[dzdubz]

Hi,

I have a beautiful 5 month old German Shepherd puppy, that has consistently had very soft stool/diarrhea since I got her. I was feeding her Orijen large breed puppy formula, and recently switched to Acana LBP, with no noticable change to her stool.

I’ve searched for advice but have not found an answer anywhere. My dog walker thinks her diet is too high protein and that Shepherd’s have sensitive stomachs. On her advice I’ve tried adding white rice and carrots, but neither has shown any effect.

Could you please help me with any suggestions for food or some kind of supplements that I can give her? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Dave

[Monica]

This is of great concern to me as well as Ihave received various stories of protein levels verses calcium/phosphorous ratios. I am feeding my almost 6 month old Alaskan malamute Acana Pacifica for about a month now. This week he was diagnosed with growing pains. Could the food be contributing to this. Is he growing too fast? He did have a growth spurt of 4 lbs in a week but prior to this only gained 2 pounds in the previous 3. Fed Acana the whole time.

[lukeduke]

I have a Cane Corso pup and the breeder had her on Kirkland puppy food. I transitioned her to Raw (instinct raw bites and Darwin). She eats the instinct like its “Crack”. 3secs and its gone. Oh, I do mix it with kibble (Prairie large breed). I’m thinking of just strait RAW. Darwin’s raw is local and free home delivery. I will say this about raw; the stole is solid and way less smelly.

[GSDGuy]

*LargeBreedPuppy

[GSDGuy]

Solid gold wolfcub large puppy breed , orijen Large puppy breed , froom Large puppy breed, now fresh grain free large breed puppy food , ease into the transition , mix both foods for about 4 days then fully transition hope it works they are all great foods the best in my opinion for Large breed

[pugmomsandy]

It’s only the large breed puppy that has special calcium/phosphorus requirements so actually your adult dog can eat the large breed pup’s food.

/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/page/36/

Here is the large breed puppy food document:

https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?usp=sharing

[Naturella]

Sandy,

We may be wanting to adopt a larger dog, and I was planning on keeping him/her on large breed puppy food for 12-18 months, until she is full-grown. I would then introduce all-life-stage food that the large dog can share with the small one. Then I would just feed them adult food or continue with all-life-stage every now and again.

Do you think large and small dogs can share the same food once they are both adults?

[pugmomsandy]

If it’s a large breed puppy, then it has special needs. I was assuming you’d be getting another small dog. Also, puppies (non-large breed), adults and seniors can also eat the same foods (unless there is a medical issue). My 14 yr old eats the same food as the rest of the gang (which includes all life stage food).

[Hganurs]

Sorry.. One more thing HDM.. Our doodles will be about 80lbs grown so they are large breed puppies 🙂 he is 20 lbs now at 13 weeks

[Hganurs]

Hound dog mom… Please advise.
We have a 13 week multi generation labradoodle ( this is our 4th one, and our last 2 lived to be 15 years old till this year). We are mixing ( transitioning ) some leftover Life’s abundance puppy kibble given by breeder, and changing over to Kirklands puppy kibble ( we had never had an issue with our 2 that ate kirkland for 15 years). But naturally, we took him to puppy class at Petco and the mgr saw him licking his paw and said ‘ he has food allergies…, here you need to switch him to Merrick … Try the lamb…’ She was very knowledgable about staying away from foods that cause allergies ( corn, chicken , wheat). So we paid $50 for a 30lb bag of kibble !!!! We have not opened it because I’m JUST not convinced that we need to change food. He has a vet appt in a week and his treats for training adont have corn in them either. Side note is we are getting another doodle puppy in April so we need to keep the food the same since they will be eating together.
Thank you

[theBCnut]

All Life Stages foods are puppy foods.

[WatsonsMom]

Hi HDM. Thanks so much for all the research you do. It has been so helpful. Just a question. What do you think about Fromm Large Breed Puppy? I know the calcium levels are appropriate but it’s not grain free. But do you think the nutrition is good for a large breed puppy? I have a 10 month old boxer mix who is about 68 lbs or so and definitely does not look like he is done growing. He eats 6 cups/day otherwise he looks emaciated!! And yes I’ve had him tested and he is worm-free. Whatever he is mixed with is definitely larger than a boxer. Anyways, he has been getting Fromm Large Breed puppy since he was about 4.5 months old. When I first got him at 3.5 mos I put him on TOTW Pacific stream puppy and he did well with it but the vet wanted me to put him on large breed puppy. I then tried Wellness large breed puppy and he did not do well with that. He has been on Fromm Large Breed Puppy since. He looks pretty healthy and eats his food fine. But I still worry b/c I want him as healthy as possible. And I love that Fromm has never had a recall (would never do TOTW again b/c of their recalls). I’m hesitant to put him on adult food just yet b/c he has not matured (and vet suggested at least a year). But I will say I bought a small bag of Salmon Tunalini and replaced a 1/2 of his food with this and his poop was way firmer. I think he might do best on grain free but grain free puppies have too much calcium. Anyways, just wondering what you think about Fromm large breed puppy. I plan on switching him to their grain free formulas once he’s matured.

