[Pitlove]

Wait, I’m confused, did you mean to say he’s 8 weeks? You said 8 months. If he is 8 months old already and you are just now getting him, he has already gone through the majority of his critical growth period. Between 8-10 months old is when LBP’s can absorb calcium correctly and their diet doesn’t need to be as strict. However, you can (and probably should) play it safe and keep him on a LBP food until he reaches 1 year of age. If you meant 8 weeks, then yes you need to choose a good Large Breed Puppy food.

If you are going to feed Canidae make sure the formula you are going to feed is not one of the ones manufactured by Diamond. Very wise to avoid this manufactuerer.

My personal recommendation is Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. Very easily digested food and formulated correctly for a LBP. Also a family owned and operated company for over 100 years with no recalls.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Pitlove.

[CircaRigel]

Carolyn,
Congratulations on your puppy! I’ve not known a Golden Mountain Doodle, but having known some Bernese Mountain Dogs, a Newfiedoodle, and a number of golden and labradoodles, and based on my experiences with them, I think you’re in for a wonderful experience!

I would hesitate to feed Wellness right now (or Eagle Pack, Holistic Select, or Old Mother Hubbard). All of the kibbles made by Wellpet right now contain green tea extract, which a number of studies has shown can cause liver toxicity in dogs. While the amount in the foods is probably not enough to have much of a toxic effect, those studies were on grown dogs, and puppies may react differently. Prior to my discovering this, I had tried to make a slow transition to Wellness for my own puppy, and he developed diarrhea immediately, even though he only had a couple of tablespoons of the food with his first meal. I had thought it perhaps just a simple sensitivity, until I looked at other Vine reviews of it on Amazon (I occasionally review things on Amazon in their Vine program- the items are random, and from time to time they offer a quality dog food I wish to try Galen on). Approximately 10% of the dogs that tested it on Vine became ill, in two cases, extremely ill. After I did some checking, I found the research showing the toxicity (several studies were stopped early because of it), and also discovered that all of the WellPet foods have green tea extract.

I immediately switched Galen to Canidae Large and Giant breed puppy at that time (which I chose on my own, based on ingredients, calcium/phosphorus levels, and the inclusion of probiotics et. al- not something I was sent for review purposes). He also gets Tripett green beef tripe (which naturally contains digestive enzymes, which are beneficial to digestion and nutrient absorption). For treats, he gets Sojos freeze dried raw lamb and Natural Balance Potato and Kangaroo Limited Ingredient dog food (another thing I was sent a sample of, but is too expensive for me to actually use as his primary food). I also give him an occasional raw beef soup bone.

Now that he’s 8 months old, I’ve transitioned him to Canidae Grain Free Pure Sea, which also has the highest ratings on Dog Food Advisor. At this age, they can properly metabolize calcium, so it’s not as imperative to keep levels so low. There has also been some recent research among giant breed breeders and vets that suggests they may also do better being weaned directly to an adult food- but one that meets the calcium/phosphorus recommendations for large and giant breed puppies. They say that the extra calories in the puppy foods tend to be empty calories, and that the adult foods may have greater nutritional benefit, ounce for ounce.

Hope this helps!
Belinda

[Jonathan S]

It might be tough to find in a puppy formula, but maybe try bigger kibbles? That helped with my dogs. Also, as I understand it, puppy food tends to be higher in fat… that may be contributing. Because of the fat content, I had to move my pups to adult food earlier than I had planned when I started feeding them raw diet as well. Once I did though, their tummies settled down and they started chewing the bigger kibbles instead of wolfing everything down!

[Kate L]

I doubt that unchewed kibble is the problem. More than likely, it is a food sensitivity of some sort. If I had to guess, it is the kibble. Kibble is highly processed at a high heat, which renders the fats somewhat indigestible. Could be, your puppy is one of the dogs who has a sensitive stomach. My dog has a sensitive stomach. Any reason you want to feed kibble? Canned is better. (that is just my opinion and the opinion of some nutritionists, but not all). However, canned can be higher in fat.
It is perfectly OK to crush the kibble, by the way. Many dogs never actually chew kibble. I had a pug that never chewed kibble. . .just woofed it down whole. He was fine. When you switch brands, do it over a week. 1/4 at a time. . .very slowly.

[Ezequiel B]

Hi,

We have a 4 month old German Shepard and we have two issues with trying to feed her kibbles:

(1) she doesnt like them
(2) when she does eat them she doesnt chew which leads to bloating, diarrhea, etc

For (1) we have tried three different brands (Blue Buffalo, Eukanuba, and Wellness Core) with little success. We also tried mixing in some wet food but it only made (2) worse.

Since we were left with three bags of expensive kibbles we decided to throw them in the food processor (seperately. we did not mix brands) and we have been feeding her about a 50/50 mix of Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy Formula (wet) and Eukanuba (pulverized kibbles).

My question is…..is this a bad thing we’re doing? should she be able/willing/trained to eat kibbles?

Thank you!

[Pitlove]

NV was the second food my dog ever ate. He didn’t like it much. But I think that also stemmed from him not wanting to only eat dry food, even as a puppy. You also won’t find Fromm at PetSmart or Petco as they don’t sell to big box stores. If you are ever interested in feeding it you will have to see if a small pet boutique in your area has it or order online.

[zcRiley]

Orijen puppy food was a hit in my boys’ 1st year. They liked warm milk, too, between meals. ZiwiPeak is a raw dehydrated food that is easy to digest & easy to chew (tiny thin squares like soft jerky). Good for the night time feed. Side dish of soft canned would be Weruva or ZiwiPeak, like a few spoonfuls.

[Natasha]

I have adopted a goldendoodle puppy from a breeder, and I will be picking her up at the airport this Friday. I want to have everything ready for her so I want to be prepared with a plan for her diet.

The breeder has raised her on the Pro Plan chicken and rice puppy formula, which has a 2.5 rating on this site, and she says that they usually start to introduce their puppies to new food at around 20 weeks of age. My puppy is currently 15 weeks and she’ll be 16 weeks when she arrives.

I’ve bought two 6-oz. bags of the chicken and rice formula they’re currently feeding her since I don’t want to shock her stomach with a completely new food, but I want to get some recommendations on how I should introduce a varied diet to her lifestyle. I don’t like the idea of feeding her the same thing for every single meal every single day. I’d ideally like her two eat at least two different meals per day.

