company 4Health – Turkey & Sweet Potato, Beef & Veg stews, or Sr. Chicken & Rice recipes, Triumph Puppy or Turkey recipes, BJ’s Earth’s Pride Chicken & Rice, and Wal-Mart Pure Balance Stews.

Here are some brands to check out that I currently feed or have fed:
Blue Buffalo Home-style, by Nature (no 95% recipes), California Natural, Canidae Pure Sky or Foundations, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eagle Pack, Halo Spot’s Stew or Spot’s Choice recipes, Holistic Select, Hill’s Ideal Balance stews, Lotus, Nature’s Recipe canned or tubs, Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed recipes, Precise, Purina Pro Plan Natural recipes, Purina Beyond, Red Barn stews, Tiki Dog, Wellness – Core, Simple, Complete Health, or Stew recipes, and Weruva Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen recipes only (Kobe/Kurobuta recipes are canned by Evanger’s).

Low fat recipes; most are available at my local stores. I order Life’s Abundance from their website. Generally I find stews to be higher in protein and lower in fat, but not always. These are between 12-20% fat and below 25% carbs on a dry matter basis using their label info:
Fromm’s Shredded Beef
I and Love and You Stews
Life’s Abundance Turkey & Shrimp or Chic & Crab stews
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials LID GF Chic/Broth or GF Lamb/Broth
Nature’s Recipe Pure Essentials tubs LID Duck or LID Venison
Nature’s Recipe tubs GF Chic & Duck in broth or GF Chic & Venison in broth
Nature’s Recipe tubs Chicken in broth or Chic & Turkey in broth
Nature’s Recipe GF Chic & Turkey stew or Chic & Venison Stew
Purina Beyond GF stews
Red Barn Beef Stew
Tiki Dog – Kauai Luau, Lahaina Luau, Maui Luau, or Tonga Luau recipes
Weruva – Marbella Paella, Bed & Breakfast, or Paw Lickin’ Chicken recipes
Wellness Core Weight Management

These are 22-25% fat and below 25% carbs DMB:
Halo Sr. Beef
Merrick Golden Years Medley
Nutro Natural Choice LID Sr.
Precise Holistic Pork w/veg in gravy
Red Barn Chic, Turkey, or Steak & Egg stews
Wal-Mart Pure Balance stews
Wellness Stews

Here are some freeze dried/frozen commercial raw and dehydrated foods I feed. I use the same guidelines for these foods:
I and Love and You dehydrated Turkey (I also want to try the Beef and Chicken)
Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Beef, Lamb, and Venison
Primal FD Turkey & Sardine, Frozen Venison, and frozen Turkey & Sardine
Stella & Chewy’s FD Chicken

Here is some info you might find helpful:
/choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/
/dog-feeding-tips/how-much-dog-food/
/canine-nutrition/low-fat-dog-food/
/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis/
/choosing-dog-food/raw-dog-food-fat/
http://www.dogaware.com/diet/freshfoods.html
Carb calculator:
http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

[Alan K]

to encourage them to eat LOL………

My youngster gets Blue Wilderness dry with a 1/8 can of wet.
My 10 yr old gets Blue Senior (recently switched from Blue Healthy Weight Large Breed) and 1/8 can of wet.
Both my GSDs do really well on Blue and have for years. See no reason to change.

[Pitlove]

Ah ok, so borderline large breed. I love hounds and thank you for rescuing 🙂

[Pitlove]

Alright, well if he’s only going to max out at 40lbs, then you should be ok. It still isn’t a bad idea to feed a medium size boarderlining large breed dog as though they were a large breed to minimize any risk of growth problems though.

Could you maybe order online for them? they have autoshipping, so it would take the money out of their bank account and deliver it without them having to worry about ordering it every time.

[Pitlove]

Alright so after hearing that he is 9 months old and I assume is going to be over 50 lbs at mature weight, it’s most important as you might know, that he really needs to have been eating a large breed puppy food. More importantly one that is actually correctly formulated for a large breed. If he wasn’t fed correctly it might be too late at this point since he is almost at the mark where his body can absorb calcium correctly. However, he still can’t be fed as an adult UNLESS the adult food doesn’t exceed the 1.5:1 calcium to phophorus ratio, not yet at least. If they can swing it I would highly recommend the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. When I got my pitbull I didn’t know anything about LBP nutrition, thankfully he grew well. I still think it’s important to not take the chance though, as I met a lady who had a 5 mo old lab with pano. Really horrible for the dog. I believe he weighed almost 90lbs at 5 months old. At least thats what she told me.

