[theBCnut]

What a bummer! NutriSource is usually very easily tolerated, but there must be something in it that your dog doesn’t do well on. I have no idea what it could be. As long as you are seeing no other symptoms, you might want to look at The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form. It’s a supplement that helps calm intestines and firm up stools.

Have you seen Hound Dog Mom’s list of foods that have an appropriate calcium level for large and giant breed puppies?

[Lance B]

Hello,

I have a nearly 13-week-old Great Dane puppy who is on Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy Food (Chicken & Rice). It’s ingredients can be found here:

Large Breed Puppy

Is there an ingredient in here that is known for causing diarrhea?

For what it’s worth, my puppy is worm-free, giardia-free, and vaccinated, but the diarrhea has been on-going. His stool has solidified when I’ve fasted him a couple of times to try and give his tummy a break from digestion. However, when he begins eating again, diarrhea starts. His energy level and everything is great. He’s shown no negative signs or symptoms of anything. Therefore, I was wondering if perhaps there’s an ingredient in the food that is commonly linked to diarrhea? I assume not, but I figured I’d ask as I begin looking for another food.

I’m rather bummed because Nutrisource has a great dietary breakdown for giant breeds, is rated a 4-star food on DFA, and is relatively inexpensive compared to other brands of comparable quality.

Thanks in advance!

[FrenchieBourdeaux]

Hey,

I was wondering what are good supplements for large breed puppies that are a must I have a 6 month old Dogue De Bordeaux Mastiff and wanted to make sure he gets all the supplements he is needed especially sense his grandfather was an impressive 210 pounds. And also is it okay to start adding goats milk to his food? I currently have him on the Fromm game bird and boiled rice and chicken rotation every other day.

Thanks for any help. Just want the best for my little guy.

[cdubau]

Alright everyone I need some help. Currently feeding my dogs Dr Tims
*Last year this time I got my awesome dog Bode and in April we got another puppy Zieke. They are both larger breed dogs. Bode is weighing close to 80 pounds at just over a year and Zieke is a full blooded Rotti. But we are having issues!!

* Our Rotti always has loose stools. The first bit that comes out holds some form and the rest is to soft to hold anything. Negative for worms or anything in fecal matter
*Our older pup Bode poops TON at A time, 3-4 times a day!!
* BOTH have awful gas!

Considering changing to one of the following foods to try all from the list of Grain INCLUDED (I can’t afford any of the grain free). In order of STARS:
Pro/Fat Content
5 Daves 30/20
4.5 Fromm Gold 26/14
4.5 Premium Edge 29/18
4 Nutrisource 26/16
4 Nature Variety 26/12

Does anyone have any experience with the above listed foods?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by cdubau.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by cdubau.

[theBCnut]

All Life Stages, and on the approved list for large and giant breed puppies.

[Karen E]

My five month old Labrador puppy, Beans, spent a night in ICU this weekend due to extreme diarrhea and vomiting. The ultimate diagnosis is that he has an intolerance to chicken. He has been eating Wellness Large Breed Puppy dry kibble since I got him at eight weeks old, but suddenly he can’t digest it. We will keep him on Prescription I/d for a week, but I need recommendations of another protein dry food to substitute in for next week. My research indicates lamb or venison may be best, but would appreciate advice from others who have been through similar experiences. Thanks! Karen

[Genevieve K]

How many times are you feeding her? Puppies need to have 3 meals a day. (I do think it’s adorable that she carries her food bowl around.) Using the caloric information on the packaging, I calculated the ideal daily feeding schedule and use that as a guide (it’s been close to the suggested servings). If you’re feeding multiple foods, I recommend doing this to ensure she’s getting what she needs. Perhaps you could do this with the different foods that you’re feeding.

In addition to a Boerboel puppy, we have two other large breed dogs. I do feed the puppy far more than I feed the adults because I know he needs the additional nutrition and the extra calories to support his quickly growing body. I keep a close eye on his body shape to ensure he’s not getting over-fed.

Having fought a weight loss battle with my Ridgeback, it’s important to keep an eye on his waist. I’m fine with him carrying a little bit more weight because I know he will use that for growth and energy but it’s important to ensure he doesn’t cross the line into “fat.”

Because of the our Boerboel puppy’s multiple allergies (arg!), we decided to use Annamaet’s Aqualuk and are now feeding it to all three dogs. It’s is appropriate for large breeds in all life stages and is listed on HDM’s list of recommended large breed dog food. The Calcium/Fat percentages are excellent and, personally, I was drawn to its EU certification which requires does not allow the 4 D’s (diseased, dying, disabled, and dead) animals.

Large dogs usually have a shorter life span and the additional cost is worth it to ensure my family is eating a very healthy food which, hopefully, will extend their life span. One wonderful side effect is that my Ridgeback’s farts, known to literally clear a room, have significantly decreased in frequency and are not nearly as foul!

No, is not an inexpensive food but we were previously feeding a different, high quality 4 star food that was only a bit less than Annamaet. There are very few retail locations that carry it so I order it online from Wag.com but there are other sites that carry it. The Annamaet website has a list of retailers – online and brick & mortar shops.

Long story short, I’d feed her as much as she wants – to a point. For training purposes (and your sanity), maintain a feeding schedule so that she doesn’t learn that she can manipulate you. The last thing you want is a dog who know that when she drops her bowl at your feet, she gets food. They’re slick little critters!

[pugmomsandy]

Nutrisource is around $48 for large bags on petflow. They also have a lower price when you buy two large bags of the large breed puppy chicken and rice. If you have a feed store nearby, you might ask them to order Victor.

