[crazy4cats]

My 6 1/2 year old male labs are eating a Fromm weight management formula right now and really like it. I also feed Whole Earth Farms frequently with good results. I hope you find something that they like and is a good large breed puppy food! Good luck.

[crazy4cats]

If I was to get a large breed puppy I now, from the Editor’s Choice list, I would probably feed either the Wellness, Fromm or Whole Earth Farms. Another food mentioned on here a lot, is the large breed puppy Purina Pro Plan formula that I would seriously consider. It is a few tiers up from the Purina Beneful that you are feeding. Best of luck to you!

Have fun with your new bundle of cuteness!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by crazy4cats.

[crazy4cats]

Are you feeding that adorable puppy a proper large breed puppy food? Puppies that are going to be 50 pounds or more should be fed a food with controlled amounts of calcium in order to keep the joints healthy.

There are some recommendations on the Editor’s Choice List.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by crazy4cats.

[pitlove]

Hi Ange M-

The best thing you can do is find a food that states it is for a large breed puppy. Now I will warn you, some that make this claim are not actually large breed puppy safe because the company formulating the food doesn’t actually understand what causes developmental issues in growing LBPs on the diet side of things. Holistic Select was a really good example of a company like this.

The companies that are going to have the most trustworthy large breed puppy foods are Purina, Science Diet and Royal Canin. There is no reason to “avoid” any ingredients in a puppy on the assumption that maybe just maybe, he could one day develop a food sensitivity. This is absurd and will only cause you to be more confused. There is also no need to feed a puppy a rotational diet as suggested above. If something does happen, it will be almost impossible to know the cause. I went through this myself, so I can no longer recommend rotational diets.

[haleycookie]

So protein doesn’t matter (unless your dog is sensitive which is unlikely at that age) the most important thing you’ll want to find at the moment is a proper large breed puppy food. Two of my favorites are wellness and Fromm large breed puppy foods. Feed that for about a year and a half to two years and after that it doesn’t really matter what you feed. One of the only difference between a large breed adult food and a regular adult food is pieces are bigger for a bigger mouth. So I’d recommend if you try the Fromm to just switch to adult fromm at the right time and just rotate flavors to prevent any sensitivities from popping up. Or even do a rotational diet of all the food brands he likes best and agrees with him and that you like best just to mix things up and to avoid any chances of a recall or recipe change if you’re feeding the same food for years in and out.

[pitlove]

Hi Tyler-

It sounds like you have a large breed puppy. If so, large breed puppies have unique dietary needs and can not be fed a regular puppy food. You also need to be careful when feeding a food labeled for “all life stages” unless you are certain is it LBP appropriate. For this reason I tend to gravitate to companies that are known for producing reliably correct large breed puppy foods. My favorite one being Purina Pro Plan. Purina has spent millions of dollars on food trials and research on large breed puppy nutrition and growth. The price point may also be better for you and it is a widely available food. One other thing to note is that Pro Plan in general is highly disgestable, which will be great for his stomach given that he came from a shelter situation. Shelters are horrible places for dogs/puppies to be and it is very stressful, so GI upset is not uncommon in newly adopted dogs/puppies.

[Susan]

Hi Tyler,

I got email of the latest study done in February on popular dog foods that were tested for toxins & contaminates, below are the first 12 brands that got 5 stars for product purity.
American Journey Lamb & Sweet Potatoes got 3 stars….
You will notice white meats Chicken, Turkey & Pork seem to be cleaner meats & kibbles that have fish as main protein seem to be very high in toxins & contaminates, so your best not feeding a dry kibble that’s fish/salmon etc, I go to Aldi’s & buy their tin Sardines & tin Salmon in spring water, add 2 spoons to one of her meals a day…
Aldi’s have a new kibble called “Heart To Tail” Pure Being it has pretty good ingredients, go to the “Review” section up top of page, look up “Shep dog dry food” scroll down & you’ll read peoples post about Aldi’s new brand called Pure Being, DFA hasn’t review the new Pure Being formula’s yet, there’s grain free & grain kibbles, people have put up the ingredient list, fat, protein & fiber %…. I wish I could get Pure Being in our Australian Aldi’s, my dog does really well on kibbles that have sweet potatoes….

5 Star freeze dried raw, dehydrated raw formula’s & dry kibbles.

* “Buckley Liberty” – freeze dried beef, freeze dried Chicken, G/F Lamb dry kibble & Chicken dry kibble formula.