[MsDad]

2dogmom, I feed NL to my Goldendoodle puppy. Give them a call and ask to speak with Scott (he’s the owner and will talk with anyone who calls!). He can explain why the higher calcium & phosphorous levels are not harmful much better than I can. But in a nutshell, they don’t add additional Vitamin D3 to their foods. All the vitamins and minerals come from natural food sources and don’t cause overabsorption of calcium.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by MsDad.

[Akari_32]

This is really long, so don’t go running away screaming lol

Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
By Nature Active
By Nature Pork
California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
Canidae Life Stages ALS
Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
Castor and Pollux Large Breed
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
Earthborn Puppy Vangate
Earthborn Small Breed
Earthborn Primitive Naturals
Evanger’s Chicken and Brown Rice
Fromm Gold ALL
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Pork
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Chicken
Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance Chicken
Holistic Select Vital Senior
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
Holistic Select Anchovy
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
Merrick Classic Beef
Merrick Classic Lamb
Merrick Classic Chicken
Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
Natural Balance Ultra
Natural Balance Fat Dogs
Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
Nature’s Recipe Venison
Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
PetGuard LifeSpan
Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Vet’s Choice ALL
Wellness Complete Health Chicken
Wysong Adult
Wysong Growth Puppy
Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

I was really surprised at how cheap the Grandma Lucy’s is– 51 pounds for 60 bucks, and for a really god one?? I’m all about that!

Not too sure on the Solid Gold, but its just kind of hanging out there for now. I dunno what it is about that brand that gives me the heebyjeebies.

Some of these other ones (By Nature, Vet’s Choice, Premium Edge, and a few others) are cheap and look good too. As it gets cooler and my food supply starts to dwindle, I’ll look into this online dog food shopping thing, I think.

[Akari_32]

I’m currently scooting around Petflow.com. Most of the larger bags of food are out of my price range. I found a GIANORMOUS bag of Eagle Pack, looked it up on here, and was a bit peeved to see it had corn, and so high up on the list. Yet it gets 4 stars! I suppose it’ll be on my “maybe” list….

http://www.petflow.com/product/eagle-pack/eagle-pack-original-adult-lamb-meal-with-rice-breeder-bag-dry-dog-food

As far as large-bag-shopping goes, thats about the price range I want to stay in. Smaller bags can be a little more expensive.

I’ll keep looking around, and post more as I find them.

[theBCnut]

You need to read the entire Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition thread and print up the google doc on pg 15 to take with you to the dog food boutiques in your area.
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

[2dogmom]

Hi,
I see you have Nature’s Logic mentioned however I’ve seen recent posts about high calcium – maybe too high for large breed puppies. Does anyone know if there is true cause for concern?

[2dogmom]

Hi,
I am getting an 8 week old Golden Retriever (English Cream). I had planned on feeding him Nature’s Logic Dry (all stages food), however I started reading a recent post about high calcium levels and growth issues. Can you tell me if I should avoid that food? If so, HoundDogMom what do you suggest? I’m focusing on dry food or dry mixed with cans. I thought I found the perfect food in Nature’s Logic, now I’m second guessing that choice with all the posts about large breeds and calcium intake. I did purchase a bag and started feeding it to my picky Sheltie (almost 2 years old).. When I think I’ve settled on a food, I keep reading about gassy foods or loose stools and I’m not sure what to do. HELP!

[dmmal]

Hello

I am in Ontario and pet value has now Earthborn yeah. For my large puppy it will be grain free Coastal Catch and Meadow Feast correct. If we are looking at food rotation for my large puppy can you tell me if the following kibbles would be ok:
Now Fresh for large puppy
Wellness Core for Puppy
Earthborn Coastal and Meadow Feast any other with that brand
Orijen maybe , he had gas and loose stool with it.