Also, more importantly too, make sure they are not overfeeding him. Taking in too many calories can contribute to over growth.

Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy is actually 4 stars on here and might be more readily available. Not sure if it’s within their budget. I really don’t know of a quality food thats cheaper than what I’ve mentioned.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Glad I could help. I take it from the fact that you said she is 6 months and still has a ways to go to be an adult, she is a large breed? What kind of dog? Do you have any pictures?

[Pitlove]

California Natural has a 1.6:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus so unfortunatly that is too high to feed a large breed puppy. Have a look at the list of already approved foods I posted.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Brooke-
Is the poop either greenish or yellowish? Have you wormed him recently? Both Giardia and Coccidia are common in puppies. And both of these conditions need to have a special fecal test to detect them. Unfortunately my dogs have had both when they were puppies. Giardia can be intermittent and hard to treat. I would lean toward testing again. Also check out this site for help with diarrhea. It has a lot of helpful information in my opinion. http://www.dogaware.com
Click on digestive disorders tab. My pups did best on grain free Victor when we were battling this issue and are doing well on Whole Earth Farms now. It is very easy to digest and I think it is actually ok for large breed puppies. Good luck. Been there and it’s frustrating!

[Pitlove]

Yes you could do lamb, but again because your boy is a large breed, they have strict dietary requirements til roughly 10 months of age to prevent growth disorders.

this is a 2 yr old list of foods that are LBP appropriate. I would email the company’s to confirm the as fed calcium and phosphorus levels however: https://docs.google.com/a/selu.edu/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

once you have those numbers plug them into the calculator on this thread about large breeds: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

If the ratio falls between 1.1:1 – 1.5:1, it’s safe for large breeds.

[Pitlove]

Both foods are chicken based. Vomitting, diaherra, excessive gas and itching are all symptoms of a food intolerance. Even with just one symptom it could mean food intolerance. I would suggest finding another large breed puppy food that does not contain chicken (its very hard especially with the dietary restrictions large breeds have) and see if the diaherra stops. Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Salmon Tunalini is an all life stages food that would be appropriate for a large breed and is fish based.

Is he doing any better on Blue or it’s the same?

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.

[Brooke B]

He was on Eukanuba large breed puppy formula, which was fine until he got sick, and I switched him to Blue Wilderness Chicken puppy formula, which he is still currently on.

[Pitlove]

Hi Marina-

Its very imperitive to know that large breeds (like GSD’s) have extremely strict dietary requirements from 8 weeks of age to about 10 months of age. Their calorie intake must be monitered closely to ensure they are not gaining excess weight and they need to be fed a diet with correct levels of calcium and a correct calcium to phosphorus ratio. Keeping all of these things in check can reduce your puppies risk of diseases like Pano, OCD, and Hip Dysplasia.

Not all Large Breed Puppy foods are correctly formulated for large breed’s because there is no actual regulation on that phrase and it ends up being up to the company to decide what a large breed puppy needs nutritionally. This is very scary if the company has no clue what they are doing.

Some foods that I know do meet these criteria are Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, Precise Holistic Complete Large/Giant Breed Puppy, Holistic Select Large Breed Puppy, WellnessCORE Puppy and Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy which is rated 4 stars on here and is probably closer in cost to Iams (not 100% sure on that though). I would personally recommend the first 2 over the others, my top pick being Fromm.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.

[Marina K]

Hello, we are bringing home an 8 weeks old German Shepherd and the breeder suggested food is Iams large breed puppy food and a wellness canned puppy food. That is what she feeds her dogs and I just wanted to get suggestions if that is a good food of choice

[Stephen K]

Try the Acana large breed puppy food (Dry). It is working very well with our 10 week old Labrador Retriever.
The breeder had him on Purina’s Pro Plan Puppy and we did not like the ingredients in it, the transition went very well, no soft stools!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Stephen K.