* “Canisource Grand CRU”- ALS Turkey dehydrated raw dry food, Pork & Lamb dehydrated raw dry & red meat dehydrated raw formula.
Iwould stick wit the TOTW Victor Nutro & Diamand

* “I and love and You” – Naked Essential G/F Lamb & Bison dry kibble, Naked Esssentials G/F Chicken & Duck dry.

* “Nutro” Natural Choice, small breed Chicken & lentils recipe, Natural Choice, Chicken & Lentils dry recipe, Lamb & Lentils dry recipe, Nutro Wild Frontier Open Valley dry recipe, Nutro Wild Frontier Rolling Meadows dry recipe.

* “Diamond Natural” Chicken & Rice dry formula & small breed puppy dry formula.

* “Proffessional” – Lamb & Brown Rice dry & Chicken & Pea formula dry.

* “Dog for Dog” Lamb Meal & Brown Rice dry.

* “Purina One”- Smart Blend Chicken & Rice formula, Smart Blend Healthy puppy Dry formula,

* “Fresh Pet” Chicken recipe dry.

* “Canidae” ALS Lamb Meal & Rice Dry formula, Canidae’s “Under the Sun” Adult G/F Lamb dry, UTS adult G/F farmed raised chicken dry, UTS G/F Puppy with Chicken dry.

* “Simply Nourish” Adult Chicken & Brown Rice recipe, Chicken with peas & potatoes G/F recipe dry.

* “Eagle Pack” Large & Giant Breeds Naturally Dry formula & Small Breed Chicken Meal & Pork Meal dry formula

Yesterday I bought a bag of “Wellness Core” G/F Large Breed kibble, I got it 1/2 the price cause it’s due by date was ending of 25th March 2018, the kibble is still good, it’s when you open the bag of kibble & the air/oxygen gets to the oils in the kibble, then the kibbles starts to go rancid, so make sure if you buy large bag of kibble get out enough kibble for daily use for about 1-2 weeks & store in an air tight container & put the rest of the kibble in a dry cool place & make sure kibble bag is air tight, I sticky tape the kibble bag, if it has no seal on it, then I put the bag of kibble into another plastic bag seal, then I store the kibble bag in one of those plastic storage containers & I put it in the coolest part of the house where my air condictioner is so it stays cool…

Shop around for bargans & rotate between different brands, Victor, TOTW, Nutro, Diamond, Eagle Pack & Pure Being, this way your dog will have a healthy stomach & stronger immune system cause she’s eating a variety of ingredients & she isn’t eating the same brand ingredients 24/7 & if the kibble she is eating is high in toxins then she wont be eating it for too long to cause any health problems later on cause your rotating with other brands…….

[Jennifer S]

Hi everyone,

I have a 9 week curly coated retriever, should turn out to be about 80-90 lbs or so. I’ve read enough about dog nutrition to know that I need to be watching the Calcium/Phosphorus ratio and keep it close to 1:1, or at least not over 1.3:1. This is easy when determining kibble, but it seems like there are differing opinions about how much bones contribute to this calcium ratio. I was at the local pet food store (where they pride themselves on being very knowledgeable about nutrition) and they told me I should get the meat that had bones ground and organs ground up with it because the calcium from bones affects dogs differently and they poop out what they don’t need. The same thing with giving him bones to chew on. The breeder also told me that they will just poop out the extra calcium and I only need to worry about the Ca:P ratio with kibble.
I took puppy for his first vet visit today. I chose a vet who is fine with raw diets and knows about nutrition. She told me calcium is calcium and that when she does blood work on dogs that get lots of bones, their blood calcium levels tend to be higher. She said I shouldn’t be feeding any meat that has ground up bones in it or giving bones to chew, at least until he is older and I don’t have to worry as much about bone formation.

What do you all do for your large breed puppies when feeding raw? Do you give bones to chew? Do you think bone calcium acts differently in their system than the added calcium in kibble? Thanks!

[Jeff R]

Hello, New to this forum, I am picking up a 8 week old Golden Retriever puppy, and looking at food options for the Large Breed puppy. I was looking at mixing a freeze dried raw food like Grandma Lucy’s, or maybe Dr Harvey’s, with a little K9 Natural, or Darwin’s raw frozen. Would this be appropriate, I’m I over thinking this, he will be on a large breed kibble when i pick him up, and I was wanting to switch him over after a week or two. Or do you have other recommendations, or stay with a good quality kibble, like Fromm’s or Wellness Core?