Anyone have any tips?

[Pitlove]

Deanna- As far as I’m aware Orijen LBP now meets the requirements for calcium and phosphorus. Orijen is an excellent food and a great choice compared to ProPlan. Another food that I really like and intend to use for my next dog which will also be a large, actually giant breed, is Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy.

Protein is of no concern when it comes to optimal growth for large breeds. Many many current studies have disproven the myth that high protein diets can cause overgrowth in LBP’s. You can feed low, normal or high protein with no different effects as long as the calcium and phosphorus levels are correct.

To answer your last question, you can start with the recommended amounts on the bag and adjust as you moniter is growth. You will be feeding less with Orijen than ProPlan because it is a more nutrient dense food.

Lastly, congrats on your Boxer! They are great dogs 🙂

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[Kona]

Hi all. I have been transitioning my dog (11 years old) to raw food over the past month. I have been feeding raw for breakfast and kibble at dinner, mainly because of the costs. However, she’s doing so well on the raw I’ve decided to suck it up and go completely raw (if it means I have to eat out less then that’s what I have to do). I have her on AllProvide turkey and beef. I have a couple questions and was hoping some of the more experienced raw feeders could help:

1) AllProvide packages in 16oz pouches. According to her “ideal” weight (she’s 75 lbs now but I’d like to see her down to 68-70 lbs) the food chart says she should have 22 oz per day. I’d like to keep her on one pouch per day. Any ideas on how I can supplement the additional 6 oz? I feed raw goat’s milk so there are some calories there. She also gets a few “treats” – cucumbers, sweet potato biscuits, but maybe only 100-150 calories. I bought some grass-fed beef organs – liver, kidney, heart. Should I add some of this to her food (AllProvide already includes these though in the food so I wasn’t sure if that would be too much)? Anything else I can add to reach her 22 oz?

2) She seems to digest it too quickly, which on one hand is good since i know she’s digesting it better than kibble but the problem is by late afternoon she will throw up a little bile (ever since she was a puppy this happens whenever her stomach is empty for too long). I’ve been having to put a little kibble in her kong when i leave for work to prevent this. I’d hate to keep adding kibble to her diet since I’ll be going completely raw. Anything I can add or suggestions?

Thanks!

[C4D]

Hi Tyler G!

Everyone has given you some good advice! As long as the food is working digestively, you can use whichever she likes. I do rotate my foods as the others do. If the Orijen gives loose stools, you might want to go with the Acana. They’re both good foods. I do think you might be feeding too much. I have an active 13 lb dog and she gets about the equivelant of 2/3 cup of food per day even though she takes long walks (over a mile) daily. If you need to get her to gain weight, you could also feed her a midday snack to get her weight up. A lot of fosters do this to get the skinny dogs to gain weight. How does she look? She should have a distinct waist when viewed from above and a distinct tuck from her ribs to her back legs. You should be able to easily feel her ribs without pressing in. You should not see her hip or spine. Sometimes we think they’re too thin because we are so used to seeing overweight dogs. As aquariangt said, you want to keep your Doxie on the slim side to prevent back issues.

Deanna Y, I think the Orijen has been reformulated with a lower calcium level, but I’m not feeding any LB puppies currently. Here’s the DFA forum link that’s really helpful:

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

[Jon K]

Hi,
today I posted what is to follow in the wrong place (budget friendly thread) so I’m now posting it here. Sorry for the confusion.

I’m new here. Have a 2 yr old Boston who eats Vital Essentials Frozen Raw Beef. She seems to do very well on it.
I joined this group because we just got a new Boston puppy and I wasn’t sure that the same food was ideal for a puppy.
So because of the editors list, he’s now eating Stella’s Super Beef and seems to be doing great.
My 2 year old tried the Stella’s before and I’m not sure why but we ended up with her eating Vital Essentials.
So thanks for this list because I was very confused and conflicted as to what to feed the puppy and this gave me the info I needed.
So I was surprised not to see Vital Essentials Frozen Raw on the list for adult dogs though. I’m curious as to why it is not. Any info would be appreciated.
thanks!

[Jon K]

I’m new here. Have a 2 yr old Boston who eats Vital Essentials Frozen Raw Beef. She seems to do very well on it.
I joined this group because we just got a new Boston puppy and I wasn’t sure that the same food was ideal for a puppy.
So because of the editors list, he’s now eating Stella’s Super Beef and seems to be doing great.
My 2 year old tried the Stella’s before and I’m not sure why but we ended up with her eating Vital Essentials.
So thanks for this list because I was very confused and conflicted as to what to feed the puppy and this gave me the info I needed.
I was surprised not to see Vital Essentials Frozen Raw on the list for adult dogs though. I’m curious as to why it is not. Any info would be appreciated.
thanks!

[aquariangt]

Yes, the forums are rough for searching-not to mention I apparently lied and it’s in Diet and Health :), here’s a link:
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

I did go back and read skeptvet link, and that’s why I edited, because for once I actually agree with him in that topic

as far as kcals per cup-the only thing that tells us is how much is in it 🙂 you feed less of a higher calorie more nutrient dense food, so you really want to look more for calcium ratios per calorie. Like I said, read some of those links-though it sounds like your research is going well- and hit up the page of LGP approved foods because that will give you a fantastic starting point. My one word of warning is HDM is quite busy (she actually helps with this site now) so it hasn’t been updated in a bit, so if it were me (I have small dogs these days) I would look up some foods, and verify the #s myself, as formulas change

[Alison T]

Hello Everyone!!

My name is Alison. I’m getting a boxer puppy next week. The breeder has been feeding it purina. I want to start feeding raw as soon as possible. How do I make the transition?
Thanks so much for your help!
Alison

[Christie]

I know that feeding labels on dog food are just suggestions based on weight and estimation of caloric intake, but my dogs eat nowhere near the amounts on the food.