[Akari_32]

So I’m transitioning Ginger on to the newest mix of food: 8 lbs of Nutro Natural Choice Wholesome Essentials Puppy, 4 lbs of Nutro Natural Choice Wholesome Essentials Young Adult, and 6 lbs of Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Puppy, all mixed together evenly and shared with Haley and Dweezle. She doesn’t like the larger, Coco Puff sized pieces of the Young Adult. Spits them out. Its not a “This hurts my mouth” for of spit, its a “what the crap is this garbage??” sort of spit LOL She only spits it out when she gets to the end of her meal and slows down to have to work at the stuff stuck to the bottom of her bowl, so at least she doesn’t pick through her whole meal (Bentley used to do that, the little brat). The Small Breed Puppy is obviously nice small pieces, and the Wholesome Essentials puppy is about the size of a dime, and flat, so both of these she eats just fine.

Also, I think I’m making head way on getting her comfortable with being picked up. Since Tuesday, I’ve picked her up several times, both awake, and just woken up, and she’s only once protested mouthily (thats a word, right? It is now! LOL), and really she didn’t even try to bite me, it was more mouth open, and head turned back a little, like she was ready if she thought she needed to. She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t going to outright protest it. So, I’m very happy with that! She even seems to enjoy being held, at times, as well. And I’ll rub her cheeks and ears and she’ll put all her weight on my hand as I scratch– its so cute lol And she’s been in really good spirits during the day, despite being extra grumpy at night. Not sure what the night-time grumpiness is all about, but I’ll take the running through the house, and the coming over for pets when I put my hand down, and face-to-face, tail-wagging greetings with Bentley (he’s really obnoxious, but she’s learning to accept that, and even like him, even if its just a little bit! LOL)– that last one in particular makes me pretty happy lol

I’ll be leaving friday and not coming home till monday for a cruise, and leaving the dogs and creatures in the combined care of my room mate, sister, and neighbor. This is apparently how many people it takes to do what I do for my animals every day for the weekend LOL I hate to leave them, especially Ginger, but the tickets are past their fully refundable date, and its the wedding of a very close family friend, so I’m obligated to go lol It’ll be fun though! So if you guys don’t hear from me, thats where I’ll be. I’ll have my phone, though, so maybe I’ll be able to internet from my phone… :p

[theBCnut]

Since a lot of large breed puppy foods do not fit within the current guidelines for LBPs, they aren’t really an exemption either.

And even with toppers, you have to consider the calories or pretty soon your dog will be tubby. Reduce kibble to make up for what you add to their food.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by theBCnut.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Thanks again! I guess I kind of figured, as for breed-specific marketing, that it wasn’t all that useful. The exemption might be large breed puppies, I guess. The canned food does look good though, and while I can’t find that exact formula rated on DFA, it does rate Halo grain-free to be 4.5 stars.

[Susan]

Hi, has the vet tried him on a vet prescription diet kibble yet like the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal low fat or the Sensitivity Control….My boy was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal vet diet, it only has 1.75%-fiber 10%-Fat, he was put on the Intestinal Plus 4%-fiber first, he was still doing very sloppy poos after 2 weeks, then I had to order another bag, the lady made a mistake & gave me the Intestinal instead of the Intestinal Plus it was a blessing making the mistake as the Intestinal is only 1.75% crude fiber, as soon as he started the Intestinal 1.75%-fiber his poos were back to normal within 2 days, thats when we realised he needed less fiber, vet said she wanted him to stay on the Eukanuba Intestinal for 1 year but around 6 months when he was doing real well, I started trying other kibbles, I stay around the same fat% protein% & I tried to find a low crude fiber% as his Intestinal Vet diet but it was hard as the vet prescription diet only had the real low crude fiber, even when I give Patch Pumkin I cant give him more then a little teaspoon, if I give more his poos are very sloppy, he cant have too much fiber or fat..
Have you ever done an elimaintion diet, thats the best way, I found that Patch was getting real bad diarrhea from potatos & itchy skin & Sweet potatos made his ears itchy when I did the elimination diet, Vet tried him on the Euknuba FP for his skin last December 1 week after just introducing 1/4cup of the FP to his Intestinal for the whole week, (I slowly introduce new kibbles I use to take about 1 month) he had real bad diarrhea as soon as he ate something he had to run outside & do water poo, so I took him straight off the FP vet thought it was from the higher fat% as it was 15% where his Intestinal was only 10% then 6 months later when I started the elimination diet, I realised it was the potatos in the Eukanuba FP as it was Fish & Potato giving him the bad diarrhea…the less you give the better, there has to be a food that stops his diarrhea, on the yahoo groups there’s a group called “IBDogs” & most of the dogs with real bad diarrhea are put on Prednidsone (Steroid) has he been put on a steroid yet, its for inflammed bowel, I never put Patch on the steriod as I got his diarrhea under control, he was put on the Metroniazole for 2 weeks & when he has had a flares, he gets put on the Metronidazole (Flagyl) for 2 weeks,
Most of the kibbles that you have tried have they been grainfree, try & get a kibble with low fat, low protein, low fiber & not a grainfree kibble as some grain free kibbles are higher in fat & protein, try a limited ingredient kibble.. after trying about 6 different kibbles, I put Patch on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal first then I realised it has Potato protein (he started to scratch) then I changed him to the Lamb & Oatmeal it has Oats & rice I found Patch does better on grounded rice & oats kibbles, the fiber is 4.75% I was a bit worried to try but it had been over 6months since Patch had a real bad flare, last December but I still do his Eukanuba Intestinal for dinner & the Wellness Simple for breakfast & lunch… I have to give Patch smaller meals thru the day he doesnt do well on 2 large meals a day.. Have you tried the Wellness Complete health Puppy Large breed Deboned Chicken & brown rice.. I was going to try the Large breed if the Wellness Simple didnt work, but there was too many proteins in it & it has brown rice, brown rice is higher in fiber thats what worried me.. try to get a kibble with just has 1 protein that’s why I tried the Lamb & Oatmeal & the Duck & Oatmeal cause there’s just the 1 protein but it has peas & Patch farts cause of the peas…. Less is best..
Another kibble some of the ladys are using on the IBDogs is “Natural Balance” limited ingredients…try one that has the less ingredents some have more ingredients then the other limited ingredient kibbles… here’s the link to have look at the ingredients in the LTD kibbles, the Kangaroo has just Kangaroo & Potato & the fiber is 3% fat-10% there’s Bison & Sweet Potato but it has has peas, I wouldnt try a kibble with peas just yet, there’s the Potato & Rabbit that doesnt have peas or too many ingredients, have alook at all the Limited ingredients kibbes & pick one with just 1 protein that he has never had before the Kangaroo looked the best & had the least ingredients..the other one was the potato & Rabbit also didnt have too many ingredients to irratate his bowel..
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product-category.aspx?…
Or start an Elimination diet & don’t start with chicken as u’ve tried the Chicken & it didnt work, another protein like Lamb, kangaroo, rabbit, fish, one lady feeds her dog horse meat, if you can find a place that sells horse meat, cook it, not raw yet & dont do the boiled rice, Patch can have grounded rice in kibbles but not boiled rice, it irritates the bowel for some dogs, maybe try potato or sweet potatos instead of the boiled rice if he goes good then add another food.. or ask vet put him on a vet prescription diet like the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal low fat alot of dogs do real well on the Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal or the Royal Canin Sensitivity Control its just Duck & Tapioca & no other foods, no treats etc then when he’s better after 6months try & find another kibble with similar ingredients to the vet diet he’s on..
He would be so skinny as he wouldnt be getting any nutrition cause he’s pooing it back out…something is really wrong with Banes digestion, vet may need to do bi-opies to find what the problems is.
I feel for you & Bane there’s a few Great Danes on the IBDogs group if you join they also may be able to help you out as they have & are going thru the same thing, also Coconut oil at this stage is a No No when he’s going real good then maybe introduce new things but sooooooo slowely cause 1 thing can make him have a real bad flare & then you’ll have so much touble getting them back to pooing normal again like last December, it took me nilly 3 months to get Patch back to doing nice firm poos again & on the Wellness Simple he does nice firm poos, I think he did better poos on the Duck & Oatmeal it had less peas cause they used the Potato protein & not as many peas in the Duck & Oatmeal…. Good-Luck have a look at the Natural Balance LImited ingredient kibbles…

