Unless he has stomach problems from frequent food changes, it shouldn’t be a problem. The more, the better in my opinion! 😀 You can also add digestive enzymes/probiotics to help with transitions or stomach upset. One thing though, if he is a large breed puppy, then all of the foods on the rotation should be suitable for LBPs. Here is some more information about that, there is a list of foods on page 15: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/
I’m not sure if he qualifies as a large breed puppy or not though. What is his expected adult weight?
Hi all,
We have a 15 week old Aussie and he’s been doing well on his rotating diet. I want to get him used to different foods but I also don’t want to upset his stomach. So far he’s been tolerating the following pretty well.
Mon-Fri – Kibble Taste of the Wild Puppy. Sometimes his kibble dinner is topped with TOTW canned food or Merrick canned food.
Sat & Sun – RAW – Either instinct raw frozen bites (turkey or beef) with Honest Kitchen Topper OR Aunt Jenni’s raw (turkey or beef)
1-2 days a week I’ll give him a lunch of canned Tripett
His 30lb bag of Taste of the Wild Kibble is almost up and I wanted to get Orijen large breed puppy. Does this seem like overkill on variety? We watch his stools. When he’s on raw his stools are dark, hard and once or twice a day. Kibble he poops up to 4 times a day. More gassy on the kibble too.
THANKS!!!!
Hi Carol M, i have never had a “newfie” only a mix that the father was newfie and chow and her mother was a golden retriever. Maya was a pup the owners insisted i take 23 yrs ago when i rescued the adults from excaping their back yard because of kids leaving the gate open! and they wandered 2 miles without tags! it took 2 days to find the owners and they had thought someone had stolen them because the female was pregnant and a beauty! Maya was my only puppy since i was younger and she grew up to about 80 lbs and loved to eat! she passed at almost 16 yrs with never a food issue or diarrhea. i rotated mostly dry kibble with some canned dog food, some fresh meat and carrots (raw) and (steamed veggies) broccoli, string beans or butternut squash…yum!
sorry about that long dialogue above but i was reminiscing… i do think you need to check out the list of recommended foods for Large Breed Puppies in the forums and especially read the info hound dog mom provides about large breed puppies. i know that the 3 dogs that run my life now love castor and pollux ultramix! (check out the prices on chewy.com very reasonable.) i have been rotating or mixing both the grain free duck 38% protein and 17% fat with glucosomine and the grain free and poutry free salmon 30% protein, 15% fat and high in omega 3’s (i am a little concerned about the mercury level in the salmon which has been questioned on this site…) neither of these have ever caused diarrhea in my border collie/flat coat ret. mix 14 yrs 50 lbs or my husky/shepherd 12 yrs 80 lbs. My 80 lb lab has a very sensitive stomach and for some reason has not had a problem with these 2 kibbles in the 2-3 months she has eaten them, but as you know any changes in food always needs to be done slowly…7-10 days depending on the dog. you can add some pumpkin puree to help with initial introduction and slight problems. i assume your puppy has been checked out by a vet for any issues that would cause diarrhea …but most vets know nothing about good food recommendations!
As the “mom” to three toy dogs, I do not believe that small breeds need a special diet unless, of course, they are suffering my some sort of illness that would require omitting or adding certain ingredients. At 8 months of age a toy breed no longer needs to be on puppy food. An All Life Stages food would better meet their needs at this point in time. My dogs weigh 5 lbs, 6 lbs, and 7 lbs.
As Marie stated, large breed puppies require less calcium in their diets to avert the quick growth in a large breed that could possibly lead to bone issues once grown. Large breed puppies have specific needs that must be met. I also, like Marie, have never had a large breed dog but I know others that do. My dogs have all been toy dogs with the exception of one dog that I had many years ago (Tibetan Terrier).
I believe the talk with large breed puppies is because they require special calcium (I think…I’ve never had a large breed pup) and small breed puppies require special food. I don’t feed puppy food, I’ve always used all breed dog food. I personally wouldn’t feed anything by Blue. Other foods that are small are Farmina small bites, Nature’s Logic and something with an “A” name (Amicus?). Hopefully someonee else will chime in.
