Rescue Dane Mom and Pattyvaughn, when you say 30% is a personal limit for some are you meaning 30% is the minimum protein percent? Do most on this site agree that you can’t have too high of protein for a large breed puppy? I’m trying to be aware of the calcium percentage and have been referring to HDM’s list. I just want to make sure that I’m not missing some other important detail. I have a Standard Poodle puppy who was 16 weeks on Monday. The breeder advised that I feed him a 50/50 mixture of Eukanuba Adult and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach (which is also an adult formula). She said this mixture worked best to ensure that the puppy didn’t grow too fast and his bones and muscles/ligaments would grow at the same pace. She said she’d been using this formula with her puppies for some time and had fantastic results. I met the parents and grandparents of my puppy as well as older siblings from a previous litter and all were very healthy, active dogs. She does all her “testing” before she breeds any of her dogs and they all have good results, so it’s hard to argue with her approach. I was still hesitant to feed a puppy and adult food, however, so I chose NV Prairie Large Breed Puppy and switched him over. I hope I did the right thing! He has been on this NV formula for a month now and his stool is still fairly soft. It has form when it comes out, but it is too soft to pick up right away… if that makes sense. I’d like to start rotating him with a few other foods, but want to make sure I have the calcium and protein thing down first! Another question on calcium… I know a food should be no more than 3.5 g calcium, but on the list everything looks like it’s hovering around the 1.0 mark. Obviously there must be a piece I’m missing here… Thanks for the help!
That’s my thought, InkedMarie – the dog will get what the dog likes…I’m not going to be bound to one food. If the dog reacts poorly to it, what then?
Thanks, RDM – very helpful. The breeder’s health guarantee actually stipulates that Life’s Abundance food be used for the 1st year or the guarantee is void. I think I’ll be asking to redact that section of the contract.
karink- Nutrisca may not be on the list for several reasons. It is possible that the company did not get back with her when she reached out to them for the “actual” calcium and phosphorous levels. It is also possible that they did give her the actual levels and they were too high to be included on the list. I would choose a food from HDM’s list that is potato-free rather than using Nutrisca. I’m sure HDM didn’t include it for a reason.
Regarding why a food may or may not be on this list. The criteria used is this:
-Rated at least 4 stars by the Dog Food Advisor.
-No more than 3.5 g. calcium per 1,000 kcal.
-Labeled for “growth” or “all life stages.”
If a food is not on the list,they either did not meet the criteria or they did not provide HDM with the “actual” levels (not the min stated on the bag or website) of calcium and phosphorous when she contacted them.
Regarding protein, it is not a criteria for the list. There is no minimum protein percentage to make the list. The focus is on the calcium/phosphorous, not % protein. 30% is a personal limit for some.
For those of you wondering if certain foods are appropriate for large breed pups, I implore you to choose foods on HDM’s list.
I was checking the list that HDM posted on page 15 of the appropriate foods for Large Breed Puppies, however, I did not find a recommendation for NUTRISCA. It has a 5 star rating by Dog Food Advisor, and is grain free, potato free. Does anyone know anything about it and what the calcium / phosophorus percentage is as I don’t see it listed on the company’s website.
Wanted to include it in the rotation diet. I am currently using Annamaet Salcha and puppies seems to be doing well on it, however, would like to try a potato free food as well.
Thanks.
The Cane Corso is considered a large breed dog because it will grow to 80lbs or larger. You should be feeding a food that is appropriate for a large breed puppy. They need to grow slow so they don’t develop bone problems. I would suggest you go to the Diet and Heath Issues forum and read through the Large and Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition thread for more info. See here: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/
A member, Hound Dog Mom, took a lot of time and effort to create a list of appropriate foods for large breed puppy growth. I would look through the list and see what is available to you. You may want to choose a food that is very different to what you are currently feeding (different protein, different carbs, etc).