[Madelon H]

Hey Susan – well I have been on a roller coaster ride with Doc for sure!! After all of your information and my own researching I reached out to Nature’s Logic – I really liked that the founder of the company immediately emailed me himself and without me going into detail about EPI and SIBO he said Doc needed a diet low carb/low natural sugar diet which their food is. The bags say 5% fiber but Dog Food Advisor put it at 4% and the company says it’s between 3-5% but the bag has to have the “max”. So I tried the chicken – he did okay, then i tried sardine (noticed a lot of acid reflux) and we are trying the rabbit now. My vet said to give a food 2 full weeks before deciding if it works or not – I haven’t been doing that 🙁 During this time I was finally able to take a poop sample in with the “worm” – the other vet at the practice who i like much better said she finally saw it and it’s DEFINITELY not tapeworm – which is great but unfortunately Doc had been given 4 doses of Droncit and I believe he’s allergic to Droncit – immediately after getting it his ears flare up and he becomes really itchy and vomits bile. SO of course I feel horrible – she said it looks like fly larvae – we are stumped about him passing live fly larvae – we sent it out for testing and are awaiting the results. What i’ve read online I believe it’s called pseudomyiasis – I think he’s getting it from eating rabbit poop or grass where flies have deposited their eggs and the eggs have hatched and Doc eats it – he LOVES rabbit poop. Anyway, I realized he was passing live larvae I took him in for a full rectal exam and through once over – I asked her to check his ear (I had been asking the other vet but he never did) – came back positive 4 out of 4 for yeast, bacteria and rod in the left ear and 1 out of 4 for yeast in the right ear and he has a yeast infection between his toes. We are not sure if this is from the Droncit or the Tylan that he’s been on or if he could be allergic to yeast altogether. After his first bout of SIBO as a puppy he was put on Royal Canin LF Gastro kibble and did fine then switched to Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy Developmental (rx) then switched to Royal Canin GSD Puppy – he did GREAT. SO, I’m thinking the yeast infections he currently has is from the Droncit. We’ve given him a bath with medicated shampoo for his yeasty paws but he is still itchy on his body – his ears are doing much better and his paws but still itchy on the body – not sure if that’s food related or environmental. SO I decided to go back to what worked last time and I bought the RC Gastro kibble and am going to mix that with the rabbit food and get him completely on the RC Gastro and wean off the Tylan (he’s been on it for 60 days). Then I’m going to keep him on the RC Gastro for with a probiotic (doesn’t appear there is any in the kibble) for a month or two and let his insides settle down then I’m thinking about trying the RC GSD Adult (when I read the description it talks about low fermentable foods, etc – it actually sounds like a good food – fiber is a bit high but if it works it works) – I’ve spent hundreds in dog foods that I have sitting half eaten or unopen altogether at this point and am tired of dealing with it and feeling badly for poor Doc.

[Pitlove]

Debbie- Awesome, glad the first bag is going well so far. Orijen is an excellent food. Wish I could continue to feed it now, but it’s just too expensive for a large breed dog. I have Acana right now, which my dog hates, but it’s interesting how the pieces are a lot different in Orijen than Acana. Definitely looks like its cooked differently.

[Pitlove]

Yes, Purina is moving forward with discontinuing a lot of formulas by Merrick that Merrick themselves had already wanted to discontinue.

I would highly recommend Fromm Gold Large Breed (both the puppy and the adult), Fromm Prairie Gold Large Breed Adult and Precise Holistic Complete (their large/giant breed puppy and adult formulas)

[William S]

My supplier told me yesterday 8/11/15 that Merrick Classic Large Breed is being discontinued. I bought 4 30 lb. Load up now and start looking for another food.

[Beverly O]

Yes. She has a torn Cruciate (sp) ligament in her left knee, and the right is not very good. I have been feeding my dogs Blue Buffalo for Large Breed Adults (Chicken and Brown Rice Formula). Is it aafco approved?? We can’t afford $3,000.00 for a knee surgery. We’ve been searching for other options.
Thank You so much.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Beverly O.

[Pitlove]

I’d have to say I agree with Marie that it’s probably not on the EC list because of Diamond.

However, we finally got my boyfriends parents to switch from Purina ONE to this which I think is a huge step up.

