[Elizabeth T]

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

[Naturella]

Annabel, welcome!

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

[Susan]

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

[Carlos F]

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

[Akari_32]

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

Wellness® Dry Dog Foods: Carbohydrates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[crazy4cats]

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

[aimee]

Hi Robert M,

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

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

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

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

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

[crazy4cats]

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

[ROBERT M]

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

[Karen G]

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

[Cyndi]

Hi Karen,

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

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

[crazy4cats]

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

[Karen G]

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

[Susan]

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

[Constance C]

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

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

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

[Lynn Z]

I recently have become aware of all the GMOs in the North American food supply and this includes of course pet foods. If you are unfamiliar with the potential harm caused by GM foods, there are two free movies you can watch online: “Genetic Roulette” and “Seeds Of Death”. A few days ago I discovered that Wellpet (manufacturers of Wellness brand pet foods) has a few products that are GMO free! I’ve switched to Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Puppy food and intend to switch all of our dogs to Wellness when our current purchase of Nutrisca runs out.

[Michael L]

Hi Again,

So I think it was a little too early to call that success.

Based on this link /reports/editors-choice/
I decided to try Annamaet Grain Free Manitok however after two days my dog just stopped eating it. I mean he won’t even sniff it. At first I thought it was still his allergies but once I gave him some of his old food (Orijen puppy large) he finished that in 2 seconds.

I found this link:
/best-dog-foods/hypoallergenic-dog-foods/
That talks about Suggested Hypoallergenic Dog Foods
And more specifically I decided to try ACANA Duck & Bartlett Pear Singles Formula Dry

This food has limited ingredients and I figured it would be a good place to start as it’s based on duck and not chicken like the orijen one.

My dog loves it, I mean he chases me when I go get it, which he has never done before (very picky eater).

However I’m not sure about the dosage and/or if it’s suitable for large breed puppies. My golden retriever is 9 months old and weighs about 83lb.
The label says that there’s 1.3% calcium which I think should be okay (as per my understanding as long as it’s less than 3.5% it’s all good). Can someone confirm that?
http://www.acana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ACA-SINGLES-WEB-PDF-2014-DUCK.pdf?20c636

Can someone confirm that?

Thanks in advance.

[Cameron P]

Hello Guys!

I am very picky about what I allow my German Shepherd Puppy eat! My sister feeds her two chocolate labs “Good Friends” which is bought at Rural King. I always check here to see reviews before I switch foods, but he always eats it at her house and he will be staying with her for a little bit while I’m finishing my last year of college. He’s almost 6 months and his current food is Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. He doesn’t eat much, but he eats it eventually. I’m not too concerned since he’s a healthy looking pup and doesn’t get overfed! However, if anyone knows anything about this “Good Friends” puppy food, I would greatly appreciate some feed back!

German Shepherd Owner 🙂

[Ramona F]

Hi I read a post from HDM that compared Horizon Puppy with Orijen LB Puppy and HDM preferred Orijen. I read another post that said all Orijen foods were too high in calcium. We have fed Now, Horizon and now Orijen and my lab puppy is just shy of 7 months
I have seen the list of HDM foods put not all are available in small towns all hough we have 4 retailers of upscale quality food. Dog didnt like Horizon or maybe we overfed because the instructions on the label are hard to decipher and seem much lower volume of food for age size and weight of puppy.
Whats the verdict on Orijen Large breed food? anyone?
Thanks for this awesome site

[crazy4cats]