Here is the list: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1
It starts with grain-inclusive foods, then grain-free foods, and raw foods last.
I have a Great Dane (aka German Mastiff). He has done well on Annamaet, Earthborn Holistic, The Honest Kitchen (a dehydrated food, not kibble), Primal (raw), and Stella & Chewy’s (raw). You can’t go wrong if you pick anything from the list I provided. I would get small bags to see if he likes it first. You can also buy food online at places like chewy.com or petflow.com if you can’t find what you want locally.
I hope this is helpful Good luck!
Parr
There is no kibble that has too much protein for a large breed dog. I won’t feed a food under 35% protein to my dogs and there are others here who set their personal limit at 30%. Below 30% is just too low, IMO.
mfulton
If you can find pea free foods that are grain free, that’s what I would do at least until you have everything under control. If you can’t find good options then at least go for gluten free grains, that’s where the problem is anyway.
Hi all, I am still trying to get information on the protein levels for large breed dogs. I have a 15 month old GSD who is eating Earthborn Meadow Feast to help with skin issues and so far so good. I want to understand the right range for large breed protein levels as I look for foods to rotate in. I would love it if I could get some feedback on this.
Thank you so much for your help.
I’ve been searching for affordably priced dog food which brings me to the question, does the dog food have to be grain free? I’m really confused about the grain inclusive and the grain free foods.
Hi Sue
I have a zoo too. I usually switch to 2 meals a day between 4 and 6 months. My dogs usually let me know that they don’t want lunch anymore, but total food hounds are not likely to refuse a meal.
That search box at the beginning is the only one.
jking
Coastal Catch is good too!
I use enzymes and probiotics from 2 diff place, Mercola and Swanson’s. I like Mercola better, but they are a lot more expensive, so I often use Swanson’s instead.
I keep pumpkin on hand at all times, but it is extremely rare that I need it. If stools are soft, use it, if they are fine, just keep watching. I’ve been rotating foods for a year now and my dogs are totally used to it.
I have a large breed puppy, Shiloh Shepherd. He’s 55 pounds at 4-1/2 months. With much help from information on this forum I’m feeding him half kibble (rotating between Wellness Core Puppy, Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, Halo Spot’s Stew Surf N Turf) and half raw (Primal and OCRraw) as well as a probiotic and supplement. He seems to be doing very well. I’m currently feeding him 5.5 cups of food per day but I’m going to increase it, at least temporarily, as he still seems hungry all the time. I’m also feeding him three times a day at this point.
My question–up to what age is it recommended to feed 3 times a day? I wonder if feeding him fewer, larger meals if he would be better satisfied.
Also, does anyone know if there’s a way to search the forums on this site? There’s a search box on the initial forum page but nothing for individual topics that I can see. They’re packed with such great information but I’m sure many questions are repeated and information missed because it’s so hard to find out which issues have already been addressed.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by
Sue's Zoo.
pattyvaughn what digestive enzymes and probiatics do you recomend? I had been giving her the pumpkin with her food, when she was on Pinnacle. Then when we switched her over to canine caviar and she was having good stools, I quit giving her the pumpkin. So you recommend the pumpkin as a regular addition to her kibble.
jking
Try Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast, and maybe start adding a spoonful of canned pure pumpkin to her meals, to help with the loose stools. Digestive enzymes and probiotics wouldn’t be amiss either.
mfulton
Trying limited ingredient foods definitely makes it easier to figure out what works and what doesn’t. As for how long it takes to tell, it depends on how severe the dog is, among other things. I have always known inside of a week if a food was working. The first food that worked for Micah had him dramatically less itchy in about 3 days, but it took 2 1/2 months for all symptoms to disappear. And when you find something that works, you do want to wait until all symptoms disappear before trying something else. When I have tried something that didn’t work for Micah, it also took 3 days for symptoms to show up. His left ear suddenly got red, inflamed, and gunky. I took him off it immediately and now 2 weeks later, his ear is still gunky, but it isn’t red and inflamed. I’m waiting for it to clear up before I try the next new thing(with fear and trepidation). I have known dogs that took much longer to start showing improvement because of the high level of histamine in their body, but you should start to see improvement sooner than 6 weeks.
