There’s no scientific basis for not feeding a grain-free food to a large breed puppy – just old wives tales. My last two hounds were weaned onto grain-free with no issues. But if you really don’t want to feed a grain-free food I believe Fromm and Nature’s Variety have some appropriate formulas. I know Innova Large Breed Puppy was good but that was recently recalled. I’m working on compiling a list of appropriate grain-inclusive foods because some people don’t want to feed grain-free.
Hi,
anyone have a suggestion for a new food for my giant breed puppy.
IS on hightly rated artemis fresh mix large breed puppy but stools are very loose
all the time (like pudding/soft serve). Tested for giardia,etc and all is fine plus
was wormed twice for 5 days on Panacur just to be sure.
she may have a chicken allergy so was going to try Solid Gold Wolf cub but seems very
grain heavy. Would be wonderful to find a 4 or 5* food that produces firmer stools.
I know Hounddog lady (think that’s her name) has a list of grain free with lower calcium and
phosphorus, but I’ve been told by so many breeders, vets, etc that although grain free
is best for adults (both my spaniels are on Acana and Wellness core ocean)
Pups should not be deprived of grains first 9 months-1 year.
Would welcome any advice
Thank you
Michael and Samuel the Spaniel and Sophie the Komondor
Hi,
anyone have a suggestion for a new food for my giant breed puppy.
IS on hightly rated artemis fresh mix large breed puppy but stools are very loose
all the time (like pudding/soft serve). Tested for giardia,etc and all is fine plus
was wormed twice for 5 days on Panacur just to be sure.
she may have a chicken allergy so was going to try Solid Gold Wolf cub but seems very
grain heavy. Would be wonderful to find a 4 or 5* food that produces firmer stools.
I know Hounddog lady (think that’s her name) has a list of grain free with lower calcium and
phosphorus, but I’ve been told by so many breeders, vets, etc that although grain free
is best for adults (both my spaniels are on Acana and Wellness core ocean)
Pups should not be deprived of grains first 9 months-1 year.
Would welcome any advice
Thank you
Michael and Samuel the Spaniel and Sophie the Komondor!
Calcium Ascorbate does contain calcium – so I’d go easy on it. Personally, I’d put mom on whatever food the pups will be weaned onto. This will make feeding easier once they’re born. It’s kind of difficult to separate pups and mom for different separate feedings.
I’m not sure if you have answered a similar question before as i haven’t read through the entire thread.. but here it goes
I have a 2,5 yr old Boerboel ( South African Breed similar to a English Mastiff) who has just mated a week ago. I am currently feeding Eathborn Primitive natural (2.4% Calcium). I will natural feed the pups one of the other Eathborn Foods you have already recommended due to the lower calcium content… (thanks for that info by the way)
.Other articles I’ve read warned against feeding too high levels of calcium to pregnant dogs and recommend switching to a puppy food of a quality dog food. (it had something to do with the contraction of the Uterus)
Finally the Question…: can I keep her on Earthborn Primitive natural (2.4% calcium) or should I switch to another Earthborn product (1.2 – 1.3% calcium) until after she has given birth and continue with primitive natural then?
also if I give her a calcium ascorbate supplement, does this affect the amount of calcium in the diet?
Any advice give will be appreciated, My girl Jordan and I thank you in advance
I’m not HDM, but yes, the chicken formula has too much calcium. You should consider changing to the LID Turkey or the Rabbit. Don’t bother with the Raw Boost, there isn’t enough of it in there to matter.
There are a number of reasons the stools could be runny. First, get a fresh sample to the vet to rule out parasites. Then consider adding a digestive supplement that has both probiotics and enzymes in it to his meals. You probably won’t have to add it long term, but some people do.
I have a 5 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback. He has been fed Natures Variety Instict Raw Boost Chicken dry kibble since he could eat solid food. Is this item not on your list because it contains too much Calcium? He really enjoys his food, but I have noticed his stools are sometimes very runny. I attributed this at first to him eating grass and such, but am now wondering if his stomach is reacting to something in his food? Should I consider switching to the Natures Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey that you have listed in your low calcium document?