What do you think of Kinetic dog food? At my local feed store this food comes highly recommended? And what are your thought on feeding a larger breed puppy the whole earth farms grain free chicken and turkey dog food the calcium max is 1.62 and phosphorus at 1.08 ? Thanks Jenny
Hi everyone ! I’m seeing lots of conversation about large breed puppies, but little to none about small (Chihuahua) breed …. debating on switching my little, 8 month old, 4 lb., rescue guy over to Wellness Core Puppy … thoughts ?? Right now he’s getting BB small breed puppy, but I’d like to switch him to something else ………
Thanks in advance … 🙂
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This topic was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by
Gcats.
Hi Kathy H-
It is my understanding that puppy and all life stages foods have the same requirements. And, many on this site state that it is fine to feed a dog of any age either. However, it is not OK to feed a puppy adult food until they are full grown.
Check out this link for more information: /frequently-asked-questions/aafco-nutrient-profiles/.
Do you breed small or large dogs? There are certain calcium requirements for large breed puppies: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/.
Good luck!
What is your Editor’s choice for senior large breed dogs?
Hi Amanda-Love J-
Congrats on the new pups. Wow! Do you have your hands full or what? I’m glad that you are excited about switching foods. Here is a link with information about feeding large breed puppies: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
The most important factor when choosing a food for a Large Breed Pup is the calcium levels. Also important is to not over feed. There is a chart of recommended foods with appropriate calcium on this thread on about page 35 or 36. Also if you join the Editor’s Choice club, there are a few very highly recommended foods for your puppies on that list. I’ve heard Nutrisource large breed puppy and Wellness Core puppy food come up a few times from others as being good choices. After your pups are close to being full grown and their joints are done forming, you can switch to any high quality food.
Your other dogs can eat puppy or all life stages food as well, but you may have to adjust the amount fed as they are often higher in calories and fat.
Have fun with your zoo!
My 10-week-old Shiloh Shepherd, Galen, is now on Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Puppy Health Lamb and Oatmeal Recipe Dry Dog Food. He loves the food, and his stool consistency is great! His growth hasn’t been as fast as some of his siblings, but I see that as a good thing, for the vet says he’s a perfect weight for his frame and in great health. This looks to be taking excellent care of his joints. After all, when it comes to growth, it’s not a matter of how quickly one grows, and in large dogs it’s better that it be slow and steady (but he still grew 20% in 10 days- 20 to 24 lbs). The genes will dictate the final size.
It’s important that I look after Galen’s joints properly, for he’s training to be a service dog, to help with my PTSD and spine injuries. I was fortunate enough to find an organization that is quite happy to help train owner raised dogs, for after the Shiloh Shepherd I rescued 20 years ago (I didn’t even know he was a Shiloh at the time), I knew the breed has what is perfect for my needs.
I have 2 Goldens. Oliver, now 2 was raised on Orijen large breed puppy and continues to eat grain free. Leo, now 5 months is eating Fromms large breed puppy, but I am transitioning him to Orijen, so he too can be grain free. Wellness Core Puppy would be my next choice. And besides being grainfree, (Goldies are notorious for skin issues,) both foods, Orijen and Wellness, have the DFA’s 5 star rating and are for large breed puppies. That helped me decide. Also, there is a new article about feeding large breed puppies on this site you will find helpful! Make sure you switch foods gradually if you change them. I made that mistake with Leo, and have changed my definition of “gradually.” Hope this helps!
Hi Denise,
I’ve always had Labs, they do like to get heavy so I have to constantly watch intake. During growth I always fed a large breed puppy food, preferably one that underwent feeding trials
until about 90% full grown around a year of age.
Dr Mike has an excellent article on large breed growth /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
and more information can be found here as well http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3501
Have fun!
Hi Denise-
I would keep your lab on puppy or all life stages food until she is full grown. She is still growing and needs the extras that are provided in the puppy food. You could always cut back on the amount you are feeding her to make sure she does not get overweight. Take a look at the following link for more information on feeding large breed puppies:
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
Have fun with your pup. I bet she is adorable. 🙂
Hi, we have a 13 week old male golden retriever puppy. We’ve been feeding him Orijen Large Breed Puppy and he LOVES it but he has so much gas from it. We’ve tried adding probiotics and a bit of pumpkin to see if it would help, but it hasn’t helped at all. He has solid stools, it’s really just how much gas he has. Can anyone recommend other large breed grain free puppy foods that we should switch too? I’ve read many articles on this and looked at the Word document, I just really don’t know which one to switch to. Any input is greatly appreciated, thanks!