Pattyvaughn should I try a L.I.D. food or just try something with completely different ingredients? I also remember our vet telling us that we need to wait 6 weeks to see if the food is working or not. Does that seem accurate based on your experiences?
Looking for some help here. I have a 4 month old Saint Bernard. We started her on Pinnacle Chicken and Oatmeal. After about 2 weeks she started have very loose stools. So I switched her to Canine Caviar Open Sky. She did well on this for about a month, but is back to having very loose stools (runny w/no form). I am not sure what food I should try her on next. I am going to feed her rice and chicken for the next couple of days to see if we can get a solid stool again.
Ok, so you are looking for a food that is free of fish, peas, and potatoes that is acceptable for a large breed puppy, right?
You could try the Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast. There is no fish or potatoes (white or sweet) in it. If there is no improvement, then it could be the peas.
If you don’t mind grains, Nature’s Variety Large Breed Puppy has no peas or potatoes but it does have salmon oil. Pinnacle Chicken & Oatmeal has no fish or peas but does have potatoes. The Victor Select Chicken Meal or Lamb Meal are both free of peas, fish, and potatoes. They are budget-friendly too. On Amazon the 40lb bag of Chicken Meal & Rice formula is $55.
You might have to go through the list of appropriate foods for large breed puppies and look at the ingredients in each one. Then you can determine if the price is right and if you can get your hands on it. I wish you the best of luck!
Okay so this isn’t allergies its more than likely a food intolerance. I did notice that the earthborn holistic amd zignature are both pea based. I wonder if that is the trigger. If not maybe fish? Would you happen to know what the most common dog food intolerances are?
I do have a probiotic for her/them but I will definitely check into getting the enzyme as well. Thanks!
My dog with intolerances had them from the day I got him at 8 weeks old, so I have to assume he had them before that. True allergies usually develop later, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case with intolerances. Take the ingredient list with you to the store and try to find a food that is very different, different proteins and different carbs. Also, get him on digestive enzymes, they help with the gas, and a good multistrain probiotic, they help heal the gut, which is where a lot of these issues start and get worse and worse. If you want a recommendation for those, Swanson’s has a couple of probiotics that are good, Dr Stephen Langer’s and Soil Based Organisms. Their Premium Digestive Enzyme is good too. Mercola has excellent of both, but they cost a bit more.
Keep ingredient lists of any food he has with notes about how he does on them. You can compare ingredient lists and start to figure out what it is he reacts to, so you will know what to avoid in the future.
I have been feeding my pups Earthborn Hollistic Coastal Catch for about 4 weeks or so now. I have the Doberman pup (14wks), shihpoo pup (9 mth), and Chihuahua (2 yr). Since the dogs have been on it the dobie and shihpoo have really bad room clearing gas and the dobie has loose stools every other day or so. Another food they’ve been on was the Zignature Trout and the dobie had loose stools with that also. Should I try another food or another flavor of the Earthborn Hollistic? Weve also been noticing the dobie seems itchy a lot. Bites at her paws, scratches her backside Im thinking she scratched so much she caused scabbing on the backs of her front legs. I was thinking most dogs don’t develop allergies until theyre older? I know that the fawn dobies are more prone to skin issues so maybe that is causing it?
I have a question about the protein levels in the foods on the list for large breed dogs. I read that higher protein levels are better, but am not sure of the minimums.
A few days ago I wrote in about my 15 month old German Shepherd, Abbey, having an itching problem. I loved all my responses and have been happy with the Earthborn Meadow Feast choice I made for her and so is she. Most of her itching and gone away in the last week. I think it is because this is chicken free, grain free and potato free food. i tried to cover my bases to get a quick fix for her and it seems to be working so far. I also want to rotate her diet, something I never knew until I started reading all the wonderful postings here on DFA. This makes total sense to me and I think this may be part of the reason Abbey got her problems from eating only one food for the last year, Wellness Large Breed Puppy.
