[James S]

Their explanation was it was simpler for consumers to understand… HUH??? When I indicated that it was very confusing for consumers to see MED-LARGE breed puppy on the bag I just bought, only to go to your site and see Small to Medium for same food…(and even the Med to Large is still in the same description for Puppy Hundchen Flocken) He apolgized for the confusion and indicated that the formula has not changed, which is the most important thing here I guess…

Just found out that Diamond makes Wolf Cub and King, not a fan from what I have read, Think I will keep on with the Puppy Hundchen Flocken since my puppy is doing well and NOT scratching himself much anymore. Don’t want to change and tip the apple cart as the calcium calculator states 1.3 which is in the safe level for large breed puppies.

[James S]

When you run the calculations, it comes back at 1.3 so inside the range for large breed. I might juist switch to Wold Cup although my Labradoodle is doing very well on Hundchen Flocken/Lamb, not sure it is worth the switch as he will only get to 50-60 lbs according to the breeder:
Here is Dane’s complete answer from Solid Gold, i find it confusing too because now they changed the bag for Puppy Hundchen Flocken to Small to Med breed, and Dane said the ingredients are the sale as when it was labeled Large Breed… go figure that one…
Hundchen Flocken is an excellent choice for breeds that will mature around 75 pounds. For breeds that will be larger, we suggest Wolf Cub, as it has reduced levels of calcium and calories to promote a healthy growth rate.

Hundchen Flocken is 1.8% calcium, 1.14% phosphorus, 1% potassium, and 375 kcal/cup
Wolf Cub is 1.3% calcium, 1% phosphorus, 0.8% potassium, and 345 kcal/cup

Please let me know if you have any further questions!

Seem like good quality food…Hard to find non chicken based large breed puppy that has normal protein and lower fat…

[James S]

Hi!

I have a new Labradoodle puppy who will grow to 50-60 LBS as an adult. He is gaining 2LBS a week average between 3-4 Months (8 LBS in 4 weeks) I have him eating Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken, for med – large breed Puppies, just requested the Calcium and other specs from them directly, they are below.

Hundchen Flocken is 1.8% calcium, 1.14% phosphorus, 1% potassium, and 375 kcal/cup
Wolf Cub is 1.3% calcium, 1% phosphorus, 0.8% potassium, and 345 kcal/cup

Should I switch to Wolf Cub or something else, he has allergies and was very itchy on the Breeders Food (Costco Chicken and Rice) Much better now on Solid Gold. Any experienced input would be appreciated, thank you!

[Pitlove]

Hi Harish-

Do you think you could provide a more comprehensive list of foods available to you in India? So far of the 2 you listed I would choose the Royal Canin Maxi Puppy formula if you can get that as it is designed for large/giant breeds.

[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, Mine also had giardia and unfortunately, it took months for their tummies to get better afterwards for some reason. I had a hard time getting rid of it though. I would think about using another round of Panacur for five days unless you are absolutely sure that he is rid of it. You mentioned using Flagyl (metronidazole) which is an antibiotic and can cause their tummies to be out of balance. Therefore, I’d definitely continue with probiotics. Forti Flora by Purina worked well for us. It isn’t one that I’d use for maintennce. But, good for when they have diarrhea.

I used a lot of the supplements that are mentioned on the dogaware link that I provided above. Mostly Vetri Science Probiotic BD, Gastriplex as well as the Perfect Form I mentioned earlier. Some of them contain both probiotics and digestive enzymes, but also some healing ingredients as well. Only use one at a time until you see if it helps at all.

I fed them as if they had colitis, (yes, I have two littermates) adding some fiber and applesauce for the pectin. I would feed a moderate protein and fat food for now. Nutrisource large breed puppy food might be a good one.

There is hope, however. My dogs are doing well now. We can switch kibble and toppers up now without any digestive upset!!!! Woo Hoo! Best of luck to you!