I would like to start feeding my dogs real food – meats, veggies, fruits (whole food/clean eating for dogs?) because I feel our mid-grade dog food formula has changed and ‘high-quality’ foods seem way too expensive for my large breeds. I really don’t know where to start or how much to feed. I’ve done boiled chicken or beef and rice when one was sick as a puppy and it worked really well for her. We have a 95 lb chocolate lab/possible great dane mix who is 5 years old, and a lab/mastiff mix who is 1 year old and about 75-80 lbs. The older dog has always seemed like he’s starving by the time dinnertime comes around, although that could be a behavioral issue since he is a rescue who was found roaming the woods and finally captured after several weeks. The younger dog has suddenly taken to eating the other dog’s poo (sorry, so gross). I just feel they aren’t getting the proper nutrition. They really like carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato!
Joni –
The review for Flint River Ranch foods can be found here. You’ll see the overall the brand has been rated 3.5 stars which the individual formulas ranging in rating from 2 stars to 4 stars.
As far as appropriateness for large breed puppies, I quickly did out the math for the original puppy/adult formula and at 3.3 g calcium per 1,000 kcal. it looks okay. I’m not going to go through all the formulas but if there’s another formula you’re interested in just multiply the % calcium by 1,000 to get grams of calcium per kg and the kcal. per lb. by 2.2 to get kcal. per kg. Then divide the grams of calcium per kg. by the kcal. per kg. Multiply that by 1000. You’re looking for 3.5 or less.
I need some help. I have a 1 year old large Rhodesian Ridgeback. We have had food issues from the beginning with him. The breeder had him on a mix of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula and Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. When we got him at 8 weeks we transitioned him to straight Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula. Shortly after this transition he started having some difficulty having a bowel movement. He would go once regular, and then shortly after he would go again but it would be very skinny. Sometimes he would continue to try to go for sometime afterwards with nothing coming out. Our vet said it was probably just a nerve that wasn’t fully developed yet and that was making him feel like he needed to keep going. She said as long as he was having regular bowel movements, and he wasn’t vomiting, we shouldn’t worry and it would probably clear up on it’s own. At our five month check up, I brought it up again because it seemed to be getting worse. She did an x-ray and determined he was backed up, his stomach was still very full of food (even though it had been several hours since he ate) and he had several pockets of gas. She said there were a few places where his bowel looked inflamed and thickened. She put him on a pro-biotic and an anti-inflammatory pill for a week. It wasn’t any better on the medication. She was concerned that his stomach wasn’t emptying property and his waste wasn’t moving through the bowel as it should. She did a barium study to rule out any internal issues. Everything came back normal so she said it must be the food and recommended their in-house brand Prescription Diet D/D. After research, I decided not to try that kind, but instead find a food that was rated 4 or 5 that agreed with him. We spent the next 3 months transitioning to different foods. We tried other flavors of Taste of the Wild, Diamond Naturals Grain Free Beef and Sweet Potato, and one other, I can’t remember the name of at the moment. Some caused diarrhea, some made his bowel movement issues worse and he strained more. Finally, we tried Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and his bowel movements got drastically better. I still don’t believe they are 100% normal, but at least to the point where he wasn’t straining or trying to go for an extended time with nothing coming out. He has been on this for 4 with no changes or issues. I just bought another bag and it has caused HORRIBLE, uncontrollable diarrhea. We have taken it away, fed rice and pumpkin, twice. Each time we start mixing a little of the food back in, one feeding of less than 1/4 of a cup of food in 1 cup of rice/pumpkin mix, causes horrible diarrhea again. The second time we took it away we took him to the vet and she put him on a pro-biotic and an antibiotic. He was on those medicines and rice and pumpkin only for a week. When we reintroduced, it was the same thing. I have emailed the company. I’m not sure if we just got a bad batch or we need to switch foods. Should I just go buy another bag of Merrick and hope it isn’t the same batch and it works? Should I try the Chicken Merrick? My store only stocks a few bags at a time, and I am worried they are from the same batch. I have spent the morning researching foods. Some grain free options I have come up with that our local stores sell are: Blue Wilderness, Wellness Core, and Earthborn. I would be willing to order something but I have nothing except for the potentially bad Merrick to mix with so we would be starting something new without a transition. I am wondering now if maybe he needs grains or even if he could possibly have colitis and need a high fiber diet? Does anyone have some insight or suggestions for me? Thanks!