As I have looked through the foods on the list the next food I plan to rotate in is, Instinct, either Rabbit or Turkey LID. The Rabbit has 27% protein and the Turkey has 29% protein. The Earthborn Meadow Feast is only 26% protein. After reading in several threads that higher protein is better I wanted to better understand what those, protein levels should be. I want to select a food that is on both the large breed list and the no chicken, no grain and no potato list as well, since she has done so well with the Earthborn Meadow Feast.
I know there is much involved in determining which foods are better for a large breed, which is why I am ever so, grateful that HDM took an incredible amount of time, I am sure, to create this list in the first place. Now I just need to know how to make a selection from this list that best suits Abbey’s sensitivities. Do I need to worry about these lower protein levels?
My thought was that your vet should be able to diagnose pano, so if he thought it was pano, I would listen. All Acana formulas are too high in calcium and while I love raw goats milk, I’m not sure if it helps with the calcium equation. Pick a food from this list.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?srcid=0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk&pid=explorer&efh=false&a=v
This is Hound Dog Mom’s list of foods that have the correct calcium levels for large breed growth. Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch is on the list and might be comparable.
Revised list. Not too different. Took some off, and added markers at the beginning of each different food.
-Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
-Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
-Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
-By Nature Active
-By Nature Pork
-California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
-California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
-Canidae Life Stages ALS
-Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
-Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
-Castor and Pollux Large Breed
-Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
-Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
-Earthborn Puppy Vangate
-Earthborn Small Breed
-Earthborn Primitive Naturals
-Fromm Gold ALL
-Holistic Select Vital Senior
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
-Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
-Holistic Select Anchovy
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
-Merrick Classic Beef
-Merrick Classic Lamb
-Merrick Classic Chicken
-Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
-Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
-Nature’s Recipe Venison
-Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
-Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
-Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
-Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
-PetGuard LifeSpan
-Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
-Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
-Solid Gold Wolf Cub
-Vet’s Choice ALL
-Wellness Complete Health Chicken
-Wysong Adult
-Wysong Growth Puppy
-Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato
Would a few of you guys care to make a top 10 (or however many) list for me from my 4 mile long thing here? I think I’m over the Grandma Lucy’s (btw, they told me I could BUY samples from them. What the crap good does BUYING samples do for me?? I don’t have the money for that crap, that’s why I asked for some! ‘Tards…).
Small to medium kibbles would be best (for Bentley– Haley and Dweezle do fine on the smaller piece), a few adult-appropriate puppy foods perhaps, and different meats. And please don’t give me all the more expensive ones.
Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
By Nature Active
By Nature Pork
California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
Canidae Life Stages ALS
Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
Castor and Pollux Large Breed
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
Earthborn Puppy Vangate
Earthborn Small Breed
Earthborn Primitive Naturals
Evanger’s Chicken and Brown Rice
Fromm Gold ALL
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Pork
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Chicken
Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance Chicken
Holistic Select Vital Senior
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
Holistic Select Anchovy
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
Merrick Classic Beef
Merrick Classic Lamb
Merrick Classic Chicken
Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
Natural Balance Ultra
Natural Balance Fat Dogs
Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
Nature’s Recipe Venison
Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
PetGuard LifeSpan
Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Vet’s Choice ALL
Wellness Complete Health Chicken
Wysong Adult
Wysong Growth Puppy
Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato
coscowgirl: I recommend you send me your dog and let me worry about it. No? LOL, I tried! Scroll to, I think, page 15 of this topic and look at the list of appropriate foods that HoundDogMom spent months researching. Good luck!