This reply was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by sbrooker.
Hi Newfs
Sorry HDM has been out for a few days and she is the best at large breed questions. If you have Earthborn available to you, then Coastal Catch and Meadow Feast are both good for large breed puppies. If you have Nature’s Variety Instinct, the Rabbit and the Limited Ingredient Turkey are both good.
Unfortunately many people are experiencing these same issues with Blue Buffalo. My friend’s golden retriever puppy got very sick on the Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy formula. I also don’t believe that any of the Blue Formulas are appropriate for a large breed puppy such as a lab. I’d recommend checking out the Large Breed Puppy thread – it’s under the “Diet and Health Issues Forum.” Hope that helps!
We have a 6 month old lab mix puppy that has developed a poor appetite and weird eating habits within the last month. He was on blue buffalo lamb and oatmeal puppy food for a couple of months. One day he started getting diarrhea and was acting less energetic and wouldn’t really eat without much coaxing. So we took him to the vet and there were no issues. The vet recommended Prescription Diet food for digestive health and we tried that. He seemed to like that and we decided to slowly get him back on his old food and he would eat his old food when it was mixed with the Prescription Diet. We wanted to get off of that since the first ingredient is corn and get back to something more natural. We tried switching to the blue buffalo large breed puppy chicken and rice to see if he liked that flavor instead. But he really doesn’t have much interest in it and won’t eat it all of it. He will usually take a few kibbles and bring it to a rug and eat it there and then walk away for a bit. His stool is sometimes solid, sometimes loose and it varies how many times he goes in a day. He sometimes has gas too. He also itches his ears and paws a lot, so we are thinking he might have allergies. Does anyone have a suggestion for a dry food that is natural and in the same price range as blue buffalo? Should we get a large breed puppy food? We are considering Hollistic Select as an option.
Thanks for the help!
Above: Pusuke was a Shiba Inu Mix. I haven’t found any other info on specific of her care & diet. Her owner simply said “‘plenty of love, plenty of good food and regular check-ups at the vet’s’.”
5)Sako Med-Large Mix; identified variously as Labrador-Heeler-Staffordshire or Kelpie Mix; 21 yrs
Diet: Nature’s Gift, which owner calls a “fantastic food”
Owner: Maryanne & Tony Wilde
Melbourne, Australia
6)Chanel Wirehaired Dachshund; 21
Diet: Cooked Chicken & Multigrain Pasta, mixed with commercial dog food
adopted from a shelter as a puppy; owners had previous experience w/dachshunds
elder care: wore protective goggles for cataracts; t shirt/sweater for cold & dog booties;
daily exercise & time out; last yrs used a buggie on longer walks
Hello again, I have been on the site many times since my last post and was hoping to get some more help again. Since my last post I took Dawson off Big Country Raw, I wasnt impressed with there customer service, most of the time my questions were brushed off and when I would place my order they seemed annoyed. Plus I found some things in the dinners I was not impressed with. So shortly after Dawson had a “sickness” episode (he was no longer on BCR) he vomited like 20 times before noon, and it was just bile. He was extremely lethargic and wouldnt eat or drink anything, but his bloodwork was relatively normal and in 2 days he was starting to be back to himself. He started drinking water on the 3rd day then the next day his appetite was back.Im fairly certain it was the freshpet he was eating that made him sick. After that episode I was afraid to start him back on raw, so I ordered in some ziwipeak air dried which he absolutely LOVES! Then once he was feeling better, i fed him ziwipeak in them am and then canned in the pm, I wanted to give him a meal with moisture in it like his raw meals. I switched his canned out for Grandma Lucy’s Artisan which he likes, and I like some things about it but its not ideal.
he has been doing well on that, but there is an Irish Wolfhound breeder at school who feeds her (very large,lol) gang raw. When we went to visit her and her wolfhound she had at school (who Dawson loved, I guess he likes the Big Girls, lol) she gave Dawson a tripe and veggie mixture to take home and try. Well He loves that and his tummy has seemed to be ok on it, which is what I had been worried about, so I was thinking about starting him back on raw, but im still nervous. I was also thinking of continuing his ziwipeak in the am, and trying the orijen freeze dried for his pm meal, but I was wondering if that would be too much fat for him to handle? He walks 2x a day, but I worry about inducing pancreatitis in him. Plus I like that the meats are free-range, antibiotic, hormone free. For raw the best I could probably do for a while would be grocery store as I cant seem to find organic free-range around here. At least until I can find a good source of meat… I really want free-range, antibiotic free meats for his tiny body, unless its ok for him to have typical “store bought” meats? If you think raw is still the best option I would like to prepare it myself this time around.