[Margaret G]

Hi Josh, Origen Large Breed Puppy is on the Editor’s Choice list for large breeds. So Ca/Ph levels should be good. However, it is a very expensive food and from what I have read on some other sites, many pups find this food too rich and have tummy troubles. You can try it and see how your puppy does. But there are a number of other foods out there that are less expensive and still very good. Purina ProPlan and Fromms are both good. And mixing some canned to keep him eating will help him transition.

[pitlove]

Josh-

It’s important to first look for a food that actually states its for a large breed puppy. While it’s true that some brands have puppy foods that meet the ca/phos requirements for LBPs most do not. Wellness is not a bad brand and they do have large breed puppy specific foods. I am not a fan of Orijen/Champion Pet Food products. They are a marketing company solely dedicated to selling you a trendy pet food at an outrageous price. I’ll pass.

[Nadine H]

You could also add a little of the canned he likes to a good quality kibble, he might eat the kibble that way. ProPlan for large breed puppy is a good choice as Pitlove mentioned. My vet has told me that adding a couple of tablespoons of canned to kibble can also prevent bloat. Something about the different textures of the food. I wouldn’t think he would be getting a balanced diet feeding only the canned.

[pitlove]

Hi Josh S-

Unfortunetly, this puppy formula you are using is not fine tuned to suit the needs of a growing large breed puppy, so I would recommend another food.

Firstly, he should be taken to your vet and examined to make sure that if he was truly malnouished as you say, there is not an underlying condition (intestinal parasites etc) that would be causing poor appetite. I would not rely on the shelters vetting personally.

Once medicial issues have been ruled out, I would move him to Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy hard food. Haven’t known a dog to reject Pro Plan and it is highly digestable, so it will be easy on his stomach.

[LeighAnne W]

Looking for your advice on what’s best to feed my 14 wk Female European Boxer Puppy? She is currently eating Simply Nourish Puppy- Natural Chicken/Brown Rice Recipe. She isn’t having any issues with this dry formula, in fact her vet says “she looks great, leave it be” … I just want to ensure I am providing the very best for her that I possibly can. Thank you kindly.

[gdijess]

I have a 9 month old rottie who I am looking to add some other brands to his food rotation. He does have a few diet restrictions and I unfortunately am limited as to what I can get.
He is Allergic to Chicken and Lamb and definitely does better on limited ingredient diets. I prefer to stick to grain free foods but I am open to other options. He gets really gassy on fish foods (He’s currently on Zignature catfish right now) He does have quite a few sensitivities that we are trying to work out but I’m still not sure as to what they are.
He does best with Pork, Bison, Venison, Duck, Rabbit, and Beef as far as proteins go. He does okay on potatoes but I prefer sweet potatoes or peas in his food instead of potatoes. The food has to have appropriate calcium and phosphorous levels for a growing large breed puppy, He is already 100lbs and still has some growing left to do. (I don’t mind doing this part, I just want some other brand recommendations. I’ve combed this site up and down and haven’t found a one that I have access to yet. )
He does the best on Zignature Pork, but he has also been on nutrisource large bread puppy chicken and rice, Zignature Lamb, Natures Domain puppy, PureVita Duck and Oatmeal, and Taste of the Wild South West Canyon.

I wanted to add Acana Duck and Pear as well as Earthborn Holistic Venture Rabbit but unfortunately I can’t get it where I am at. (I work at a pet store and I order the dog food for the store so I can get quite a few different brands.)

I know I am probably pretty picky, but I’m just looking for other options because he does get bored eating the same kibble and I don’t want to risk him developing any other allergy or sensitivities.

[Susan]

Hi Donna,
If you think they’re drinking heaps of water then they probably are drinking too much water, when my boy was eating Taste Of The Wild, Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb he’d drank heaps of water some days then he stopped eating the dry kibble, so he made the dision for me to change dog foods… When your pups grow up & are adults start rotating between a few different brands of kibble with different meat protein, so they aren’t eating the same dry kibble 24/7 & add some fresh whole foods to their diet…..
Have a look at “Canidae” All Life Stages, Large Breed Puppy formula’s, Canidae have 2 large breed puppy formula’s their Turkey & Brown Rice & their Duck, Brown Rice & Lentils large Breed puppy formula..
Here’s Canidae’s site, click on page 5 both formula’s are there, Canidae has heaps better ingredients then the Iams puppy formula…
or look for Large Breed Puppy in “Holistic Select” “4health” “Victor” “Sport Dog Ellite Series”
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[Donna C]

We currently have two puppies that are now 5 mths old. WE have two labs prior. WE have noticed that they are drinking a lot of water especially after they eat. Does anyone have any information regarding high sodium content in dog food. We currently feed them IAMS puppy large breed which I just read is not the “best” food. I am hoping for some recommendations. Thank you.