[FIREMAN29]

Hello, I’m new to this forum but desperately need some help. I have a 5 1/2 month old almost 60 lb amstaff male who has constant on and off diarrhea. I apologize for the lengthiness but theres a bit of a back story to give context. We got him as a rescue by proxy. His mother was rescued by a firefighter friend of mine when she wondered into the firehouse one day. Little did he know that this 9 month old sweetie was preggers. Nonetheless, he took her in, had the litter in his home and posted the puppies up for adoption. My wife and I wanting to get a rescue naturally jumped at the chance to take a pitty home with us. He was 6 weeks old and 6.5 lbs and they had already been weaned and eating Purina Beyond Superfood Blend Salmon flavor. Once that was done, we did the 10 day transition to Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy food and he loved it. One day around 10 weeks old he just stopped eating his food and refused to eat it. We contacted our vet and she suggested switching foods, we took the opportunity to switch him to a grain-free and healthier brand (Blue Buffalo Wilderness) once again using the previously mentioned transition method. The transition went fine and he loved the food. Then around 12 weeks he started having diarrhea every second or third day with the days in-between having normal stools. (Mind you, he also was having terrible allergic reactions to his vaccinations and was constantly on prednisone, benedryl, flagyl, and a probiotic). So we figured his digestive issues stemmed from his vaccine issues. His last vaccination was in the second week of February so its been two months. In that time he’s been teething, causing untold destruction, and still having those digestive issues along with a reduction in how much he’s been eating. We’ve done the chicken and rice to help his stomach several times as well so that he’ll eat.

Most recently, the vet gave us a canned food designed for digestive management to use for a week that would help his stomach out. She suggested that the Blue Buffalo may be too rich for his stomach and that we may need to find another brand. I spoke at length with my local pet store manager (Pet Supplies Plus) about this matter and he gave me several suggestions that would possibly help me. So I brought home a small bag of Wellness Complete Health Puppy Food and the pet stores brand called Redford Naturals for all life stages. Once he had constant solid stools with he canned food we began the transition to the Redford brand using the canned food as well. He seemed to be doing very well with the new food and eating it like he used to when he was a small puppy; till today when he started having diarrhea again for his second morning poop.

This is incredibly frustrating, and I have no idea where to go from here. We can’t afford to get him wet/canned food as he would go through it way to fast. And we want the best health for him so that he can have a long healthy life with us. If there is anyone who can help with this we would appreciate it immensely! Thank you.

[Jen S]

S.B. – I recently found this link and it was so, so helpful to me. There’s so much variation in dog food and this helped me zero in on where to start. Start by weighing your pup (today, right now – they grow so fast!), then find how many calories per cup the food you’re using contains. I found that on the website for our food. You can then use this formula to compute how many calories daily are needed for basic metabolic processes. For a puppy, the Ohio State vet clinic advises 2x the amount in the 4+ months to adulthood stage. I started there but found my puppy needs a bit more (they advise it can vary as much as 50%). Because she’s a large breed, we are going to watch/adjust weekly to make sure she isn’t growing too fast or too slow.

I’m not sure if this will help you, but I know how much it helped me and wanted to share. 🙂

https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator

[S B]

Hi,
My 6 month old German Shepard is 43lb, that’s 15 pounds under weight! We have been feeding him 1/2 cup of NurtiSource large breed puppy food three times a day, now we are going to feed him 3/4 cup of food three times a day. Is there anything else I can do to have him gain more weight?

[stones]

How do you leave a comment under the Zignature dry dog food?. I entered my comment (which I posted below)and then I click the login with facebook and it brings me to the Disque signup page. When I try to signup with Disque, it keeps giving me the message “there was an error submitting the form” If you’re having difficulty, try repeating the action on https://disqus.com. I get the same message when I try to sign up under https://disqus.com.

Maybe someone would post this under the zignature dry dog food for me.

Ziignature Zssentials is listed for “all life stages” but those of you who have puppies, especially large breed puppies might want to do some more research before feeding this food to your dog. Per Aignature, the 100% dry matter basis for calcium is 2.19% and the phosphorous is 1.29%.

Feeding high calcium diets with excess calcium is often blamed for contributing to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs. There does appear to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and hip dysplasia, and overfeeding of calcium

I’m supprised this food is listed under the link for best dry puppy foods. People, please do your own research.

[stones]

I’m having the same problem. When trying to leave a comment under the Zignature dry dog food, I click the login with facebook and it brings me to the Disque signup page. When I try to signup with Disque, it keeps giving me the message “there was an error submitting the form” If you’re having difficulty, try repeating the action on https://disqus.com. I get the same message when I try to sign up under https://disqus.com.

Maybe someone would post this under the zignature dry dog food for me.

Ziignature Zssentials is listed for “all life stages” but those of you who have puppies, especially large breed puppies might want to do some more research before feeding this food to your dog. Per Aignature, the 100% dry matter basis for calcium is 2.19% and the phosphorous is 1.29%.

Feeding high calcium diets with excess calcium is often blamed for contributing to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs. There does appear to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and hip dysplasia, and overfeeding of calcium

I’m supprised this food is listed under the link for best dry puppy foods. People, please do your own research.

