[Tom F]

Math was way off… We got them at 8 weeks. Vaccinations have been spread out evenly. The Iams was the only one formulated for large breed the Merrick and Life’s Abundance were both all stages formulated.

[anonymous]

I wonder if you are feeding them too much? Could the food be high in fiber?

I never feed just kibble (too dry) add a little boiled chicken meat and rice (give up the rice when there stools have been firm for more than 3 days), add a little water or plain homemade (nothing added) chicken broth to meals.
Don’t free feed/leave food down.
Feed 3 small meals a day for now.
I have heard good things about Pro Plan Focus salmon for sensitive skin and stomachs
Make sure the food that you choose is appropriate for large breed puppies, it will say so on the bag.

PS: Wait a minute. You got them at 4 weeks? Not good for the immune system. Way too young, they should stay with the mother till at least 10 weeks.
Let me guess, they had a load of vaccinations recently.
Best to spread those out, don’t give all at once, and hold off on the rabies (required by law) for as long as you can, at least till they are 6 months old.

[Tom F]

So here’s the low down…. We have had Rocky(Sheepadoodle) and Sophie (Goldendoodle) for about 3 months now. They certainly home with the breeders food which is Life’s Abundance all stages. We decided due to financial reasons we were going to select another food and after researching and researching I went with what I thought was a good decision and choose Merrick grain free Texas beef and sweet potatoes. The transition went ok…… We are new at having dogs and didn’t know what to expect. We transitioned over 10 days from LA to Merrick. During the transition their poop was never consistent, sometimes normal sometimes more like the poop emoji. Once the transition was completed a few days later they started vomiting. We woke up and it was everywhere and all over both of them. It was gross. So we called the vet and brought them in. She gave them some antibiotics and we put them on chicken and rice for a few days to settle their belly’s out. The vet recommend doing a food switch again, her thoughts it was the food, so we listened due to inexperience and switched now to Iams proactive large breed puppy. Instantly their poop was great but then the itching started and their coats went from soft and fluffy to coarse and wirey. The inching continued for a week or so and we were getting concerned so we reached out to the breeder and let her know what was going on. She suggested switching back to LA. So guess what we did???? Yep we switched. We transitioned them back to LA over a 7 day period. Itching stopped within a week and everything seemed to be going good. Then the very inconsistent and smelly poop set in. Theyd go poop and it’s solid and then they take a few more steps and then the poop emojis come out. And it is really bad smelling. So we called the vet to talk to them and they said fast them for 24hr and then chicken and rice for 3-4days or until the poop becomes solid again. So it’s been 3 days poop is solid and yesterday morning 4/30 we started them back on LA. Now today 5/1 they go poop…. Fingers crossed…. Say a quick prayer… Talk to the puppies and tell them they can do it!!!! Ok here we go…. They poop. It’s solid…. They did it…. Psych…. They took a few more steps and out came the emojis… They look at us as it’s happening knowing we are disappointed……….

Ok all jokes aside now this is where we are at. We need help. We need suggestions. I do not want to switch these poor dogs again. How long should we wait on the LA before we know if it is something with this food? Do we give it a month? Have we totally screwed our dogs digestive systems up???

Anything help is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[pitlove]

The vets you have talked to are dead wrong and using our dated information. Large breed puppies MUST stay on a large breed puppy appropriate food until 18 months of age.

[anonymous]

Maybe these articles will help, both are written by veterinarians and one specializes in nutrition.

Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies
Posted on January 10, 2010 by skeptvet

Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[mojoh]

So, who can you trust? Which products provide enough transparency on their manufacturing process? Apparently origen and acana did: https://www.championpetfoods.com/wp-content/themes/champion-petfoods/res/research/Champion-Petfoods-White-Paper-Heavy-Metals.pdf . Is anyone feeding their large or giant breeds that?

Also, I’ve spoken to a couple vets about dog foods and they tend to say keep the puppy on puppy food til about 4 months then go to an all life stages food as the puppy food tends to be too rich.

[pitlove]

Hi John-

I do truly hate to dissapoint you, but what you are focusing on in terms of finding a proper food is neither here nor there and does not impact the growth of the puppy. Also your concerns with that particular websites findings should not be at the forefront when choosing a proper large breed puppy food. This website has not been willing to release data to the public on any of their testing or the vadility of it, so until they do, I encourage you to focus on the aspect of nutrition you can control which is finding a food with appropriate calcium/phos ratios and keeping your Ridgebacks lean.

This may possibly mean when your 10 month old reachs 18 months and he is moved to an adult food that your pups are on 2 different foods. Until then, select a food labeled for growth according to the AAFCO statement and one that is labeled for Large Breed Puppies from a company of your choosing.

[Mike Sagman]

Great question. You are feeding a Type 2 dog (a large breed puppy). So, simply check out the dog foods we recommend for Type 2 dogs inside Editor’s Choice.

By the way, some of those brands and sub-brands can be found on the Budget Friendly list, too.

Hope this helps.

[mojoh]

Hi folks,

First time poster here. I have 2 Rhodesian Ridgebacks, 1 8 weeks old and 1 10 mos old and I am searching for an all life stages brand as I want to feed them as a group. I’m currently feeding them Precise Naturals Large & Giant breed puppy formula.