I need some help. I have a 1 year old large Rhodesian Ridgeback. We have had food issues from the beginning with him. The breeder had him on a mix of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula and Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. When we got him at 8 weeks we transitioned him to straight Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula. Shortly after this transition he started having some difficulty having a bowel movement. He would go once regular, and then shortly after he would go again but it would be very skinny. Sometimes he would continue to try to go for sometime afterwards with nothing coming out. Our vet said it was probably just a nerve that wasn’t fully developed yet and that was making him feel like he needed to keep going. She said as long as he was having regular bowel movements, and he wasn’t vomiting, we shouldn’t worry and it would probably clear up on it’s own. At our five month check up, I brought it up again because it seemed to be getting worse. She did an x-ray and determined he was backed up, his stomach was still very full of food (even though it had been several hours since he ate) and he had several pockets of gas. She said there were a few places where his bowel looked inflamed and thickened. She put him on a pro-biotic and an anti-inflammatory pill for a week. It wasn’t any better on the medication. She was concerned that his stomach wasn’t emptying property and his waste wasn’t moving through the bowel as it should. She did a barium study to rule out any internal issues. Everything came back normal so she said it must be the food and recommended their in-house brand Prescription Diet D/D. After research, I decided not to try that kind, but instead find a food that was rated 4 or 5 that agreed with him. We spent the next 3 months transitioning to different foods. We tried other flavors of Taste of the Wild, Diamond Naturals Grain Free Beef and Sweet Potato, and one other, I can’t remember the name of at the moment. Some caused diarrhea, some made his bowel movement issues worse and he strained more. Finally, we tried Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and his bowel movements got drastically better. I still don’t believe they are 100% normal, but at least to the point where he wasn’t straining or trying to go for an extended time with nothing coming out. He has been on this for 4 with no changes or issues. I just bought another bag and it has caused HORRIBLE, uncontrollable diarrhea. We have taken it away, fed rice and pumpkin, twice. Each time we start mixing a little of the food back in, one feeding of less than 1/4 of a cup of food in 1 cup of rice/pumpkin mix, causes horrible diarrhea again. The second time we took it away we took him to the vet and she put him on a pro-biotic and an antibiotic. He was on those medicines and rice and pumpkin only for a week. When we reintroduced, it was the same thing. I have emailed the company. I’m not sure if we just got a bad batch or we need to switch foods. Should I just go buy another bag of Merrick and hope it isn’t the same batch and it works? Should I try the Chicken Merrick? My store only stocks a few bags at a time, and I am worried they are from the same batch. I have spent the morning researching foods. Some options I have come up with that our local stores sell are: Blue Wilderness, Wellness Core, and Earthborn. Does anyone have some insight or suggestions for me? Thanks!
I just saw this topic and thought i’d ask a few questions to see if anyone had any input on my treat selection because i feel comfortable with the main diet i am providing just not sure if i am doing the right thing treat wise.
I feed my dog biscuit treats, i try to buy them from quality brands and they are not cheap. but is it bad to feed dogs biscuit type treats? i’ve tried fromm gf biscuits, merrick kitchen bites, brothers complete gf, honest kitchen nuzzles, nutrisource gf, sojo’s gf, wellness gf, and nature’s variety instinct…They are not cheap but are much more affordable then the Orijen freeze dried treats i got for free from chewy.com with my last bag of orijen. I am just wondering if these biscuits are bad treats to give my dog along with her orijen kibble. i give about 4-5 biscuits a day, i know they dont have much meat in them but she loves them so much i continue to buy them for her. would i be better off buying more expensive freeze dried treats like orijen offers in the long run or is it okay to give a premium biscuit like the ones mentioned as a small treat every day? I only ask because my dog is an akita and 85lbs at only 10 months old and even with cheaper freeze dried treats like sojo’s and grandma lucy’s makes it would still be extremely more expensive to buy them, as sojo’s and grandma lucy’s pork freeze dried on chewy.com cost like 3x as much as high end biscuits for equal weight. i just want to know if i’m feeding my dog improperly by trying to save a little cash on her treats….