What do you think of:
Go grain free for puppy
Merrick grain free, they have 5 any I should not buy
Horizon Legacy for puppy
From grain free they have 5 any I should not buy.
Acana grain free

Thanks for the help

[InkedMarie]

Go to the forum below this one, click the stickie for foods for large breed puppies. I’ll be honest, at ten months it may be too late but hopefully someone else will offer better advice.

[GSDGuy]

Orijen puppy large breed or solid gold large breed puppy ? For a gsd 12wks I was thinking orijen

[GSDLover]

I have a ten month old German Shepherd who is having leg problems. We have taken her to the vet and had xrays done, and there is nothing wrong. I have do e some research and seen that certain foods aren’t as good for large breeds. I don’t like the food she is on right now (Beneful Puppy) because its not set for large breeds, and because of the other nasty ingredients in it. My problem is which food would be the best to help correct the paunches is having in her legs? We had her on the Purina ONE for large breeds, but she stopped eating it. I’m at a loss on what’s good for my girl.

[BAndersen34]

My dog is a Yorkie Terrier Mix. He is 12 years old and weighs about 12 pounds. He is very healthy and active I want to start feeding him the best dry natural dog food and I came across this site(I currently feed him Canin Royal Adult Dry dog food). It seems like all the food recommendations are for large dogs or specific breeds. Anyone have a recommendation for a dry natural dog food from the 5 star list for a small dog?

[Dfwgolden]

I have a 16 week old purebred Border Collie puppy out of working stock lines.
He’s an amazing pup in every way, intelligent, lively, loving, and very social.

However….

Ricky has since I got him had very loose stools. We have three other dogs two Golden Retrievers and a Chihuahua (Shh, don’t tell him I called him a dog!)
None of our other three ever had loose stools, Ricky also poops a lot!
Not like 4-5 times like some puppies do but like 8-10 times a day.

His potty training has been an extreme difficulty and is not progressing as it should.
We’ve tried changing foods and adding supplements.
He just has show no signs of improvement.

I am a big fan of the raw diet but am not currently able to feed that with my finances.
He is currently on Diamond Lamb and Rice Large breed puppy.
My other dogs eat Diamond with no problems what so ever, they have a nice shiny coat and have never been in better health.

What do I do about this? I just am all over the board here and don;t understand why he poops SO MUCH and why it is so loose.
He is 100% healthy (had a blood panel done and everything) he is on Revolution for fleas and HW.
He gets feed in the afternoon around 12:00pm and at night around 6:00pm
Then gets a small snack of food before I leave for school around 7:00am of so.

He is very active and shows know underlying issues what so ever. His coat is beautiful! No smelly breath, or itching ect.

I just am baffled.

[theBCnut]

You can do a rotational diet any time. The gas may be because of all the peas, beans, lentils, but really stronge smell has to do with how he was digesting the protein. Not too much protein, but rather too little of the enzymes and probiotics needed.

[dmmal]

2 questions: soft stool and gas and rotation
– when can we start rotating food for large puppy. Tienan is 7 months. Introduced new food Now Fresh ,this week in 3 days and no problem He had been on Orijen for 5 months. Can I introduce another food when this bag is almost done?
– on Orijen his stool was softer and we was passing lots of gas. Does this means too much protein for him?

[DogFoodie]

Hi Katie,

Bless you for taking on this big boy. He’s lucky to have you.

I would think it’s likely that the chewing and biting could be food intolerance / allergy issues as much as it could be compulsive behaviors. Would you be in a position to try to distract him every time you catch him chewing? A quick walk, a quick game of fetch, a doggie massage? Also, maybe give him something healthy to chew on that is tastier than his nails or fur. That’ll give him some extra calories also. Try bully sticks or raw, meaty bones like a turkey neck for snacks and chewing satisfaction. Samoan81’s suggestion for satin balls is a also a great idea.

I think I’d get him off of the grains though and would definitely increase his protein. His body needs more protein to repair and rebuild. I wouldn’t use anything less than 30% protein. He’s an adult now, so you don’t have to be as concerned with Calcium levels ~ which are what you limit with a large / giant breed puppy ~ not protein. While she mostly suggests foods with grains, the Great Dane Lady has a list of foods she recommends along with some great advice. Have you visited her site: http://www.greatdanelady.com/. Also, here’s a link that’ll take you right to the page of foods she recommends: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/criteria_list_of_better_foods.htm.