Sorry for the extremely long post, you guys are such a wealth of knowledge and the vets at school are very pro-Hills, Iams types. I really do like ziwipeak and so does Dawson, but I also want to feed him a meal with moisture in it as I think thats important too. Any input would be greatly appreciated! If you think is current diet is really decent, or if the ziwipeak, orijen freeze dried would be excellent for him, or if raw still would be the best (perhaps for his pm meal) even with store bought meats. And if you think of anything else that might help him after hissickness`supplements, tips etc. Thanks in advance, and hope you are all enjoying the long weekend!
If you are looking for Large Breed Puppy food, Wellness L.B. Puppy is probably one of the best in terms of level of calcium and phos. I work in a pet food store and this is a popular one for those looking for large breed specifically. I agree with Patty…print your list and take it with you.
If you have a specialty pet food store near you I would go that route. The people who work there are more apt to be more knowledgeable simply based on their love of animals. Also ask if the store guarantees their food. The store I work at guarantees all of the food…..if your pet does not like it, won’t eat it, etc then it can be returned for a full refund as long as there is half a bag or more and within 45 days of purchase. Lastly, ask about Frequent Buyer programs, such as buy 10 bags and get the 11th bag free. Most pet foods now days have one.
That really doesn’t sound like too much food for a dog that size. If I were you, I would print up that list and take it with you and make notes on it. Find out what you have where you are at and how much it costs. I just discovered Earthborn and think it would be a nice food for large breeds and they have 2 flavors that are appropriate for large breeds, Coastal Catch and Meadow Feast. Stay on puppy food until rapid growth has slowed down, about 8-10 months. All Life Stages foods are appropriate for growth.
Hi everyone! I’m brand spankin new here, so hello. I am adopting a 4 and a half month old American Bulldog/Boxer-Hound puppy who currently weighs 41lbs. He’s estimated to be 80 plus lbs as an adult. He has been fed a petsmart store brand dry food up until now. For obvious reasons, I want to change this and feed him something much better. I have looked through the 10 page awesome large breed puppy thread as well as the created doc file on the best foods with lower calcium. Cost is a factor for us. We wanted to go with a Dry Kibble that was able to be bought at a pet store or easy delivery service. From the list, I was leaning toward Wellness Core Puppy and the Kirkland brand. However, I don’t have a Costco membership so that might be a problem! Can anyone help point me in the right direction to make sure puppy has a better finish to his puppyhood than he started out with? He’s currently eating 2 cups in the a.m. and 1 cup in the p.m. – seems like a lot??? How long to stay on a puppy food? Thank you SO MUCH!
so I was reading up on Earthborn Holistic and you recommended the Coastal Catch or Meadow Feast formulas. I like them both, but I was wondering about the Puppy Vantage formula. Although not grain free, I like the ingredients and it seems the calcium isn’t high. What do you think?
I’ve been feeding raw for a few years so I have a good feel for balancing – I know what foods contain which nutrients, how much bone to feed, how much organ meat, which types of fats to add, etc. I started off using recipe books, but for the most part I now formulate my own menus. A lot of it is just variety. Each meal doesn’t have to be balanced but if you feed a variety of healthy and species-appropriate foods the nutrients should balance over time. Just like with people – each meal we eat isn’t completely balanced but we eat a variety of foods. I actually have several of my menus posted under the “Recommended Raw Food Menus” topic on the raw thread if you want to check them out. Towards the end I actually have a couple that I ran a full nutrient analysis on – just for kicks – and they conform to the AAFCO nutrient profile for all life stages.