[pitlove]

Hi Jason-

He does in fact need to stay on large breed puppy formula especially because he was neutered too early. This is critical for correct growth. Of the two options you have offered, Diamond Large Breed Puppy is the only option that would be appropriate for him.

Also, before jumping to the conclusion that he is having an adverse food reaction, you need to see the vet to eliminate all other causes such as fleas, mites, environmental and seasonal triggers. Adverse food reactions are not as common as people on the internet would have you believe, especially not in a 4 month old puppy.

[Jason P]

Thanks haleycookie,

My Tripp is 4 months and is about 35 lbs. He is going to be a big boy! He was a rescue, so he has already been neutered. The scratching started not long after we changed his food to a higher quality brand (Victor), so I was assuming that is what triggered it. I will check on the Large breed puppy options in my area.

[haleycookie]

If you think he’s going to be over 55-60 lbs as an adult then he needs to stay on a large breed puppy food for at least a year and a half. Also avoid neutering him until then as well if he isn’t already neutered. I also recommend Fromm large breed puppy or wellness core puppy. Both are formulated correctly for large breed growth. However. I’ve heard the 4health is good for sensitive stomachs. I would try a large breed puppy food first (make sure it has the proper calcium to phos ratios though not all large breed puppy foods do) then if for whatever reason he’s showing to have a sensitive stomach I would then try the 4health. Also have you been to the vet for the scratching? I would do that first just to rule out any health issues and make sure it’s not environmental allergies.

[Jason P]

I need to switch my Rot/mix pup (4 months old) from his food due to constant itching. I am really debating whether I need a large breed puppy food or if I can just go to adult food that I will want him to be on. Here is what I have it narrowed down to:

Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/diamond-naturals-large-breed-puppy-dog-food-40-lb-bag
or

4Health Salmon and Potato: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-salmon-potato-formula-adult-dog-food-35-lb-bag

Any words of advice between the two? Is the 4Health good enough for a growing large breed puppy?

[2doodlemom]

My Berniedoodle is 16 weeks old and he has been on Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy since he was 10 weeks. He started to have very sift stools and diarrhea about 3_4 weeks ago, we check everything at the vet, all clear but he was on a deworm and antibiotics for 1 week, he got a little better for 1 week and now its back to complete soft stools and diarrhea again.
We have eliminated all other possibilities so only can thinks its his food. Has anyone had this experience? And if we need to switch to a different food for a large breed puppy what would you recommend? Some people say we should go on a single ingredient food or a GI prescription food by the vet. Please help. Thanks.

[Susan]

Hi Rick,
Patch had an Endoscope done 3 weeks ago & was put under anaesthetic & the next day at night he was doing sloppy poo with red blood thru it I rung his vet & left a message & Patches IBD vet rang me back & said its probably from all the stress from going under anaesthetic nothing to worry about it will clear up this happens with some dogs.

I would change the Fromm Large Breed puppy formula, Fromm has alot of ingredients in their kibbles, find another large breed puppy formula with less ingredinets then the Fromm has, also the good bacteria in your dogs stomach & bowel is probably un balanced & he has more bad bacteria at the moment buy some “Purina Forti Floria” Probiotic & start him on a dog probiotic for his stomach/bowel & start a new LTD Kibble & see how he does….

Have a look at “Canidae’s” All Life Stages, Turkey & Brown Rice large Breed Puppy formula it has less ingredient & balanced properly for a large breed growing puppy. Good for dogs with stomach/bowel problems.
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-all-life-stages-large-breed-turkey-meal-brown-rice

[Rick W]

*I posted this is a Editors Choice forum but didn’t know if I needed to post it here as well*

Hi,
We had our dog fixed a couple weeks ago and when we got him home, we had some issues with diarrhea and vomiting after eating. We chalked it up to anesthesia but went ahead and put him on a chicken and rice diet just to keep it bland until his stomach settled down. Then we dealt with him being constipated so we added some pumpkin to his bowl after much research on that. While his poop never fully returned to normal over the next week, it wasn’t diarrhea so yesterday we started to re-introduce a little of his dry food with the other ingredients listed above…last night he woke us up twice needing to go out and full on diarrhea ensued.