I’ve been transitioning my two dogs (6 year old american bulldog mix – 110 pounds, 6 month old Mega Mutt™- 20 pounds) from Organix to Whole Earth Farms and the Feeding Guidelines says that the larger dog should eat 5 3/4 cups per day and the puppy 2- 4.5 cups per day (at the bottom of the guideline is says that puppies can eat 2x -3x of the listed “adult recommendation”)

It’s harder now since I’m transitioning between the old food and the new food so they won’t have digestive upset. But even before this, the dogs didn’t consume as much as Organix recommended (2¾ – 3¼ cups for the large dog, 2 ½ – 4 cups for the puppy).

From their official websites:
Organix
(Adult Food) “Calorie Content (calculated): 3,570 kcal ME/kg, 394.0 kcal ME/cup”
(Puppy Food) “Calorie Content (calculated): 3,628 kcal ME/kg, 400.0 kcal ME/cup”

Whole Earth Farms
(All Life Stage Food) “3500 kcal/kg – 1 cup (100 grams) provides 350 kcal of metabolizable energy, calculated value.”

The dogs are supposed to consume X amount of calories to maintain good weight (adult) and grow (puppy), but if they’re not eating the recommended (smaller) amount of the Organix, how am I going to get them to eat even more of the WEF?

I mix in a couple of spoonfuls (about 1/4 can for both dogs) of the canned WEF in each meal or else they’re not very interested. And I know you’re not supposed to leave dry food that’s mixed with wet out for very long, so I’ve wound up wasted all this extra food that they won’t eat.

When I first rescued the puppy (two months ago), I discovered last month that she had tapeworms. She seemed petite (my vet’s words) for her size (her DNA results came out so mixed that there’s nothing to really compare her to) and she was very hungry all the time. We’ve attributed that to the worms. Now, after treatment, she has definitely grown in size and weight and I’ve stopped free eating dry kibble and now feed both dogs two meals a day. She’s not as voraciously hungry as before (she would eat her puppy food and then eat the adult food in my other dog’s bowl…the primary reason that I’m switching to a food that is good for both of them to eat).

Both dogs probably eat about half of what is recommended daily. Is this problematic? Both are fairly active. I try not to give too many treats, and only after meal time. I figure that as long as they seems healthy and aren’t losing weight that they’re eating enough.

Can the guidelines be that far off the mark?

[Cheryl F]

I just was able to contact a local butcher who supplies USDA meats for human consumption. They are also offering quite a number of items that I already feed my dogs, that I have to pay shipping/packaging for and has greatly increased the costs for me. Being able to buy fresh meat from a local butcher means that not only am I getting very good quality food, but also that I’m not being charged for additional packaging or shipping is a huge bonus. We will now be able to trim our monthly costs for feeding our animals (4 medium sized dogs) from $500./month to about $200-250./month.

For the specialty grinds such as green tripe, trachea and gullet, chicken w/organ meat, beef w/organ meat – i will still purchase from online shops.

By having a local butcher means that I can control how much food i have to store by not needing to order in bulk to offset shipping charges, and having a readily available stock local that I can drive to replenish my supply.

Sharon B – my vet’s office has several vets employed there. When I was on a business trip my husband took our puppy in for routine puppy care exam and the vet tried to scare my husband about ecoli and salmonella with the raw diet. Fact is, humans get those issues a LOT more than dogs can. Their stomachs are stronger than ours and we are more susceptible than them. Employing good hygiene and common sense is a must when handling any meat – whether it be for human or canine consumption. None of my dogs have ever gotten salmonella or ecoli from raw diet and i have ‘collectively’ been feeding this way for about 12 years.

Hope that helps.

Cheryl

[Pitlove]

Hi Robert- I have fed Orijen and I think it is a great food. My dog has always done well on high protein. We have a 10 year old English Springer Spaniel as well who is in the care of my boyfriends parents and they feed Purina ONE. He has terrible skin, he smells, his ears smell and he is losing hair. Spaniel breeds are known for their skin issues so IMO feeding a higher quality food like Orijen will greatly reduce the chances of skin problems down the line.

As for your vet’s concerns with high protein, dogs can efficiently process and digest quality animal protein. Orijen is human grade meats, poultry and fish. However, just like every other kibble it is still cooked. It is cooked at a much lower temperature than Purina ProPlan, but still cooked and those cooked animal proteins might not sit well with your puppy. That being said, if he is doing well and is not having loose stool or any other symptoms, no reason to be concerned.

Our Springer Spaniel is considered a large breed dog given his weight and yours will probably boarder on that too, so make sure you are not overfeeding him. That will aid him not having loose stool and also help prevent skeletal disorders like Pano.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Pitlove.

[Jarrett D]

Hello,

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their contributions to this forum. I’ve read through a ton of the pages and it’s been very informative.

My wife and I got a Husky/Malamute mix, Nisa, and she is now 11 months old. Currently, she is about 70 pounds, and still growing. We’ve fed her Canidae, Merrick, and Nature’s Variety. She seems to do very well with all dog foods, but I’ve been bred to change my dogs food every 2-3 months. This leads to one of two questions:

When should I stop feeding Nisa Large Breed Puppy food?

After she is no longer in the Large Breed Puppy category, is there another list or forum that discusses Large Breed Adult Nutrition, or can she continue to eat Large Breed Puppy?

Thank you in advance!

Enjoy the holiday and be safe!

[Cheryl F]

Hi Sharon,

You said for the 2nd day your Newf pup has thrown up. Is it immediately after he finishes eating, or some time later (say 1 hour post feeding). If it’s immediately – thats regurgitation and oftentimes dogs on RAW will do that and then re-eat the food. Nothing to be worried about unless its an every day occurrence for a ‘period’ of time. Hardest part is to keep the other dogs from “clean up on aisle 12” participation! You also mentioned a couple other things – but didn’t fully qualify them. He came back positive for 3 bacterias….what bacterias. What is the infection he was diagnosed with and what is he being treated with? Not that that has any bearing on the BARF diet, but I’m curious. I would advise you to call your local butchers/food stores and ask them what they have in the back that they haven’t put out yet, ground up etc…. If you get on their good side and ask them for help in the processing of your meat requests, they may do the chopping for you. i dont recommend feeding your dogs ground up food all the time. The chewing action is what they need to clean teeth, expend energy (in the case of your newf pup – chewing a good big knuckle bone for an hour or so will tire him out and give you a break). Plus it’s good for the dogs to learn how to ‘hold’ the bones properly in their paws so they can get at the good stuff. It’s quite amazing to watch them learn what they need to do. I wont forget the day that my one puppy learned how to use his paws as tools and then his raw meaty bone handling skills went over the top for him. 🙂 You can feed large dogs full chicken necks without worrying about having to cut them up. I only cut up now because I have ‘smaller’ dogs than i used to. NEVER feed a turkey neck without it being cut up. I have had to fish my hand into my Saints mouths in the past to retrieve a full neck that was getting stuck because i didn’t cut it up….so word of caution on that.