[Nancy C]

The Homeopathic vet I have worked with recommends BDN and Darwins as raw food options that HE stands behind. I have asked him point blank about BDN and he says it is excellent food, he knows the company (has no ownership and is not personally involved) and he knows the food and therefore recommends it on his website.
I called them (BDN) today to ask about the calcium/phos ratio for beef. no problem: It’s 1:1. I do not understand the issue with BDN but my dog gobbles it like there is no tomorrow and I am going on my vet’s recommendation because he is extremely particular. Has 6 dogs himself, including several Grayhounds I think he said (or some large specialty breed) and feeds it and Darwins to ALL SIX of his dogs. Loves both foods. To find his website can google Dr. Charles Loops DVM. He is VERY intelligent and has been a homeopathic vet for 30 yrs. Pays attention to things that regular allopathic vets do not. Treats lots of dogs with Cancer succesfully. His recommendation goes a long way with me.

[theBCnut]

This is going to take time, because his intestines are so irritated they need time to heal. Get digestive enzymes and leave him on them until at least 2 weeks after his stool stays normal. The enzymes will help him to get the most out of his food so you can feed him the least amount. Get The Honest Kitchen’s Perfect Form and give it until at least 2 weeks after stools are normal, when you do decide to take him off it, taper off so if he starts to have stool changes you are ready to increase it again. THK Perfect Form has probiotics, prebiotics, fiber, slippery elm, and some other good stuff that will help to calm his intestinal wall. Get NutriSource Large Breed Puppy and slowly transition to it. NutriSource foods are usually easy to transition to, but I don’t want you to irritate his system any worse than it already is. Start giving him organic coconut oil. Start with just 1/2 teaspoon and slowly work up to 1 teaspoon per day for every 20 lbs of body weight. If you start seeing improvements within 3 days of starting THK Perfect Form, that’s great, keep going. If no improvement, he may need some psyllium or ground chia seeds for added fiber. Don’t expect this to totally clear for a while, but if it is going to help, you should start seeing improvements pretty quickly.

[theBCnut]

As growing puppies, large and giant breeds have very specific calcium requirements, which most large breed puppy foods don’t even meet, but once they are grown, you can feed them whatever. Just concentrate on feeding a correct amount of good quality food so that they don’t become overweight and more prone to joint issues. You may also want to add a joint supplement to help ward off damage to joints.

Some large breed formulas have joint supplements added in, but they are never actually at a therapeutic dose unless you over feed by quite a lot. Some restrict one nutrient or another based on old outdated research.

[Heidi B]

Hello,
I have a large breed-Bernese Mountain Dog. Should I focus on dog food made specifically for large breeds or will an all life stage food suffice?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Laura:
I like and regularly feed Wellness kibbles/canned and Holistic canned to both my dog and cats. I haven’t tried the Holistic kibbles, but they are on my list to try.