[Pitlove]

Hi Jonathan-

I don’t feel that diet rotation or star rating is critical at this juncture for your dog. Labs are large breeds and prone to the same DOD’s (developmental orthopedic disorders) as any other large breed is. Genetics plays a role in the expression of these disorders, however nutritionists are finding more and more that in some cases proper diet can manage and reduce the risk of these DOD’s. Up until he’s roughly 18 months of age, the most important thing is keeping him on a puppy food that is suitable for a growing large breed, which means it will have restricted calcium and calories. Some All Life Stages foods do meet these requirements, but it can be challenging doing all the research and emailing required to figure out which ones are. The two companies that have done the most research on large breed puppy growth and DOD’s are Hill’s and Purina, but if you are opposed to using one of those brands then I would look at NutriSource Large Breed Puppy, Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy, Solid Gold Wolf Cub, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis or Nulo Puppy.

If you want to rotate these foods I suppose you could, but you may not want to start that during a critical growth period in case something does happen (DOD).

Hope this was helpful!

[InkedMarie]

Jonathan,
I would check out the Large Breed Puppy thread on the Diet & Health Issues forum for appropriate foods for your lab puppy.

[Michael C]

A veterinarian might be able to give you an idea what breed it is, or at least say whether it is a large or small breed dog, which would narrow your choices of puppy food down as there are some foods for small breeds and some for large breeds. And if you are REALLY curious, there are DNA tests for dogs designed specifically to identify the breed(s) of the dog.

[Jen S]

I just went through this link (http://www.petmd.com/sites/default/files/bcs-dog.jpg) and she’s at about a 5. She has great waist definition, I can feel her ribs and spine running my hand along her. She has a very thin layer of fat. No saggy belly. She just got spayed about 2.5 weeks ago, so I’m guessing that will slow her metabolism. I just calculated her age in weeks and she’s 22 weeks, weighing about 42 lbs. For some reason I was thinking 2 lbs per week was good growth for puppies until about 6 months or so. I appreciate your help figuring out what to feed her. It can feel overwhelming trying to find the right fit; we’ve already tried a couple other foods until I stumbled across the Hound Dog Mom Google document outlining appropriate foods for large breed puppies. Neither of the ones we were using made the list. And as I was writing this, I just went back and checked the list and Primitive Naturals doesn’t make the cut either. 🙁 According to my calculations, the calcium content is 1.5:1 with phosphorus, so it’s definitely at the higher end of acceptable for large breed puppies. I can’t believe I goofed that – but I was reading so many different things the day I decided on Earthborn Holistics. Grrrrr….. I can’t waste the expensive bag I just bought, so we’ll finish it and then switch. Earthborn makes a Puppy Vantage, but it includes grains and a few more controversial ingredients. Oh the decisions. :/

[Bonnie Y]

We have a 15 week old chocolate Labrador puppy who was started on Purina Pro Plan Puppy by the breeder. I knew that this was not of the quality recommended for a fast growing puppy. After “much” research, I slowly transitioned her over to Kirklands Signature Super Premium Puppy Food, but I did not like the smell of the food and she was experiencing loose stools often. Back to the drawing board… I researched ALL the puppy foods and have chosen Natures Valley Instinct Raw Boost Large Breed Puppy (grain free) which is a 5-star rated food on Dod Food Advisor. She is doing GREAT, with her coat becoming shinier, her stools consistent, and her energy level and growth rate exactly where it should be for her breed and age. She tends to eat quickly so I started to “float” the food in warm water which slows her down greatly. The puzzle bowl I purchased caused her frustration so she scratched at the food rather than eat it, splattering it all over the kitchen. UGH !!! The two types of kibble in this puppy food can easily also be used for rewards during training periods. Natures Valley presently has a special sale, online for a $10 reduction for the 20 lb bag, which has been price matched by the local retailers. This has been very helpful since this puppy food is a bit pricey, but I feel well worth it at this stage to avoid future health and bone concerns since she is growing so quickly. I suggest no matter which new puppy food you choose, take a week++ to transition your puppy slowly to the new food, mixing the old food with the new, less & less daily with the new food as the week progresses. I feed her 3 times per day, 1 cup per feeding, which is recommended on the package. Good luck and I hope you experience the same success we have had with our puppy.

[Patricia T]

I am grateful for the information found on this website. It would be more helpful, however, if the users could sort or search based on a food’s best use, allergies, large breed puppy, breed specific, digestive issues, etc.

Also, it would be great to have some sort of comparison tool, such as a grid, similar to what you find on the BB site when searching for laptops.

