[Duke The Boxer]

Hmm i definitey think that could be the issue. At night i usually watch him eat and make him slow down and swallow his food every little bit. In the morning my mother feeds him early and she doesnt watch him and if hes not watched Duke will devour the food within 5 minutes

[Tiyapup]

I am feeding my pup a rotation of high quality kibbles, mixed with a balanced homemade raw diet. She is doing very well.. healthy growth, beautiful thick soft coat, lots of energy, pretty firm and very regular stools, etc. etc. I’ve read several times now that you should NOT mix kibble and raw in the same meal because of digestive issues. Has anyone really had problems with this, and can anyone give me a real scientific explanation why I shouldn’t mix them? I’ve heard they digest at different rates and (literally, I read this) “confuse the pancreas”. So what? Why does it matter how fast a dog digests something? She has firm and regular stools, and that’s enough to convince me that mixing is fine, but I’d still like to hear a scientific argument why mixing kibble and raw might be bad.

In case you care, the rotation is Taste of the Wild puppy, Wellness Core puppy, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness puppy, supplemented with a homemade variety of livers, hearts, gibbets, cheap cuts of venison or lamb, chicken necks, eggs, yogurt, pumpkin, salmon oil, a small amt. of an herbal supplement, and add Grandma Lucy’s grain-free no meat pre-mix. I was doing about 20% raw 80% kibble, but now its close to half and half.

[OhBichonPlease]

I definitely think you should switch to higher-quality foods… for the picky eater especially – what little he will take down needs to be properly nutritious and high quality since he isn’t eating enough/well. I would transition slowly to minimize upset or selective eating of familiar kibbles and try fasting for a day with no treats or extras [I know it’s hard] before introducing small amounts of a new kibble. You can even try providing 2-4 different kibbles at a time – maybe something in the mix will appeal to your dog especially. You may want to look for a kibble that has a slightly higher fat content or salt as both of those are appealing and will encourage eating and may help get your picky eater to a better state of health. The different ingredients can help your dog adjust to new foods better and will only help/improve nutrient absorption and gut health provided there are no allergies/intolerances. Many local pet shops can provide free samples so you can try adding small amounts of new kibbles without spending much money. Adding some wet food or high quality meat toppers might also entice and encourage better eating habits. You may have to experiment, but tuna, salmon, plain cooked shredded meats, yogurt, canned pumpkin and other pantry items may help establish better habits and digestive health. Warmed peanut butter can also be drizzled over kibble instead of mixing and clumping it up in the bowl. Sometimes piles of food can be intimidating and food may need to be spread out more. Or your dog might not like her food bowl for some reason – try switching to a cereal bowl or a pie tie and see if that helps. Some dogs like to be sneaky eaters so hiding food in several places or the putting the dog bowl in unexpected places or outside might help. Feed your dogs separately [and maybe even at different times of the day], feed well [high quality kibbles and nutritious toppers/extras/treats] and congratulate, encourage and reward with enthusiastic praise every single time your picky eater takes a mouthful of food and actually swallows it.
You may also try making your own dog treats out of the above ingredients or buying canned food and instead of serving it at room temperature or warmed, try freezing it in ice cube trays giving those to your dog on a towel or an easily cleaned floor. Laying down a special mat or picking a quiet corner and acting like a mealtime is very special may also help her your picky dog more excited about dinner. Some dogs really like munching on frozen foods even when they won’t touch them at other temperatures.
When my picky eater isn’t eating I give her a little pepcid [we suspect semi-regular heartburn] and then act really excited about opening a can of high quality wet dog [or occasionally cat or puppy – vet’s recommendation for getting food in when nothing else works.] The smellier the better [canned green tripe works wonders but is best fed outside. I also had amazing luck with small cans of Weruva – it looks/smells like human-grade baby food and is expensive, but the quality is obvious and the food was eagerly consumed both wet and frozen].] I give her a little straight out of the can right off the spoon so she feels like it is human food and a nice treat and then drop some in a dish with kibble. I won’t mix it in anymore because too often she has shunned to food once she discovers the hidden kibbles and I don’t like throwing food out [the neighborhood cats have gotten very friendly since her leftovers get tossed on the pavement for them – I am sure it’s better than whatever they are fishing out of the trash, small birds, squirrels, etc]. But sometimes she will eat up the wet food in one section and then start eating mouthfuls of kibble afterward – progress!
When our girl is especially reticent about eating kibble we move her food into the room where we eat dinner and hang out in the evenings and sometimes have to pretend to eat kibble, hand feed her or toss pieces onto that evening’s dinner plate to get her to start eating. Once she realizes she is indeed hungry she usually goes back to her bowl and only needs encouragement to keep eating [Good girl! What a good dog you are for eating kibble! Good dogs eat their food!] every other bite. She still looks at us for encouragement while eating and I sometimes have to tap to bowl or shake it to remind her there is still food to be had.] I give her a half cup of food at a time and she never eats more than half at night and usually doesn’t empty her bowl entirely until the next afternoon. [She is slightly less than 15lbs and eats approx 300-400 calories a day in food and treats, as far as I can figure.]
I had never met a dog previously who didn’t like and look forward to dinner time, but our rescued Bichon needs to be coaxed and encouraged to eat almost every bite, every day.