On another topic, i see many people mentioning giving their dogs bully sticks, and i give them to my dog when i can because they tend to be very expensive, but she loves them so i try to keep some around. I just was curious if anyone used or knew if my source of bullysticks was a quality source. I am currently getting them from bestbullysticks.com , they have nice thick bully sticks for lower price then i’ve seen anywhere: you can get a standard size one for 1.39 (cheaper in bulk) or i just got some jumbo ones (which are huge btw) for 2.19 per stick (cheaper in bulk as well). My question is if these are quality bully sticks and a quality company to trust for my pet, if anyone knows of them or has used them in the past. They say they are made from free range grass fed beef, however the beef comes from brazil unless you buy the made in usa ones for more expensive, and one of my concerns is the origin of the beef used. I have bought the made in usa ones from them in the past but they are much thinner then the brazilian ones when you compare them from what is supposed to be the same size, and much less filled and they are also more expensive. So you pay more for much less when you get the american ones, and since my dog is a large breed and will likely be 95lbs when she is done growing i can’t have thin bully sticks i need thick ones and i need them at a decent price. Does anyone know if bully sticks from brazil should not be trusted? Or where you can get USA made ones that are thick and not priced 3 dollars+ a stick? Any feed back on that site or tips on quality thick bullies for reasonable prices would be very much appreciated…
I found the Optimal Feeding of Large Breed Puppies article here:
http://www.lgd.org/library/Optimal%20feeding%20of%20large%20breed%20puppies.pdf
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This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by
Jo B.
Hi! I’ve read a ton on this website and learned a lot. I looked around for a search box to specifically search this thread, but didn’t see one, so I apologize if this has (which I’m sure) been addressed.
How long should a large breed puppy (Golden Retriever) be on an appropriately balanced puppy food? 12mo? 18mo? 24mo?
And a somewhat related question…
I did have a litter of Golden pups. One male in particular has been big from the start. I didn’t see any particular teat hogging. Since they’ve been on solids the whole litter gets the same amount but these this guy is huge. They are 8 weeks today and he weighs 16ish# He has a big head and big, thick legs, and big feet. Much bigger than the rest. He’s probably just a big boy but, I’m now suddenly panicked that I’ve fed too much (Wellness CORE puppy) and he’s grown too quickly and put undue stress on his joints.
Any advice or reassurance?? Thanks
Hi Crystal:
Large and giant breed puppies have special nutritional requirements. You can read more about that here:
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
Check out this thread for more info. I suggest reading the first 3 or 4 pages and the links provided on the first page.
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/
Here is a link to a document with foods recommended for large and giant breed dogs. Look for a post by Hound Dog Mom dated October 2, 2013 at 4:22 pm. If you choose a food from the list you should check with the manufacturer to be sure the food still falls within the recommended parameters:
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/page/36/
You can also join the Dog Food Advisor Editors Choice for a more updated list of recommended puppy foods for large and giant breed dogs. Have fun with your pup!
I was interested in your opinion of Flint River dry dog food, both for adult and large breed puppy?
Thx
Joni Poole
Hi, I have a 12 week old lab, lucy. She weighs almost 30ibs. I got her when she was 5 weeks. We started feeding her Hills ideal balance which gave her continuous uti’s, we switched and she is now on Authority puppy large breed chicken. She is doing fine on it, but I saw on this site it has only a 3.5 star rating. Is it actually not good for her, is there something better?
Thanks for reading and your input.
Carol, there is a great list of recommended foods for Large Breed Puppies on the forums. I assume you can search for ‘Large Breed Food’. That’s what I used when testing out different foods for my Newfoundland. Like you, we had some messy results from some foods that I figure were just too darn rich for her. I found Nutrisource for Large Breed to be one my Newfy girl could handle. When she got a little older, we went with Dr. Tims. I could tell she didn’t like it as much, but it is doing something great for her. Eyes and ears were clean, coat was thick and shiny.
It really was a test in progress to find a highly rated food that worked for her. Good luck!
My four month old newfie’s father weighs 200 lbs. I have already tried two different Candidae foods for him and he gets terrible diarrhea. The breeder had him on Kirland Puppy and Pedigree. I want to feed him something higher quality but not so rich as to cause diarrhea. It gets very confusing as some people say the higher fat and protein causes diarrhea, yet others say it’s the grains. I am considering Orijen Large Breed Puppy or Castor and Pollux. Does anyone have any input on these or other foods for giant breed puppies that doesn’t cause diarrhea? Thank you so very much.