Thanks!

[Justin A]

I have an Irish Wolfhound pup as well (he’ll be 13 months on the 11th) and have been looking for a dry food that would give him firmer stool as well. My guy generally has “soft serve” like stool as you describe.

When I got him he had been on Purina Pro Plan Dry Dog Food, Focus, Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Rice Formula with the breeder and for a bit with me. This is probably when his stool was the firmest.

I wanted to get a better food for him and went with Whole Earth Farms Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food. I tried that for about 4 30lb bags worth but his stool stayed soft the entire time.

I then tried Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, roughly through 3 bags (33lbs I think) but didn’t see a change.

I am now on my 4th bag of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food (30lbs) and I really haven’t seen an improvement.

I am almost now thinking it may be something else, like the various treats I give him or maybe the soft stool isn’t an issue (other than clean up!).

[John P]

What about Blue Grain Free Wilderness Large Breed Puppy food.

[pugmomsandy]

I just plugged the numbers in and got 4 with a ratio of 1.5 to 1. I’m not sure where you got 2% from.

Did you use the calculator here:

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

[Analicia H]

Hello,
I have a 4 month old Dane who was on Iams Smart puppy food plus Eukanuba Large Breed (half and half). Breeder has his Danes on this diet for years, and never had a problem. My puppy is constantly having soft stools and problems with anal glands. The vet recommends the Royal Canin Food because of probiotics and omegas added to it (he sells it at his office). From what I see this website has low ratings for that food. He cannot be on grain free or large breed (giant breed is recommended since they have different needs). I would love to be on Orijen but I can’t afford that… Any recommendations? Thank you 🙂

[Pitlove]

About 20 years ago, many clinical studies proved protein to be a non factor in large and giant breed puppy growth. So I would not worry about that. As for feeding an adult maintenance food, that is an old old tired theory that many breeders, dog clubs and vets still maintain, however it is absolutely incorrect. Also you have to understand that the dog food industry has vastly improved their LBP formulas. Most are now in compliance for the recommended amount of calcium and are much more safe to use than an adult maintenance formula which will have calcium levels that exceed those needed for a growing LBP.

The other huge thing with these giant breeds is keeping them at a Body Condition Score of 4/9 throughout growth (and really their whole life). Do not over feed, do not free feed. You should be fine.

[Pitlove]

Hi Scott-

Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy would be a good choice, but if you do not want to use that food and will be shopping on chewy.com here are some foods that meet your needs that are within your budget of less than 2$/lb.

http://www.chewy.com/dog/dr-tims-kinesis-all-life-stages/dp/52925

http://www.chewy.com/dog/fromm-gold-holistic-large-breed/dp/32616

http://www.chewy.com/dog/nutrisource-large-breed-puppy/dp/38141

http://www.chewy.com/dog/taste-wild-high-prairie-puppy/dp/34836

http://www.chewy.com/dog/taste-wild-pacific-stream-puppy/dp/34840

Just want to note though that these are not grain free (except for the last 2). Grain free is not so much the issue unless a grain allergy is already known. The bigger concern is the calcium/phosphorus and the calcium/calorie and these foods meet those requirements.

[Scott M]

I have two 6 month old mastiff brothers. They have been on Authority Large Breed Puppy, which I have always considered a pretty good mid grade dog food. We recently decided to switch foods for our dogs, which was actually sparked by my interest in getting signed up with Chewy for home delivery since I am at Petsmart just about every other day buying food.

I have done a lot of reading on here, including researching the lady’s list that had ratings and calcium content of grain free dog foods. After researching, I found that ALL of the foods on that list cost 2-3 times as much as the mid grade food we currently use.

Our breeder suggested feeding a mixture of Authority and Purina Pro Plan as that is what she feeds her dogs. She is a respected breeder, but after all I have been reading, I’m not sure that is the best.

Here’s what I’d like to find out. I’d like to bump of their food to a much better dog food, but I don’t want to pay $2 per pound (we currently pay 78 cents). We are capable of paying whatever is necessary, but just don’t want to go too high end on the food unless it really, truly is necessary.

Is there a budget friendly great dog food (we feed kibble now) that would be a great match for our mastiffs?