Hi Again-
I just checked out the large breed pup thread. Looks like you need to keep the calcium level below 3.5 g. calcium per 1,000 kcal. I noticed that Nutrisource (grain-inclusive) Large Breed Puppy food is on the list of recommended foods. That might be a great choice to start with. Again, good luck!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Brenda E-
Well, sounds like a stressful situation. Have you tried feeding small meals of boiled chicken or burger with rice and pumpkin to rest and calm down his intestines? Then slowly start adding kibble back in. My pups had diarrhea when we got them, but they did have parasites. Both Giardia and Coccidia. Hopefully your vet sent a fecal to the lab to test specifically for these. Yes, a probiotic would be good to try. I use Vetri-pro BD by Vetri-Science. I order it from either Amazon.com or healthy pets.com. It contains probiotics, digestive enzymes and some supplements that help soothe the intestines.
Your large breed pup needs a puppy or all life stages food that is appropriate for his size. It is recommended to keep the calcium levels down for the growing stage for large breeds. There is more information and a spreadsheet of recommended foods created by Hound Dog Mom on the large breed thread of this forum.
You will need to keep his growth slow and steady to avoid joint issues. Also limited exercise is important.
Check out http://www.dogaware.com for a lot of information on digestive orders. Good luck!

[lmnordrum]

Genevieve K: This is great news! Hopefully the solution is food and the pup has just been having a systemic reaction to something in the old food. I looked up the Precise Large Breed Puppy and its Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal. Maybe your dog has a chicken sensitivity?

At any rate I hope this is a solution for you. Would be great if its just a problem with chicken because its fairly easy to avoid it. At my house having a chicken problem would be catastrophic because of how much of it I buy and cook for us humans. Boneless chicken breasts are $1.99/pound when on sale which is cheaper than my dog food and a reason why she gets so much of it as a topper.

[Genevieve K]

I want to go completely grain-free. I have a few specialty stores around that carry the higher-end foods. Petsmart now carries Wellness but does Wellness make a grain-free puppy food? I hesitate to deviate from the Large Breed Puppy foods because I know, as a puppy, he has different needs than an adult. Yes, there are All Life Stages formulas but I’m not confident those would meet his nutritional needs.

We’ve been giving him coconut oil this week. He LOVES it. I’m also hitting the butcher today and hoping they have some rabbit – have them grind one up, bones and all. I’ve not fed him raw before but, at this point, I”m desperate. I know I shouldn’t change everything at once because that makes it harder to identify the allergen but if he’s getting mainly meat and veggies with some supplements like coconut oil and maybe some calcium (unsure about that), I’d like to think he’d do ok with more limited ingredients. (OMG, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are the best treats on earth for my dogs.)

Again, he’s a large breed and I want to make sure he gets what he needs to be healthy and strong as an adult. This makes me so sad, especially when there is so little, yet so much, information (all conflicting) out there on large breed foods and puppy needs.

[lmnordrum]

Poor pup. Have you gone totally grain free? I fed my Giant Schnauzer dog Wellness Core Puppy and added in Fromm Surf and Turf (both on the list) at about seven months. I’ve also been feeding organic coconut oil since she came home at 8 weeks. Its very unusual for my dog to itch anything at all.

As she got larger she receives more coconut oil and we’re up to the equivalent of about a tablespoon now (its totally unmeasured: I just throw a glop of it into the food and add warm water to melt it.)

Breeder had the pup on Royal Canin and i tried to do the responsible thing and mix it, but once I added in the Wellness Core Puppy, the animal would have nothing to do with Royal Canin.

I order my food from Chewy.com as the pet stores do not carry these.

Hope a good grain-free food solves your problems.

[Genevieve K]

Hi there, HDM. Have you updated the list you compiled? The Google Doc you’ve linked to before was created in February 2013. [Edit: I see elsewhere that the list has not been updated because of the amount of time required. Thank you for putting it together in the first place!]

I have a Boerbel and suspect he’s got a food allergy. We’ve been feeding him Precise Large Breed Puppy but he’s been scratching non-stop. Vet says he’s negative for mange and is otherwise a healthy puppy. In addition to an antibiotic and prednisone, we got a medicated shampoo (chlorhexidine + something else I don’t recall) that helped clear up the secondary infections from scratching.

As soon as he stopped taking the prednisone, he began scratching again. This is very frustrating because he’s 12-14 weeks old (try age unknown as he was dumped) and this is a crucial time for socialization but right now he’s either doped up on benadryl or is so distracted by scratching that training is going nowhere and it’s hard to take him places.

It’s possible he has an environmental allergy but, because food is easier to control, I’m going to see what other options I have. The list you compiled was great but I’m hoping there’s one that’s more up to date. (As he’s scratching and chewing on himself in the corner – it’s driving us all crazy.)