That’s awesome. 🙂 I’ll have to look into wholesalers around my area.
How do you make sure with raw that you’re giving a puppy everything they need in a balanced way?
That would be my main concern were I to go full raw with him.
Raw can be done cheaply or it can be done very expensively. I’ve gotten VERY savvy at cutting costs over the years and am now feeding all three of my hounds for ~$350 per month (not too shabby when you consider I’m going through around 200 lbs. of meat a month + fruits/veggies and other extras like eggs and kefir + supplements). Homemade is MUCH cheaper – I get all my meat from a wholesale supplier that supplies local restaurants and grocery stores (truck come right to my house, I order ~300 lbs. per shipment) and I order my supplements from Swanson’s (low cost human supplements).
Hey K9, So sorry to hear about your loss, but congrats on your new pup!
The thread PugMom suggested is a GREAT one, and helped me figure out what to feed my Presa Canario pup (mastiff).
What you’ll find in the thread is that the protein content for large breeds is not nearly as important as the calcium and phosphorous levels. Hound Dog Mom put together a great list of 4 and 5 star grain free foods for large breed pups.
Day 3 on mixing in some canned food and he is LOVING it. 🙂 I’ve never seen the boy eat so voraciously!
We’re doing NV Instinct Rabbit Kibble right now, going to get a bag of the LID Turkey when he runs out of this. Then I’ve got a few different varieties of canned that I just add a decent size tablespoon of to his kibble and mix it in. Right now I’m just using NV Instinct cans until I get Cal/Phos numbers back from Hound and Gatos. At which point, we may try mixing in some of those as well. I’m rotating the canned recipes every meal to keep him interested (So far, so good!).
(Side note: Apparently in Sept 2013 H&G’s is releasing a line of grain-free kibbles, so I’m interested to see what those will be about!)
I talked to a friend about going partial raw/full raw and she said it’s not quite as expensive as I’d think, so we’re looking into that as well.
Thanks again for your help! I don’t think I would be near as confident with our food choices had I not found this thread and all the great help you have given!
Some products such as Darwin’s raw frozen food provide the guaranteed analysis of vitamins and minerals in grams per 1000 kcal ME. Since the amount of calcium and phosphorus is important for large breed puppies, I’m hoping someone knows an easy method to convert grams per 1000 kcal ME to dry matter.
I have found a few products such as Darwin’s raw frozen food where the guaranteed analysis of vitamins and minerals is given in grams per 1000 kcal ME. The amount of calcium and phosphorus in dog foods are important to know for large breed puppies. I’m hoping that you can discuss how to compare products that provide nutrients in this way. Hopefully there is a easy calculation to convert grams per 1000 kcal ME to dry matter.
Interesting – Pet Flow includes samples with your order? I was going to go with Chewy over Pet Flow because it’s about $3/$4 cheaper, but… am intrigued by samples!
Canned food can get pricey too. If you’re on a budget and you’ve got a Tractor Supply near you they sell 4Health canned (rated 4.5 stars) for $0.99 per can. There are three grain-free varieties (chicken, beef and turkey stew) and also three grain-inclusive varieties (chicken and rice, lamb and rice and fish and potato).
This reply was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
I was going to run out tonight and get some cans as well as a different recipe of food. It’s hard finding kibble I feel comfortable feeding him, and I unfortunately don’t think I’ve got the budget to go raw. Bah.
Have you tried mixing canned food with his dry? This can usually pique the appetite of picky dogs. For a dog like him that looses interest in foods so quickly a rotation diet may be a good idea – if you bought smaller bags you could keep 2 or 3 different foods on hand and switch between every meal, maybe this would keep him interested.
I know! That’s why I wasn’t expecting him to actually eat it! Typically he just sort of gnaws on it and a few shavings come off here and there. I looked up from my book to find antler chips and tiny bits of marrow all over the footer of my bed and he was just happily chewing away! He’s a great chewer with his food and treats, so i wasn’t worried about that, but I just was like “whoaaa calcium buddy” and just gave him something else to chew on.
Thanks so much for the great info. I think we’ll hold off on antlers for now.