Good luck, keep experimenting with higher-quality foods and ingredients and don’t give up!

[theBCnut]

Hi Blue Eyed Girl
RDM gave you some great advice. Any treat that is just meat will be low in calcium, but just make sure you keep treats to under 20% of the diet, then you don’t have to worry. Rotation of foods helps to keep the intestines healthy and support a wider range of probiotics. If you have agreed to keep her on the SD for 2 months, I would still go ahead and get the next food and after she is settled in your house start adding in 25% of the new food. That way you can start getting some of the better quality in to her and she can have a really long transition to the new food, just in case she does have a sensitive stomach. BTW, rotational feeding cured my sensitive stomach girl. I can feed her any thing, any time I want now with no upsets.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi BlueEyedGirl-

First, if you want to upload a picture as your avatar you need to go to gravatar.com. You can also add a picture to a post using photobucket. Copy and paste the image link into your post and it should show up.

Now onto the food…Wellness Core Puppy is a great food, but it is a BIG step up from Hill’s. To play it safe, you might want to gradually step up the quality food. You could start with Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy. Nutrisource has a reputation of being an easy food to switch to. Then you could transition to Wellness Core. 3-4 foods in a rotation is good. That would be my minimum. If your dog doesn’t have intolerances or allergies then you could find many foods to keep switching through.

Because you don’t know if she is a large breed or not, I would play it safe and feed large breed puppy appropriate food. Feeding lower calcium won’t hurt a small/medium breed dog. In my opinion, it’d be better to err on the side of caution.

I think that the amount of calcium that they get from treats is pretty negligible. However, if you are very concerned, I think dehydrated/freeze-dried tripe would be a good choice. Tripe has balanced Ca/P and I believe it is lower in calcium than some other treats. Freeze-dried liver may also be good.

There are more knowledgeable members on here that can give you more feedback and correct me if I’m wrong. I hope this was helpful to you. Have fun getting ready for your pup. It’s so exciting getting ready to bring a new dog home. 🙂

[BlueEyedGirl]

Hello –

Thank you all for the wonderfully intelligent conversations and to HDM for curating the list of LB Puppy Dry Foods. I have tried to read as much as I could, but with over 50 pages, it is quite overwhelming. I apologize in advance if my questions are redundant.

We are hoping to adopt a Boxer/ Great Dane (?) (Maybe Catahoula Cross?) mix from a local rescue this weekend. (I was hoping to be able to add her picture to my profile to show off her blue eyes, but I can’t seem to figure it out right now).

The food she is currently on is Hills Healthy Advantage Large Breed which appears to be borderline for Calcium, but it rates quite low for quality (Two Stars. oh – the irony that it is considered a vet exclusive product).

She was placed on this food as she had as her foster mom says “a wicked case of diarrea” when she came into her foster home. According to her foster mom, she seems to be doing quite well on this food and she has requested we keep her on it for the next couple of months.

After reading all of the information here, I am wanting to transition her to a higher quality food for the remainder of her puppyhood. (She is currently 38.3 pounds and leggy with pretty marled markings at just four months, thus I am leaning to the Great Dane mix).

I have a few questions –

1) I am considering the Wellness Core Puppy as the beginning food to transition her to. Although we transitioned our previous dogs with foods for interest, is there another medical reason to switch out the foods? Is a 3-4 food rotation sufficient?

2) If it turns out that she is NOT a large breed mix (maybe Catahoula), is there any danger or adverse results from feeding a medium calcium food?

3) Are there any training treats that are recommended for large breeds that follow suit with the calcium content?

Thank you so much for your help. There is so much to collect in time for her arrival on Saturday! I want to be prepared. Any advice you can offer is appreciated!