Sounds like you have done a ton of research on this topic and while the whole process of feeding raw is foreign to some and maybe a little scarey or cost prohibitive up front – it’s far better for them, costs less $ in the long run due to smaller portions, less vet bills, less $ for meds due to allergies, etc…

Id love to hear back from you on what the specific issues are with your newf pup by the way. Have a great day.

Cheryl

[sharon b]

Also, I feed twice a day even though I am home, although my 8 year old husky still is used to once a day. I am aware of bloat but they recommend having that surgery done when neutering is done. He sometimes goes to doggie daycare, so the food mixing I do now and refrigeration and such we decided was too complex for three times a day. Raw food would be even harder at daycare, although they will have to deal when he is there and we are on vaca and he is on raw, hopefully by then. My boyfriend is flipping out a bit on the cost of this raw food, even though it really isn’t much more than what we have been spending, and the puppy’s food will decrease after another 4 months or so. Any suggestions how to get him aboard? I can’t even get him to eat healthy w/ vegetables, so trying to play the healthy card. Any discount on pet insurance?? that would help?

[Christie]

Hi everyone.

I have a 6 year old American Bulldog Mix and a 6 month old Catahoula mix. I’ve been going back and forth trying to find a quality food brand to feed them. Right now they eat Castor & Pollux Organix Adult and Organix Puppy. And they share a can of Castor & Pollux wet food once a day.

Both Petco and Petsmart have essentially rid themselves of the brand. And while I can buy online, I’m essentially looking for a food that I can feed them both.

Both Merrick Grain Free (rated on here at 5 stars) and Whole Earth Farms (rated here at 4 stars) offer dry and wet All Life Stages foods. I know Merrick owns WEF. Is there a big difference in quality between the two? There’s an approximate $15 difference in price between them and I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it. Or it WEF is a decent brand.

My dogs aren’t happy with the C&P food. Before that they were on Ideal Balance dry (which they also didn’t want to eat). I’ve spent a lot of time transitioning from one brand to the next and I’m hoping that Merrick (or WEF) will be a quality food they will look forward to eating. I know that big brands fill their foods with ingredients dogs love to eat and sometimes it’s harder to get a dog to adapt to a higher grade food.

My mother recently adopted a puppy and the shelter gave her a bag of Purina Smart One Puppy. She gobbles it up and won’t eat anything else. I’ve already schooled her on their questionable ingredients. I fed a small amount to my very picky eating puppy and I was not surprised to find the bowl empty 1 minute later and that she was literally licking it clean. It would be easy to feed her that (my vet recommends Purina Pro Plan and says he feeds his dogs that). But I know what’s in the bag and I’ve already attempted to feed my large dog their Pro Plan Large Breed dry a year ago on the vet’s suggestion, only to find nasty meal worms crawling around inside the storage container I had the food in and my dog’s food bowl (I know this has more to do with packaging/shipping than production, but still. I’ve since read up on the brand and am not impressed.

Merrick seems to be a decent brand of food. And on paper WEF seems just as good. Both are readily available at my local Petco and online. But it Merrick brand worth the extra $15/bag over WEF?

• This topic was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Christie.

[Ginger E]

Thank you all for the information. Lucy is also on 225mg of Denamarin once a day. I am at work so I don’t have her exact enzyme levels right now, but they might be on the paperwork at home so I will check tonight.

We have tried to cut back on the amount of food, but she just seems ravenous. I supplement her food with frozen green beans to try and fill her up, but lately she has also started eating my daughters plastic toys – Legos and My Little Ponies have been mutilated. This behavior is just not normal for Lucy at all. Even when she was a puppy, she never was much of a chewer.

When I was feeding the Hill Scrip food, she was getting just over a cup a day – half in the morning and half in the evening. On the Blue Buffalo, she has been getting more than that just because it doesn’t seem to fill her up as much. She just seems to be continually starving and when she does eat, she starts choking because she is eating so fast – again, this is NOT her normal behavior.

She did have an ultrasound to look for signs of Cushings, but everything was normal – other than a slightly enlarged liver. It was nothing to be too worried about, according to the vet.

[sharon b]

I have one 80 pound husky and a 80 pound Newfoundland puppy that I am considering switching to raw food. I have been adding raw to their dry food mostly as we have been training and this makes the puppy eat his food and makes his bowel movements predictable and training now finally is established. They both seem to love the commercial raw I have been buying but I just can’t seem to find a good food for a decent price that suits them both. Grain free products gave the puppy diarrhea, and I refuse to give him anything with rice that has arsenic in it. I read several other post’s, one that there was a NH dealer that deliver’s a good raw for a $10 fee, need to research that further, also one that said that feeding raw requires less overall food and even better less overall waste (poops). Let me tell you this puppy is going to be about 165 pounds, and right now eats about 8-9 cups of dry and poops are giant. So any info on what is best to give them, neither is huge on activity, although the puppy will do some swimming but typically Newf’s are laid back, and the husky is 8, and her activity is fighting back the puppy. I am disabled with neck and shoulder issues so mixing this stuff myself is not what I want to do, but I can handle a little of that if needed. Any info is great.

[jcholl9]

Ah, I don’t want vet food anymore it did it’s job getting rid of most, of those stones. Rest of the stones are just a few and will deal with them later.

Right now I need to fatten her up some before she get’s to skinny, she’s lost a lot of weight.

This coming Tuesday all be taking her back to the vet for a check up and xray but from here on out I don’t want her on anymore vet diet dog food. Sammy is a healthy dog and plays like a puppy for her age 🙂

Four meals a day all try that thanks. But what I’m wondering if theres any dog food that will help make her gain weight faster.

Oh, and her potty isn’t an issue.