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Genevieve K.

[Marlene N]

hi kriste. 
My suggestion is take your puppy off of the blue wilderness puppy food completely.
My Golden Retriever puppy like I said was fine for the first 6 months and then the diarrhea started. The food that my vet had recommended after doing the chicken and rice for 2 months and trying to get my dog back onto dog food was called Prescription ID , which is only sold by vets in canada. At $45 for a small bag, i decided to research futher. I found that the nutritional values, etc. were equivalent to the puppy food by Nutro Natural Choice lamb and rice puppy food for large breed.I have had my puppy on this food now for 2 months and no problems with her stomach, stools are firm, energy level is returned and her weight is where it should be.  At 10 months old she is 52 lbs.I hope this helps!
as you transition from chicken and rice over to puppy food I can only suggest to change the protein to either ground beef or turkey instead of chicken.
your transition should take no more than 14 days. Start with the protein and rice for a few days, until the stool is semi formed. (assuming you are feeding your puppy 3 times a day one cup per meal.) then slowly introduce the food and reduce the other two components by 1/4 cup intervals.
Ex. 1/4 protein, 1/2 rice, 1/4 food, keep consistant for a few days, reduce the other two components until you are down to 1/8 protein, 1/8 rice and 3/4 food. By this time you will also know if the food is stable on your puppies stomach.
good luck!

[arwyru24]

My standard schnauzer puppy had really runny stools on the Wellness Complete Health, we switched him to Wellness Core Puppy and that resolved. Its on HDM’s list of 5 star foods appropriate for large breed puppies too.

He is almost 7 months old now, and I was looking at possibly switching him to Go! Sensitivity and Shine Duck. http://www.chewy.com/dog/go-sensitivity-shine-duck-recipe-all/dp/29169?utm_source=criteo&utm_campaign=pr

[Susan]

Hi Kriste, my boy has runny soft poos, in the end vet said IBD, he was put on Vet Diet Eukanuba Intestinal, The vet said to leave him on the Intestinal vet diet for 1 year to let everything settle and get better but around 6 months I started to try better kibbles, I found I had to get a lower fat% kibble or we’d have the sloppy poos again …Wellness was the best for his poo’s. His poos are the best that they have ever been, here’s a link to have a look at their range..they have the “Large Breed Complete Health” puppy……also made by Wellpet is “Holistic Select” Grainfree Adult/Puppy… Good- Luck
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete

[Marlene N]

Hello again!
Well, I agree 100%, there is something specific with the higher Protein content that affects our dogs. As soon as the diarrhea started, we tried the boiled chicken/ rice and then a few attempts to change back over to the Blue Wilderness food. As soon as we started it, it was an immediate diarrhea reaction / gas etc.. This went on for two months. She didn’t gain any weight, and for a 8-9 month old puppy, we were scared. A Petsmart manager suggested eliminating the protein, ie. Chicken and replacing it with a different protein. ie. Ground Beef. Instantly the diarrhea was gone!…and by the following week, we were able to start using the Prescription ID, recommended by our vet. That was fine for a month, until I found Nutro- Large Breed, Puppy, which was equivalent if not exactly at the same levels of Crude Protein, Fat, Fiber, Calcium, Nutrients, etc. We switched her food and everything has been fine.
At 10 months now, she is 52 lbs, and as happy as she should be!

We did try 1 day of a handful of the Blue Wilderness again… and her stool was extremely soft again.. so, yep! it is definitely the food and we are not switching back.

A few things we have learnt from all of this:
-sometimes all of our researching to do what is best for our pets….ie. buying the absolute best dog food on the market, is not always the best for your pet.
-Golden Retrievers have very sensitive stomachs in general… so to help eliminate diarrhea, give them a boiled protein (opposite of what is in their food) and white rice diet is ok, but, sensitive stomach, prescription ID food works well too.
-Sometimes all they may need is just 1-2 tablets of Immodium. Generic Name: loperamide
Safely prescribed by your vet.
-Finding what food works for your pet is a challenge, Thank Goodness Petsmart accepts returns of open bags of dog food!
-Listen to other pet owners with the same type of breed…. that will save you a little aggravation too!