I have a 9 month old Great Dane puppy. He eats purina pro plan for large breeds. This was one of the ones recommended. It has just a little bit more protein than some suggest, but I really like it. Enjoy your new puppy!!! Great Danes are amazing!!
Hello,
I have a 1yo labradoodle girl who is very energetic, but not excited about the Wellness Large Breed dog food I am currently giving her. Looking for something to transition over to that would be a bit more appetizing for her (preferably something found in Petco or PetSmart). I know Wellness is on the top end of dry foods that can be purchased, but I feel she is bored with it. Anything else out there as nutritious, but may have a better taste? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Hi-
Most of us that post regularly on this site lean towards feeding grain free. But that is not to say that all grain free foods are superiior. Many are full of starchy peas and potatoes. It just depends on the food and your dogs. I feed both. It’s best to try to maximize protein and minimize carbs. In the case of large breed pups, I think feeding a reputable brand with the appropriate calcium levels is the most important. You will want them to stay on a puppy or all life stages food until they are at least a year old to give your dogs the best shot at avoiding joint issues. Like mentioned above, there is a list of recommended foods on the large breed puppy thread on this forum on page 35 or 36. Also, the editor’s choice section has some listed as well. It’s best to keep the calcium percentage between .9 and 1.35 max. Good luck!
5-6 months is too young for a large breed puppy to change foods. Check out the large and giant breed puppy thread and read through the information there. There is also a list of foods that meet the criteria for a lgp, around page 35.
Please Help. I have an 8 month old Old English sheepdog pup. I startd him on nutro natural lamb and rice. His poop was soft and smelled horrible. I read the ingredients to my vet. When I got to the “chicken fat”, he said to find a food with only plain lamb. All I could find at thistime was Natural Balance, puppies to adults large breed food. He has been on this until now. He is 8 months old, weighs 69 lbs,. His mom weighs 50 lbs, his dad weighs 95 lbs. The protein content is only 21 % The calaium is 1% and Phos is 0.8%. I am worried that the protein is to low., but this food has kept his poop great. I tried switching to Fromm LB puppy, but the stools were mushy and smelly again. Did I go too fast or was it the chicken formula. TOTW has a Pacific stream puppy but not large breed. protein 26 % ca 1.2, Phos 1. I also heard about Canine Cavier for LB puppy. 25% protein and acceptable ca and PH according to dog food forum. As you can see, I am driving myself crazy. We live in an apartment in NY so I am thinking he doesn’t need a very high protein, but am I wrong??? My vet is no help in nutrition. PLEASE ADVISE .
Ellen
What type of dog is it? I know it depends on the breed. I am currently using Salmon Oil for our 4 month old Bullmastiff and I also give it to our adult dog. I just figured since fish oil is good for humans, probably good for dogs too. The claims on the product seem great also and include helping keep their coat nice, heart health, etc. But, I would be curious to know if it has an actual benefit or is just wasteful.
Also, I was going to put my puppy on a puppy vitamin but since she is large breed, I read a lot of articles against it. For the simple reason that if a puppy gets too many vitamins and supplements, could be bad for them long term. I don’t want to risk that.
I would say the most important thing to consider is that if your puppy is on a high quality food, they shouldn’t need additional supplements.
Ok I have a small breed puppy(chihuahua/mix) that is 9 weeks old and 7lbs. He was weened with purina puppy chow, and I’m almost done with the bag. I know the puppy chow is not very good so I’m looking for something better, however I’m not looking to spend $30 bucks on a 6lb bag of dry food.
I have read about puppy and adult food and it seems that the large breed puppies are the ones that need the puppy formulas. So can I switch to adult small breed food now or do I need to keep giving him puppy formula food and for how long?
I’m looking at a couple brands I can get local, pure balance, purina smartblend, Innova, iams naturals, natural choice. Just to give y’all an idea where I’m at, I would like to be around $20-$30 a 10-15lb bag. What do y’all recommend, I’m trying to stay away from cheap corn food, but not wanting to make the jump to overpriced organic food. My dog I had when I was a kid lived 15 years on pedigree and was healthy until the last 6 months, and I know many other dogs that eat the same without problems but I figure for less than $10 a month I can give my dog a better diet.