Also, one food I’ll suggest you try adding to his diet is Abady granular. It’s usually very well tolerated and is very calorie dense, about 800 kcals per cup. Their website is very strange, but I would suggest calling them and telling them what’s going on and get their recommendations. They’re extremely helpful over the phone. Here’s their website: http://www.abadyfeeds.com/ and here’s their phone number: Tele: (845)473-1900 * Toll Free: (877)-99ABADY .

Have you tried giving him some pureed pumpkin for the loose stools? That usually helps a lot.

Peace & Blessings,
Betsy

[theBCnut]

Storm’s Mom doesn’t post on the forum, but she is frequently on the review side.

[dmmal]

Thanks Patty for the info.

Questions for Storm Mom
I am in Ottawa can you tell me which puppy food for large breed you would recommended. I have HDM list and not too many she recommend I can find. Some brands we have here and not seeing them reviewed here. My concern is the calcium level and high protein as my puppy is large on the verge of becoming giant! I prefer grain free. I have presently Orijen and Now Fresh both puppy food for large breed.

[theBCnut]

When doing an elimination diet, your treats have to be of the same protein/carb as the diet you are trying. For example, my Micah was very young when he started having problems and I knew he had always been on a chicken and grain food, so I started with eliminating chicken and all grains. I used a turkey and tapioca based food, gave turkey necks for chewing, and dehydrated turkey bits for treats. He had no problems with turkey, tapioca, peas, sweet potatoes, then I added beef, beef ribs, liver bits for treats, and so on. No treats that aren’t the protein you are trying or one you have already found to be safe.

It turns out that Micah really does have a problem with chicken and some grains, but not all of them.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Sully’s Mom,

That’s one of the hardest parts of an elimination diet. There are no treat, just extra love!

[Sully’sMom]

So, Pattyvaughn, a followup question:

If I switch to Earthborn Great Plains in an effort to figure out allergies, how do I handle treats, bones, chews, etc? We usually give quite a variety of treats when we’re training, sort of like a trail mix variety so he never knows what he’s getting. I only give top shelf, high quality, made in US treats, but still….there’s quite a mix!

[theBCnut]

Storm’s Mom, on the review side, is the one who will know what is available in Canada. You might just want to print up Hound Dog Mom’s list and take it with you to the pet boutiques in your area.

As far as how long you need to transition, it will depend on your dog. Give him a couple weeks the first time or 2, just to be safe, then one week should be fine. But after you have been rotating his food for a while, you will find that he no longer needs transition time at all. Buying the biggest bags is fine as long as you use them up in a timely manner so the food does not spoil, which shouldn’t be an issue with a large breed.

[dmmal]

Hello from Canada
I am french so my writing english could be not the best so excuse my spelling/ grammar mistakes.
I have read the 43 pages and decided to register. Definitely valuable information. What I have learned and knew nothing about is rotation of food. So now I would like to start my puppy who is 7 months on this new regime of rotation. He has been on Orijen puppy food for large breed since he was 10 weeks. I have bought” Now Fresh” puppy food for large breed. Wondering which other puppy food or all life stages food I could add that are available in Canada. Questions for the ones who are experts in this:
1- how many type of food can I add?
2- how do I do the transition, is one week enough to change from one brand to another one when puppy has been on only one food for the last 5 months?
3- I would like to keep buying the biggest bags. So when there will be one week left of food in the bag can I mix it with another brand of food and when this one is almost empty start the transition again and keep doing this.

Thanks

[Akari_32]

The Ocean Fish Core has round shapped kibbles, now. It kind of looks like Cocoa Puffs cereal. I have to sog up any larger kibbles for my 8 pound dog, with water or canned food. Only takes a few extra minutes and apparently makes it much tastier :p

[sippmanjr]

How do I safely add sardines and eggs into my puppies diet without changing the amount of calcium they will be getting. I have looked at nutritionals on sardines and it seems they do have a solid amount of calcium. Also what other raw natural foods do you think I should be adding into her diet and how do I go out about that. Obviously the base of the diet will consist of dry but I definitely want to add natural raw in as often as I can and as early as I can. Also , chew like Elk and Deer antlers have calcium as well. I just want to make sure they are not getting an abundance of these minerals from the toppers or treats.

[Duke The Boxer]

Wow April very nice find. My puppy is having sensitivities to the high protein in the rabbit at 36% protein. He is having loose stools but since going on more dr Tim’s kinesis food his stools have firmed up. I may have to try that next round. I just got dr Tim’s and I will be reporting in a couple weeks.