[Naturella]

Vianca, I am not a pro, but from what I know, different breed puppies mature differently – a small or toy breed puppy can be considered an adult and fully-mature at 6 months of age; large and giant breed puppies can continue growing and be considered puppies for up to 2 years! So I don’t know where the 5-month mark came from. I do know that adult dogs just don’t need the extra calories from puppy food, that is why the amount should be reduced, but as with every dog, you need to watch activity levels and overall body condition and adjust accordingly – for example, reduce food if she’s getting chunky or is in general not very active, and increase food if she’s too thin and/or very active. As for the dog being spayed, I don’t know if you have to reduce her food, maybe one of the pros here will jump in on that part. For my Bruno, I only reduced his kibble 1/4 cup from his 1 cup/day allowance after being neutered, but that coincided with him being 6 months old and an “adult” now. Also, now I complement the loss of kibble with various toppers (wish I did that when he was a puppy, but oh well, he got his fair share of bully sticks, fish skins, etc.), so he hasn’t really lost the calories, but he burns them just fine.

My Bruno is 13.5lbs and he’s at moderately high activity level. He is supposed to get 1 cup at most of food, I think, for his weight group. I feed him 3/4 (heaping) cup of dry food plus The Honest Kitchen as a topper and coconut oil/yoghurt every other breakfast, and a raw egg, canned sardines, and a raw meaty bone once/week for each. He is lean, muscular, and in good body condition.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the actual amount – just observe your dog and adjust accordingly, and eventually you will find an amount that works for her.

[Jessica S]

Hi there, I have two dogs, and one is a 10 month old labrador mix weighing about 70 pounds, and one is a cattle dog mix, with a very sensitive stomach, weighing 25 pounds. My question is, are there any good foods I can feed to both of them? I rotate every few months because of my cattle dog, and I have had on them Taste of the Wild and other foods that say all life stages and sizes. However, if I feed them the same thing, is the large breed puppy version safe for my adult cattle dog? Would it simply be better for them to feed two different foods?

[Mike Sagman]

USA Dog Treats,

AAFCO currently has NO nutritional profile specifically for large breed puppy foods. However, the National Research Council does indeed specify unique guidelines designed to address the energy content of these kinds of foods as those calories relate to each recipe’s calcium content.

HDM (on her own) generously posted a detailed list of some of her own recommendations for commercial large breed puppy foods. Her work was scientifically based and required a significant amount of personal effort. This completely voluntary project included the creation of spreadsheets, phone calls to manufacturers as well as online research.

That research even included reliable references posted for your benefit as well as the benefit of others. So, frankly, I find your criticism of her efforts here surprising and unwelcome.

In summary, a knowledgeable veterinary expert, HDM and I have been working diligently on an important project — including the development of costly software — to help our readers verify claims made by manufacturers regarding the nutritional adequacy of their products specifically for large breed puppies.

[Daria S]

Hello all, Hello HOUND DOG MUM 🙂

Speaking about Ca:P ratios – I’ve just received response from First Mate pet foods according to their actual Ca:P ratios. On their pages and on the internet the figures are really really high (1,9:1 for Pacific Ocean Endurance/Puppy which made it to the HDM list). Here are the figures I received by them:

Pacific Ocean Fish Original 1.44:1
Pacific Ocean Fish Endurance/Puppy 1.50:1
Pacific Ocean Fish Large Breed 1.45:1
Pacific Ocean Fish Weight Control/Senior 1.40:1
Chicken with Blueberries 1.85:1
Australian Lamb 1.78:1

The ratios are lower than shown on their pages BUT still high for any large breed puppy because of too little Phosphorus. It’s a shame, I really liked the company and the food so now I’m thinking about Orijen Puppy Large (new formula since January 2013).