Just feed her some can just now…

Jon

[Claire T]

Dear Mike and fellow Editor’s choice members,

I have a 9 months old Golden Retriever puppy and I am currently feeding him Canidae Pure Foundations (Grain Free). We are from Australia so our choices are much limited compared to in the USA. I have 3 questions which has caused me problems in choosing the right food for him. Your advice or findings would be greatly appreciated.

1. I have been told by a friend about recent studies shown to switch large breed puppy to adult food at 9 or 10 months of age as they have reached 80% growth.

2. Also about calcium phosphorus level, can I feed my large breed puppy higher calcium levels/calcium phosphorus ratio after he has reached 9/10 months old? Or when can I do so? Or should I only choose kibbles that are within the recommended calcium phosphorus ratio for his whole life? I am interested in feeding him Earthborn Holistic however the calcium level is a bit high.

3. Is green tea extract safe for dogs? According to this website (http://www.thedogpress.com/dogfood/ingredients_liquorman.asp), ASPCA Poison Control Center lists green tea extract on its list of things to avoid for cats and dogs. However, green tea extract is an ingredient in many brands such as Wellness, Artemis, Holistic Select etc.

Thank you.

Regards,
Claire

[jcholl9]

Hi I have a schnauzer named Sammy and he’s 10 years old and she’s just one of the family.
She’s had a history of bladder stone issues since she was a puppy. All her life we’ve been in control of it for her. For the last few years she’s been on grain free dog food because we’ve discovered that the grain stuff was bad for her.

But long story short she went into the vet a few weeks ago for a check up and we had an x-ray done on Sammy. Finding a built up of bladder stones, it was bad. Bad enough put Sammy on the s/d dog food they gave us. First off the people at the Vet are nice and my family and I like them.

The dog food has helped Sammy get rid of some the bladder stones and only a few remain. But the main problem now is that she’s lost a lot of weight, slowly gaining it back we have her on, her old canned dog food.

She needs to get her strength and normal weight back. One of the draw backs is she can’t hold her potty sometimes and make’s a mess… Not fun for her and us…
Is there anything natural we can to build up her weight. I want Sammy to have fun again playing with her toys…

Any advice would be great ?

I’m glad I found this site 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Udi W,

There is no such thing as “neuter dog food”! It’s disappointing that your vet is trying to sell you on Royal Canin. 🙁 I’m not a personal fan of TOTW, but I dislike Royal Canin more. If you search on this forum there are a lot of discussions and recommended foods for feeding a large breed puppy to prevent joint/bone disorders. You could pick a food recommended from that list. The one thing you are going to have to watch is the calorie intake as you don’t want your puppy to grow too fast and I would definitely suggest feeding 2 meals per day as opposed to one.

Red has given you some good suggestions. I have/had labs myself. My current ones are over 10 and somewhere in the 5-7ish range, male & female, both altered. I’ve never fed a “neuter dog food” and they are both in excellent shape because I watch the calories and they get lots of walks.

[Udi W]

Hi all ,

today my 7 month lab puppy was neutered. my vet recommended to move to neuter dog food. obviously she recommended the brand that she supply which is royal canine, but I don’t rush for it. currently I feed him with taste of the wild, should I change and look for specific ingredients ? or it is o.k to stay with it and just watch over for overweight ? (probably reduce the amount of food)

thx

[Laura M]

I am getting a puppy at the end of July and want to transition him from what the breeder feeds, Diamond puppy, to a better quality food. A little over two years ago I got a pup from the same breeder and tried to transition to Fromm and had lots of digestive/diarrhea problems, to the point I had to go on the Iams Low Residue food which is very expensive but more importantly, the ingredients are horrible. I eventually transitioned to Natural Balance and finally to Orijen – this dog is now 2 1/2 yrs. old and doing great on the Orijen. So with this puppy I am going to take much longer in the transition (probably a month) and wanted a less rich food recommendation so hopefully I can avoid any digestive upsets. Can you recommend anything in particular that might be less rich but still a good quality food to begin the transition? I always use probiotics with all my dogs so that will be part of the regime as well. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

[InkedMarie]

Lucia,
I know nothing about large breed puppy food but I’d choose a food from HDM’s list and feed it. Add a probiotic. Do a very slow transition over a week. Keep him on this food for a couple months, at least. If you want to try another food, repeat.

Ashlee,
somewhere in this thread is a link to the list of approved large breed puppy foods. HoundDpgMom compiled the list; she has bloodhounds too. You’d do well to feed a food from this list. I have a hound named Boone too! He’s the pbgv in my photo here!

[Lucia P]

I am new in the forum and a new owner of an 11 months old english golden retriever. This site is great source and there is a lot of info to digest. I don’t even know how to start with all this. I feel overwhelm with all the information.
I trying to figure out what is the best food for my puppy. I had the HDM’s list but still I don’t know how to start editing and deciding for options since all of them have good calcium and calories %s.
He was giving TOTW for a while but his stools got loose, them he was been feed with WHole Paws from Whole Food Market and he stopped eating. He used to love to eat and couldn’t wait to have his food in his plate but now, after he was 9 moths old his vet recommended to change his food from puppy to an adult food. My sister was the initial owner and she was so busy that never paid any attention of how to feed properly Blue (his name). She never made a transition, one night he had TOTW for a puppy and nexzt day he had food for adult. The first days were fine, he ate normal and his stools were loose, them he stopped eating after the fifth day of the new food and my sister changed the food and it has never been the same. He has food twice a day but in the morning he wouldn’t eat much or at all and them at night starving he will eat some. Now I have the dog with me and I want to do my best. I am new in the dog’s word and Im trying to educate myself.
Please, any help with recommendation of a great food for a Golden retriever, 11 months old would be much appreciated. In the HDM’s list are many 5 stars brands, how can I decide which ones?
I was thinking Blue was a picky eater and had a sensitive stomach but now reading this forum I realize that it is normal that he had loose stools since my sister hasn’t being consistent with the food, please help. I want to choose a couple of the 5 star rating food to alternate. Reading reviews the Earthborn Holistic sounds fine and The Honest Kitchen too. But to be honest also many others does. I don’t know what is the difference and all of them qualify in terms of nutrition. I have been with him for a week now and he is having California Natural which I don’t see in the HDM list. I didn’t think he like it because he wasn’t eating much and the Pet store recommended me to mix one pattie of Stella and Chewy’s Dandy lamb (because they were very yummy) and he will probably eat his food with it. He does but he tries to eat only the pattie and leave in the plate the rest of the food. Other Pet store close by told me that Health Extension was also a good option since he was picky eater. I don’t see this one either in the HDM list. Luckily he is fine so far and when he went to the vet last time, everything was fine. His hair is not shiny and he does shed a lot.
I know we can do much better than this. Please advice!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Traci G-

Large breed puppies have special requirements due mostly to potential joint issues from growing too fast, being too chubby and/or too much/little calcium in their diets. Here is a link that will help you to choose a more healthy food for your pup: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
Please try to find a 3,4 or 5 star that fits these guidelines. I wouldn’t feed Pedigree, in my opinion, it has some very questionable ingredients.