D

[Amanda Newcomb]

I feed my 6mo puppy acana regionals grain free, so I’m assuming this means his treats should be grain free as well? If so, can anyone recommend a brand that I can buy a petco or petsmart? I purchase his acana from a woman who runs a cat rescue and sells premium pet food out of her home, but she doesn’t sell treats.

Any feedback would be awesome!

[MsDad]

Cherikeeusa, right now I’m feeding Nature’s Logic kibble to my F1 Goldendoodle but I’m getting ready to switch him to a raw diet. I’ve been doing a LOT of research and raw greatly reduces the risk of bloat. Pork and chicken are both fine for dogs. I’m looking at Tucker’s Bones as my raw diet and it is pork-based.

[karink]

Hello everyone! I have an 11 week old lab puppy I’ve had for two weeks. After reading all the great information on here, I decided to feed him the Annamaet Salcha. So far everything is great.

My question now is regarding peanut butter. Is it safe to give puppies, and if so, what kind and how much. I’m having a lot of issues with him barking in his crate when I leave for work and would like to give him a kong toy with frozen peanut butter hoping it will keep him busy during the first moments that I leave, that way he won’t be so anxious.

First I want to know if it’s safe for puppies, and then if giving him a small amount (to fill the kong) daily would off-set any of the calcium / phosophorus %. It would then defeat the purpose of all the research done with the food.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He barks forever and I want to find something that will calm him during my absence. Can’t be toys (other than kongs) as he already chewed one up and swollowed a little piece the other day! Almost had a heart attack – and he hasn’t even starting teething yet! I’m in SO much trouble!!! LOL!!

[pugmomsandy]

You can find a similar food to Life’s Abundance for less $$ like Nutrisource grain inclusive line small/med breed puppy formula (yes, for your 8 yr old). If you’re willing to feed something better than kibble though, look into some dehydrated/freeze-dried foods like The Honest Kitchen or Grandma Lucy’s or Dr Harvey’s Oracle. These are less processed than kibble. If you can home cook for your dog, then those brands I just mentioned have a Pre-mix where you just add your own meat and some oil. I give my dogs probiotics, sardine/krill oil, super greens powder supplement, colostrum, Springtime’s Bug-Off/Longevity and some joint supplements. Mine also get fresh food like raw meat, scrambled eggs and raw sardines and leftovers of meat/some veggies.

[Dfwgolden]

I have two dogs of my own (4 in the house)
I feed my dogs the best I can afford and they are my FIRST priority my parents and friends will vouch for that LOL.

My dogs eat a kibble/raw diet.
A typical feeding consists of

Navajho-75lb Golden Retriever
2 Cups of Pure Balance mixed with 4 health Kibble
1 1/2 cups of raw ground beef
1 raw Chicken Thigh or Leg, or Neck
3 Table Spoons of Flax seed
1/4 cup of raw canned Pumpkin
1/2 activia yogurt cup
and a dash of puppy milk replacement 2 times a week

He has a high metabolism that is why he eats so much

Ricky- 30lb-5 month older border collie
1 cup of Pure Balance mixed with 4 health kibble
1/2 cup raw ground beef
1 Raw Small Chicken thigh or leg
1/4 cup of raw canned pumpkin
1/2 activia yogurt cup
2 Puppy Vitamins
1 tablespoon flax seed
and a dash of puppy milk replacement 2 times a week

The food here is split up into two meals a day.

Please noye I do rotate the raw meat types between
Rabbit
Chicken
Turkey
Beef
Goat
Lamb

I steer as far from pork as I can I am to scared of it LOL, they also get organs from the animals from time to time.

Is this a good diet?

My vet said they are the healthiest dogs he has ever seen, they have good smelling breath, stools are small and don’t stink.
They also have soft and shinny coats, anything I should add or take away? When I can I plan to switch the kibbles to Orijen and Taste of the Wild

[jas84047]

Thank you Sandy and Marie for the quick responses and opinions. I’m very happy to get them. I decided to order some Probiotic chews for my gassy dogs and stick with the Sr Whole Earth Farms. I like the info on Whole Earth Farms Puppy protein but worry about my less active Sr dogs getting any fatter. Especially my Golden/lab mix that has thyroid cancer and cannot regulate it well anyway. I don’t know. I now think I will rotate in another feed in as well but mostly stay on the Whole Earth Farms. I already order online- due to the amount of food we go through (3 dogs/3 cats– speaking of cats, how come there’s not cat food advisor?) and I can find the better deals on the good foods online. I will await the re-review of Premium Edge before deciding on that one as a possibly add-on. Fromm, Merrick Classics and GF are a little out of my price point, Victor I have a hard time finding anywhere -including online, I think right now I’m leaning toward Healthwise chicken/oatmeal, Canidae chicken/rice, or Chicken Soup….
Sound about right? Now which of these last 3 would you go with to add into rotation?