I do have a number of things I’m hoping to avoid:
1. Trace contaminates from the manufacturing process. I try to vet the dog foods here: https://www.cleanlabelproject.org/product_category/dog-food/

2. Can be grain or grain free (Rice generally has arsenic but grain free blends tend to have more contaminates just as brands with fish tend to as well) Ref: https://www.cleanlabelproject.org/pet-food/ and https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm

3. Would like to avoid high levels of pea/pea protein/legumes as they could potentially have long term health effects on dogs: Ref: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/grain-free-equals-peas-peas-and-more-peas/

4. No canola oil. It seems to have more health risks than benefits: https://draxe.com/canola-oil-gm/

With my current feed, I cannot vet it for trace contaminates as there has not been a review. Another similar one that has been reviewed is Eagle Pack Large & Giant breed (Ref: http://www.eaglepack.com/product-dog.aspx#.WubEFtKG99A ) but it is puppy and adult formulas instead of all life stages. The Great Life brand appears to have an all life stages ones but peas are in both grain and grain free formulas: http://www.greatlifedog.com/# and am waiting on a response as to their current calcium/nutritional profile. Also, the original google linked list appears to still have valid formulas except many of them have been tested to have contaminates at various stages of either manufacturing or pre-manufacturing individual product growth.

Also, reading some of the original links and posts it appears that the recommended protein for some studies is 29 to 34% yet other studies shows that 23% protein had no statistical difference on growth. So, is there a recommended range that is statistically proven?

Any thoughts?

Regards,

John

[Anabel S]

Hi! Just got a Dobie puppy and I’m searching for a good quality food for a large breed without braking the bank. I’m not sure what is the protein, calcium and phosphorus % that I should stick with. Appreciate some food recommendations and clarifications about how to feed my type 2 puppy. Thank you!!

[Marla G]

The internet will always be lit up with opinions and gossip. However, I know several dog friends that had been having issues with Orijen and Acana. There dogs are now off the food and problems have been resolved. I think that speaks volumes. I started showing dogs over 30 years ago. During that time I have seen dog food companies come and go and obviously seen many problems too. It’s through my vast experience that I’ve made my choice not to continue using Acana. The dog show community is large and we depend on one another for information. We know by sharing our personal experiences it may help other owners. My show dogs have always been my companions first and foremost. The amount of information you collect through knowing many vets/specialists over the past 30+ years and also reputable breeders can’t be bought or learned on some forum. It’s an invaluable education. The breeder of my 2 Collies has been doing so for 40 years. She’s a wealth of knowledge. So, my decision wasn’t frivolous to discontinue Acana.
I’ve written a few posts recently and they haven’t shown up. I hope that’s a coincidence.

[haleycookie]

How old is this lab? If he’s under 2 years I would get him on a large breed puppy formula ASAP. wellness core puppy, fromm large breed puppy are two good ones. If he’s already full grown looking for a food with three meat ingredients first. Merrick is good, natures variety instinct, and wellness core adult are good.
If you’re looking for a budget food, whole earth farms, under the sun, and wholehearted are two good ones.

[Susan]

Hi emmygirl,
sorry my post is so long but as I’m writing I’m remember heaps of information & what I did with Patch….
You have written everything I have been thru with my IBD boy Patch who is nilly 10yrs old, I nilly put him to sleep in January, instead we did another Endoscope-Biopsies on esophagus & stomach, I thought he had stomach cancer…
Find a vet that does Endoscope + Biopsies & a vet that knows about IBD, you must get the biopsies done if you ever do Endoscope, some vets dont think to do the biopsies when looking at the stomach & small bowel, these vets are lacking experience in IBD, Patches stomach looks perfect when he had his 2 Endoscopes but his the biopsies told a different story. Biopsies tell the vet so much information what is wrong with your boy intestinal tract….Ultra scan was a waste of money, you cant really see the stomach & the vet can see the bowel but only if the bowel is thickening, vets thought Patch had thickening of the Bowel but he didnt, this happens after the dog has diarrhea for years, I wouldnt like to be a vet, 1 dogs cant talk & tell the vet were is sore what hurts etc, so vets have to do alot guessing sometimes when test come back OK.

*Food
Over the years my good vet told me to keep a yearly diary, cause you cant rememeber every single thing you’ve done & they have done.. now I look back thru Patches diaries when I need to remember what was Patch eating when he was doing so much better, write what your feeding, times, meds, what were poos like when he’s eating ?? etc
Is he doing OK when he’s eating the cooked Turkey, Squash & Oatmeal, how are his poos? one of Patches first vets told me in the beginning, to look & see when dog is pooing, does the poo come out of bum properly formed poo?, then when it hits the ground it turns to slop cow patty poo? the vet said this is OK as long as poo’s are formed when its coming out of the bum & as long as the dog is just doing his normal 1-3 poos a day & is not pooing at all thru day & night at all hours, vet said to me this might be as good as your going to get Patches poos, he was eating the Royal Canine Hypoallergeniic dry kibble… but I ended up getting Patches poos firmer when he started teh TOTW kibble & I ended up trying the Royal Canine Hypoallergenic wet can food last year it was better then the dry R/C HP kibble, then after trying all the Intestinal vet diets Hills, Royal Canine & Eukanuba Intestinal Low Residue worked the best but Patch skin was yeasty itchy & smelt bad then after joining the Canine EPI f/b group dogs were doing really well on TOTW or the Kirkland Signature, Natures Domain, Turkey & Sweet potato & Salmon & Sweet potato formula’s so I started Patch on TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & the Pacific Stream Salmon but teh Pacific Stream Salmon made him vomit he does firm poos but kept vomiting up the TOTW Smoked Salmon later I seen TOTW Pacific Stream Salmon is very high in toxins & another 2 fish formula’s brands Patch kept vomiting are very high in Toxins after being tested, then 3 yrs later Patch refused to eat his TOTW Roasted Lamb kibble, something had changed with TOTW kibble it smelt different, looked different & kibble size became very small….so now it makes me wonder if these kibbles are high in contaminates & toxins making my boy IBD have a flare??? thats why its best to cook their meals or find a really good dog dehydrated dog food that uses human grade ingredients.. as Patch has gotten older his acid reflux has gotten worse so he cant eat kibbles that are over 15% in fat now..
loow for lower fat around 10-13%-fat & low carb diet higher protein

Have you tried adding scramble egg with his meal? also the egg shell dry it out & crush & add 1 egg shell 1 teaspoon egg shell to one of his meals a day for his calcium, slowly start adding the egg shell if you fed home cooked diet……..Patch cant eat any kibbles that have fish or salmon oil in them he gets bad acid reflux from the fish oil also the fiber is very low in those Farmina vet kibbles 1.10% -fiber…Patch would be doing sloppy cow patties eating the Farmine vet diets that are very low in fiber..