The only variable we can think of is the dry food (Fromm’s Large Breed Gold Puppy). It’s weird because he was just fine on that food prior to surgery. Could it be that he basically developed an allergy or incompatibility with this food literally overnight?
Any help would be awesome! When the vet was included in the conversation, we were told he is a healthy pup and not to worry about it…but we havn’t reach out yet this morning after this last bout.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Rick

[Rick W]

Hi,

We had our dog fixed a couple weeks ago and when we got him home, we had some issues with diarrhea and vomiting after eating. We chalked it up to anesthesia but went ahead and put him on a chicken and rice diet just to keep it bland until his stomach settled down. Then we dealt with him being constipated so we added some pumpkin to his bowl after much research on that. While his poop never fully returned to normal over the next week, it wasn’t diarrhea so yesterday we started to re-introduce a little of his dry food with the other ingredients listed above…last night he woke us up twice needing to go out and full on diarrhea ensued.

The only variable we can think of is the dry food (Fromm’s Large Breed Gold Puppy). It’s weird because he was just fine on that food prior to surgery. Could it be that he basically developed an allergy or incompatibility with this food literally overnight?

Any help would be awesome! When the vet was included in the conversation, we were told he is a healthy pup and not to worry about it…but we havn’t reach out yet this morning after this last bout.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Rick

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

If you’re trying the homemade thing, i’d see if your vet has a nutritionist or a recipe plan that they like that is suitable for large breed puppies. You can also use balanceit.com. Are you trying to stay grain free? If not, Fromm gold makes a large breed puppy food that is good for sensitive stomachs. It’s in a bright blue bag.

In regards to the probiotic, my cats were once given Purina Fortiflora. They loved it and two responded very well, one had loose stools (even worse after the probiotic). I gave it a shot for a couple of weeks because it can take time for the good bacteria to colonize. After that I had to find one that had more strains in it, as Fortiflora only had 1. Usually brewer’s yeast is used as an appetite enhancer (many cats can’t resist it) which may be what you’re smelling. The dog formula uses it as well and is also only 1 strain of probiotic.

What kibble foods did your vet suggest?

[pitlove]

Hi RollTide10-

You are correct, at 2 years old your mix breed is capable of regulating his calcium uptake now and no longer requires a large breed puppy diet or for you to be concerned about the ratio of calcium and phosphorus. He can now be placed on an adult maintenance diet or all life stages formula. Most importantly now is keeping him lean (4/9 on BCS).

As far as foods go, it sounds like he was doing much better on Royal Canin, so if I were you I would put him back on that since it was already established that he was doing well. Itching his back a little bit is not an indication of allergies. Dogs get little itches just like we do, doesn’t mean we are having an allergic reaction and same is true for them. However with WEF it does sound as though, either the source of the Omega 3s is not as quality of a source as with Royal Canin or its not enough. BTW, as an aside, ingredient lists tell you nothing about the quality of a food, only what should be in it. Royal Canin has strict sourcing and has often denied shipments of corn that Kelloggs then buys from them for our cereal. So I would not worry about their ingredients being of poor quality.

[Sara K]

Instinct offers a puppy formula as well as a large breed puppy formula. I don’t see a review for the large breed but I am wondering what the difference is.

I have a new Boxer puppy, and he is doing well on the puppy formula, but I have gotten conflicting information from two different vets. One says the food he is on is great, the other recommended a large breed formula and suggested hills or blue buffalo.

I see that the puppy formula review says it is suitable for large breeds, and I don’t want to switch his food if it is unnecessary. Any information you can provide me to help me determine if I should switch his food is greatly appreciated.

[Jackie B]

A rotation diet, or adding a topper, might help. Details on rotation diets here: /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/

But an 11 month old Golden Retriever still counts as a large breed puppy. Make sure that any food you are using on rotation is still appropriate for a large breed puppy. Editor’s Choice has a whole list: /reports/puppy-foods/

[Jennifer S]

Hi everyone,

I am getting a puppy in a month (large breed) who is currently on a raw food/kibble diet. I am clueless about feeding anything other than kibble and I feel like I have a lot to learn in 4 weeks. Here is what the breeder has the pups on right now:
1 part Honest Kitchen freeze dried veggies
4 parts organic Menhaden fish meal
4 parts slightly cooked or raw chicken/liver/pork/turkey. (Rotating between these and what is available)
4-8 parts N&D Farmina grain free kibble from Italy. Chicken or Boar.