Here is a list from Oct. of 2013 that lists foods that are appropriate for large breed pups at that time. I’d make sure they still fit the guidelines before you decide to feed. This is not necessarily a complete list. There may be other brands and recipes at this time that are appropriate: https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?usp=sharing.

There are several articles in the library on the review side of this site that may be very interesting to you on how the food is rated and how to read a food label. I know I never read a guaranteed analysis or ingredient label before coming to this site.

I bet your puppy is adorable. Great Danes make great pets! My co-worker has one and shows me pictures of her trying to sit on her lap! She doesn’t realize how big she is!!

Best of luck to you! Write back if you have anymore questions.

[Cynthia R]

Orijen large breed puppy is on the editors choice approved list of food for large breed puppies. The calcium is minimum 1.2% and 1.5% maximum. I feed it to my mastiff puppy. The Google doc has not been updated for some time.

[Pitlove]

Hi Kari-

I disagree that a puppy and 5 year old dog can’t eat the same food. You can absolutely feed the same food to both you would just maybe not feed the same amounts. Idk if you consider your dog a senior dog at 5, but if you do senior dogs need MORE protein than puppies and adult dogs contrary to popular belief. Senior diets are often very very low in protein however, a puppy food wouldn’t be. I never care about what the front of a bag says. My pitbull is currently eating a food marketed for “small breeds” lol. its just smaller kibble size and hes fine with it. I would have no problem feeding him puppy, adult or senior food as long as the ingredients were up to par for me and the nutrient profile was correct.

Take a look at the list Dori linked. Those are all foods that have proper calcium levels for large breed puppies like your golden doodle. and please make sure you don’t overfeed as that, along with improper calcium/phos levels can cause many skeletal disorders like pano, OCD and hip dysplasia.

[king J]

I have always found Solid Gold to be a great quality dog food. I’m not sure where all this low rating talk is coming from. There was a nation wide crises a few years back where a bunch of pets, both fogs and cats were dying left and right from the tainted pet foods. There were a bunch of brands involved because they were all being manufactured by the same facilities. Solid Gold was the only company that was unaffected.

My dog was safe! When she was a pup she came from her breeder in Science Diet. The vets were all pushing S.D. at the time. Candy used to get hot spots like crazy and hydro cortisone shots every 6 weeks were the norm. After a whole I finally asked the vet what I need to do or I’d take her somewhere else. She said well let’s try changing her diet. First she suggested Nutro. It didn’t work. Then she suggested solid gold and it was a miracle. Never had another problem.

Another I’m reading here is that it’s too low in protein. Well we should all be aware that dogs don’t need a yon of protein as adults. Not like cats which are obligated carnivores. Too much protein is harmful to dogs. As a matter of fact, most serious breeders of large breeds only feed puppy food for 5 months before switching to adult food because the protein level is higher in pup food.

[Bobby dog]

Naturella:
Are you going to use the same e-mail address now that you graduated?

chris:
For budget friendly canned I feed Wal-Mart’s Pure Balance stews ($1/can) and tubs (about 70 cents/tub), Tractor Supply 4Health stews and chic or lamb pates’ (99 cents/can), BJ’s chicken dinner $8.99/6 pack, and Triumph Turkey or Puppy recipes (a little over a $1/can and always on sale). Costco’s Nature’s Domain Turkey & Pea GF is a little over $20 for a case if you have a membership (or know someone who does).

Other foods in my current rotation are Wellness Core & Stews, Innova, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, Canidae, Red Barn, Weruva, Tiki Dog, and Nutro. I feel like I am forgetting some. lol

If you are looking for something specific like low fat or anything else just post, I might have specific recipes that I have either fed or that you can check out. I have fed many more different brands they just don’t always stay in my rotation for various reasons. I go no higher than 70% fat to protein ratio and mostly try to stay lower. I have only fed one canned food that Bobby didn’t like, it was a vegetarian recipe. I thought what the heck, it was on sale I’ll give it a try, he wasn’t having any parts of it and had to throw it away!

[Naturella]

I see. Like I said in another post, the ones I would wholeheartedly recommend are:

Earthborn Holistic GF
Victor GF
Dr. Tim’s GF & GI
Wysong (Nurture and Epigen are their “best” lines, but they have a lot of other good formulas)
Annamaet GF
Nulo
Farmina GF (even though I have not used it yet)
As well as the Canadian foods Orijen, Acana, NOW! Fresh and GO!

You can even email the above companies or send them a message on social media and ask for samples! I have gotten samples from Victor, Dr. Tim’s, Wysong, Annamaet, and Nulo sent me coupon books. 😉

As for Dogswell, 2 friends have fed it with no issues, and Bruno is currently on the Dogswell LiveFree Salmon one and is doing just fine, and I have fed Nutrisca Chicken & Chickpea (made by Dogswell) in the past and he did just fine on it too. I also fed Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy with no issues but I know other people have had issues with the brand (don’t know which line of food, or all of them). A friend, my roommate, and an aunt have all fed Blue (the aunt still feeds it) with no issues. Questionable companies – sure. But from my experience, and that of others around me, we have personally had no immediate issues with them.

[diane303]

I would like to nominate the Zignature dog foods. It is a limited ingredient dog food. I have 4 dogs. Two of them could do well on just about anything. One is an Elkhound that seems to do best of a grain free fish based food. Another is a setter with sensitivities to a lot of stuff including certain grains and potatoes! Every one of them are doing great on this food. I chose it because it is a grain free without potatoes. My setter is 11 and acts like a spry puppy.