Thanks again for all your help!

[lmnordrum]

Armed with HDM’s list I ventured into the independent pet store today to browse their inventory. They do have Earthborn Ocean Fusion, which is what I’m learning towards feeding my new puppy (I’ll start off with a small bag) but this shop advocates Merrick Grain Free dog food.

Many foods have the calcium content on the bag, but Merrick does not. I searched their web site and nothing on there either. Sent them an email about this but it will probably be a couple of days until I hear from someone. Has anyone here researched Merrick Grain Free food yet?

[Timmy1963]

Hello- I have a 6 year old Doberman. A little over a week ago he started throwing up for unknown reasons. I put him on chicken and rice only. I have always feed him IAMS. For treats he gets human turkey dogs (not a lot). I kept him on rice and chicken for a week or so (we got comfortable!). I wanted to give him a healthy diet, I research raw food diet. I just can’t do that. So I got him Taste of the Wild. Saturday night I mixed just a little of the kibble in with his chicken and rice. He only eats once a day. He was fine. Sunday night I doubled the amount of kibble in his chicken and rice. The amount was double, but it still wasn’t a large amount. He woke me up at 5am with diaherra. He has had it several times today and he threw up once. Yellowish bile stuff. When he goes outside he acts fine but inside he is a little lazier than usual. He is a big baby when he is sick he wants me to stay right by his side. Any ideas? Did I increase food too fast? Should I take him to the vet?
A few things to mention- my Llasa eats the same thing the Doberman does and he is fine. My Dobie is big. He is tall and weighs 113 lbs. My son has two pit puppies. They visit every weekend. One or both of them had diaherra this weekend. But I think it is because they gave them a different kind of food. The puppies have been dewormed and had had the first of two series of the puppy shots (5 in one). The last series of 3 is this weekend. Thank you in advance for your help.

[pugmomsandy]

The gas is from not being able to properly digest the new foods. This can happen with all foods – old and new. You can help their digestive tract by adding probiotics to their meals and digestive enzymes until they have healthier guts. I don’t like to feed just one food as this sets them up to have unhealthy guts since they are only exposed to certain ingredients and therefore only know how to digest those certain ingredients. Rotate through several foods to offer variety (4 and 4.5 and 5 star foods). And you can feed them an “all life stage” food. I personally prefer Whole Earth Farms Puppy (for all life stages) to feed the seniors as they require more quality protein. It only has 28% which is not high by any means. There is also Merrick Classic which is good for all life stages (even the senior recipe). For Premium Edge (made by Diamond so be aware) I would not chose the Senior or Lamb recipes. It’s (the Premium Edge review is coming up for an update and the Lamb formula will not be 4 stars). For Healthwise, mark off the Weight Control formula. For Diamond Naturals, I personally would mark off the Adult Lamb Meal and Rice and Senior 60+, Large Breed Adult Lamb Meal, and Lite Lamb Meal formulas. Diamond Naturals grain free and Nature’s Domain (at Costco) is OK at 3.5 stars. They’re more like 3.75! Just like any company can have a recall (like Diamond has had several), don’t become dependent on one food or brand in case you have to change and dog food companies can change and do change their recipes from time to time. Even my 14 yr old foster (and my other nine pugs) eats a variety of different kibbles, canned foods, dehydrated foods, and raw foods without being gassy. I fed them probiotics and enzymes at one time fairly regularly but now they don’t need them every day as they have healthy insides now. Sometimes I just pour a little multi-strain kefir (Lifeway) on their food for the probiotics and they get a powdered probiotic supplement a couple times a week.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by pugmomsandy.

[lilyh]

2pups,

So glad Dozer is doing so much better! How old is he now? I met my first ridgeback a couple months. It was a bit intimidating to meet a dog about the size of a deer, but what a gentle giant he was. Curious what food the breeder had him on or what you were feeding your pup when he first started to have issues walking?

Congrats on having a dog on the mend!

Lily

[lmnordrum]

This thread is just full of excellent information and I’ve printed HDM’s list on food. However I’m still confused. lol

I have a Giant Schnauzer puppy that I’ll pick up right before Christmas. Breeder feeds Royal Canin puppy, but I’m not thrilled that it has corn in it. I’d like to feed my puppy a at least a corn-free food, but breeder recommends lower protein for these dogs. Grain free foods seem to have a pretty high protein level. She starts with RC Mini even for the big dogs (smaller kibble.)