Orijen CS couldn’t give me answer about actual Calcium level and kept saying the same info as on the pages – Ca is between 1,2 – 1,5. The best i got from him is “The minimum calcium and phosphorus contents that are listed on our guaranteed analysis are reflective of the typical content.” Kcal is 3800/kg. So while 1,3 would be acceptable, 1,4 is too much. Now I really don’t know. I have a 3,5mths GR puppy and as everyone here I want the best for him. I like high protein in Orijen and quality ingredients.
Also I heard that Orijen is being too high in iron – I still need to analyse this topic.

Any thoughts here?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Daria S.

[Lance B]

Thanks for your insight, c4c.

Regarding your question, yes, I checked out that thread and did additional research beyond what HDM provided in her thread. Ultimately, I decided to get Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy food, as it had the closest dietary matrix (relative to other kibbles) to what research recommended. Moreover, its calcium to phosphorus ratio was pretty ideal and close to the research optimum. Lastly, it’s very affordable, which was a very nice added bonus.

[aimee]

Hi Liz,

If all you are reading is that Science diet is so horrible then you are not reading everything:). For example when Dr. Remillard, a board certified veterinary nutritionist was asked which dog food she would feed she replied “It’s kind of a race to the top between Royal Canin, Purina and Hill’s for me….” petdietsdotcom/Ask-the-Nutritionist. Dr Wynn, also a board certified veterinary nutritionist gave a nod to Science Diet in her article on large breed puppy nutrition.

Good guide rates Science Diet Adult Toy and Small breed dog food 9.2/10 in the health category.

When zoos choose to use a commercial dog/cat food for the valuable animals in their care you will find Science Diet on the menu.

If open to the idea that veterinary and PhD nutritionists use different criteria to evaluate food vs many internet posters you will find that Science Diet is held in high regard by professionals in nutrition.

I have fed Science Diet products in the past and currently am using one of their products. I’m confident in my choice and in the nutrition it provides.

[must.love.dogs.]

Hi! New to the forum and site. Sorry if this has already been addressed. We have an 8 month old Dogue de Bordeaux and 6 year old German Shepherd. The pup is already well over 100lbs, and the GSD is full grown at 130lbs. Opinions on the best, healthy food for the best price and is purchasing online a better route when cutting costs? Currently, they are eating Holistic Select – Large Breed Puppy and Large Breed Adult. Both love each others foods and will not keep to one, so I was debating All Life Stages by Canidae. All of you know mastiffs and larger GSDs eat HUGE amounts. We do not want to sacrifice their health when making budget adjustments. Any opinions and guidance is much appreciated. I just want the best for our boys while being economical! Thank you.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Lance-
Congratulations on the new pup. How exciting, a Great Dane! I don’t know if a probiotic for a puppy is really necessary. But, maybe others will chime in with their opinions. My pups have had digestive issues due to various reasons. So, I have used Vetri-Science soft chews, Total Zymes, and Natur Vet probiotics. Right now I am using Swanson’s Ultra Soil-Based probiotics. Swanson Vitamins is a very reasonably priced web site with many options to check out. The main thing is to buy a probiotic with as many strains as possible. In addition, check out http://www.dogaware.com. It’s a great website with information on many dog related issues, including probiotics.
Have you checked out the large breed puppy thread on this forum. It contains a spreadsheet of food that is appropriate for large breed pups due to needing restricted calcium levels.
Keep his weight down, his growth slow and controlled and limited running and jumping to help his joints healthy. Have fun and good luck!

[pugmomsandy]

Not sure if you’ve come across this topic yet for large breed pups, so here it is:

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

It has more article links and food recommendations. And here is the link to the PDF list of foods (around page 15 and again around page 35 in the large breed pup topic):

https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

Also, manufacturers change their recipes whenever they want to, so it wouldn’t hurt to double check on the foods that you are interested in.

It comes down to controlled calcium and the proper calcium to phosphorus ratio for large breed pups. Other than that is marketing.