i would like to keep some kibble in the mix so that my newbie fears of the dog not getting all his nutrients is put to ease, but I would like to continue the basic diet that she has them on. My question is about replacing the menhaden meal. I researched it for awhile and found that it is unsustainable, is vastly overfished, and it’s use in pet food is having huge negative ripples in the ocean food chain. So I need to find something else to take the place of the fish meal. The breeder says she uses the fish to provide iodine, vit. D, and good fats. Wondering if I can use some Thorvin kelp for the iodine? How much? and some fish oil squirted on top for the fats?

What are your thoughts about what I could add to the recipe to replace the fish meal? Keep in mind that this is a large breed so I’m also trying to keep the calcium content low.

Thank you!

[Tyla M]

Sheryl,

I had a similar situation with my lab puppy. I had her on Fromms large breed puppy but she was constantly itching. I used Welactin on her food for dry coat. It helped a little but she was still itchy so I changed her to a different Fromm’s line ans LOVE it. I am now using the Hasen duckenpfeffer because it is grain free, chicken free, and first 3 ingredients are meats. I believe it was the chicken. But if you lile fromm’s, look at their other foods. This one is all stages and low calcium and phos. Still. But they have many options.

[Sharyl M]

Hello – I have a 5-month old Bernedoodle (Bernese x Poodle) male. Chose Fromm’s Puppy Gold because of their place on Editor’s Choice list for large breed puppies, but also because of the calcium amount – I know it’s dangerous to “force growth” with too much. However, BIG CHALLENGE. He’s developed extremely itchy skin with lots of dander, really suffering. Suspecting it may be the food (or an ingredient in the food, like grain and/or chicken), I am having a hard time finding a quality food, however, since all of the Editors’ Choice and recommended large-breed puppy foods/grain-free seem to have chicken as prime ingredient -or are too high in calcium. I REALLY NEED SOME SUGGESTIONS – thinking of going to Fromm’s Heartland (mainly meat as prime ingredients) although calcium is pretty high. Thanks in advance!
Sharyl in Sisters, OR

[pitlove]

Hi L C-

Was the breeder feeding him Fromm Large Breed Puppy or a different brand of food?

Also in your other post you said he was 14 months old, but in this one he is 14 weeks old. Can you clarify which age he is as that matters a lot.

[2doodlemom]

Hi: I have a 14 week old Bernie doodle puppy that’s currently on Fromm Gold large breed puppy food for over 1 month now. But he has had diarrhea and very loose stools for the past 3 weeks. Gone to vet and all check up is ok, but vet put him on an antibiotic/deworming and Probiotic. His stools firmed up a bit for a few days and now back to loose stools. I have done a lot of research including reading all your posts on here, thanks to all. But I don’t know which food to switch him to or if I should even switch him. I like what I have researched about the Fromm Gold large puppy food. But also would like his stools to be more film. Thanks for your advice.

[Mackenzie S]

Hi there, I have an 8 month old golden retriever and need to figure out what adult food to switch her to. She is on Hills Science Diet Large Breed Puppy lamb meal and loves it. Based on the embarrassingly amount of hours i’ve spent researching dog foods i’m still stumped. I noticed that majority of the top editors foods are “grain free,” however i’ve read numerous studies regarding grain free foods being a common factor in golden’s who have died at an early age from DCM because of low taurine levels.

If grain free foods can be the cause of this then why are they the tops picks? Are there grain free foods with an adequate amount of taurine needed for these dogs?
What should I switch her to? I do want to have her on a high quality food, but can’t figure out what direction to go

help!

• This topic was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Mackenzie S.
• This topic was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Mackenzie S.

[crazy4cats]

Is she interested in any other type of food or treats? If not, a trip to the vet may be in order. I like to switch up foods every now and then. It couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. Just make sure it is appropriate for a large breed puppy. It is usually recommended to keep large breed pups on puppy food until they are about 1-1/2 years old.

[pitlove]

Hi Laurel-

You will need to find a petfood that specifically says it is designed for a large breed puppy. Purina Puppy Chow, Ol’Roy and Simply Natural are not foods that meet those requirements. If you shop at PetSmart the brands you have available that would be best are going to be Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, or Wellness.