When I read your post about your dog can’t eat most ingredients I knew its more then just the ingredients he is reacting too, sometimes it’s not the ingredients they cant eat, it reminded me of Patch when I first rescued him, he does have food sensitivities that I worked out BUT later I worked out there’s In-soluble Fiber, Soluble Fiber, Crude Fiber & Dietary Fiber, dogs with IBD need to work out what fibers agree with them & there isnt that perfect dry kibble diet for our dogs even vet diets dont help Patch or if a vet diet did help Patches IBD he gets his itchy smelly yeasty skin paws & ears.

Have you tried Royal “Canine Gastro Intestinal Low Fat” wet can food??? I bought a 12 can pack last week I had credit from a pet store I had forgotten about & at Lunch time if I think Patch doesnt seem well I open a can of R/C Gastro low fat & I take out the meat loaf from the can as it has heap of oil in the can so I pat dry the loaf with paper towel then I cut into 1/3 & he gets 1/3 of a can & I put the rest in bowl cling wrap bowl & put in fridge Patch does firm poos on the R/C Gastro Low Fat wet can & 5 yrs ago when he ate the R/C Gastro Low Fat he had diarrhea, so sometimes you have to re try foods or wet can or kibbles again cause sometimes its not the ingredients they are reacting too… its something else wrong either their small bowel or large bowel in the beginning it was Patches small bowel S.I.B.O now its his large bowel….
I would start the B-12 weekly injection ASAP you can buy & do yourself, if you join “EPI” Canine face book group they can help & tell you which B-12 tablets to get from chemist & where to buy the B-12 liquid for injections, you can never over dose your dog with B-12′, if they’re feeling crap or have had diarrhea the B-12 can really help them feel heaps better, alot of the EPI dogs take B-12 injections or tablets, I was going to get the tablets for Patch as B-12 is good for them & us humans when we are run down & unwell…..

Try & work out does your boy do better when you cook & add pumkin a soluble fiber soluble fiber is very easy to digest & dissolves in water or does he do better eating Lentils & Chickpeas they’re Insoluble fiber & Soluble fiber food? My boy doesn’t do well on Lentils or Chickpeas he gets instead dirrahea that night if he has ate a kibble with lentils..
google foods that are soluble fiber & foods that are insoluble fibers?

Try & stay feeding the home cooked diet or try a limited ingredient Freeze Dried raw if you I’m slowly introducing a new freeze dried dehydrated raw free range diet we have in Australia called “Frontier Pets” they’re small balls & you add warm water, so many dogs that can’t eat & have IBD symptoms are doing really well on this free range, dehydrated Frontier Pets dog food, it has no lentils, no chickpeas like most of these new grain free foods have now & my Patch is doing firmer poos then what he does when he’s just eating his Wellness Kibble…
I have to feed my boy dry kibble for some of his meals cause his sphincter flap isnt closing now & his food comes back up his esophagus into his mouth causing bad acid reflux, then sometimes the acid goes into his wind pipe & he becomes so unwell, cries, whinges, its awful to watch him when he becames so unwell, I wanted to put him down in January out of his pain, these last 5-6 yrs Ive tried everything & something always seem to work, I had him on Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain, Roasted Lamb the Australian formula, has no chickpeas or lentils like the American TOTW formula’s have…. I could always fall back onto his TOTW if he started to do cow patty poos again when I was rotating his kibbles his vet said cow paddy poos is the large bowel where yellow sloppy poos is a small bowel problem but when he stopped eating it in December I had no kibbles that I knew worked & didnt iratate his IBD, his vet said please wait 1-2 months before we put Patch to sleep, his environment allergies are real bad at the moment & have put his immune system into over drive, we had just moved as well, so I didnt put him to sleep plus I couldnt do it, I just wanted more help, I wanted a miracle but vets cant always help the dog sometimes no matter how good my vet is, she always tells me Patch is her favorite & she always thinks & wonders how is he going when she doesnt see us but she said she knows he must be doing better cause I havent come…
Have you tried Metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets when he become unwell with vomiting & diarrhea/sloppy poo’s, I have Metronidazole in the cupboard with repeat scripts so I can just go chemist & get them out if I need them saving at $60 vet visit & as soon as I see he’s becoming unwell doing sloppy poos, vomiting or when Im introducing a new food, I put him on the Metronidazole for 14-21 days it helps him, Metronidazole has an anti inflammatory & antibiotic in it, so it helps a few health problems…
With a dry kibble, I’m feeding Wellness Core Large Breed at the moment even though Patch isnt a large breed dog, he’s a senior & when I email Wellness they said yes their Large Breed formula’s are OK to feed a senior dogs, they are high Glucosamine & Chondroitin for their joints & high in DHA, Patch is small to medium English Staffy weights about 40lb -18kgs, the Wellness Core Large Breed formula is high protein-34%, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, then potatoes, peas, Patch can’t eat chicken he gets red paws but I had no other kibbles left to feed him & the man at Pet Barn said, if anything happens just bring it back all dogs food are money back Guaranteed, I got the 5,4kg bag 1/2 price $40 so I tried it, Patches paws went red but his stomach became better, he had no acid reflux, poos firmed up not 100% firm in the beginning but better then when he was eating a kibble that had grains, I can pick his poos up now on our walk & not leave a poo stamp on the grass, Wellness Core Large Breed is low-med fat-13%max, low Kcals-345 per cup, carbohydrates are 31% you must read the Kcals per cup when looking for a kibble, stay under 360Kcals per cup the higher the Kcals the more dense the food & harder to digest…
also have you tried giving your boy a acid reducer? Patch was taking Losec-(Omeprazole) for 2 yrs then this year I change it to Somac (Pantoprazole) what i take & he stopped eating grass everyday so he mustnt feel sick as much now, sometimes you have to do things yourself when you know in your heart what the vet is doing & advising you isnt helping your dog, & I saw my vet & she now wrote me repeat scripts so I can get the Pantopraozole from chemist cause the vets dont have Pantoprazole in Australia, Pantoprazole is used by American vets… but know if my vet & Patches other vet that does his Endoscopes & Biopsies see a dog like PAtch & cant work out what to do with the dogs bad acid reflux they can rememeber what we did with Patch & touch wood he seems to be getting better he has some bad days but I have his acid reflux under control no & I really want him on this Dehyrated free range, grain free food..
Try the new food just for 1 of his meals, thats what I do now, I feed new food for his lunch 12pm this way Patch has his kibble from breakfast 7am in stomach & small bowel then he eats something different for lunch a small meal then he gets his dinner 5pm kibble again & it seems to work for Patch when Im introducing a new food he gets it at luch time cause you can’t mix kibble & dehydrated raw wet food with a dry kibble, it would probably upset Patches stomach & the Holistic Vet Kathy that help formulate this new Frontier Pets dehydrated raw dog food droped off Patches new food + some samples to try & she said take baby steps, it took 1 of her patient dogs Bernie 6 months to get him onto the Frontier Pets, he was doing well then when down hill but yiou just restart again she said search for “Frontier Pets” on facebook & scroll down, look for Bernies Story” Italian Greyhound story, it will give you some hope…