[apriliamille]

did you all see the 2 new earthborn holistic grain free?
large breed and weight control

http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/large_breed/

koa’s mom this might be the thing for your dogs with the 26 protein in it

[InkedMarie]

I use Mercola Healthy Pets digestive enzymes and Dr Langers probiotics from Swanson.

[Sully’sMom]

I’ve got a question about toppers – after all the angst of finding the right kibble, now I keep reading articles (elsewhere) and threads (here) about toppers: sardines, eggs, yogurt, green tripe (where do you get that?)…

Anyway, is there a best way to do this? Do you rotate the different toppers each evening? I was already giving him some canned pumpkin and then started with salmon oil, so I moved the pumpkin to the morning and I squirt the salmon oil on the dinner. Would anything else be in addition, or instead of?

[InkedMarie]

KarinK: go back a couple pages, someone shared the link of HDM approved foods for large breed puppies.

[InkedMarie]

Great pictures duke!

[Duke The Boxer]

Terra Biota also contains a synergistic mushroom blend for prebiotic support, the specific earth elements kaolin clay and calcium bentonite for mineral and alkalizing pH support, as well as the additional prebiotics: MOS, and FOS, and the Soil Based Organisms, which are cultured probiotics found in healthy soils.

That’s what she said. She said that the soil has natural bacteria that is beneficial to dogs but in order for them to get a good amount of that bacteria they have to eat a lot of dirt. But for the most part it is used that a prebiotic

[EHubbman]

Curious as to why the mushrooms are in the probiotics you linked to. Did she say when you emailed her?

[Duke The Boxer]

Hey karnik I can comment on the probiotics and enzymes part. For the enzymes I use the Swanson digestive enzymes and you can find them on amazon. For the probiotics I just found this formula and so far it’s doing crazy good amounts of improvement in duke’s stools. The probiotic is Biostareq K9 terra biota.
http://biostareq.com/formulas/canine/terra-biota-k9
The probiotic has very good count of different strains and also it has some clay in the formula which even further helps absorb toxins. I emailed their owner and formulator and she was very quick and detailed in her responses. Everything she has made she said that she has personally used and tested them on her own dogs and her friends dogs. I’m really surprised how well and in how little time the probiotic has started to work.

[karink]

One more thing to add, was also considering the Annamaet Salcha formula. Using your formula to calculate grams of calcium per 1,000 kcal, it has 2.83 g calcium per 1,000 kcal and 30% protein, higher than the Nature’s Variety formulas. Also read higher protein is better. I also calculated the Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Rabbit Formula and it comes out to 2.93g calcium per 1,000 kcal, Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Turkey is 3.08g calcium per 1,000 kcal but also higher protein than the rabbit. As all are below the 3.5 grams which you said we should aim for – it would seem any of the 3 would work, correct?

[karink]

HDM or anyone that can help. I found this website (which I think is great), but the more I read, the more confused I get. After reading numerous posts, I came across one in which HDM recommends Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Turkey and Rabbit formulas for Large Breed Puppies. I fed my 13 year old Golden (who just passed away) the LTD ingredient formula for the past 2 years of his life (when I found it). Loved it!! Would love to start my new Lab puppy on this food as well. However, their website doesn’t list the calcium and phosphorus. Are both of these recipes within the normal calcium/phosphorus ranges for large breed puppies?

Also, if ok, I have read it’s good to top food off with other things like tripe, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, canned sardines, carrots, etc. If I add these things to the diet, does that not throw off the calcium/phosophorus in the diet? How do I control this? Would love to be able to add these things to the diet but I’m no scientist and can’t be doing all kinds of calculations everytime I want to add something to my puppies food – but I also don’t want to harm him.

Also, any names/recommendations on probiotics/enzymes and where to get them? Is there are need to give these to a puppy if you give him a good quality kibble?

Any suggestions? If you could give me the name of your favorite 2 or 3 foods to feed my large breed puppy it would be a great help. That way I can rotate th food. Price is not a problem.

Thanks.

[Duke The Boxer]

http://imageshack.us/a/img826/4806/xfwc.jpg
hahah my boy enjoying the nice breeze and view

[Duke The Boxer]

http://imageshack.us/a/img855/2258/htq3.jpg
my baby boy next to his friend. Duke is on the right with the tan body

• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by Duke The Boxer.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 7 months ago by Duke The Boxer.

[GSDGuy]

Good canned food for large breed or helps for large breed I will use it as a mix