Any recommendations for the Giant or experience with lower protein (less than 23%)? Based on what I’m reading about growth and calcium, I’m thinking she likes lower protein so they don’t get into any super growth spurt. Breeder says she has never had a problem with hip dysplasia in her dogs.

Thanks!

[theBCnut]

In dog food you quite often get what you pay for. Personally, I would never feed that to my dogs, though I do know other Border Collie people who would feed that and think their dogs were doing just fine on it. The weight issue may be age, young BCs do tend toward the thin side, but the fact that it is combined with stool eating makes me think that your dog isn’t getting as much out of the food as you would like. As far as feeding directions go, they are only guidelines, and can’t take into account how active a young BC, or lab, can be. I personally would look for a different food, one that has a specific meat as the first ingredient or three, and a specific starch after that. I would not buy a food that had anonymous ingredients, ever. They signify that they are extremely low quality and change without notice, so you never know why your dog has diarrhea or what he is really eating.

[mercman]

I have a 12 week old GSD female puppy. I was feeding her Nutro Natural Choice Large puppy breed chicken/whole brown rice/oatmeal food. She was doing a lot of scratching I was concerned about possible food allergies and went to my local feed store. They recommended Infinia Zenfood Grainfree Salmon and Sweet potato even though it is not specifically a large breed puppy kibble. This recommendation was based on a 1.2% calcium level and on being a Grainfree kibble. Is this the right choice. Incidentally the itching may have been due to over-bathing.

My male GSD (5YOA) is eating Costco’s Kirkland Salmon and sweet potato, BTW. I did see this listed in HoundDog Mom’s acceptable large breed puppy food list. Would this be an appropriate choice for my puppy too?

[Amanda Newcomb]

So I’m going to be switching my puppy’s food soon (he’s on Purina one smart blend puppy right now, what the previous owner fed him). I’m very interested in feeding him Acana regionals dry food because of all the positive reivews, but I’ve also read that dry food alone doesn’t supply enough moisture in a dogs diet. I don’t want to feed him solely canned food for fear of him gaining weight. He’s a small dog and while I walk him daily, he otherwise doesn’t get much exercise.

Would mixing canned food with the Acana be a good way to suppliment his moisture intake? If so, how much canned food to dry food, and how do I choose a brand that goes well with the Acana?

[RescueDaneMom]

If you stick with grain-inclusive, I would choose NVP Large Breed over NutriSource. That is based on my personal opinion and what I would feed my dog. I don’t like that NutriSource uses corn gluten meal. The NV uses brown rice, barley, oatmeal, and millet for carbs where NutriSource used brown rice, white rice, barley, and corn gluten meal. Other than that they are very similar.

How is he doing on the NV LID? Better, worse, or the same as when you were feeding Fromm?

I googled OptaGest because I’ve never heard of it. I applaud you for using digestive enzymes. However, if he is super sensitive and having loose stools, you may also want to add probiotics. A lot of people recommend the Mercola pets digestive enzymes and probiotics (though they are pricey). I use Dr. Langers 15 strain probiotic from Swanson’s: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-probiotics-dr-stephen-langers-ultimate-15-strain-probiotic-fos-60-veg-caps It helps our rottie with cancer and our pitt digest their food so much better.

It could be his digestive system needs more help to digest the kibble.

[cmeeks]

So i’ve been going through this same dilemna myself for a few months. I have puppy now that started off feeding Blue Wilderness, which is amazing! I have no complaints, other than the fact that she was usually eating better than me lol. I figured if i’m spending more on my puppies food than I do on myself, something’s wrong. After lot’s of searching and researching online, I stumbled upon Iams Smart Puppy. I know! Everyone on this forum is going to be snobby towards Iams, but i’m here to vouch whole heartedly for it. It’s rated three stars, but for the price it is incredible. Petsmart has it for sure, my Walmart doesnt carry it though. For someone who is on a budget, this is some of the best out there in my opinion. A 38 pound bag for $34. This is about what it is in Petsmart to I think.