[Thomas M]

Hi Mike; I am new to the site. I just bought a 10 week old Chesapeake Bay Retriever from an AKC accredited breeder. Looking at all these puppy food choices, and the absence of many big names, I am trying to come up with a reasonably priced quality dry food. The breeder owner is a nurse and former veterinary tech, she told me that she uses Costco’s Kirkland dry dog food. Now, she has two large adult females and they probably have healthy appetites, so I can understand there is a cost factor, but she has had Chesapeakes for over ten years and they have had no hip dysplasia or other problems.

So I am not nominating the Kirkland Dry, but wonder what you think. You did give a good rating to the Kirkland wet. Any thoughts? I looked at the Orijen, but on Amazon it is over $90 for a 25 pound supply of their puppy brand, that is just way out of my budget range?

Thanks for this website, I am learning a lot, but also surprised to see so many well known brands not on the site, even the high end brands.

[pitlove]

Hi Ally-

Lets back up here for a second before we start assuming an 18 week old puppy has food allergies or a food intolerance. I see a very clear reason for why he is likely having stool issues. You brought him home at 8 weeks old and changed his food instantly and then have subsequently changed his food several more times since then.

It is ALWAYS recommended when getting a puppy to keep them on the same food the breeder had them on for 3-4 weeks. This gives your puppy time to adjust to his new home and environment without the stress of also having his food changed. Find out what they were feeding him at the kennel (NO it does not matter what food it is or if you approve of it or not) and put him back on that. Then slowly after 3-4 weeks or normal stool switch him to an appropriate large breed puppy food. Regular Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy would be my suggestion.

[Ally W]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your input. We have been feeding him chicken-based kibble; however, started mixing in a little bit of Natural Balance Puppy Food (duck and sweet potato flavor), and it seems as though it’s calming his belly down a bit. We’ve tried Fromm, Hill’s Science, Purina ProPlan but all were chicken based, which we figured was the cause of his upset stomach. I’ve also cooked for him (chicken, rice, pumpkin) and that didn’t seem to work.
I’ll see how he does on Natural Balance but my next step is an allergy test.
I really appreciate your advice and input. It’s helpful to hear from the parents of large breed dog owners about your experience.

[Ally W]

Hello,

We have an 18 week old Cane Corso/Old English Bulldog mix puppy and he’s had loose stool for the last 2.5 months. We have tried multiple diets (Fromm Large Breed Grain Free Puppy, Hill’s Science Prescription Diet, Purina ProPlan HA) and now trying out Natural Balance Limited Ingredients. Tank has been tested for giardia, parasites, etc. and nothing comes up positive. He has been on Proviable off and on for a while. He’s been given antibiotics and nothing seems to calm his belly. We think it’s a chicken allergy. Since we’ve switched so many foods within the last 10 weeks we’ve had him, what do you recommend we do?

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Ally W.

[Tyla M]

Rick,
I think you’re off to a great start! Fromm’s is really a great company and you’re right, if your dog does well on grains, there is no need to go grain free! I would still be on the large breed puppy food of theirs, as well, if Luna wasn’t itching from either the grains or the chicken. I will probably stay with fromms for a while. I do want to rotate her eventually and many of their foods have chicken, but for now it’s working. I also add cooked ground beef at dinner to add more protein, as well as egg sometimes. I haven’t tried their wet food yet. Good luck! This forum is awesome, I remember researching on it for months before getting Luna, and continuing while she grows. It’s super helpful !

[Rick W]

Here is where I landed but still tweaking the details. For kibble, we are going to feed Fromm’s Gold Large Breed Puppy until he he gets old enough for the next thing but I’ll probably stay in the Fromm’s line. This is not grain-free. Lots of debate about that issue. I finally was told that you really only need to worry about grain-free if you are seeing your puppy react adversely to grains. So, not worrying about that is certainly beneficial to the wallet. I’m using that savings to put a few Northwest Naturals freeze dried nuggets in his bowl each meal for variety and additional protein since Fromm’s is a little light on protein. I bought a couple cans of the Fromm’s wet food that was large breed appropriate, but his stomach did like even a little bit of it mixed in the kibble. Might try it again, but not worth upsetting his stomach.

That’s it for now. This is a great forum and I have learned a ton…especially the issue with calcium in large breed puppies. Thanks!