Thanks for any answers.
Hi Karen T-
I would definitely error on the side of caution and feed a food that has the proper calcium levels for a large breed puppy. Check out this link:
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
NutriSource has a large breed puppy food that I have heard several recommend, there is also Pro Pac Large Breed puppy and Victor Select Lamb and/or Chicken and Rice recipes that would be appropriate. Wellness Core Puppy is grain free and a little more expensive, but would also be a good choice.
I have two lab mix dogs. They can really be a handful, but the most loving, friendly dogs that we’ve ever had! Good luck. 🙂
Hi, try a low carb diet with no potatoes or sweet potatoes, my boy gets real itchy stinky ears when he eats kibbles with sweet potatoes, I prefer kibbles with rice as a lot of the grainfree kibbles have either potatoes, sweet potatoes & peas that are very high in starch…. The Earthborn Grain free kibbles (Large breed, Meadow Feast, Great Plains) has no potatoes or sweet potatoes they use Tapioca instead but does have peas… have you looked at Freeze dry foods like K9 Natural http://www.k9natural.com/
Let me see if I have this straight. She gets:
2/3 cup high calorie kibble
1oz beef
1oz chicken
2-3 rabbit nuggets
1-2 tbs carrots or squash
2 handfuls of cocotherapy
All that sounds like a lot. For her size, I would be tempted to cut back on the carrots or squash and the cocotherapy, unless she has constipation issues. If you think she might be a little overweight, then she probably is, but if you are worrying just because she is already close to her adult weight, then quit worrying, small breeds mature much younger than larger breeds, so I would expect her to be close to her adult weight.
BC,
If you wouldn’t mind I need your input.
Millie my 6 1/2 month old is eating A.M. 1/3 c Orijen Puppy kibble (which is about to go out of the rotation) mixed w Horizon Legacy Puppy (that bag is larger so she will be on that a little longer) as a topper she is getting 1 oz lightly boiled beef.
Noontime: 2-3 Primal Rabbit nuggents w either carrots or cooked squash & zucchini 1-2tbsps.
Suppertime: 1/3 c kibble (same as brkfst) w 1oz boiled chicken.
She does get cocotherapy dried fruit or veggies 2 handfuls
A few times a week she will either a bully stick or a cow ear.
I want to take the noontime feeding out as well as eventually giving her kibble less frequently and adding the honest kitchen in the rotation
She picked up wt. very quickly she is close to what the breeder told me was her adult weight (15lbs).
In your opinion am I feeding her enough? too much?
According to the bags of kibble & that is if she were only eating kibble she should have almost 1 c per day. But since I add the meat as toppers & the raw for lunch, I hesitate to increase the kibble.
Thanks so much
Greetings giant breed owners,
My current Dane is 10.5 years old and looks and acts like he’ll be around for a few more. He’s happy and and alert and active for his age. My buddy eats “Paleo” right along with me. Mostly Protein, (often red Pacific wild salmon–we live in Alaska) mixed with quality rice or root vegetables drizzled in olive oil and baked, carrots and celery (his fav) for snacks. He was boarded for a while when I couldn’t keep him and his caregiver gave him about 1/4 of fish oil in his dry food and and plenty of rawhide to keep him busy. When I got him back he was panting a lot and I assumed a heaet condition. X-ray showed a slightly enlarged heart. I did some research and discovered dry food is lacking in Taurine, L-Carnitine and Acytel L-Carnitine, among other critical amino acids and nutritional components. I started supplementing with the three amino acids, and adding squirts of liquid B-complex. His panting decreased and his eyes became focused and alert and his energy level increased. I abandoned my conventions on the focus of food “brands” and the idea of consistency. How boring. What do animals in the wild eat for dinner? Who cares? Its what ever gets them to the next meal! Variety and fluctuation is normal in the wild, and in fact stimulating for an animal. I mix table scraps with dry food. Dinner always taste different, what a pleasure for an animal whose sense of is also a form of communication! some days he doesnt get the dry food at all. Just after I started the supplemts I decided to feed him raw. I bought grass fed buffalo and he got 1/4 to 1/3 pound, give or take, twice a day. I’d recomend not using any grain fed meat for the reason it is sometimes 10x higher in the inflammatory Omega-6’s which is why we humans should avoid grain fed beef like the plague as well. Grass fed free range livestock has the balance of O-6’s to O-3’s that our paleo brethren grew up on and adapted to. But the most IMPORTANT thing one can do is treat your large breed friends as if they were your own grade school aged children. Get outside with them. Play with them outside like your own child. They DO have vocabulary you know. Just because they don’t show it in reciprocal speech doesnt mean they wouldn’t love to hear you talk to them about your activities. Label things when you are on walks. My buddy loves clover. When I get ready to drive him to a nearby trail i always ask if he wants to go smell “clover” or do you want to drink some water from the “stream”, excitement and anticipation dripping from my words. I don’t always know his choice but I always to to keep things varied. Satiate your large dogs with human interaction and variety. You’ll get more out of your companions than any top brand food can make a difference.