[gsdmommy89]

Hi everyone. I have a 4.5 month old GSD. I was feeding him Fromm Large Breed since 8 weeks up until 1 week ago. His stool would always be soft. Not runny, but not easy to pick up stools. I thought maybe the Fromm was too rich for him since it contains about three different types meat. I added pumpkin to his food and have been using OptaGest. His stools firmed up with that, but he’s always had gas. I decided to switch to Nature’s Variety LID Turkey thinking maybe something bland will help. Well his stools are back to soft, even though I’m transitioning slowly. And he doesn’t really seem to like the NV. Maybe it’s too bland? I was thinking of returning it and going with Earthborn instead. I just don’t know if to go for the Coastal Catch or Meadow Feast. Don’t know which would be easier on his tummy. I know I went to grain inclusive to grain free, that’s why I’m still weaning him to Nature’s Variety. But should I stick to grain inclusive then? If not the Earthborn formulas, I was thinking NutriSource Large Breed. It is grain inclusive, but only has chicken as a meat source.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

[Amanda Newcomb]

Hi everyone,
So i came across this board and figured it was worth a shot to ask for help. I have a 5 month old puppy, and I want to feed him the best food for him. Problem is, when I started looking into everything I became totally overwhelmed by the amount of choices!

Here’s some info on Bruce (my dog):
He is a chihuahua/dachshund mix
He’s almost 6 months old
Will be neutered December 5
He’s about 11lbs
He doesn’t lead a super active lifestyle, although I walk him at least 1.5miles daily. However, with winter coming up this may change

I prefer to buy from a pet store for convenience, but I’m not totally against online ordering if it’s what is best for Bruce. Price is not a huge issue, he really doesn’t eat that much and my husband and I really want to feed him what is best for him! Where do I even begin?

Thank you!

[lilyh]

Duke the Boxer,

How much Dr. Tim’s Kinesis are you giving your puppy? My English Setter puppy is currently 16 weeks old and 20 lbs. According to Dr. Tim’s feeding recommendation the max I should give her at this age and weight is 1.75 cups.

On her current food, Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy, Annie eats 3 cups a day and I am sure would gobble up more if I let her. So I was wondering how your puppy reacts to the smaller quantity recommendation, because Dr. Tim’s is high on my list to try next.

Thank you.

[Duke The Boxer]

ok. well i am now feeding duke dr tims kinesis and duke is doing very well. He did not do so well on the NV Rabbit as his stools were very loose. I will try another NV Instinct because his coat and the amount of times he went to the bathroom were greatly improved. I also have tried the wellness core puppy food and it probably was my second favorite dog food behind dr tims. I recommend these dog foods to anyone with a large breed puppy

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi karink!

Unfortunately, you never know what is going to bother a dog until you try it. Does the sudden scratching coincide with the change of food or could it be something else? If you suspect it’s the food, then I would switch to something else to see if it stops. My dog did very well on Annamaet Salcha but he doesn’t have any food intolerances. What was he eating before? Did it have peas or potatoes? Grain-free foods tend to have peas and potatoes in them. It can be hard to find one without both.

Sorry I can’t help with the rosemary extract. I haven’t heard that before. It’s interesting because The Honest Kitchen is removing rosemary from all of their formulas because of customer feedback.

[jewels]

Rescue Dane Mom and Pattyvaughn, when you say 30% is a personal limit for some are you meaning 30% is the minimum protein percent? Do most on this site agree that you can’t have too high of protein for a large breed puppy? I’m trying to be aware of the calcium percentage and have been referring to HDM’s list. I just want to make sure that I’m not missing some other important detail. I have a Standard Poodle puppy who was 16 weeks on Monday. The breeder advised that I feed him a 50/50 mixture of Eukanuba Adult and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach (which is also an adult formula). She said this mixture worked best to ensure that the puppy didn’t grow too fast and his bones and muscles/ligaments would grow at the same pace. She said she’d been using this formula with her puppies for some time and had fantastic results. I met the parents and grandparents of my puppy as well as older siblings from a previous litter and all were very healthy, active dogs. She does all her “testing” before she breeds any of her dogs and they all have good results, so it’s hard to argue with her approach. I was still hesitant to feed a puppy and adult food, however, so I chose NV Prairie Large Breed Puppy and switched him over. I hope I did the right thing! He has been on this NV formula for a month now and his stool is still fairly soft. It has form when it comes out, but it is too soft to pick up right away… if that makes sense. I’d like to start rotating him with a few other foods, but want to make sure I have the calcium and protein thing down first! Another question on calcium… I know a food should be no more than 3.5 g calcium, but on the list everything looks like it’s hovering around the 1.0 mark. Obviously there must be a piece I’m missing here… Thanks for the help!