I would look into feeding different proteins and carbs, but more importantly I would begin keeping a list of all the proteins and carbs in his diet. IMO if it is a food allergy or sensitivity saving the ingredient lists from each food (including treats and canned foods) and comparing these lists in order to find the offending ingredient(s) is the best approach; it is also time consuming.

There are quite a few fish based kibbles. I found three that fall under my specific criterion without potatoes of any kind, but two of them have high calcium and phosphorous ratios and of these two one has low nutrient levels. I decided not to consider them after looking at their websites and reading comments about the companies on DFA. The third is Blackwood Large Breed Adult Dog Whitefish Meal & Oatmeal Recipe, however it also includes duck meal.

This list may or may not be what you are looking for; none contain salmon, most contain sweet potatoes, some have flax seed, and some have fish you haven’t fed. Review the recipes carefully, they may include ingredients that you are trying to avoid:

• Blackwood Large Breed Adult Dog Whitefish Meal & Oatmeal Recipe – potato free, includes duck meal
• Pioneer Naturals Grain Free Whitefish
• by Nature Ocean Whitefish & Green Peas Recipe
• Wellness Complete Health Adult Whitefish & Sweet Potato
• Wild Calling Whitefish recipe

Here’s a link to carb values for Wellness kibbles:
/forums/topic/carb-values-of-wellness-kibble/#post-54314

Here’s some links to articles about allergies/food sensitivities in dogs:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/grain-free-dog-foods-solving-yeast-and-skin-issues/
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/caring-for-a-dog-that-has-food-allergies
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/itchy-dogs-%E2%80%93-is-food-the-problem#.VDbE_LnQOpo
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499

[Tanya C]

Thank you everyone for your comments. theBCnut I did not get my dogs from a breeder they are all rescues and up till now have been fed commercial prepared dry/wet dog food. I never even heard of Raw Dog Food until Chance came to us. Then I started researching and like I said above it is all so confusing one site contradicting the other etc.. so I appreciate any and all comments. I bought my meat straight from a butcher, it came pre-grounded. I was told that the 10lbs was a mixture of heart,brain which I understood to not be considered organ meats and then kidney, liver and spleen with I know are organ meats. I also know that tongues are included but wasn’t sure what they are considered. If I added lean ground beef to my recipe say 10-15 lbs would that balance it out better. I am making very large batches as I try to make at least a weeks worth at a time. My Danes range in size from 90-160 lbs so I have been feeding them approx 2% of there ideal body weight per day which is about 3.5 lbs if I worked it out properly, I feed them half in the morning and half in the evening. I will not add the extra egg shells next time and do what I normally do, add them to my garden instead. pugmomsandy the chicken I purchased was from my local grocery store and I ground it myself in a hand grinder at home. I believe I should have called them quarter chicken legs they were thighs with legs attached and bones still in. The next batch will be purchased from the butcher chicken backs with bone in pre-ground. I will look into those books as well, I have a tablet and an e-reader so I should be able to get them. Thank you all so much, I really do appreciate the comments !!! I’m so new at this and I find it confusing even though I did research. I’m still trying to figure out what meats are what hence the mistake with too much organ meats. I just want to make up for my past bad food mistakes and do what is best for my fur babies. Thank you !!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Tanya C.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Tanya C.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Tanya C.

[theBCnut]

I’m not the one to figure out if a raw diet is balanced or not, but I do see some glaring(to me) issues. I think this recipe is very heavy on organs. Organs should make up about 10% of the meat portion of the diet with liver being half of that. Heart does not count as an organ because it is all muscle and fat. Adding chicken with the bone in is OK, and so are the eggs including shell, but the extra shells may be too much calcium, and too much calcium is a big no-no for large and giant breed puppies. Basically, 2 large egg shells are enough calcium for 1 lb of boneless meat. Make sure you use different veggies every batch, because feeding broccoli all the time isn’t good either. I prefer to use one type of protein at a time and rotate proteins.

Have you called your breeder and got their recipe for the raw that the puppies were started on?

[Cameron P]

Hello fellow Dog Lovers!

I Have posted here a few times about the best diet for my pup, and I’ve finally found a food that he absolutely loves and is on the recommended large breed list! I have had him on Nature’s Variety Instinct: Limited Rabbit Formula for quite a while now. He loves it! He scarfs it down. I have noticed that his stools have been pretty big and usually after his initial poop, he’ll move forward a bit, and let loose a more runny stool. This has happened with every food he’s had, so I was wondering if it was common to experience this. He’s had a stool test in the past, and nothing was wrong with it, and the vet didn’t seem concerned when I mentioned it, so I turn to you guys and gals! Is there something I should do differently to make for more consistent bowl movements, or continue doing what I’m doing?

[theBCnut]

They are a bit high for a large breed puppy, but there is more to it than the ratios. You also have to look at the amount of calcium per 1000 kcals. I think they were all right there, though. Did you notice that there is no calcium info for beef?

I’ve already tried talking to them to get answers. They will answer with all kinds of things you didn’t ask about, but when you try to nail them down on what you really want to know, they start claiming it’s proprietary information. How can the calcium level on the beef formula be proprietary info.

As I’ve said, I do believe that they make a good dog food, but I wouldn’t want to feed solely it due to not feeling confident in the mineral levels. And I don’t like dealing with companies that behave that way.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by theBCnut.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kim-
I never thought you were trying to rile anyone up. You just wanted help for your dog. I’m curious if you have gotten your dog to eat or not yet. Please start a new thread or find one more fitting to your situation. This is a very popular thread for large breed owners, I don’t want clog this one up with more non-related issues. I’d like to hear your progress on another thread though.