Greetings…have a question…what dry dog food would you recommend for an 8 mos old irish wolfhound female, who already weighs over 80 lbs & is 33″ at the withers?? Would like to give her a good quality puppy food at a good price……Thanks for your info & advice!!
Hi Murphysmom,
Try this…
Click on the “Forum: tab on the red bar above. Then click on “Diet & Health,” then scroll down a bit to “Large & Giant Breed Puppy Nutrition.” The documents that I posted links for are all one the first page of the thread.
Hi guys,
I’m a fellow Golden owner and my pup, Sam, is almost 18 months old.
First of all, I have to say that Goldens are a large breed puppy and they have special dietary needs as a result.
I strongly suggest that you visit this thread in the DFA forum area as it has lots of great information about the special needs of a large breed puppy: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/
Here’s a great list of foods recommended for growing large breed pups, like both of yours:https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFQXNYZW01VzRVV00/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1
NutriSource makes a LBP formula with an appropriate Calcium level ,that is grain inclusive, that’s very well-tolerated by pups with sensitive stomachs. NutriSource is a good quality, budget friendly food that’s generally easy to find in the stores and online. You won’t see it in the list that I gave you because it’s grain inclusive though and the list consists entirely of grain free foods. You can, and should, offer fresh additional sources of protein, such as tinned sardines.
You must carefully choose a food with an appropriate Calcium level to avoid excess bone growth while yours is a fast growing puppy. Excessive bone growth contributes to skeletal disorders including hip dysplasia. In addition to controlling Calcium, keep your pup lean and avoid overfeeding and over-exercising.
Once your pup reaches at least 80% of his adult size, Calcium isn’t nearly the concern it is when he’s a puppy.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by
DogFoodie.
I scoured this thread back in September when I was choosing a food for our 8 week golden retriever puppy, it was so helpful! We transitioned him to Wellness Core Puppy and his stools began getting softer as the transition progressed. (breeder had him on something from Sam’s Club, can’t find the name, nothing good from what I remember when it mentioned in thread, but his stools were FIRM when he was only on this) Anyhow, he’s now 16 weeks old, stools are still loose, I’ve tried adding probiotics and read that I should add enzymes so will try that. For some reason, the updated large breed puppy food list won’t open on my computer…..we are reaching the bottom of Wellness bag and thinking a switch is in order…wondering if anyone can suggest a calcium safe puppy food that would help with loose stools?? Also, any recommendations on enzyme? Thanks for your help! As I can’t access updated list, I’m stuck and I have got to get a new bag ordered!
Looking for a food that will be appropriate for a large breed puppy will narrow things down quite a bit for you. Here is the list a very knowledgeable member, HoundDogMom, put together: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1
Grain inclusive foods are first, grain free foods start of page 3.
Good luck! 🙂 And I agree that you will probably get the best prices online. I like chewy.com and petflow.com.
Well assuming that it is the lamb, you could just pick a food from the list of appropriate large breed puppy foods and give it a try. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a LID diet, but I would stick with grain free. You could try the Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, Wellness Core Puppy, Zignature Trout & Salmon, or any of the others that suit your fancy that don’t use lamb.
If you are not adverse to shopping online, then most foods are available online. Some offer free shipping and often there are sales.
If I were you, I would first go to my local pet stores (or stores where you will be purchasing your pups food) and look to see what they have. Talk to the clerks (note that some will be more knowledgeable than others, so beware of this) to see what they recommend. Tell them you are looking for a 4-5 star type food for a large breed puppy that has no corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, menadione. There are puppy foods and there are all-life-stage foods that will work. Let them know if you want to feed grain or gluten free. They ought to be able to point you in the right direction. Then you can read the labels on bags and If you find something there you are interested in then come to this site and look it up to see how it’s rated, etc. You could then ask on the forum who makes it, any recalls, etc.