[Tyla M]

While awaiting your response I’ll just throw out my favorite food at this point. My lab mix does really well on Fromm’s. She started on their large breed puppy food. Now she is on their 4 star line, which is more expensive, but working well for her. If you go to the Fromm’s website you’ll be able to see all of their different flavors in all of their lines (classic, gold, and 4 star). They differ by classic being mostly chicken based, gold being different proteins, and 4 star has food for all life stages. They have grain and grain free options. I suggest checking them out. Luna is now on the 4 star food called Hasen Duckenpfeffer. It is more expensive than the other 2 lines but she is allergic to chicken and I love that it has 3 meat proteins as the first 3 Ingredients. I prefer to stay away from corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, by products, and the like, which your previous food had. I know it works fine for some dogs so I’m not steering you from it, I’m just stating I personally choose not to feed my dog all of that stuff. Grain free does have carbs for fillers, such as peas and potatoes, but that’s why I like a 3 meat protein as the first 3 Ingredients, because it pushes other ingredients farther down the list. Fromm’s is just one of many great brands. I can help more when I know specifically what you’re looking for.

[Kathleen S]

Please help- My new puppy a Great Pyrenees has been on Orijen large breed puppy since we received him from the breeder. Its now starting to give him loose poops. The poops start out fine, but the end results are loose. We are thinking he might be getting to much protein. Looking to switch his food. Everything has been going fine with the food as far as growth, and he does like the taste. At first we thought it was because he’s still teething. We are also still house training so there has been some accidents.

[Linda C]

Our now 6 month old Bernese Mountain Dog is sensitive to chicken and I feel your pain. So many foods contain chicken in some form or another, even if it’s not shown as the first ingredient, so I feel your pain. Our breeder (and our vet confirmed and explained) started our pup off immediately on adult food rather than puppy food because puppy foods contain ingredients that promote faster growth (which is unwanted in a large breed dog). We didn’t find a large Breed food brand that didn’t contain chicken.

After many missteps, we’ve settled on Acana Lamb and Apple. It’s a limited ingredient food and our Billie is doing very well on it. There are (I think) four different protein sources to choose from. We don’t feed raw or canned so I can’t offer a suggestion there.

Good luck, I know it’s frustrating.

[Cynthia K]

Trying to find a chicken free food for large breed puppy. Would like dry, canned and raw recommendations. Using earthborn venture but is labeled maintenance. Usimg rawz canned and vital essential raw duck patties
She also has had 2 ear infections..

[Amy b]

Thanks again pitlove!

Unfortunately, I didn’t see your post until after I settled on a food; I went with Natures Variety, Rawboost Large Breed puppy. I did as you suggested and contacted the company about the calcium and phosphorus levels. They told me that calcium was 1.6 and phosphorus was 1.0. And 4317 kcal/kg.

I calculated this:
Calcium = 3.7 g per 1000 kcal
Ca to P ratio = 1.6 to 1

If I read this correctly, it seems to be in a good range. We started the change over last night and our pup, Max, loved it! I’m just hoping it starts this way.
The only thing I’m unsure of is the ingredient Sodium Selenite. I understand that it is a controversial ingredient. I reached out to NV and asked why they don’t use Selenium yeast and the rep didn’t know. She just gave me all of the positive reasons it is used…

[pitlove]

Unfortunetly, being a breeder doesn’t mean you understand how to feed the pups you are producing correctly, no matter how many years you’ve been doing it. And not many pet store workers are truly knowledgable about nutrition. They mainly learn about what the trends are in pet foods and learn the marketing claims and roll with that to sell a product.

The ingredient list as it reads out on the back of the bag, tells you next to nothing about the quality of the food. It tells you what should be in the food, but not the quality of the raw materials used to make the food. Focus on the company is far more important.

When I choose a pet food for a large breed puppy, several things are important to me. I want a company that conducts their own research, I want a company that staffs vet nutritionists, I want a company with strict manufacturing protocols, and I want a company that does feeding trials. Those companies are going to be the companies most people think are “terrible”. My number one choice for a large breed puppy food will always be Purina Pro Plan. Purina dedicates millions of dollars every year researching large and giant breed puppy growth and nutrition.

After that would be Hill’s or Royal Canin, but if someone were to be truly against one of those companies, I would say Fromm, NutriSource or Precise.

[Amy b]

Thanks pitlove! You know what? I’ve always thought about that… The fact that beaver dam is just puppy/all life stages. And like you said, Merrick is just puppy. The lady at Concord Pet made me believe that much of this terminology is marketing, so I was really focused on ingredients, etc.

That being said, do you have any suggestions on a great large breed puppy food I should consider?