[Susan]

Hi Robert,

A dogs digestive tract is short, made to digest meat, raw meat, not a high carb high fiber over processed dry kibble….
Why the dogs digestive tract is short so if the dog eats rotten meat etc the meat is quickly digested & passes thru into the small bowe,l then large bowel, then he poo’s, so no bacteria can start to breed in th e stomach….

A homemade cooked or raw diet would be heaps healthier then feeding wet dog can food but wet can dog food is better then feeding dry processed kibble, so you’re getting there, when you cook your dogs food you know whats in their food & what they’re eating, also when you cook you’re not cooking their food are very high temperatures like wet & dry dog foods are cooked, killing all the good nutrience in their food, maybe baby steps, next time you’re cooking, cook some extra boiled sweet potato or potato, a bit of meat & some green veggies for your dogs meal, mix 1/2 wet can with the cooked food & slowly start feeding cooked meals..
Join Monica Segals Face Book group called “K-9 Kitchen” & Lew Olson group called “K-9 Nutrition” & follow “Judy Morgan DVM” she has really good videos you can watch & very easy to make dog recipes you just put in a Crock Pot slow cocker, Judy has a 16-17yr old dog.

People think if the kibble is grain free kibble then its healthier but some of these grain free kibbles are higher in carbs, higher in fiber, full of lentils chickpeas & peas to up the protein %, so the meat protein % isnt as high as you think it is cause your getting plant protein as well, it would be good if these dog food companies had to write the Meat Protein % the Plant Protein %….. honest dog food companies are starting to write the plant protein %, google “Earthborn Holistic” Venture formula’s they write the Pumkin protein% , the Pea protein% the meat protein %…

Back in the 50’s, 60’s, 70′ & 80’s our dogs were so much healthier then the dogs now who eat dry kibble 24/7, in the 90’s the dog food companies started telling us “DO NOT FEED YOUR DOGS HUMAN FOOD” its no good, kibble is better & we believed them, you have even even written
(Our dogs do not est human food.) why??
what makes you think dog food is better then a “balanced” cook meal, why some vets are against cooked or raw diets is people don’t balance their dogs diet properly causing health problems, this is why the vet will recommend to feed pet food for cause they know it will be balanced but after tests on cat wet can foods in Australia scientist found supermarket, pet shop cat foods Hills & Royal Canine all those little expensive cans of cat food were not balanced properly & now it says on these really small cans of cat food “not to be feed as a main meal”… this happened last year & the scientist who exposed this was sponsered by Hills & wouldnt give up the names of the expensive cat foods they had found not to be balanced properly, the reporter doing the story put 2 & 2 together & worked out which expensive cat foods werent balanced…
Rodney Habib & Steve Brown recommend you add either fish or salmon oil capsule once a day to 1 of their meals, use Krill oil capsule if dog has sensitive stomach or start adding 2 spoons of salmon or sardines in olive oil or spring water to 1 of their meals a day, just read the salt % look for lowest salt % in the can salmon or sardines… for lunch sometimes I open a small can of salmon in spring water drain teh water & add some boiled sweet potato mix & give to Patch for lunch.. I boil sweet potato & freeze small pieces sweet potato freezes really well & its healthy for them..

Google “KetoPets” for Liza & start making the Ketopets diets or cook the Ketopets diets & I bet you Liza will be here longer then 2 years….
Dr Judy Morgan talks about this subject in one of her video’s on her facebook page look at all her “Video’s”..
It works out cheaper cooking meals or feeding a raw diet then it does buying the wet can dog foods… also start looking at Freeze Dried food for your dogs instead of giving Benji the kibble with his wet can food..

[Susan]

Hi Sandra,

Have you look at different diets, cooked, raw, wet can, freeze dried, air dried, what are their symptoms?
Have you done a food elimination diet?
until you work out what both your dogs can & can’t eat, you’ll be going around in circles & getting no where, or work out if they need more fiber or less fiber?? that’s easy, start adding boiled pumkin 1-2 spoons to one of their meals & not to the other meal & see if poo is firmer from the added pumkin meal. Poo will be a bit more orange..