If you have a new puppy and paid for EC, take a look at the recommended puppy foods. Also please carefully look at the puppy foods if its a large or giant breed. They have strict dietary requirements.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Carol,
Go to the “Diet and Health issues” forum here….on top, highlighted in yellow, is a stickie on Large Breed Puppy Foods. there is a list (start with the last page) of appropriate foods there. I highly siggest feeding one of them. As an fyi, your vet will likely say Eukanuba is fine; I don’t agree & wouldn’t feed it.

[Carol l]

we have a eleven week old Weimaraner and this is what she eats. The breeder fed this food. The bag said to feed three and three fourths cups of food. She can’t eat that much.we’re going to vets tomorrow and plan to talk about this. I might try and change her food. Any suggestions?

[Pitlove]

Well firstly, I just want to point out that because this is a large breed you are dealing with you need to make sure the foods you are feeding are formulated for a large breed puppy. Do not trust the front of the bag just because it says large breed puppy. They require proper calcium and phosphorus levels and you definitely don’t want to deal with something like Pano on top of all of his GI upset.

Have a look at these 2 links:

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

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

As for his GI distress. You can add probiotics to the food (I’ve used Kefir and greek yogurt) to help strengthen his stomach. Is he scratching his ears and licking his butt or just licking his paws and legs mainly?

[Jennifer E]

Hi all,
We have a 4 month old lab puppy who we are struggling to find the right food for. He came home at almost 8 weeks and we transitioned him to Dr. Tim’s Kinesis. His poop was softer than we thought it should be and he was biting at himself quite a but, so we tried to transition to Fromm’s 4 star grain-free. That was a disaster–diarrhea and pooping 6-8 times a day after only a 1/4 cup of it mixed in! Dropped Fromm’s after 2 days (doing a slow transition), back to Dr. Tim’s, and then I discovered tapeworms! (Yay!) We’ve treated successfully for tapeworms, but soft poop again so I did 3 days of rice, hamburger, and pumpkin. Poop was much better–what I would expect. Transitioned back to Dr. Tim’s and stool was loose again. Went to the vet, she sent fecal away for the giardia SNAP test, which was negative. In the meantime, we’ve been giving him metronidazole and sucralfate in the hopes that it would calm his digestive system. She also suggested trying a less rich dog food. So I tried Canine Caviar Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Brown Rice. He didn’t really like it, but after a few days, poop got worse again.

As of right now, we are still on the meds and I’m trying Wegman’s Chicken and Rice. We’ve only been on it two days, but no drastic improvement yet. He likes it much better, so that’s a win. I’ve been adding rice to it per the vets suggestion, though I don’t know that it’s doing much. Pumpkin only helps marginally, although he likes it! He’s still pretty itchy all over. We’ll see if things firm up over the next couple days.

So, what next? Vet and I both suspect food as the culprit. She suggested an Eukanuba food, but I’m not sure if I want to go that direction.

Otherwise, he’s a super happy puppy who is gaining weight and loving life. Just wish I could get the food figured out!!!

Thanks for your help!

[Susan]

Hi I’d say it’s the ingredients in the Purina dog chow, making her yeasty & has the yeasty ears, there has to be other cheap kibbles that have better ingredients then the Purina dog chow that cost maybe an extra $5 a bag, I’ve read on this site a few people feeding Racheal Ray Nutrish or Victor grain free, they are suppose to be good & cost less….I always recommend the “California Natural Lamb & Rice” large bites, it has only 4 ingredients & helps dogs with skin problems that need a limited ingredient kibble… but I don’t know how much the California Natural cost http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

With cooking it works out dearer I have found & you need to balance the diet or she will have other health problems….I buy extra lean beef mince & add cooked boiled broccoli, celery, carrot & quiona & put in a cup to get the 1 cup size & make little meat loaves & bake in oven & then freeze them all in seal lock bags, stay away from starchy veggetables like potatoes, peas etc, green veggies are the best for yeast problems, even if you feed say kibble for breakfast & the cooked meal for dinner, so that way she is getting less of the kibble also tin Sardines in spring water are cheap, I buy 3 tins of sardines in spring water for $2 at the supermarket & mix some sardines thru her kibble, I feed the Purina Supercoat wet tin Lamb & veggies casserole tin food for breakfast, I live in Australia, I think the ingredients may be different to the American Purina, the Purina Lamb & Veggie casserole is the only wet tin food that my dog doesn’t regurgitate back up or have diarrhea on..

also Malaseb medicated shampoo, the Malaseb kills the bacteria on the skin & ears, even if you buy a cheaper antibacterial shampoo to bath her weekly in, I’ve read someone saying Walmart sell a good antibacterial shampoo for dogs, I don’t know the name, just look for antibacterial shampoo…
The new shampoo & weekly baths & change part of the diet will really help her, even if you just change 1 meal, then see how she is doing, you may not need to see a vet if it all clears up…my boy yeast problem went away within 3 days of changing his food & baths in the Malaseb medicated shampoo, he didn’t get his itchy ears & skin back….