[theBCnut]

I really think it is a good food for adult dogs, I’m just not sure it is a good food for large and giant breed puppies, since that’s the info that they wouldn’t give. The owners need to come to understand that the type of clients they should want for their business are the ones that want questions answered. Good, informed pet owners are the ones willing to spend tons of money on the perfect food. Nobody was asking them to answer anything that should be proprietary, just simple straight forward required stuff.

[Ramona F]

Hello HDM
I have a 7.5 month old 71 lb lab female (spayed)
I have fed her a variety of fish/ turkey/chicken based grain free Kibble
NOW, Horizon Legacy (not suitable for large breeds) , Orijen
I saw two conflicting posts on the forum regarding Orijen foods and calcium content and just want to be clear on the calcium content in Orijen Large Breed Puppy which she likes a lot but its expensive..
We are trying to find a sensibly priced grain free with the right balance of nutrients and it seems elusive
Any tips? We live in a small town and don’t have some on the list

[spaniel39]

Hi,
I have a Komondor-Hungarian sheep dog
16 months and 120 pounds
I had asked HDM (not that long ago if you want to look book a bit)
as I could not find ANYTHING about when to stop watching the calcium intake
of large/giant breeds.
Even my Vet didn’t know
She wrote back that doesnt’t matter after reaching Adult size.
I don’t go overboard and give her anything like 2.5 calcium, etc
But thankfully that stage is over!

[spaniel39]

UHMMM
Fromm is great. But I think you have the wrong Forum; not that HDM or anyone else
would not be happy to assist you, but with all due m respect, this is the
Large/Giant Breed Forum; Our dogs at birth weighed more than yours now!

[MelSnowy]

I, too, am very afraid of using topicals for fleas and ticks, especially with bad sdx from Seresto Collar. After much research, found FOOD GRADE and FOOD GRADE only stated on package: Diatomaceous Earth, which is also edible, (again make sure stated on package) – just rub into dogs and cats fur and will prevent fleas and even deer ticks …and will kill those already attached. Very easy to use – used a 1/2 cup of this powder on my large breed puppy rubbing it into coat, avoiding eyes. Just FYI. Hope this helps! Read package diligently as some DE has chemicals in it for other purposes.

Melinda and Snowy

[MelSnowy]

Hello, All – has anybody used a Seresto flea and tick collar on their animals? At 6 months my large breed pup was per vet, given a Seresto collar to use. After 3 days of use and at 3 different times over a month, my pup would do a little dance in front of me, lunge at my face and ear trying to bite me and biting puncture wounds on my arms..Talking to my vet, she wanted to put my puppy down. I refused! Went to a specialist seeing if this was a behavioral or neurological issue, as my puppy always has been so very loving and gentle. It was deemed as Neurological. I removed the Seresto collar immediately and it’s been 3 months with NONE of these issues. I called Corporate, Bayer, as I had seen many posts regarding the same sfx. Bayer said they would report it to FDA..”had to as reported by Law” Corporate lied to me. I contacted FDA and they returned a very nice email and said, “Not covered by FDA, but EPA! I’ have tried to contact EPA with no luck. Any help or other comments would be appreciated! Thank you and Woof-Woof!

[aimee]

Hi Mary,

This article would be a good place to start for learning on how to do a proper food trial, they are very difficult to do correctly: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499 Your vet should be able to help you. You need to clear the infections in order to know if the trial is working. Antibiotics and anti-fungal treatments are often necessary as secondary infections are common.

Doing a proper trial is $$ in a large breed. Start with a good diet history. Ingredient sources in the new diet should not only be something your dog hasn’t eaten before but ideally not closely related to ingredients that have been fed before. For example if the dog has been exposed to beef you would likely want to avoid bison. If the dog has been exposed to chicken you’d want to avoid turkey or to be safe any type of fowl.

When doing a trial only use foods from the vet or homemade (you must be very careful not to cross contaminate). This is where the cost comes in. Limited ingredient diets found in stores have been found to have protein sources not listed on the bag.

Good Luck

[Akari_32]

When I put the steps in moms room, I put them to the night stand. They are the same height, but the night stand provides Ginger and Bentley that extra room to get up on to the bed, rather than a shear drop from the bed to the stairs. Moms bed is 31 inches tall, which we couldn’t find any stairs to reach, so we decided the night stand was a good height. It is for Bentley, but just a bit too tall for old Ginger. I’ll be finding a rug and a bit of 4×4 to make an extra step on the night stand, and make the surface non-slip (again, not a problem for Bentley, but a problem for Gingers short little legs and old bones).

I actually bought the Toy Breed for my almost 12-year-old, 60 lb retriever mix, Haley, because it’s high in calories, and she doesn’t like to eat much. Got a bunch if 2 and 4 lb bags free with coupons, along with the Wellness Senior cans :p Having only $10 a week budgeted for now three dogs (12, 60 and 130 lb), a cat, and various fish and reptiles, I’m oportunistic with my pet food coupon deals (but not so much so that I’ll buy food of questionable quality– I still have standards, which works out for me with the great Wellness deals I get). I typically buy puppy foods because of Haley, but the protein and calories on this line were where I wanted them for the most part, and is figured variety is the spice of life LOL

Also, the small kibble size seems to be working well for Ginger because of her teeth. They are just so gross, and I imagine they hurt to some degree. I don’t think this dog has ever seen a bone of any kind in her life. I do plan on seeing how she does on other foods I’ve got stashed away that have larger kibble sizes though. I’ve got one 6lb bag of Pro Plan small breed puppy (only cost my 3 bucks!) and about 15 lbs of Nutro Natural Choice puppy that all have larger kibbles (and of course my bunches of Wellness Toy Breed lol). I’ve got some EVO in the freezer, but those are like as big as her eye, so I think that’s out of the question…

[Elizabeth T]

I have a great dane puppy that is about 5 months old. He has had several skins rashes in the past few months and now he is starting to loose a little hair around his forehead. Our vet suggested an allergy test, but I read that those aren’t always accurate. We have always feed him Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy, but I would like to try to switch his food before we do the test. Do any of you have any suggestions?