At a year old, you can usually feed whatever you want. If, because of his circumstances, you feel he still has a lot of growing to do, not just maturing, but actual growth, then you should definitely keep him on a food for large breed puppies. NutriSource Large Breed Puppy has the appropriate calcium levels, is economical, is well tolerated, and is easy to transition to.
Is there an all life stage dry dog food designed for large breeds, with larger nugget sizes? Should I be feeding my 12 month old great pyrenees/anatolian shepherd large breed puppy food since technically he is still a pup? Just rescued him. When actually being fed, he was fed a crappy dog food that at least had perfectly sized nuggets.
Hi Guys-
There is a fairly new article on the review side of this site that has a calculator and some information on picking an appropriate large breed puppy food.
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
Good luck!
Hi, to All. My 1 yr old large mixed breed dog was tested recently as had one bout of bright red diarrhea, then became normal. A few days later my vet performed fecal sample -all good. Then did blood work and pee sample which both showed high elevations of creatinine – both 108 and normal is 105. They are doing an abdominal ultrasound and re-test for lymes next week. Any thots on this or has anyone experienced this with such a young pup? Pls. Advise. Most Sincerely, Melinda..Am Worried.
I have a GSD/Doberman mix puppy. She was started on Merrick Grain Free puppy but I then read that the calcium content was too high. I am thinking of Orijen Large Breed puppy but noticed it is not on the list (see below). Can someone tell me why it is not on the list as it is supposed to be a superior dog food?
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFY183Q0NVRXlidWc/edit
Roxie
I don’t worry about my Saint no liking her food or skipping a meal. Frankly, I think over weight is the biggest health problem for large breeds. A dog will not starve because he doesn’t like the dry food. I think I’m going to try the Pure Balance from Wal Mart. I get Cosequine DS from BJs when they have a coupon. I get the Milk Bone chewies the same way. I have recently started the omega 3 and discussed using people capsules with the vet. When I use up my current supply I will order from Puritans Pride or somewhere. Omega 3 has definetly helped with her itchy skin.
You can put a drizzle of gravy or broth on the food. I would get low or no salt. I make broth for her when we have scraps or giblets.
I once had a trainer tell me that you should train dogs to eat at specific times by picking up food after 10 minutes. Never followed this, but if she doesn’t eat her breakfast until late in the day, I short her supper.
Sorry I just did a lot of rambling. I guess I just needed to vent to other like-minded owners of large breed doggies. 🙂
Hello,
We are new owners of a 6 month old Pyredoodle. His mom is a Great Pyrenees, 100 lbs, and his dad is an 85 lb Poodle. I am trying to decide what type of food to feed him so he does not have growth issues that large breed dogs tend to get. I also want good probiotics and digestive enzymes that will not break the bank but are still high quality. I am quite overwhelmed by all the info and mis-info on the web regarding these things. Is there a current list of 5 star foods that are grain free, soy free, corn free, and non gmo, but are the right amount of calcium and protein for this big boy? Also, how do you determine how much to feed him and what dose of probiotics to give? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
I have a Great Dane and 100% agree with theBCnut. Large Breed foods may advertise added joint support but it’s not enough to be therapeutic.
Go to the Diet and Health Issues forum and read the first few pages in the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition thread for info on why you should be very careful with LBP nutrition. But you really don’t have to stick with large breed food once they are adults, though you might want to make sure you give joint supplements.
4 months ago
His name is Wrex! This is him at about 2 months.