[Stephanie S]

I’m trying to find a good food for my 11 week old male rough collie. He is currently eating Blue Wilderness Large Breed Puppy but I’m concerned that it might have too much calcium in it which I know isn’t good for large breed puppies. Also, he doesn’t seem to really like it. I have read many articles on the internet and I am more confused than ever because they all seem to have conflicting information. Some say to feed grain free and some say that grain free isn’t good for large breed puppies. Some say that a large breed puppy needs to be on large breed food, which is what I was always told, and some say that they don’t. I just really want to find a food that will be good for his joints and bones and also good for his skin because collies sometimes have sensitive skin. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Lance B]

From my research (some of which HDM posted as well), the optimal dietary matrix for a giant breed is 26% protein, 14% fat, 0.8% Calcium, and 0.67% Phosphorus.

Thus far, the closest I’ve found to that is Nutrisource’s Large Breed Puppy Food:
http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/nutrisource/products/large_breed_puppy

As you can see, it has a dietary matrix of 26% protein, 14% fat, 0.1% Calcium, and 0.8% Phosphorus. DFA has it rated as a 4-star food as well. Lastly, it’s also pretty affordable, with the cheapest I’ve found at $39.99 for a 30 lb. bag (31.99 if you sign-up for auto-shipping).

That being said, I was wondering if anyone knew of any other foods that might give NutriSource a run for its money? I’ve seen HDM’s list (Nutrisource is on there, btw), for what it’s worth, but I’ve not seen a food that provides a better dietary matrix, no matter the price.

Perhaps I’ve missed one, though?

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Lance B.

[Lance B]

I was on petfooddirect, looking around at their puppy foods for the Great Dane pup I’ll be picking up in 3 weeks. I stumbled across NutriSource’s Large Breed Puppy Food, which has – to this point in my research – the most optimal dietary matrix for giant breeds (according to the research I’ve read, some of which Hound Dog Mom has posted). I then ventured over to dogfoodadvisor to make sure it was a 4 or 5 star quality food. It was here that I found the following statement:

“If we ignore the fact one product (Large Breed Puppy) still contains corn gluten meal to boost its protein percentage, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.”

However, that does not appear to be the case when you examine the ingredients of Nutrisource’s large breed puppy food:
http://www.nutrisourcedogfood.com/nutrisource/products/large_breed_puppy

[cajungurl]

We got our puppy at 4 weeks due to mom’s milk drying up. Layla was being fed Pedigree canned puppy food. I knew I didn’t want to keep her on that so started researching about better dog foods. Started her on 4- health Grain Free. But was told at her 9 week appt that she should be on a large breed puppy food because of calcium levels….. more research…. found this site and found Blue wilderness large breed puppy with a 5 star rating. After purchasing, I decided to scroll through a couple of the threads and noticed that this brand is also considered too high in calcium for my large breed puppy….. so in wanting to do what is best for my puppy I decided to research homemade dog foods(made my brain hurt!!!) I think it would be best for me to start with a pre-mix first!

My question, what would be the best pre-mix for a large breed puppy that would have the right amount of calcium?

[aimee]

Hi Michael,

I’d never head of that plan before. Interesting that she recommended those two brands. I’ve always had Labs and used to show them. My show pal showed Mastiffs. I’ve raised my pups on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy and she used Eukaneuba LBP.

When I attended a Mastiff national specialty I asked each breeder I saw what food they recommended for Mastiff pups. Each one said Eukaneuba LBP.

The Lab breeders I got my pups from and others I knew from the show circuit all used Pro Plan.

Interesting that this plan rotates between these two brands.

I’ve always had good results with Pro Plan.

[aquariangt]

It doesn’t matter so much if it’s specifically a large breed puppy food or not. As long as it has the AAFCO profile for growth and hits the necessary nutrients (specifically calcium) they are noted as acceptable. In fact, many LBP foods AREN’T appropriate for what they are aiming for. All of those Matt listed would work for your golden pup

[Michael G]

I have a 19 week old male Golden Retriever puppy. He is lean and healthy. I have him on the Hovan Slow Grow diet plan. Ms. Hovan specifically said to switch him on an off of Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food and Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Food. I would like to know if any knowledgeable members agree with this or would suggest another food for him. I am looking for the best way to keep him healthy and active for as many years as possible. This can be tricky for Golden Retrievers. Any knowledgeable help given is much appreciated! Thank you!!!