[Alexis Y]

Wow! You guys are amazing in your knowledge! I have just added my first Irish Wolfhound puppy to our family 2 days ago. I originally started reading this forum because I want to ensure she receives the best food I can provide. Her breeders started her on wellness just for puppies canned food at the time of weaning. They suggested Wilderness puppy for dry food, but after reading the previous posts, that won’t be happening. Can anyone give me a good suggestion on what to feed her. Her stool is soft serve like and I’d love to remedy that if possible. She seems happy with the wet food, but, is there a benefit to wet vs dry? I’d prefer to feed dry food as I’ve always had better experience with dry with previous pups(none have been as large as she will be).
I live in a very small town and I’m not sure how experienced our vet is with this breed. Though she has always been great with my other babies, this little girl is a bit less common and a lot bigger(eventually) than my other babes have been.
I want to give this little girl the best beginning to ensure a long, happy healthy life.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Don P]

My breeder required us to have our Labrodor on NuVet Plus Wafers for her 1st year in order for her health guarantee to be valid. We fed our lab puppy Fromm Large Breed Gold puppy food and gave her a wafer per the directions. She is beautifuL, great coat, big brown eyes and no skin problems at all. I have been happy with our food and NuVet Plus Supplements.

[Pitlove]

Hi Debbie-

With a growing large breed the first and foremost important thing is that the food is nutritionally sound and secondly that it provides the proper calcium levels and a proper calcium to calorie ratio.

Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy may have ingredients that most on this site deem less than desirable, however it is a nutritionally sound food that is feed trialed on large breed puppies and provides the correct calcium levels, along with the proper calcium to calorie ratio.

Using consumer reviews to judge the quality of a food is going to leave you more confused about which food is right for your dog then when you started. Emotion plays too much of a role in most pet parents choice of dog foods and they can be swayed very easily by a nice looking ingredient panel and not question for a moment if the food even provides the proper nutrition for their pet, assuming that if the ingredients look good the rest will fall into place. Find a food that your dog does well on and enjoys eating that meets the needs of a growing large breed.

If you still do not wish to use ProPlan or Nutro, some other foods that I can suggest are:

Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy
NutriSource Large Breed Puppy
Precise Holisitic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy
Hill’s Ideal Balance Large Breed Puppy

[Deb B]

Hi Debbie…been trying to reply to your question, but having trouble. Anyway…we fed proplan to out 13 year old lab up to about 6 months ago…just felt it was time to give her a better quality food after all these years! We decided on Acana…and she loves it, and it is a little more pricey, but I think worth it. Coming from Canada, we are also happy to support a Canadian brand…you might want to check it out…really good quality.

[Debbie S]

I have a 6 month old goldendoodle that is currently on nutro large breed puppy chicken.
she was on proplan puppy when I got her and I knew that was not a great food. I did not know that nutro was not that great either. I want to switch her but find all this confusing.
I thought the high protein foods were for more active dogs. I had a slow transition with her from proplan she seemed to get loose stools easy. any advise is appreciated.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Freddy-
Did you say you have two G/S pups? Are they litter mates? We have two golden lab neutered littermates. Wow, what a handful!!!! They are 4-1/2 now, and are doing great. But we also had a rough start. Two with loose stools and diarrhea is stressful! Have you checked out the website that I mentioned earlier? I printed the whole section on digestive disorders and refer to it often! It was like a bible for a while.

http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

I used and recommend the Vetri-Probiotics BD, Gastriplex and Phytomucil. Also, I used unsweetened applesauce due to the pectin in it. Instead of pumpkin, maybe you could try sweet potato. You might want to try one of the Victor lines. I think their chicken/rice and lamb/rice both are ok for large breed pups. Their food contains montmorillonite clay which some recommend for colitis.

One of the most recommended brands on this site is Nutrisource. Their large breed puppy formula would be worth a shot as well.

Have you tried feeding a little less food to see if that helps? My dogs are doing great on Pure Vita Turkey and Peas right now, but not sure if the calcium is correct for LB pups. Best of luck to you!

[Pitlove]

Hi Lorelee-

Others may have different opinions, but I feel it is best to keep a large breed puppy on a puppy formula that is correctly formulated for a LBP until 18 months of age. Most are done growing by then and it gives an extra cushion of safety to make sure they are still growing slowly. However, a lot of people switch to an adult maintenance food at a year old.

Also just wanted to mention, now that he has been neutered, watch his calorie intake even more carefully. Neutered dogs can gain weight easier because of hormone changes and one of the worst things for a LBP while they are growing is to gain weight.

[Lorelee H]

Hi guys!
I’m new here — just found this forum. Thank goodness for you all!

I have a 13 month old labrador retriever, large, stocky English lines, currently weighing around 87 lbs. He was neutered 3 weeks ago.