You may not have much money but I bet your dogs don’t care & would rather live with you then a new owner who has money especially having bull breeds they are sooooo loyal & never forget…..I rescued my boy over 2 & 1/2 years ago & he still runs up to men in work clothes when he sees them on our walks, so he hasn’t forgotten his old owner…I wish he would forget lol

[Pitlove]

Look into Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy

[crazy4cats]

Both Hound Dog Mom and Dr. Mike state that you should feed a large breed pup either a growth (puppy) or All Life Stages food that meet the correct calcium levels, not an adult maintenance food.

[Pitlove]

Mana- There are lots of great foods that are correctly formulated for a LBP that do not say LBP on the bag, however there are many that do that are also excellent. Belinda and I are just listing our personal favorites. This thread is not about LBP NOT needing a LBP food, it is simply about LBP nutrition in general. We talk about any and all things having to do with large and giant breed pups.

[CircaRigel]

That list is old, but as I said just a couple of posts ago, a consensus among a number of giant breed breeders and their research is that puppy foods, indeed, are not necessary, provided you have the proper calcium/phosphorus levels. ANd I did not begin to switch to the Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea adult food until my pup had reached 6 months old, an age where they can adequately process calcium and phosphorus to not require the lower levels, but until then, yes, the large breed canidae does indeed have those very low levels that are recommended. I was very careful from the beginning.

[Mana A]

I’m now confused. I thought the whole point of this thread is that large/giant breed dogs do not require large breed puppy food. If you look on page 36 of this thread, HoundDogMom has provided a list of all the dog foods that are appropriate for large breed puppies. You DO NOT need to give large breed puppy food, all you need is the correct calcium:phos ratio.

I’m also confused bc I don’t see Canidae on that list. Are we sure Canidae has the correct ratios?

[Pitlove]

Good to know about those formulas of Canidae! I was actually not even aware they made a Large/Giant Breed Puppy formula.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Pitlove.

[CircaRigel]

Yes, Fromm is good as well. Galen was on that for a time, too, actually a combination of that and the Canidae. The Grain Free Pure Sea is made at theCanidae plant, not Diamond. The Canidae Large breed puppy I got is also manufactured at Canidae’s plant. I don’t touch things manufactured at Diamond either, and was glad to see Canidae begin to split from them with their better lines of food. The life stages large breed puppy is 4 stars on Dog food Advisor. Grain free Pure Sea is five stars. But I was indeed feeding a combination of the Fromm gold and Canidae, before switching to the Grain Free Pure Sea, which he’s on now, and doing well.

But the Fromm is excellent, too. I tended to need to have a mix, as Galen has always been a very picky eater, which isn’t uncommon for shepherds.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by CircaRigel.

[Pitlove]

Wait, I’m confused, did you mean to say he’s 8 weeks? You said 8 months. If he is 8 months old already and you are just now getting him, he has already gone through the majority of his critical growth period. Between 8-10 months old is when LBP’s can absorb calcium correctly and their diet doesn’t need to be as strict. However, you can (and probably should) play it safe and keep him on a LBP food until he reaches 1 year of age. If you meant 8 weeks, then yes you need to choose a good Large Breed Puppy food.

If you are going to feed Canidae make sure the formula you are going to feed is not one of the ones manufactured by Diamond. Very wise to avoid this manufactuerer.

My personal recommendation is Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. Very easily digested food and formulated correctly for a LBP. Also a family owned and operated company for over 100 years with no recalls.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Pitlove.

[Carolyn K]

Helps tremendously Belinda!! Thank you so much!…

I am going to try and do the same as far as food goes then.. I will purchase the puppy Canine large breed puppy now, mix that in with whatever the breeder gives me until their food is gone and then continue with the puppy until he is around 5 months or so maybe and then I will transition him into the Grain Free Pure food.. or jump to the All Life Stages..