One important thing to note is that you are getting a large breed puppy and they need special nutrition in order to grow correctly. I don’t have large breeds, but there is a thread on this forum that lists appropriate large breed puppy foods. You must use a food with the correct amount of calcium to phosphorus ratio. I believe it’s no more than 1.5/1.0….and this is dry matter, not as fed. I know that’s probably confusing, too, so it’s nice to just have the thread that does list foods that are appropriate.
I know this response seems jumbled but I am writing things down as they come into my head LOL….sorry about that. I hope it helps you some. 🙂
HoundDogMom took a lot of time and effort to research foods appropriate for large breed puppies. She made a list here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1
It starts with grain inclusive and grain free starts on page 3. I would start there. Some of the brands that you can find in stores like Petco/Petsmart that are on there are: Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit meal and Limited Ingredient Turkey, Wellness Core Puppy, and Halo grain free surf & turf. The Timberwolf Southwest Chicken and Herbs is on her list too. If you are concerned about having food on hand. You could always have a backup bag of food on hand. I used to do that for my Dane. When he got down to half a bag of food, I would buy another one just so I had it. I always ordered his food online so I never wanted to run out. Also, chewy.com and petflow.com have lots of choices for food, great prices, and fast shipping. I always got my food within 2-3 days.
Hope this helps! 🙂
I am not a fan of TOTW because it it made by Diamond and they have a big recall history. If you shop at the big stores like Petco and Petsmart, I would consider Merrick Grain Free, Wellness Core, and Nature’s Variety Instinct. I fed my Dane a rotation of different foods including: Acana (Grain Free), Earthborn Holistic (Grain Free), Go! Fit & Free (by Petcurean), Horizon Legacy, and Annamaet (Grain Free). My Dane is a picky boy when it comes to kibble so I was somewhat limited. Other brands I like but he didn’t: Fromm (Grain Free), Nature’s Logic (has smaller kibbles), Orijen, Evanger’s (Grain Free), and Zignature (Grain Free). I would recommend going through the 4 and 5 star reviews to see what you like and what may work for them. If you want to try one of the brands that aren’t carried in Petco/Petsmart, I would get it online from chewy.com or petflow.com.
I know you want to get her off TOTW ASAP so you don’t want to gradually mix in another food. The faster you switch the more likely she is to have some GI upset like diarrhea. To try to avoid that, you can add a tablespoon of canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) to her new food- that will help with the diarrhea because of the fiber. I would also get digestive enzymes and probiotics and add them to her food to help with the switch.
On another note, your GD rescue that is 7 months old should still be on a restricted calcium/phosphorous food for slow growth. See this list for large breed puppy appropriate foods: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1
Luckily, the NV LID Turkey is on there.
Good Luck! And please post any other questions you have. Hopefully we can help! 🙂
-Caroline
Looking for suggestions for a large breed dry food that’s *low carbs, no grain, minimal recalls* I originally was thinking TimberWolf but decided against that after reeding their reviews & i want something thats going to be accessible when I need it. Too bad cause it seems like the perfect kibble 🙁
Well that scares me. Thanks!
Monica, go to the Diet and Health issues sub forum here. At the top, click the link for the food for large breed puppies, there is a link of the appropriate foods on page 15. Acana isn’t on there.
Hi,
I have a beautiful 5 month old German Shepherd puppy, that has consistently had very soft stool/diarrhea since I got her. I was feeding her Orijen large breed puppy formula, and recently switched to Acana LBP, with no noticable change to her stool.
I’ve searched for advice but have not found an answer anywhere. My dog walker thinks her diet is too high protein and that Shepherd’s have sensitive stomachs. On her advice I’ve tried adding white rice and carrots, but neither has shown any effect.
Could you please help me with any suggestions for food or some kind of supplements that I can give her? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Dave
This is of great concern to me as well as Ihave received various stories of protein levels verses calcium/phosphorous ratios. I am feeding my almost 6 month old Alaskan malamute Acana Pacifica for about a month now. This week he was diagnosed with growing pains. Could the food be contributing to this. Is he growing too fast? He did have a growth spurt of 4 lbs in a week but prior to this only gained 2 pounds in the previous 3. Fed Acana the whole time.