His breeder had him on Purina Pro Plan puppy and I kept him on that until he was diagnosed with acid reflux. He is on a daily Pepcid and per vet he has been on Royal Canin prescription high energy food for several months. No more problems with reflux.

SO, my first question (if you made it this far!): I’d like to transition him to another food. Vet (of course) suggests that he stay on Royal Canin prescription or Hill’s or an over the counter Royal Canin.

I’ve checked out Fromm, Acana, Wellness, Orijen. Also the food sold at Costco (my last lab was on their lamb and rice and did great).

Second question: Should he be on the puppy version OR the adult version?

Thank you SO much for your advice!

Lora (and Truman!)

[Pitlove]

Hi Gabrielle-

Sounds to me like you may be used to smaller dogs! Especially between those 2 breeds mixed together, she will not be done growing by 7 months. With large breeds it is recommended to feed a large breed puppy formula up to 18 months of age to play it safe and make sure they grow correctly. Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy is a good choice and I would personally keep her on that food. This food has been feed trialed with large breeds as well which is a plus. I understand your concern about her dropping weight, however it is far better for a LBP to be a little underweight than overweight by even a few pounds.

What has the vet said about her growth?

[Gabrielle L]

I have a 7 month old German Shepherd/Alaskan Husky mix who was the largest of the litter. I was told her parents, fully grown, were 55 and 50lbs, but with Kota, there seems to be no end in sight. She, in November weighed roughly 33lb at the vet and since seems to have DOUBLED in size. She doesn’t seem to be overweight, and is active and happy, but I’m a bit worried about “over growing” her and hurting her overall health and development. My best estimate puts her at around 65lbs and she still seems to be growing (in January we estimated roughly 55lbs). I was warned that her parents matured at 18 and 24 months. I’ve adjusted her food between several brands until we got Eukanuba large breed puppy formula and she seemed like she wasn’t starving 24/7, but it seems like she starts losing weight/starving if she gets less than 2.5-3 cups of it twice a day. I’m not sure if I’m just used to small and medium sized dog breeds, or if I need to adjust her diet and/or prepare for a giant. Any advice?

[Susan]

Hi, please try a kibble that has lower protein & lower fat % around 12-15% for the fat & 25% for the protein, I bet her poos will firm up when the protein is lowered, some dogs just don’t do well on very high protein kibbles….My boy can eat a cooked meal that’s just chicken & some sweet potatoes & broccoli & zucchini & does excellent poos, give him a kibble or dehydrated food that’s over 30% protein & 15% fat & he does sloppy poos as the day goes on the poos are sloppier & does about 4-5 poos a day…..When I put him on a lower Protein & lower fat kibble his poos are excellent again & he only does 2-3 poos a day… I sometimes put Patch on the Flagyl when I change his kibble if poos are real yellow & sloppy the vet told me to put him on the Flagyl (Metronidazole) for 1 week while introducing a new food…
also ingredients try a puppy kibble with less ingredients, may be an ingredient she’s sensitive too & causing the problem… “California Natural” have a Puppy Chicken & Rice with only 6 ingredients or Lamb & Rice Large Breed with just 4 ingredients give it a try… http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/
if the new food doesn’t work then do what Crazy For Cats said have a Giardia & Coccidia test done, I read you have to take in fresh poos over 5 days 3 different poos from different days as Giardia can be hard to detected & vets just right it off & say oh they don’t have Giardia after 1 poo sample if its negative….. I read the other day dogs can get Giardia from eating bird poo… but change the food first hope its the higher protein, that’s simple to fix, finger X then she can stop the Flagyl, its good to keep some Flagyl in the cupboard just in case it starts up again….

[sharon s]

Hello, I’m new to this forum, having some trouble getting started. I want to know if anyone has rating for Blue Seal puppy food to a large breed pup. I see it has a good rating, however, I’m not sure it can be fed to larger breed pup. I’m in knots over what to feed that is affordable. Have fed Blue Seal for many years.

[Pitlove]

Hi David-

I responded to you on the other thread, but now that I see you have a Bulldog you definitely do not want to feed it EVO as it is an adult maintenance food and you have a dog whos breed is prone to hip dysplasia because of their stocky build. He should be fed an ALS or large breed puppy food with restricted calcium to help him grow slowly. This will reduce the risk of him developing hip dysplasia and any other developmental orthopedic disease.

[Pitlove]

Hi David- There are differences between adult and puppy food, but puppy food being the only one with high protein is not one of them. Plenty of ALS and adult maintenance foods have high protein. The most significant difference is puppy foods have higher calories and adult foods mostly have too much calcium for a large breed puppy.