I did the same with my boy, he didnt seem to do well on no kibbles when I first rescued him, turned out to have IBD, food sensitivities & environment allergies finally after 5yrs I’ve worked out his kibble needs to be higher in protein, low in fat & low in fiber %, less carbs & more meat & the Wellness Core Large Breed seem to agree with him maybe your dogs are the same…need more meat proteins & less carbs, I also feed dehydrated raw for 1 of his meals, I’m trying to get him off kibble he has too many stomach problems on dry kibble.

Have you tried “Wellness Core” Large breed kibble, its money back guaranteed if it doesnt agree with your dogs, that’s why I tried it + I had run out of dry kibbles to try on Patch, it does have potato but its very high in meat protein, it has 3 meat proteins as 1st, 2nd & 3rd ingredients then a carb as 4th ingredient.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs & only 346Kcals per cup so easier to digest, the higher the Kcals the more dense the kibble, so kibble is harder to digest.

It may not be the ingredients they are reacting too? maybe the fiber, fat & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them in the kibbles you’ve tried?…

*Wellness Core Large Breed formula,
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Tomato Pomace, Dried Ground Potatoes, Ground Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Pea Fiber, Potassium Chloride, Spinach, Broccoli, Vitamin E Supplement, Carrots, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Zinc Proteinate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Spearmint Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product.
low in fat & fiber & only 30% carbs 346Kcals per cup,
it may not be the ingredients they are reacting too?? the fiber %, fat % & protein percentages may not be agreeing with them…

PROXIMATES:
MOISTURE
PROTEIN 34.17
FAT 12.88
CARBOHYDRATES 30.66
FIBER 4.89
ASH 7.56
AMINO ACIDS:
ARGININE 2.64
HISTIDINE 0.77
ISOLEUCINE 1.34
LEUCINE 2.20
LYSINE 1.98
MET + CYS 0.94
METHIONINE 0.57
PHE + TYR 2.40
PHENYLALANINE 1.37
THREONINE 1.31
TRYPTOPHAN 0.40
VALINE 1.53
FATTY ACIDS:
LINOLEIC ACID 2.19
ARACHIDONIC ACID 0.08
MINERALS:
CALCIUM 1.61
PHOSPHORUS 1.12
POTASSIUM 0.96
SODIUM 0.22
CHLORIDE 0.40
MAGNESIUM 0.17
IRON 254.27
COPPER 2.35
MANGANESE 2.82
ZINC 20.17
IODINE 0.29
SELENIUM 0.05
VITAMINS & OTHERS:
VITAMIN A 1,144.24 VITAMIN D3 84.63 VITAMIN E 62.67
VITAMIN K N/A THIAMINE (VITAMIN B1) 0.33 RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2) 0.76 PANTOTHENIC ACID 2.40
NIACIN 7.50
PYRIDOXINE 0.49
FOLIC ACID 23.44
BIOTIN 0.58 VITAMIN B12 7.96 CHOLINE 152.33
TAURINE 0.01
1 cup (g) 98
kcal/kg ME 3,540
kcal/cup 346
kcalories Total %
kcal- Protein 1,220 35.6%
kcal- Fat 1,117 32.5%
kcal- Carbohydrates 1,095 31.9%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 1.00%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.25%
Other Total per cup
Glucosamine Hydrochloride 750 mg/kg 73.3 mg
Chondroitin Sulfate 250 mg/kg 24.4 mg

[Jackie B]

Hi Chris, as Julie suggested, use the Editor’s Choice quiz and the suggested feeding type. Your new dog needs a food that will work for large breed puppies until about 24 months of age.

[TranceSends]

When I type “toy breed” (no quotes) in the search engine on the main website (not the forum), no reviews for toy breed dog food are returned. However, there are actually reviews that reference toy breed dog food on dogfoodadvisor.com, such as “Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult”. The search function just doesn’t find it. Even worse, a search on the word “toy” returns zero results — no match at all!

Here’s what is actually returned when I type “Toy Breed”; note that “Nutro Ultra” is not included in any form:
_______________________
Search results for: toy breed

Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition (Canned)
How to Choose the Best Large Breed Puppy Food and Lower Your Dog’s Risk of Hip Dysplasia
Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Grain Free (Dry)
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Puppy (Dry)
Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Dog Food (Dry)
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Adult (Dry)
Eukanuba Breed Specific Formulas (Dry)

The only way to find reviews for Toy Breed dry dog food on this website is to use Google, which is itself hit-and-miss, a needle in a haystack method.

[Bazuhi]

PS…medicle
I have to find the further articles she has found from other sources
.
This is not just applying to Goldens it is involving other large breeds as
well.

[anonymous]

My dogs do well on Zignature whitefish or Nutrisca salmon, I think the Nutrisca is more bland, you can find it at chewy dot com.

I never have used probiotics, never got into that trend. In fact, I would ask your vet if you should discontinue it?

PS: The prescription foods go through a process so the pup will not react to any ingredients he is sensitive to, even chicken.
The two I mentioned have no chicken, no potato, no grains. They are not prescription, however they are limited ingredients.
I have also heard good things about Pro Plan Focus salmon for sensitive skin and stomach.
No chicken, no potato, it is not grain free, but I believe it may be appropriate for large breed pups? Check it out.

This site has a lot of good info http://skeptvet.com/Blog/

[haleycookie]

No, protein levels have nothing to do with large breeds and their growth. Calcium and phosphorus ratios are the thing to be worried about when they are growing puppies, but your dog is also already done growing so you only need an adult dog food. Large breed adult food will only be larger in size usually. Since your dog is already done growing large breed food isn’t as important. But larger pieces of food for large mouths makes more sense to me.
Depending where you are located there are lots of different foods to try. I personally like Canidaes large breed food for all life stages. Any Canidae food is good though. Natures variety, merrick, and Canidae are good options to look at. If you want to stay With something lower priced then look at whole earth farms dog food or under the sun. They are made by merrick and Canidae but they’re value lines so a bit cheaper and still good quality.