[Naturella]

Annabel, welcome!

Although your pup is probably not going to be too big, I would probably err on the side of caution and consider her a large breed. Science Diet is not the best thing she could be eating. Take a look at this link: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/ and check out the document on page 33, I believe – it has a list of appropriate foods for large breed pups, which yours may or may not become. Even small-medium breeds can eat large-breed-appropriate food, so she will benefit from it anyway.

[Susan]

Hi, try an limited ingredient kibble that has a low fat% there must be an ingredient in the Taste of Wild thats is giving them the gas, I found I couldnt have Patch on a high protein or high fat% kibbles, would give diarrhea, also see what ingredients are in the TOW & try another kibble with different ingredients & a different protein to the TOW..
I know you have to watch Great Danes as they are prone to Bloat, I’d be trying a lower fat% kibble with limited ingredients & see if things get better….
Wellness has Complete health Large breed Puppy fat%-12 Protein%-26% or the Wellness Core grainfree Large breed Fat-12% & Protein-34%
here’s a link to have a little look at ingredients & Guaranteed Analysis
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Carlos –

Mixing wet food and dry food is definitely a good idea. Wet food is much healthier than dry (higher moisture content, higher protein levels, less processed) so if you’re going to feed dry it’s a great idea to at least incorporate some wet.

I’m not sure whether or not Simply Nourish is appropriate for large breed puppies as my inquiries to the company about their nutrient levels were never responded to. However, with that said, I wouldn’t consider a pit-husky mix to be a large breed so you’re probably okay.

[Carlos F]

Hello everyone, i’m really glad i found this forum. Thanks to all of you i have been educating myself a lot. I am a first time owner though and just wanted to ask a couple questions. I have a huskey/pitbull mix puppy and she will be 4 months at the end of the month. I am currently feeding her 1 cup Simply Nourished large breed puppy food with a spoonful of wet food from the same brand mixed together 3 times a day. Just wondering if i have done a good choice and if mixing wet and dry food is a good idea. Thank you all in advance and i really appreciate all of your help.

[Susan]

Keep a eye on the fat% in his kibbles you try, some dogs just cant handle higher fat%…Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Deboned Chicken Brown Rice & Salmon meal is good, fat% is min-12%-max-13.50%, Protein is min-26%, Calcium is min-1.10%-max-1.50%, Phosphorus is min-90%-max-1.20%……..

[Nancy C]

Dear Ladies, How I share your feelings and fears. But knowing how good raw seems to be I felt that I must give it a try. Here is my experience and it is one of many – but I have learned at DFA Hearing others’ Experience helps. Due to my 15 mos old GSD having terrible problems due to transitioning to a high end food from TOW due to the recalls- we ended up for 6 weeks at the vet (due to diarrhea) who put him on antibiotics and HILLS POISON WD Formula to heal him. He lost 6 pounds over several weeks. A nightmare.
I was scared of raw, but felt I MUST TRY. So I hired a Homeopathic Vet to help me through to raw. (My reg vet is not into nutrition) He recommends raw for dogs. He also recommends two brands of raw which he feeds to his own 6 dogs: Darwin’s and Big Dog Natural. BDN is a air dried -dehydrated raw to which is added TRIPE to every formula and the veggies are fermented. BOTH these aspects support digestion. First I started with our 10 1/2 yr old Golden Retriever. He suggested that I start with the BDN – would probl be easier to digest. I went Cold Turkey. Chris at BDN strongly advised AGAINST mixing raw and kibble. She all but guaranteed cold turnkey would work fine. One morning I held my breath, stopped kibble totally and fed the BDN as directed. It was a piece of cake! Dog did not skip a beat. The vet said it is bec this food is SO EASILY DIGESTED. And my dog licked the bowl for over a 1 1/2 minutes! Loved the food. There was NEVER any diarrhea nor ANY signs of ANY difficulty. It was magic. I am leaving her on this for 1 month and then will start introducing the Darwins WITH BDN 2 oz at a time. I told my neighbor about BDN and she ordered it and today told me she went COLD TURKEY with her THREE dogs and no problems at all. EASY! She’s now into her second large order of the food! So I will start my GSD soon. He just arrived from training and I want to acclimate him to being back home and I too shall go cold turkey with him. Chris at BDN says one of her customers is a GSD Breeder and he LOVES the food and gives it to ALL HIS DOGS! So, hope this helps a smidgen. Good luck to you!
Nancy Calloway
Oh PS — I do not have stock in BDN, I am in NC they are in NJ, I do not know the owners nor do I know ANYONE there. Chris in Cust Serv is very helpful and nice. I never heard of the food until the Homeopath vet told me about it.