EVO Herring & Salmon is an adult maintenance food and therefore should not be fed to a puppy. I would return it for something that is ALS or a growth formula.

[S B]

Thank you for all the help with the food. I finally desided on NutriSource Large breed puppy food.

[Darek N]

Hello there. I have a Golden Retriever and had follow Large Breed Puppy Food List. I try few different kinds of Fromm Four Star but he had loose stool so we settle on Erthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and Dr. Tims Kinesis. now that he is going to be a one year old should I change his food to something different or start adding some supplements for joints. I just want to make sure that I’m feeding him properly spatially that he is going to be a year old.
Thank you for any advise

[Elizabeth B]

I have an almost 1-year-old St. Bernard who is on a large breed puppy formula that needs to be anything but chicken (it drives him mad with itching, a common thing we’ve experienced with mastiffs/giants we’ve owned over the past 20 years) and I’m trying to track down a formula that has a large kibble size.

His problem is simply that the smaller kibble falls out of his mouth or gets stuck in his flews and goes everywhere while he eats, and it is a total mess. He has, of course, pendulous lips and the larger size kibble works much better, but I can’t seem to find one in the formula we’re looking for in a brand that rates at least 3.5 or 4 stars. I know dogs don’t chew their food like humans and kibble size has become somewhat standard, but other than some Iams formulas (they have chicken) that I know to have larger size (nickel or so) it is a minor frustration to pick up the small kibble that winds up everywhere.

I put his bowl inside a rubbermaid type tub so that catches a lot of it, but it still goes all around the feeding area when he lifts his head, dribbling all over. Once spring comes and the inevitable ants arrive it is going to be a real issue.

I know this is a fussy question, lol, but since you can’t tell the size of the kibble without buying the food first, and most large breed puppy foods don’t come in small packages to sample, I thought I’d ask here. I also understand that owning a Saint means we’ll never have a neat and tidy house again, and we accept that for sure (worth it!!) but if there’s a simple solution that involved simply switching brands that would be one less thing to deal with.

[crazy4cats]

Hi S B-
I’m not a big fan of Blue either. Especially after the recent lawsuit against them. I believe they are extremely overpriced and you can find something equal or better for a better price. Also, I wanted to let you know that the WEF puppy food was recently taken off the list of approved large breed puppy foods. Again, Fromm Gold, Horizon Complete, Orijen, Wellness, Eukanuba and Hill’s Ideal Balance all have puppy foods that fall within the guidelines.
In addition, Pitlove who has researched LBP foods recommends Nutrisource and Precise large breed puppy foods. Best of luck. Your new pup is sooo cute! Good job getting his pic loaded.

[crazy4cats]

Hi SB-

I believe that the Whole Earth Farms Puppy recipe falls within the guidelines to be safe for large breed puppies. I’ve had good luck with this brand.

The foods that Pitlove mentioned are also great. German Shepherd puppies are adorable. Best of luck to you!

[Pitlove]

Hi S B- Take a look at Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, NutriSource Large Breed Puppy or Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy. If you’d like to go the route of feeding foods that have been feed trialed with large breeds you could try Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy, Hill’s Ideal Balance Large Breed Puppy or Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy.

[S B]

H!
I have a 4 month old German Shepard, I’m trying to find a good large breed puppy food for him. I’m feeding him Whole earth farms puppy food but its not for large breed. I’ve done a lot of research. And don’t know what would be the best for him .

[Pitlove]

Hi A K-

You at least need to worry about it until a year old. Some choose to air on the side of caution and feed a large breed puppy formula until 18 months of age. For giant breeds you would feed them as a puppy longer.

You could feed Orijen Large Puppy until a year (or longer if you’d like) and then move to any of the other formulas in Orijen since they are all life stages (including the Adult Dog formula). It should be fairly easy switching within the same brand of food.

[A K]

Thanks again pitlover and crazy4cats (and everyone).

She is a little over 10 months old. How long should I be concered about the level of Calcium and Phosphorous in her food?

If I went with a large breed puppy formula like Orijen, when would you suggest switching her to a adult food?

Would you guys/gals suggest going with Orijen Large Breed Puppy formula for a few months, then switching her food again to something like Orijen Regional Red?

Or would you suggest finding a food that will work more long term without the need to switch again after a few months?

Thanks so much for all the help!

[Pitlove]

Hi Linda- I can’t say for sure if that PureVita Formula is correctly formulated for a large breed puppy. NutriSource does however have a great large breed puppy formula that is. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a 5 star food, but it does have to have restricted calcium so your pup grows properly!