They seem to have a high standard regarding a ingredients of their food. I’m pretty impressed. I use to feed Merrick with so so results, then Canidae All Stages Lamb that worked pretty well with my setter. I tried this because of the grain free, fish without potatoes aspect and am very happy with it.

[Naturella]

I also love feeding a variety of foods to my terrier mix Bruno. Since my husband and I have adopted him in 2013, he’s had, in no particular order of dry foods: Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy, Nutrisca Chicken & Chickpea, Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF, Holistic Health Extension Original, Blue Allergix, and Lamb & Brown Rice, Earthborn Holisitic Coastal Catch, Primitive Naturals, and Great Plains Feast, Back to Basics Open Range, Wysong Nurture with Quail, Nulo Medal Series Lamb & Lentils, Castor & Pollux Ultramix Duck, Victor Salmon, and samples of Fromm, Victor, NutriSource, TOTW, Wysong, Orijen, Acana, Nature’s Variety Instinct (the Rabbit formula he was supposed to eat but it made him very sick, but other samples he did great with), Hi-Tek, Nature’s Logic, and many other foods I can’t recall ATM. Lined up we have Wellness CORE Ocean and Original, more Earthborn, Canidae Pure SEA, Castor & Pollux Organix GF, and right now he just got on Dogswell LiveFree Salmon.

For toppers we used The Honest Kitchen Embark, Force, Keen, and Love, and Big Dog Naturals Green Tripe (air-dried). I have used various canned foods too, like Weruva, Green Cow by Solid Gold, and Green Tripe from Petkind, and also some more dehydrated/air-dried like Sojo’s. Now I use some small Merrick dog cans and some cat food pouches and cans for some of the toppers along with coconut oil, yoghurt, raw egg, canned sardines, and a RMB for his Sunday dinner. I also almost always add extra water to the food when served with a topper so he eats “soup” most of the time. Sometimes I just give him plain kibble as part of a training routine or from a puzzle toy to stimulate his brain. He likes it just the same!

He gets regular treats (Fromm, Canidae, Yummy Chummies, and Think! Alligator and Crawfish Jerky, and also kibble as treats (a different brand and flavor of the main food he is on at the moment), He also has a few natural chews like cow and lamb ears, beef tracheas, bully sticks, pig snouts, fish skins, antlers, hooves, etc.

Sorry for the rant, lol, but yeah, rotations are awesome, and Bruno loves the daily variety, and I love how he looks and feels (shiny and soft). I used to take 10 days or so to transition from one food to the next at first, then about 7 days, then 3, then 0. Now he switches so quickly because he eats a constant variety of foods and treats.

And LM, I guess you can see the replies of a person, but it will be hard to follow an Editor’s Choice topic reply by reply from individual authors. And some topics are EC exclusive.

[zuponicafe]

I just wanted to give a big shout out to this sites awesomeness! The price for the editors choice was well worth it, although even w/out it there are great things to be learned about dog food. Especially for folks like myself who thought all dog foods were the same. I’m glad I looked into things before we got our guy Loki back in Feb.
My experience feeding him different foods has been a positive one. He is a mixture of lab/shep/husky/newfie and I was unsure what his grown up size would be, so I was trying to keep things on the lower calcium side, but some of the best foods were outlandishly priced. Knowing the ratings of various foods has enabled me to feed him food that has been marked down for whatever reason and still feel like a good dog mommy & not a cheapskate.
He is now 6 months old & while exactly not the biggest dog (his puppy paws were deceiving! LOL) he is a healthy & fit 60 pounds of fun.
Occasionally too much fun~he’s prone to climbing & hopping. He’s the bounciest big dog I’ve ever met!
That said, the foods (dry) that I’ve been swapping around have included: Whole Earth Farms puppy, Castor & Pollocks Organix. Wellness Core (which is NEVER marked down!)
Nutro Max & lately Zignature Turkey. He really likes the Zignature, as do I as it’s relatively affordable.
The canned food I’ve used (I call ‘unders’ as I put it on the bottom of his bowl.) Are very varied. There are a lot different pet stores near me, so I get whatever decent brand catches my eye & is on sale.
I must say, the one can I bought of Trippetts went into the trash as I couldn’t stand the smell of it.
So there’s my long winded tale of rotation feeding.
In our case it’s been great!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jen-
I’m not sure if the Pulsar Turkey qualifies for a large breed puppy food or not. But, check out the large breed calcium calculator that Dr. Mike has posted on the review side of this site. If it does fit the guidelines, then make sure it is either a puppy or an all life stages food. It could very well be within the limits but not on the list due to just recently being more available in the U.S. I know when I first was checking it out, it wasn’t available here. It is now, however, as you pointed out. In fact it is what I’m feeding my two almost four year old lab mutts right now. So far so good. It seems like a pretty good value.

Hound Dog’s list has not been updated for some time now and there are most likely some changes that need to be made.

Good luck!

[Ellen D]

I emailed Allprovide with some questions, and they sent me a free trial of the food for my puppy. He liked it, and it compared in appearance and texture to the other premade raw foods I’ve tried (or my dog has tried lol) – like Darwin’s, Bravo, etc. My very picky dog liked it. I was happy with the customer service, packaging, and responsiveness of the company. I would most definitely have ordered more to feed full time if I hadn’t decided to go homemade.

[Linda K]

Hi Jake’s Mom, Pitlove and InkedMarie. Thanks for your responses.

Pitlove, thanks so much for your follow-up questions. I have a Rotweiller who is 3.5 yrs old. I am very upset with myself for feeding him Purina Puppy Chow until he was a year old and feel I did not given him the best chance in his formative year to be as healthy as he could be over the course of his lifetime. But he seems to be healthy so far with just a few normal problems….allergies, gas, etc.

The things I am concerned about are bloat (one of the girls from his litter died from it), hip dysplasia, which I know is common to many large breeds, and in particular, I am concerned about cancer. I recently researched brands to change him off of Science Diet, which I moved him to after Purina, but it turns out that Science Diet is not very good either. I read some reviews about Taste of the Wild High Prairie Formula which gets 5 stars from DogFoodAdvisor. I also read some reviews for this brand and within the first 5 or 6, two of the people were Rotweiller owners and they both said it was excellent. One said that his Rotweillers usually die fairly early due to cancer, but this food has kept his new ones healthy. It really scared me because I did not realize that Rotties were genetically predisposed to certain types of cancer. So I got it immediately…..but I wanted to see if there might be anything even better since I apparently have not given him the benefits of great nourishment up to this point. I want to make up for lost time, and I will spare no expense (even though I am retired). So far, he seems to be doing well on the new food but has loose stools. I am doing it very gradually. I am also giving him a supplement for hips and joints that was recommended by his vet.