I have a Cane Corso pup and the breeder had her on Kirkland puppy food. I transitioned her to Raw (instinct raw bites and Darwin). She eats the instinct like its “Crack”. 3secs and its gone. Oh, I do mix it with kibble (Prairie large breed). I’m thinking of just strait RAW. Darwin’s raw is local and free home delivery. I will say this about raw; the stole is solid and way less smelly.
Solid gold wolfcub large puppy breed , orijen Large puppy breed , froom Large puppy breed, now fresh grain free large breed puppy food , ease into the transition , mix both foods for about 4 days then fully transition hope it works they are all great foods the best in my opinion for Large breed
It’s only the large breed puppy that has special calcium/phosphorus requirements so actually your adult dog can eat the large breed pup’s food.
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/page/36/
Here is the large breed puppy food document:
https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?usp=sharing
Sandy,
We may be wanting to adopt a larger dog, and I was planning on keeping him/her on large breed puppy food for 12-18 months, until she is full-grown. I would then introduce all-life-stage food that the large dog can share with the small one. Then I would just feed them adult food or continue with all-life-stage every now and again.
Do you think large and small dogs can share the same food once they are both adults?
If it’s a large breed puppy, then it has special needs. I was assuming you’d be getting another small dog. Also, puppies (non-large breed), adults and seniors can also eat the same foods (unless there is a medical issue). My 14 yr old eats the same food as the rest of the gang (which includes all life stage food).
Hound dog mom… Please advise.
We have a 13 week multi generation labradoodle ( this is our 4th one, and our last 2 lived to be 15 years old till this year). We are mixing ( transitioning ) some leftover Life’s abundance puppy kibble given by breeder, and changing over to Kirklands puppy kibble ( we had never had an issue with our 2 that ate kirkland for 15 years). But naturally, we took him to puppy class at Petco and the mgr saw him licking his paw and said ‘ he has food allergies…, here you need to switch him to Merrick … Try the lamb…’ She was very knowledgable about staying away from foods that cause allergies ( corn, chicken , wheat). So we paid $50 for a 30lb bag of kibble !!!! We have not opened it because I’m JUST not convinced that we need to change food. He has a vet appt in a week and his treats for training adont have corn in them either. Side note is we are getting another doodle puppy in April so we need to keep the food the same since they will be eating together.
Thank you
All Life Stages foods are puppy foods.
Hi HDM. Thanks so much for all the research you do. It has been so helpful. Just a question. What do you think about Fromm Large Breed Puppy? I know the calcium levels are appropriate but it’s not grain free. But do you think the nutrition is good for a large breed puppy? I have a 10 month old boxer mix who is about 68 lbs or so and definitely does not look like he is done growing. He eats 6 cups/day otherwise he looks emaciated!! And yes I’ve had him tested and he is worm-free. Whatever he is mixed with is definitely larger than a boxer. Anyways, he has been getting Fromm Large Breed puppy since he was about 4.5 months old. When I first got him at 3.5 mos I put him on TOTW Pacific stream puppy and he did well with it but the vet wanted me to put him on large breed puppy. I then tried Wellness large breed puppy and he did not do well with that. He has been on Fromm Large Breed Puppy since. He looks pretty healthy and eats his food fine. But I still worry b/c I want him as healthy as possible. And I love that Fromm has never had a recall (would never do TOTW again b/c of their recalls). I’m hesitant to put him on adult food just yet b/c he has not matured (and vet suggested at least a year). But I will say I bought a small bag of Salmon Tunalini and replaced a 1/2 of his food with this and his poop was way firmer. I think he might do best on grain free but grain free puppies have too much calcium. Anyways, just wondering what you think about Fromm large breed puppy. I plan on switching him to their grain free formulas once he’s matured.