I’m trying to find a food that he’ll eat. He was on TOTW and slowly just stopped eating it.
A friend noted that he’ll eat when he’s hungry, so I left him with his food while I was at work, and in a day and a half he had only eaten 1/4 c of food, even with coaxing. He’d eat anything else I gave him, had no change in stool, and wasn’t vomiting, just wouldn’t eat. So I got a few different sample bags to switch him over, so he picked out all the new food (NV Instinct – Rabbit) and left all the TOTW in the bowl. He was OBSESSED with the NV for about a day, now he’s doing the same thing he did with the TOTW. Any help or ideas?
His activity level is the same, he’s drinking lots of water, his stools are normal with nothing odd in them, he’s pottying fine, he’s not vomiting, his ears are clear and his eyes are a little gunky (have been since I got him), but it’s just regular eye boogies, no off color discharge. He’s growing quickly and I’m just getting concerned as I want to get him all the calories and nutrition he needs.
EDIT: we went to the vet on Monday for puppy checkup (he was still eating regularly so I didn’t think to note it, just thought he didn’t like the TOTW) and his fecal came back just fine, as did his physical.
This reply was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by EHubbman.
WOW – he actually at that much of an antler at three months old? Those things are rock hard. If he’s that powerful of a chewer I would be more concerned about him breaking teeth than the calcium content. The calcium content is very high though – ~24%.
Another question – my little guy is 3 months old and loves to chew on shed antlers here and there. We were laying around last night and instead of just chewing on his antler (not breaking pieces off) like he typically does, I looked up and he had eaten about a 1 inch section of it. Antler, marrow, and all.
In regards to calcium content, should I hold off on letting him have antlers until after he’s fully grown since he now wants to eat them? (he’s a spanish mastiff).
This reply was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by EHubbman.
You’re welcome! In general, if you’re buying bags of dog food regularly, I find http://www.chewy.com to be less expensive than PetFlow, but I like PetFlow for the odd items. We got a box delivered yesterday with some trial sizes!
As always, thank you SO much for all the information! I can’t tell you how much your responses have helped, and I feel much more prepared now. I went to a local store yesterday that sells only top brands and knew exactly what I was looking for. I got a few sample bags of The Honest Kitchen and they’re ordering me samples of Orijen and Nature’s Variety Instinct as well. They also sell the canned green tripe and a variety of freeze-fried/dehydrated foods so I think I’ll be good to go! Again, if I haven’t said it enough already, a million thanks!
Also, thank you Sully’s Mom for the tip on the sample bags at Pet Flow! I was checking out their site because they seem to have pretty good prices and ship for free over $49. I’ll definitely look for the sample sizes!
I buy 25 lbs bags. I go through about 50 lbs a month, more in the winter, so a bag will never be open for more than 2 months. We’re under a/c at all times, but even so, I’m fixing to go down to 3 bags at a time instead of 4 for the summer. I take a weeks worth of food out of the bag and roll the top down tight and clip it to keep air flow to a minimum. I also keep an eye out on the Brothers site for when they are selling 5 five lbs bags for the same price as a 25 lbs bag and take advantage of that.
A year ago, I wasn’t rotating foods either. I had a dog with a sensitive stomach and changing foods always upset everything with her. I had another that was super picky, only eating about every third meal. When I started rotating, I started by adding canned or fresh toppers, just 20% or less of each meal. I would use the same topper for a few days then change it. That got my picky dog eating some better and it got my sensitive dog read for a food change. It always took a month to change foods completely with the sensitive dog, but I committed to doing it. As soon as I got her used to one food, I started the transition to the next. It took about 3 transitions before I realized that she could transition faster without stomach upset, so I started transitioning every 2 weeks. Now she gets a different food every meal, and I also feed some raw with never an upset stomach. And my picky dog is excited to eat, never misses a meal, and always licks his bowl clean. So when I say I had a dog with a sensitive stomach and I had a picky dog, it’s because they aren’t either of those things anymore. I have four different kibbles open at any given time, but with 3 athletic dogs I go through them pretty fast. And I feed a wide variety of raw proteins.
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