[dianne o]

this dog weighs about 70 lbs, since this is a large breed dog, do I need to feed her a dry food low in protein. if so, which dry dog foods are available?
do

[Tracy O]

I have switched my GSD from Orijen large breed puppy food since this came out. I have to say, the stomach upset is over, the loose stool bouts are over….glad I switched over to Zignature.

[Andy M]

Just following up on this topic. I’ve been feeding my 20 month old English Mastiff (about 190 lbs) Kirkland’s Adult Dog Chicken, Rice, and Vegetable (not grain free) dry kibble since we moved off the Diamond Naturals Large Breed puppy food and he’s been fine until this past week, he seems to not be eating as much and today didn’t eat breakfast at all. I dont know if he’s sick on something else or if the food is making him sick. I dont know what to do.

[Lindsey T]

Our 11 week old Newfoundland puppy has just had a rough go with his belly. When we got him he was fine, eating a large breed puppy food. After a couple weeks home he started having really loose soft poop. Formed, but mush when I scoop it from the yard. It turned to mush, so we went to the vet. Vet said he did have some campylobacter in his fecal so he prescribed antibiotics and a probiotic and put him on a science diet r/d formula food that is high in fiber. His poop was solid within a day and stayed solid for the 3 days he was on it. We started transitioning to a grain free all stage dog food with beef and lamb. His poops have started to go soft again. Again, not diarrhea…but soft enough that when I scoop it it kind of mushes and leaves residue.
The vet says to go back to thr weight management formula but he is only 11 weeks old and lost a lb last werk on that food so im not comfortable doing that.
Should I just give this more time to transition? Or does this sound like he is not tolerating the food? I am running out of money with all the food changes. I really want something that will help keep his poop solid and help him grow as well.

Any input would be appreciated

[Rick W]

Thanks Susan. Interesting recommendation about the level of kcal and a sensitive stomach. Our 7 month old Goldendoodle has bouts of bad stool but then comes around with pumpkin added. We finally landed on NutriSource grain free large breed puppy but the whole kcal question got me wondering.

Any chance there is a list out there that sorts by large breed puppy and kcal per cup??

Thanks again

Rick

[Susan]

Hi,
your girl probably vomited her raw food as it might have been too cold, my cat vomits up her raw mince sometimes if its too cold, so now after I take the raw meat from fridge I put in microwave for a few sec to take off the chill, she hasnt vomited her raw meal again……
Raw diet is the easiest for a dog & cat to digest, raw diet is easier then digesting a cooked meal & dry kibble, raw food has enzymes making it easier to digest but as soon as you cook food you kill enzymes vitamins etc, a dogs digestive tract is short, made to quickly digest raw meat then move from stomach to small bowel then large bowel so no bad bacteria starts breeding, the dogs short digestive tract is not made to digest all these dry processed kibbles, this is why so many dogs are having so many health problems now…
if you dont know how to balance a raw or cooked home made diet its very easy as you learn you could look at feeding dehydrated freeze dried raw diets, there’s a few freeze dried diets on the market now, look at “Ziwi Peak” air dried & their can foods, here’s link send them email & ask for samples… https://www.ziwipets.com/
also start buying tin sardines & tin salmon in spring water, drain the spring water out put in a small air tight container in fridge & add 2 spoons to one of her meals or as a small meal a day for her omega oils for her skin, coat, heart, brain, joints, bones etc also add 1 crushed egg shell to 1 of her meals a day….
It’s very easy feeding a raw diet once you start raw is easier to make then cooking meals & your feeding your dog what she is ment to eat a raw diet…
Dogs are healthier & live longer when feed a raw diet, then dogs who are feed processed dry kibble, quoted by “Dr Peter Dobias”….
Do you follow “Rodney Habib”on his face book page & his “Planet Paws”page? has always post really good info, also follow “Steve Brown” & “Dr Peter Dobias” ….

[chris c]

I am about to get my first really big dog. He’s an 18 month old Anatolian/GP/Maremma cross. Currently I feed Acana to my Border Collies, but I’m not sure what to feed these bigger dogs. He’s being fed Kirkland chicken & rice (uuuggghhhh). I have been trying to research the best diet for this guy, but have found every opinion under the sun. One breeder I know, stated that you just can’t feed these dogs grain-free diets, their guts can’t handle it. And another just feeds Kirkland because it good and affordable. My motto is, if you feed junk you get junk. It is my opinion that dogs just do better when they are fed better diets and there is less waste.
The lists seem to limit the options to large puppies not large dogs.
Please help me find a dog food for my new big guy.

[Mike Sagman]

As I posted in the above comment, Horizon Legacy Puppy is recommended for Feeding Type 1 animals (small/medium breed puppies). We do not recommend this dog food for Type 2 dogs (large breed puppies).

That is because the Horizon Legacy website states: “Horizon Legacy Puppy Food for puppies is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth except for growth of large size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult)”

Horizon does NOT recommend this food for large breed puppies is because its calcium content exceeds 4.5 grams per 1000 kcal required for the product to meet AAFCO guidelines.

Please be sure to read our article about “How to Choose the Best Large Breed Puppy Food“.

Hope this helps.

[Jennifer S]

Update:
I talked to the Horizon company and they said that they don’t recommend it for large breeds and they were surprised to hear that Dog Food Advisor had it listed specifically for large breed puppies. I tried to get her to go over why it was not okay. We went over the Ca/Phos ratio and it seemed fine. The main point she had was that it was high in protein and large breeds need to have slower growth. I get this, although from my research it looks like high protein really doesn’t affect growth the way that some think it does. Anyway, I’ll be using up this bag and seeing how he does on it, then moving on.
If anyone else has any thoughts about why it might be bad (besides protein) please let me know!