Any reason you chose Sea over the others? I am still unsure of what to look for completely..

[CircaRigel]

Carolyn,
Congratulations on your puppy! I’ve not known a Golden Mountain Doodle, but having known some Bernese Mountain Dogs, a Newfiedoodle, and a number of golden and labradoodles, and based on my experiences with them, I think you’re in for a wonderful experience!

I would hesitate to feed Wellness right now (or Eagle Pack, Holistic Select, or Old Mother Hubbard). All of the kibbles made by Wellpet right now contain green tea extract, which a number of studies has shown can cause liver toxicity in dogs. While the amount in the foods is probably not enough to have much of a toxic effect, those studies were on grown dogs, and puppies may react differently. Prior to my discovering this, I had tried to make a slow transition to Wellness for my own puppy, and he developed diarrhea immediately, even though he only had a couple of tablespoons of the food with his first meal. I had thought it perhaps just a simple sensitivity, until I looked at other Vine reviews of it on Amazon (I occasionally review things on Amazon in their Vine program- the items are random, and from time to time they offer a quality dog food I wish to try Galen on). Approximately 10% of the dogs that tested it on Vine became ill, in two cases, extremely ill. After I did some checking, I found the research showing the toxicity (several studies were stopped early because of it), and also discovered that all of the WellPet foods have green tea extract.

I immediately switched Galen to Canidae Large and Giant breed puppy at that time (which I chose on my own, based on ingredients, calcium/phosphorus levels, and the inclusion of probiotics et. al- not something I was sent for review purposes). He also gets Tripett green beef tripe (which naturally contains digestive enzymes, which are beneficial to digestion and nutrient absorption). For treats, he gets Sojos freeze dried raw lamb and Natural Balance Potato and Kangaroo Limited Ingredient dog food (another thing I was sent a sample of, but is too expensive for me to actually use as his primary food). I also give him an occasional raw beef soup bone.

Now that he’s 8 months old, I’ve transitioned him to Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea, which also has the highest ratings on Dog Food Advisor. At this age, they can properly metabolize calcium, so it’s not as imperative to keep levels so low. There has also been some recent research among giant breed breeders and vets that suggests they may also do better being weaned directly to an adult food- but one that meets the calcium/phosphorus recommendations for large and giant breed puppies. They say that the extra calories in the puppy foods tend to be empty calories, and that the adult foods may have greater nutritional benefit, ounce for ounce.

Hope this helps!
Belinda

[Carolyn K]

Good morning all!! New here and this will be my first post.. I have been reading and researching with the help of everyone here on the forums!..

I just purchased a Golden Mountain Doodle puppy and I will be picking him up on the 15th of August. He will be 8 months old. Due to him being a large breed dog I want to do everything possible to avoid HD and other potential issues and I began with this website.

I plan on starting him with a mix of his current food and “Wellness CORE – Pupply Chicken and Turkey” as well as “Zuke’s Mini Naturals Dog Treats – Roasted Chicekn” while he is in training (basic obedience, potty training).

Is this a good start? Any other suggestions that you may find to be a better “fit” within the price range?

Thank you all so much and I hope to continue learning with you! 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

Each review is updated every 18 months in an attempt to stay current and not stagnate. Some dog food brands change ingredients even more often than that and some foods don’t change for years. There was an update in 12/2012 and then again in 4/2014. There were some recipe changes and some GA changes resulting in rating changes. A representative food is picked that is usually (not all the time) in the same star category as the brand itself and near the brand’s average.

The following was from 2012:

Diamond Naturals Large Breed 60+ Adult
Diamond Naturals Adult Chicken and Rice
Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete (5 stars)
Diamond Naturals Adult Beef Meal and Rice
Diamond Naturals Adult Lamb Meal and Rice
Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy (5 stars)
Diamond Naturals Lite Lamb Meal and Rice (3 stars)
Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Lamb and Rice
Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Lamb and Rice
Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Chicken and Rice
Diamond Naturals Senior 8+ Chicken, Egg and Oatmeal
Diamond Naturals Large Breed Adult Lamb Meal and Rice

The remaining recipes were 4 stars. So with the new changes, a 4-star recipe was chosen as the example.