So, I guess in a nutshell, I wrote because I wanted to be sure I am doing all I can for him and have made a good choice this time.

Sorry this is so long. Thanks!

[jakes mom]

I don’t think there is really a need for a “breed specific” food as such. I can understand a food for a small or large breed or for puppy food. For example, a pup needs something easier to chew with it’s baby teeth and needs more nutrition in a small amount of food since he has a small tummy. Same for small dogs. Large breed puppies need to grow slowly, so their food needs to be formulated a bit differently. Other than that I think the breed specific foods are just kind of a marketing tool for the dog food companies. Feed a high quality food and maybe a supplement or 2 if you have concerns about a particular problem. I think that would be fine unless you had a dog with allergies or intolerances to certain things.

[jella]

They have proven that eggs are good for the brain, muscles, etc. They don’t clog the arteries either. It is the best people food for breakfast for humans so that is why I decided to give it to my dog as a puppy. You might have to hand feed a little egg with the dog food not much as you get the puppy used to it but I think this will work for you. Egg and a couple of bites of dog food. Egg and a couple of bites, again until you think she is almost full. It worked for Hoss as a puppy.

[Wanda B]

Rescued Bichon mix, have had problems with her eating since I got her Oct 10 She is 1.3 years old. Owned by an old man and crated most of the time. Have no idea her eating pattern but was on Kibbles and Bits. Have tried Natural Balance, Purina Beyond and Purina One Select (most recent). She just doesn’t seem interested and I don’t want to feed her crap. I’m used to using Avoderm with my pack, they all crossed the bridge over the fall and winter. But it is getting hard to find here. Am open to any and all ideas. Do not want to make the situation worse by changing foods but am afraid I already have. Have also used Kirkland dry but won’t buy 40lbs for a 12lb dog.
Thank you in advance….this is my first puppy in like 30 years…have always rescued older dogs.

[Susan K]

Hello,

Two weeks ago I switched my 5yrs old shar-pei/beagle mix and my 4 month old puppy to all raw food, but my 5yr old refuses to eat food with added supplements mixed into it. Can I give them store bought vitamin/mineral chews, and if yes, since I feed them ground meat/bone/organ will I be giving too much calcium?

[Pitlove]

There is literally nothing breed specific or species appropriate about any Royal Canin food. Most people who know me know that I believe that Royal Canin are the MASTERMINDS of marketing. Since pet parents often rely far too much on the front of the bag to tell them what food is best for their dog, be it that it has their breed of dog on the cover, has “real meat” and “veggies” on the cover, says small breed, large breed, adult, large breed adult, etc they often miss the ingredients which is where all the important stuff is. Oh and the GA (guarenteed anyalsis). I took the time to compare all the RC breed specific lines and found that aside from very slight protein and fat differences all the food was exactly the same, rotating the same first species innapropriate ingredients (whole ground corn, by-product meal, brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal).

I would absolutely get her on a 5 star food. High in ANIMAL not plant protein moderate in fat and low in carbs. I’ve seen far too many overweight dachshunds and I know how easy it is for them to gain weight. As long as you know that she is healthy and has no known medical needs at this time this diet is fit for every breed of dog. Also PLEASE do not get hung up on the front of a bag. Worrying about if something says small breed or not or puppy or adult. As long as the nutrient profile is correct those things are not of much value. I have been feeding both my cat and dog adult and they are still a puppy and kitten and they havent had any issues. Also the small breed formulas are just smaller kibble sizes so you can go that route if u find that she is having trouble eating a larger kibble, just wanted to make you aware that small breed doesn’t mean its formulated differently for a small dog its just small kibble pieces. I also add a probiotic to their food to help with maintaining healthy bacteria in their gut to process the food better. I use Perfect Form made by the Honest Kitchen.

One thing the breeder did right was the suggestion of adding wet food to the diet. When on an all dry kibble diet dogs can live in a state of constant minor dehydration and later in life can face organ damage. So restoring some of the moisture to their diet is always a good thing. Soaking the kibble like you have been doing works too. We did that for our American Staffordshire Terrier when he was young. Seemed to help him be motivated to eat as well as digest the food. I believe there is a couple people on this site who use Kirklands wet food and seem to have no issues with it. Personally I do Whole Earth Farms stews, Wellness Core and I’ve tried 4health and will be trying other brands as well.

Another good thing to do is to find several brands that will work for her and rotate between them giving your dog variety and also different protein sources as to avoid building an allergy to one as dogs are not born with allergies, they get them through overexposure.

I wish you luck with your new baby! Feel free to ask questions here. There are tons of knowledgeable people that frequent these forums who have years of experience with dog nutrition and managing their dogs diets including fosters. And they are more than happy to offer help and answer questions.

[Pitlove]

bdog- i appreciate what you said a lot. and i really hope you didnt take my inquiry into the health of your cats as an implication that you are feeding them wrong. that was not my intention!

i agree with you 100% about by-products, they are in a raw diet which i would feel comfortable feeding my kitty and puppy if i had the time and better resources. like you i hate the anonymous meats as well. i was thinking about only using those products if it is an extra hard month money wise and i can’t afford an expensive food for her. they sell grandma mae’s near my work for .95$ a can and 4health GF is .69$ at the Tractor Supply near my house so those are also cheap options for me.

I also live in a state that is very humid in the summers and I haven’t had problems with fleas on my AmStaff yet. My kitties have always been indoor only. I used to live in a city and in an apartment so i didnt ever have an option to let them outside so i just grew up having indoor cats. my kitten right now is indoor as well, though i take her on her harnass in the yard and let her walk around sometimes. despite living in a feral colony for the first few months of her live on a college campus she does not seem to enjoy being outside lol. i’ve taken her on walks with us when we walk our AmStaff and she just cried the whole time and clung to me. poor girl.