[C4D]

Hi Jim G,

It sounds like the food is not working for your dog. You’re breeder probably recommended Life’s Abundance because she get’s a percentage of sales. It’s sad, but true.

If her stools are normal on plain cooked chicken and rice, I would try another grain free food and slowly intoduce it to her. If that one doesn’t work, try another until you are getting the perfect stools again. Look through this forum for large breed puppy food. Since she’s a Lab, you need to feed her a Large Breed Puppy food so it has the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio.

[Jenn H]

Wendyz I had replied this morning, but am just noticing that I must not have hit “submit”. Therefore I apologize for the delay.

I will say that after about 20 GSDs in 35+ yrs only 1 of them had pano. That was when I was a teenager. Therefore I had no control on what the dogs were fed. I just fed them according to parents’ instruction. At that time Pedigree, Purina, Blue Seal, etc were considered great food. Canned was to be used very rarely and only to give pills or extra during very cold times.
That dog grew very big very quickly. At 2 he was heading toward 100#s. Since he died suddenly at 2.5 from torsion we’ll never know what he would’ve topped out at.

With the exception of a couple of dogs I have adopted as adults, none of the 20ish dogs I’ve had have gotten hip/elbow dysplasia, OCD, arthritis, etc. With the proper diet, exercise & supplements the arthritic dogs became noticeably better. (Supplements are a whole other conversation.)

I worry about my pup because I have no idea what his father is like. His mother was a “midnight rescue”. She is 90+ lbs. His confirmation isn’t ideal. Angulated hips, roach back. Since switching him tho he has developed more muscle tone which I think has gotten him to stop walking on his hocks and has a better coat. He is also more satisfied after meals despite being fed much less amt.

It appears that quality of the proteins is more important than the quantity. Stay away from plant based. Go for meats/fish/eggs as a source. Higher biological value. Protein is important to build muscle.

You also want to control the rate of growth. GSDs can grow until they’re 3 y/o. My boy has steadily gained 2 #s/wk his whole life. Once in a while he doesn’t gain anything, but will gain 3#s the next wk.

It’s perfectly fine to give joint supplements at 6 months. Right now he gets 1.5 tabs Cosequin DS (the kind WITHOUT vitamins & minerals).

Make sure that if fish is in the food it is NOT preserved by the supplier or manufacturer with Ethoxyquin. Solid Gold & their suppliers do not use that.

If you want to have more control over proteins The Honest Kitchen may be a good choice. Even if you only feed 1 meal/day or a few meala/wk. When I contacted them regarding the puppy they suggested this:
4-6 mon Thrive
After 6 months transition/rotate with Embark, Love, Revel, Brave (that’s a LID of fish).
They make human grade dehydrated base mixes. You add the protein yourself. They include the suggested amts, but really it’s up to you.

I like to keep my puppies on the leaner side while they grow. A roly poly puppy is cute, but not ideal. I find 22-25% protein to be a good amt. But I care more about what type and the calcium.

Other LBP foods on my short list are:
*Orijen LBP/Acana
*Fromm LBP Gold although I’m hesitant to try it since a lot of people are complaining their dogs are getting sick from their gold line.
*Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Lamb & Rice. I used it when I couldn’t find Wolf Cub

Just an aside…I appreciate that you asked for my advice and am very happy to help. I am not a vet or a nutritionist. All I have is experience. Dogfoodie, Pitlove, Houndmom (I’m pretty sure that’s her name) are about the only 3 people who seem to be as conscientious as I and have offered some valuable & helpful advice. They are very good sources to reach out to also. I know there are some significant differences between GSDs and other large breeds, but there’s more similarities when it come to prevention of musculoskeleton problems.

Another aside is that I think I may switch my Lab mix to Solid Gold Barking at the Moon. I can let you know how that goes.

Good luck with the pup. I’m sure he’ll be just fine. I doubt that bout of pano will be a problem. You understand that calcium should not exceed 1.5% and the calcium/ phosphorus ratio should be around 1:1-2:1.

If I think of anything I may have forgotten I’ll let you know.

[LexiDog]

Richard – with a large breed puppy you will need to make sure that the calcium : phosphorous ratios are appropriate.

Check out this link: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

I understand where you are coming from with not wanting to feed poultry to a dog that guards chickens, but I don’t think that feeding him a chicken based food will make him want to go eat the live chickens he is guarding.

I think that Wellness CORE Puppy would be a good food – but that has chicken and turkey.