[pegripley]

Shawna, I’ve read a number of posts and you seem amazing. I lost my Scottish Terrier, Charlie, to Cancer a year ago this September, he was only 8 years old. We had NO idea he even had it.. Within a few days I couldn’t stand it anymore for myself and my mini-Schnauzer so we got another puppy. She is also a mini-schnauzer. I took her to get spayed in December 2012 and we found out she has Kidney Disease. Since then her #’s have continued to increase and she’s now 16 months old and her BUN is off of the chart, the vets machines can’t read it. It’s over 130, her Creatinine is 4.0 (high end is 1.8) and a few other things are now showing also like decreased red blood cell count = 3.2 and normal range is 5.5-8.5.
I have been feeding her boiled chicken thighs and baked sweet potatoes. I am currently giving her a phosphorus binder and also Renadyl. The Renadyl is supposed to flush the toxins out through her stool rather than making her kidneys process it and work harder.
The odd thing is. Bella has never shown any real symptoms other than the #’s. I had no problem potty training her, she is crate trained and has no accidents. she doesn’t urinate anymore than our other Schnauzer does. We also had an ultrasound done and her kidney’s are slightly smaller than normal but nothing major small and no other abnormalities faound. Now she does love her water but it’s not like she sits next to the bowl and drinks it dry. She usually drinks a lot in the morning or when she first comes out of her crate and then will get little sips the rest of the day. My vet and I are both astonished and very grateful that she isn’t showing any symptoms.
Anyway, now that you know my story I am really trying to find something to prolong her life and also make sure it’s a good quality of life at the same time. It breaks my heart to think her life is going to be cut short.. You seem like you have a good handle on this. Can you please give me any advice..
I took her yesterday for her check up and have done nothing by cry since yesterday. I’m usually a positive person but this is just breaking my heart.
Peg

[theBCnut]

Parr
There is no kibble that has too much protein for a large breed dog. I won’t feed a food under 35% protein to my dogs and there are others here who set their personal limit at 30%. Below 30% is just too low, IMO.

[dean ousterhout]

Hello all… I have a source of fresh deer meat and wondered… should I feed some of it to my new large puppy, 14 weeks old? I love reading all about teh fantastic diets folks are doing for their dogs and I have to say… I don’t think I eat so well 🙂

I am sure I will look back in a few years and perhaps all this won’t be so confusing… but for now …. well.. it is quite overwhelming as to how little I understand.

The plan is to start with the 5 star dry and wet… and augment with quality “other” stuff, like leftovers of what we eat, etc. I got to thinking while reading about supplementing and all teh different raw diets… if I could use some of the venison I have access to for the puppy? I saw about the 20%… but should it be raw(uncooked, straight from the freezer, straight from the butcher) or cooked, like burgers from the grill? 🙂

Shucks, the venison is cheaper than than the canned food and the 5 star dried.

Thoughts??

[Sue’s Zoo]

I have a large breed puppy, Shiloh Shepherd. He’s 55 pounds at 4-1/2 months. With much help from information on this forum I’m feeding him half kibble (rotating between Wellness Core Puppy, Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, Halo Spot’s Stew Surf N Turf) and half raw (Primal and OCRraw) as well as a probiotic and supplement. He seems to be doing very well. I’m currently feeding him 5.5 cups of food per day but I’m going to increase it, at least temporarily, as he still seems hungry all the time. I’m also feeding him three times a day at this point.

My question–up to what age is it recommended to feed 3 times a day? I wonder if feeding him fewer, larger meals if he would be better satisfied.

Also, does anyone know if there’s a way to search the forums on this site? There’s a search box on the initial forum page but nothing for individual topics that I can see. They’re packed with such great information but I’m sure many questions are repeated and information missed because it’s so hard to find out which issues have already been addressed.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Sue's Zoo.

[mfulton7]

I have been feeding my pups Earthborn Hollistic Coastal Catch for about 4 weeks or so now. I have the Doberman pup (14wks), shihpoo pup (9 mth), and Chihuahua (2 yr). Since the dogs have been on it the dobie and shihpoo have really bad room clearing gas and the dobie has loose stools every other day or so. Another food they’ve been on was the Zignature Trout and the dobie had loose stools with that also. Should I try another food or another flavor of the Earthborn Hollistic? Weve also been noticing the dobie seems itchy a lot. Bites at her paws, scratches her backside Im thinking she scratched so much she caused scabbing on the backs of her front legs. I was thinking most dogs don’t develop allergies until theyre older? I know that the fawn dobies are more prone to skin issues so maybe that is causing it?