[Lisa T]

I don’t see this particular formula rated by Dog Food Advisor. My puppy was put on it 2 years ago after severe bowel issues. 2 years later she is healthy and energetic and doing so well on it! We are getting another puppy and to make life easier, was thinking of putting the puppy on this food as well. They are large breed dogs – Bouvier des Flandres. Would appreciate any other information, good or bad, on the Royal Canin HP formula.

[Jennifer S]

I’m confused about Horizon Legacy Puppy. It’s listed on the Editors Choice list for large breed puppies. I received the bag in the mail today and it clearly states on the bag that Horizon does not recommend feeding it to puppies who are estimated to be over 75 lbs adult weight. Why would this food be on the Editors Choice list for large breeds? The calcium ratio seems fine. Help! What other reason would Horizon have for not recommending it if the Ca is good?

[Nadine H]

Hi Tyla,
I’m feeding the chicken and pom low grain. I get the medium kibble, the formula is exactly the same as the large breed kibble.Same with the mini kibble.I don’t like the large kibble. I get it directly from the company and we get three 26lb bags a month. I really like that the carb level is so low. Most that you buy has carbs at least 42% and in most cases closer to 50%

[Bazuhi]

My small breeds are on the Wellness core original (Yorkie mixes and a poodle) (5 dogs)
They have also eaten the low fat variety because back then I had a large breed that was very overweight and he was put on a diet using the low fat with great success..
(That was when I found the Dogfood Advisor BTW)
I do have to grind up the kibble for my one dog in my bullet since he has trachea issues and the kibble is slightly large for him (He didn’t have issues in the past he is now 6yrs old) I top mine off with 5 star grain free canned which currently Natures Domain grain free from Costco and I decided to now try Freshpet (the non grain free since it is rated better then the grain free) I have also done Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance as a topper too but I have called them several times and they can not give me the sodium levels in their food so I use it from time to time.
Mine are doing great but I also rotate to different grain free foods on occasions. I am now switching to Natures Variety and they have been that on the past and have done well but I like the smaller kibble too.
The weight issue of you one dog… you need to measure the dogs food based on the calories he should get.. It took me forever to figure it out since I am not a math wiz but 3 of my dogs get 2.5 table spoons of dry kibble and 2 heaping tablespoons of the topper and the other 2 dogs get 3.5 tbsp of the dry and the 2 heapings of the topper.
I do feed my dogs 2x a day I feel it’s better (They did eat 3x but they decided it was too much)
I do feed treats too so that is why my food is slightly less probable then it should be
But this is just what I do I am no guru that’s for sure

[Bazuhi]

I have both large breed seniors and many of them and now I have a senior small breed along with younger ones and as long as their weight is great I continue to feed them high end 5 star rated all stages food.
My labs lived to 12 and 16 year with no issues and never ate senior dog food

[pitlove]

Hi Jeanne-

I would not recommend American Journey for a large breed puppy or any dog for that matter. It is a chewy.com owned brand and chewy.com refuses to state who manufactures the food. Red flag to me instantly.

Find a company that makes a food that actually states “large breed puppy” on the bag. It would also just be easier to feed whatever your breeder was using. That or use a food from a larger realiable company like Purina.

DO NOT EVER put your puppy on an adult food before they are done growing. This is an old practice that was done BEFORE the development of appropriate large breed puppy foods. Adult foods are not designed to support a puppy through growth and will have far too much calcium and phos for them causing rapid growth.

[Cat B]

We are getting a Labradoodle. Vet says this is a “large breed” expectd to be between 60-65lbs fully grown based on mom and dad’s stats. I’ve decided on Orijen but their large breed puppy formula bag says that 66lbs is their definition of large breed. I’ve reached out to the company to ask but puppy comes home on Friday and I am eager to get her off of the Blue Buffalo crap she’s being fed now.
Thanks in advance!

[anonymous]

/forums/topic/zignature-for-large-breed-puppy/#post-112460

Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies

Hope this helps! excerpt below, click on link for full article, also you can ask a question there. Please note, there are no veterinarians affiliated with DFA
Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies
Posted on January 10, 2010 by skeptvet
It is widely known by veterinarians, pet owners, and dog breeders that large breed puppies are at greater risk than other breeds for developmental disorders of the bones and joints, including hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD), and hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD).[1,2] The breed predisposition for such disorders indicates a strong genetic component, however environmental factors can also influence the frequency of these disorders.[2,3] Nutrition during the growing period (birth until 10-12 months) is one of the most important factors influencing the development of these skeletal disorders. [2] Unfortunately, there are many myths about large breed puppy nutrition, so this article is an attempt to separate these from the real facts about developmental nutrition in large breed puppies.

[haleycookie]

You usually have to ask the company directly about this. If it doesn’t qualify then wellness core puppy and Fromm large breed puppy are good foods for large breed puppies too.

[Jeanne G]

American Journey growth was recommended to me by a reputable company, but I am concerned that although a 5 star dog food, it is not specifically large breed growth, just growth. They know these pups are Great Pyrenees. Do I need to be concerned with this? The breeder is adamant about large breed growth food. Thanks.

[Tracy O]

I have to say I am worried my dog all of sudden started having diarrhea, acting odd and the change was, I thought I did great research and finally found a dog food that was made in there own facility etc….and now this… Orijen Large Breed puppy food. I am discontinuing because I am not chancing if this is a load of crap from complaints or if in fact it is true…Cya Orijen!!!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Tracy O.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Tracy O.