[Trey W]

I have had my Lab puppy for over 2 months now and we can’t seem to get his stools regularly normal. At first we were feeding him Blue Buffalo Large Puppy Breed Chicken and Rice flavor and he was having diarrhea almost every time he would poop. So we switched his food to Simply Nourish Large Puppy Breed Chicken and Rice and for about the first week he was eating that his poops were pretty normal, but now they have started to soften up again. Many days his poops will go from decent to worse throughout the day, but he does not have an increase in poops it is just that when he does poop they tend to be very soft stools if not diarrhea.

He does not have any worms nor blood in his stool even though today I did find some gravel looking stuff in his stool. We have feed him boiled chicken and rice on days that his tummy has been real upset, and when we do that his poops are always better, but I cant feed him boiled chicken and rice forever. He eats, drinks, plays, and acts perfectly healthy. My vet recommended switching his food to Hills Science Diet because that is the softest on dogs stomachs. I am weary of this because I have heard that vets just push that on the customers because that is their sponsored dog food.

I am open to any suggestions, and just hoping to get my boy all better.

[Boerboel Daddy]

Hound Dog Mom

My Boerboel ( South African, Mastiff Type dog) is four months old.
He was fed Royal Canine Giant Breed Puppy by the breeder i wish to switch to Coastal catch as per your recommeded foods lists… but Im a bit confused with the feeding guide.

Usually one would feed for the dogs adult weight but is tht the same with Large breed puppies… all large breed formulas differ from the adult feeding guides until the pups reach a certain age…

is that true for Eathborn Ocean Fusion as well? i have used the calculator but the 6 cups of food just seems too much for a four month old pup to be eating… are they refering to a standard sized cup? if so how much is said cup in grams?

[matt n]

Ok so I’ve done a little more research but I’m still not sure about the calcium and it’s relation to medium breed dogs vs large & giant breeds.

Also, what I think I’m going to do is start off with Dr. Tim’s Kinesis then switch to Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and then Victor Select Lamb Meal & Brown Rice. What I’m thinking is, this should show me which food (grain vs grain free, chicken vs herring vs lamb) my dog does best on. Is this legitimate reasoning? And what amount of time do people suggest keeping the puppy on a particular food before rotating to the next? Thanks

[Case]

Sorry for posting in two places. Hoping for a quick reply.

I’m already in trouble with the wife for the amount of time that I’ve spent reading over the past few days, so as much as I’d like to, I can’t read the large breed puppy food thread from the beginning. I downloaded the list on page 15 but still a few questions. We’ve recently added an English Mastiff x Great Dane pup to our family. My other dog is currently on a bag of Earthborn Primitive Natural. From what I gather it’s calcium/phosphorous/calorie content is not much different from Orijen’s large breed formula. I can get the meadow feast formula locally but I frown on the single source of amino acids. The only other decent food that I can get locally is blue wilderness large breed. My wife plans to top the food with 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin and jack mackarel. Would the primitive naturals be too much? (1.5 calcium, 1.0 phosphorous, 20% fat)? Should I go ahead with the blue (not a huge fan but need a bag of food today).

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Case.

[matt n]

First off, I’m glad I found this site. If I hadn’t, this puppy would have eventually been given the Cesar’s brand of wet dog food. It’s been interesting to read about rotating foods, calcium levels, grain-free foods and other things. I’ve mainly been looking at the large breed and giant breed thread as it’s very informative but, my dog will not be a large breed. She’s more of a medium breed. By math she’s ~68% golden retriever and the rest is toy poodle. The puppy is now 6 weeks old and the breeder estimated she would end up being 30-35lbs. So, what I’m wondering is, does my puppy not being classified as a large breed change the food she should eat? What about the calcium levels?

Right now she’s eating Life’s Abundance along with Nature’s Variety Raw Medallions for treats(not sure if this info is relevant but here it is nonetheless).

I was eying Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch or Meadow Feast as they’re pretty high rated and I’ve seen tons of positive reviews.

Any suggestions or information is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by matt n.
• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by matt n.