[Akari_32]

I emailed Wellness the other day looking for a low carb kibble to use as treats for Bentley, and they, awesomely, sent me the as fed and dry matter carb values of their entire dog line! Decided I’d post it here, and possibly help someone out in the future 🙂

Wellness® Dry Dog Foods: Carbohydrates

Wellness® Dry Dog
Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 49.58%
Dry Matter: 53.89%

Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe:
As Fed: 45.89%
Dry Matter: 49.84%

Complete Health Lamb & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 48.15%
Dry Matter: 52.34%

Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 53.11%
Dry Matter: 57.73%

Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 52.42%
Dry Matter: 56.98%

Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 36.72%
Dry Matter: 39.91%

Large Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 44.58%
Dry Matter: 48.46%

Large Breed Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 43.56%
Dry Matter: 47.35%

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Turkey & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 37.67%
Dry Matter: 40.94%

Small Breed Complete Health Adult Whitefish, Salmon Meal, & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 35.43%
Dry Matter: 38.51%

Small Breed Complete Health Puppy Turkey, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe:
As Fed: 36.36%
Dry Matter: 39.52%

Small Breed Complete Health Senior:
As Fed: 44.16%
Dry Matter: 48.00%

Small Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Turkey & Brown Rice Recipe:
As Fed: 43.38%
Dry Matter: 47.16%

Toy Breed Complete Health Adult Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Peas Recipe:
As Fed: 32.48%
Dry Matter: 35.30%

Toy Breed Complete Health Healthy Weight Deboned Chicken & Barley Recipe:
As Fed: 41.71%
Dry Matter: 45.34%

Toy Breed Complete Health Senior Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe:
As Fed: 42.43%
Dry Matter: 46.12%

Wellness® CORE® Dry Dog
CORE® Grain-Free Original:
As Fed: 29.47%
Dry Matter: 32.03%

CORE® Grain-Free Ocean:
As Fed: 28.52%
Dry Matter: 31.00%

CORE® Grain-Free Reduced Fat:
As Fed: 34.19%
Dry Matter: 37.16%

CORE® Grain-Free Puppy:
As Fed: 23.58%
Dry Matter: 25.63%

CORE® Grain-Free Small Breed:
As Fed: 23.79%
Dry Matter: 25.86%

CORE® Grain-Free Large Breed:
As Fed: 31.29%
Dry Matter: 34.01%

CORE® Grain-Free Wild Game:
As Fed: 28.18%
Dry Matter: 30.63%

Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Dog Recipes:
Simple Grain-Free Salmon & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 43.20%
Dry Matter: 46.96%

Simple Grain-Free Turkey & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 41.99%
Dry Matter: 45.64%

Simple Lamb & Oatmeal Formula:
As Fed: 48.11%
Dry Matter: 52.59%

Simple Duck & Oatmeal Formula:
As Fed: 49.26%
Dry Matter: 53.54%

Simple Grain -Free Small Breed Salmon & Potato Formula:
As Fed: 35.13%
Dry Matter: 38.18%

Simple Grain – Free Healthy Weight Salmon & Peas Formula:
As Fed: 42.76%
Dry Matter: 46.48%

[crazy4cats]

Hi Aimee-
I’m curious if you kept your lab on the large breed puppy food or switched to a maintenance or all life stages food into adulthood?

[aimee]

Hi Robert M,

From their website they allow Calcium levels up to 1.7% in their puppy diet. This is equivalent to about 5 grams Ca/1000 kcals. Most veterinary nutritionists recommend that calcium for large breed growth should be about 3 grams/1000kcals. The NRC places the safe upper limit for Ca at 4.5 grams/1000kcals, which this diet exceeds.

It is not a food I’d personally feed to my large breed puppy. Personally, I look for a diet with a Ca less than 3.5 grams/1000kcals and a diet that has passed AAFCO feeding trials.

I raised my lab on Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy and couldn’t be happier with the results. Most times when I mention that I raised my pup on Pro Plan someone chimes in about how awful the food is.: )

It really is a matter of what you hold important to you when judging a dog food. I want to see that the company has veterinary nutritionists on staff and has raised large breed pups on the diet while monitoring growth and skeletal development. Purina went far and beyond the min AAFCO requirements for a feeding trial and I was impressed with the amount and type of monitoring the company did in regards to monitoring the growth and development of the Lab pups involved in the trial.

I’ve read extensively on nutrition and the one common factor I find is that nutritionists state you can not tell the quality of a food by looking at an ingredient list. The ingredient list of Pro Plan doesn’t look “real pretty” but since the ingredient list is of less importance to me than other criteria when I judge a food I didn’t hesitate to use it.

[crazy4cats]

Here is the link for the large breed puppy appropriate dry dog foods: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit
I don’t think it has a yellow stickie. But it SHOULD! 🙂 Good luck!

[ROBERT M]

Is “Merrick Grain Free Puppy Recipe (Dry) good fpr Large Breed puppy (Golden Retriever)?

[Karen G]

Thank you SO MUCH crazy4cats and Cyndi, the list you found for me is invaluable! I have a German Shepherd pup who is about 11 weeks old. I currently feed him Merrick for puppys (grain free). He loves the Merrick and seems to be doing well on it so far. Here is what the lable says: Protein (min) 28%, fat (min) 12%, fiber (max) 4.50%, calcium (max) 1.70%, Phosphorus (max) 1.10%. What bothers me is I don’t really know how much is in the food because of the “min” and “max” designations. I wish I had a little better idea of the actual percentages in the food. I went with Grain Free because I read something about arsenic levels but I eat grain myself so I guess it isn’t a big deal if it contains grain or not….I’m still debating about this. My vet is recommending Science Diet since they are more specific about just how much of these nutrients are included in the kibble but my previous GSD never did well on Science Diet so I’m reluctant to try it. I’m going to take a look at this list that you so kindly provided for me and see what I find. I’m new to understanding what type of ingredients a large breed pup really needs (other than keeping calcium lower) so I’m educating myself now. Thanks again for all your help and for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully to me!!!