[Tracy S]

Interesting. I’ve come to the conclusion that it must be the food. Because I had 2 get diarrhea at the exact same time; I can’t see what else it could be. I bought a bag of the Heartland Gold, which is a completely different formula to transition onto. They are slightly improved so far (one more so than the other). If this doesn’t work, I’m just dropping Fromm all together and going to a new brand. They started on Orijen Large Breed puppy but never had great stools and didn’t really seem to enjoy meals until I switched to Fromm.
I’m currently also using a probiotic and pumpkin. My local small quality pet store also recommended the pumpkin latte powder. I stuck with the canned pumpkin because they really enjoy it.
I’m really hoping I get some results in the next week. This is so incredibly frustrating to have 2 dogs going through this, not to mention the vet cost because I didn’t know what was wrong.
Thanks for the response!

[Rick W]

I stumbled across what some might consider a “hole in the wall” pet shop but inside that shop was a couple whose passion are your pets and solving riddles like what we were dealing with. When I described everything to her, she put our dog on a different food with different supplements. By the way, I forgot to mention above that he was dealing with bad eye drainage too which I didn’t know was relevant until she asked. Bottom line?? We think he is allergic to chicken and everything we were feeding him had chicken in it. We are now on a the large breed puppy food from NutriSource whose main proteins are turkey and whitefish. It’s grain-free as well. She also changed his probiotic from ProPlan version to a brand called Herbsmith. The specific probiotic is Microflora Plus. Last, we were giving him canned pumpkin and she suggested a more concentrated version (dehydrated) that we sprinkle on his food. The brand is Super Snouts and the product is called Pumpkin Latte. It’s a mixture of pumpkin and whole goat’s milk.

Soon after switching over, he was much better and he no longer has all that drainage in his eyes. Glad we found her!

All that said…we just had another bout of diarrhea over the past few days, but we also had a training session which required lots of treats so we need to evaluate what was in those treats because nothing else has changed. It’s always something…

[anonymous]

Those playpens may not work for a large breed pup, they can knock them over.

I assume you are talking about an indoor solution for when you are out? If so, consider something like this https://www.chewy.com/midwest-woodwire-mesh-pet-gate-44/dp/45657
Gate the pup in a puppy proofed small room, get the tallest one you can, they can jump pretty high and get it to fall over. Always provide a bowl of fresh water.

For outdoor containment, if you can’t have a fenced in yard, then consider a kennel containment https://www.bing.com/search?q=large+outdoor+dog+kennels&FORM=QSRE5

Never leave them unattended outside, even when contained, otherwise just take them outside on leash as often as possible.

[Kimberly S]

Kathy B, I also have a large breed with recurring UTI’s and I am very encouraged by your post. I did have one question for you though, my dog also has allergies to grain, is Zignature a grain-free food? Also, are all of Zignature’s ingredients have the cranberries or is it a certain label I should look for?
Thank you for giving me hope to an endless battle.
Kimberly S

[anonymous]

Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies

Hope this helps! excerpt below, click on link for full article, also you can ask a question there. Please note, there are no veterinarians affiliated with DFA

Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies
Posted on January 10, 2010 by skeptvet
It is widely known by veterinarians, pet owners, and dog breeders that large breed puppies are at greater risk than other breeds for developmental disorders of the bones and joints, including hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD), and hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD).[1,2] The breed predisposition for such disorders indicates a strong genetic component, however environmental factors can also influence the frequency of these disorders.[2,3] Nutrition during the growing period (birth until 10-12 months) is one of the most important factors influencing the development of these skeletal disorders. [2] Unfortunately, there are many myths about large breed puppy nutrition, so this article is an attempt to separate these from the real facts about developmental nutrition in large breed puppies.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by anonymous.

[pitlove]

Hi Kathy-

The last Zignature rep I spoke too told me Zignature was in fact appropriate for large breed puppies. However, this guy was also not extremely knowledgable about pet nutrition in general, so I doubt I trust him.

Best thing you can do is to email Zignature directly. Ask them for a full nutrient analysis of whichever Zignature formula you want to use and then take the kcals, calcium and phos levels and input them into this tool here: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

PLEASE NOTE* You will need to be very specific with them as to what you want in the email. Tell them you do NOT want the values of calcium and phos that would be found on a guarenteed analysis as that does not tell you anything. Ask specifically for a TYPICAL or NUTRIENT analysis.

You can post your results here and I will help you determine if the food is appropriate or you can read the article and see if it is for yourself.

[Kathy B]

Like all dog parents I try and research to find the best food to feed our four legged babies. I finally landed on Zignature. Our girl got repeated UTIs and Zignature has cranberry and blueberries which I hoped would help and it has… Now we are thinking of adding another baby to our household and where Zignature says it’s for all life stages I want to make sure I’m doing what is best for our large breed puppy. Does anyone have any experience feeding Zignature to puppies? Thanks in advance!

[Dany M]

Hi,

My puppy, Chico, is a healthy 11 months old dachshund. He was on Blue Buffalo food and I switched him to Acana for puppies & juniors.

I’m not sure which Acana adult food I should give him now. I disregarded the adult small breed product because it does not come in a large size bag. This factor is important for me due to my budget. I’m torn between the singles and regionals products.

I’d like to know which one you recommend between the 2 products (regional or singles). I think singles is more suitable for dogs with sensitive digestive system.

Thank you in advance,

Danny

[Rachel E]

I’ve had my dogs on this brand for a little while. I have three large breed dogs and one broke out in 2 hotspots 2 weeks in…… :/ Not the best start, so I switched her from the purple bag (lamb/Turkey) i was feeding and have gotten everyone on the green bag. (Acadia . Chicken Turcky and duck) and the hot spot went away and she seems fine. I think there’s a lot of fat or something in it, my dogs have kinda chubbed up since we switched from Diamon Natural, and sometimes they seem a little gassier.

The transition was easy.
I feed less than the normal amount to make up for the chubby factor.

IDK, I don’t have any complaints.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Rachel E.

[crazy4cats]

Have you checked out Fromm Gold? They have some large breed recipes. I’m feeding mine one of their weight management recipes right now. Dogs are doing well on it.