[Cyndi]

Here is that list of Hound Dog Mom’s I was referring to, so you don’t have to go searching for it. I was bored, so I did it for you 😉
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

If that link doesn’t work, it’s on this page
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/page/15/

[Cyndi]

Hi Karen,

There is a thread here in the forum specifically for Large Breed Puppies. You can find it here /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

Also, on one of the pages, I think, and someone can correct me if I’m wrong, on page 11 or 15 or somewhere around there, Hound Dog Mom made a list of the best foods for Large Breed Puppies. That thread is long, but you may find some helpful info in there. Good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Karen G-
Congrats on the new pup! What kind of dog is it? Did you see the recommended dry foods for large breed puppy spreadsheet that is posted on the large breed thread on this forum? I think it is on about page 33 of that thread. It lists both with and without grains kibble. The main thing objective is to keep calcium under 3.5 g per 1,000 kcal. Also, the food should be labeled for puppies (growth) or all life stages. It does not necessary for it to specifically say for large breed pups. There is no recognized standard for large breed as far as food labels go.
Nutrisource large breed pup with grains is listed and also Wellness Core puppy grain free is on the list. There are several others as well. I was trying to mention more well known brands.
Keep your pups growth slow and steady. Do not over exercise or run him/her. I feed my 3 year old big dogs Victor. Both The Victor Select chicken and rice and lamb and rice would also be good options for your new pup! Hip, knee and elbow problems are so prevalent with big dogs. We need to do what we can to try to prevent them. Have fun with your pup!

[Karen G]

I’m needing help finding a good large breed puppy food. I have my pup on a dry kibble that is highly recommended but because the ingredient list isn’t percise, I can’t tell if the ratios are the best for my large breed pup (the kibble is for puppys but not specific to large breeds and it only lists “min” and “max” amounts so it’s hard to tell how much of each ingredient is in it). My vet is recommending Hills Science Diet large breed puppy because you can tell with more detail what the ingredient ratios are and it is formulated specifically for large breeds, I’m considering this food right now. Does anyone in this forum have personal experience with a dry large breed puppy kibble that he/she would be willing to share? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany, when I first rescue my boy he was doing sloppy poos with jelly on then & mucus, did the blood tests for parasites all blood test all came back good, vet said Colitis & he was put on Metronidzole for 2 weeks, I went back to feeding him chicken necks for breakfast & his Opitmum kibble & tin food at night again every 13 days he would be up early hours of the morning with his stomach/bowel making gurgling noises & he’d have to go out & do his jelly poos, I called them, then finally vet said looks like he has IBD, he can’t just eat anything, no more chicken necks there’s too much fat & just bone, he needs to be put on a stricted diet, so he was put on Vet prescription Royal Canin Hypoallergenic cause he also has skin problems being a Staffy but the fat was 19% in the R/C HP it was too high fat% then he got Pancreatitis, in the end he was put on Eukanuba Intestinal Low residue kibble, this stopped all the jelly poos stopped his gurlging bowel, I also cooked him boiled chicken breast mixed with a little pumkin, rice & a boiled egg, now Im giving him Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal its a limited ingredient kibble & his poos are excellent better then when he was on the Royal Canin & Eukanuba Intestinal Vet diet, maybe look at the Wellness Complete Health range they have a large breed puppy formula & also give a cooked meal but keep everything the same, very simple once he gets use to the cooked or new kibble dont just change it or rotate it until you’ve worked out what he can eat & what he cant…once I had him just on the Eukanuba Intestinal & he was doing real good for 6moths, I started an elimation diet for breakfast only & his kibble for dinner & I found he couldnt eat Potatos or sweet potatos, he got a rash all over his chest & had diarrhea, if he ate a biscuit with wheat in it his paw would get real red & swollen.. unless thats what you do start an elimantion diet, you start with 1 protein normally boiled chicken & add rice then after 1 week & their poo is good add something else new to their diet for the next week, I saw an reaction within 2 hours of adding the potato, so the next morning I added the potato again to make sure it wasn’t from grass his rash & it was the potato, you can google elmination diets for dogs….
Have you tried a kibble where the protein% & fat% was lower then the Taste of the Wild & seen how he goes..
if you do cook make sure that he has the same meal for at least 4 weeks to settle everything as soon as Id change something in Patches diet he’d be pooing sloppy again, so I started watching what he was eating & writing it all down…can tin fish is good but not in oils, I use tuna in spring water & drain the spring water, I add a little boiled pumkin & a boiled egg you can also get salt free Salmon
another good site is yahoo group called “K9Kitchen” run be Monica Segal..also Lew Olson Book called “Raw & Nutrition for dogs” it has cooked recipes for dogs with health problems, that’s where I started with her book, its only cost $12 on Amazon she explains about using the egg shell after boiling the egg & drying the shell out & crushing the egg shell for their calcuim…..

[crazy4cats]

Hi Constance-
Congrats on your new pup! You dont hear about Afghan’s much anymore. Very cool dog! I can understand your concern. Ive read about keeping calcium levels down below 3.5 g per 1000 kcal in kibble for large breed pups, but i havent read much about calcium in canned. I like to add canned, fresh or dehydrated toppers to my dogs meals to make them more nutritious and yummy. I’ve not been much help, but hopefully others will chime in with their opinions. Best wishes!

[Constance C]

I have an 8-month old Afghan Hound that I’ve had for 2 months. She came to me from the breeder eating Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice, & Vegetable. For consistency, I’ve been feeding her a little less than ½ Kirkland and a little more than half Victor Dog Food Select Hi-Pro Plus Formula for Active Dogs and Puppies, but after reading the Large Breed & Puppy thread I’m rethinking everything (calcium, dry vs wet, other?).

Am I feeding her the right food? Should I add wet food and if so, what kind? I’m a new dog owner, but I’ve read enough to know I should avoid gluten and grocery store type dog food.

(PS. She eats her kibble but never really seems enthused about it, but maybe this is ok?)