[theBCnut]

Leave him on RC at first so you don’t upset his tummy while he is missing his old home. After he is used to his new home, feeding a rotational diet is best. This means finding a few foods that he does well on and switching between them. A rotational diet helps to keep their gut healthy.

I’ll have to leave it to someone else to suggest small kibbles that are a good price. I only know a few small kibbles and not necessarily at a good price. I can recommend NutriSource Small and Medium Breed as being easy to transition to and a decent quality at a good price. Have fun with your new puppy!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by theBCnut.

[Kirstie]

I will be getting my own little Shih Tzu puppy in early December. He will be about 4.5 to 5 months old when I get him. He is a very small little guy; the breeder predict he will be about 6.5 lbs fully grown. I know the breeder feeds her puppies Royal Canin Mini Puppy. She’s very enthusiastic about how great a food it is for her small breed puppies, but I haven’t seen very positive reviews of Royal Canin on here. What do y’all say would be the best thing for my little guy both when I first bring him home and then as he gets older? I would of course like to get as much quality for as little cost as possible. I want something that is good and healthy for my little guy, but I am still a College student paying for all my own expenses.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Nancy-
I’m really sorry about your situation. I have had the same experience. Only we got two puppies too young with giardia. I’m surprised that they prescribed Albon. Typically it is metronidazole and panacur. Just to let you know, you can get those meds so much cheaper online or at a Costco or Fred Meyer pharmacy. You do not need a prescription for the panacur. Anyway, my pups were given Albon when they had coccidia. Yes, they have had them both. I’m still crossing my fingers at two years old that they don’t get it back. Feed them as much high fiber whole foods as possible. Some of the holistic remedies that were recommended were pumpkin seeds and garlic. I’d be careful on how much you give to such a young pup though. And yes, I do think the panacur is necessary to rid the buggers. I would even give them an extra day or two of it than what the regular recommended duration is. Also probiotics are really important also, especially enterococcus faecium. Oh my gosh, good luck and let us know how it goes. I’m with you on being too old for the puppy thing ever again! Lol!

[Britney0612]

I have a 7 year old border collie/shepherd mix and I want to switch her to a better food. She is a rescue dog and has some tummy issues. I started feeding her Iams when she was a puppy but she wouldn’t eat it. After many trips to Pets Mart I finally got her to eat Beneful dog food. I recently went to the Pet People store near me and they gave me some samples of grain free foods and a couple other natural dog foods. So far I have tried her on Fromm and Zignature brands. She seems to like those ones but does it really matter which one I give her? I still have a sample of NutriSource to try but it’s just really confusing. Any suggestions on a good brand that won’t break my bank?

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys,

I’m a fellow Golden owner and my pup, Sam, is almost 18 months old.

First of all, I have to say that Goldens are a large breed puppy and they have special dietary needs as a result.

I strongly suggest that you visit this thread in the DFA forum area as it has lots of great information about the special needs of a large breed puppy: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

Here’s a great list of foods recommended for growing large breed pups, like both of yours:https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFQXNYZW01VzRVV00/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

NutriSource makes a LBP formula with an appropriate Calcium level ,that is grain inclusive, that’s very well-tolerated by pups with sensitive stomachs. NutriSource is a good quality, budget friendly food that’s generally easy to find in the stores and online. You won’t see it in the list that I gave you because it’s grain inclusive though and the list consists entirely of grain free foods. You can, and should, offer fresh additional sources of protein, such as tinned sardines.

You must carefully choose a food with an appropriate Calcium level to avoid excess bone growth while yours is a fast growing puppy. Excessive bone growth contributes to skeletal disorders including hip dysplasia. In addition to controlling Calcium, keep your pup lean and avoid overfeeding and over-exercising.

Once your pup reaches at least 80% of his adult size, Calcium isn’t nearly the concern it is when he’s a puppy.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by DogFoodie.

[lizbethc41]

ok that was weird, I was typing a post when poof ! So if this ends up being a double post, sorry!
Let’s try again…..Against my advice, my part time employee got a lab puppy over the weekend. She absolutely cannot afford a dog, so I am really sorry she did this. However, now that it’s done, I am trying to find the cheapest of the best food. I think Fromm sounds promising as the least expensive 4 star food I’ve found (though I don’t like rice in a food & it has tomato pomace, it’s better than the Beneful she is feeding :/ ) & so far I’ve found it for $51.49 for a 33 lb bag.
Having never fed a lab puppy, I have no idea how long a 33 lb bag will last. If someone could give me a ballpark on this I’d appreciate it. It’s been a while since I fed Muggsy dry food & he’s a smaller dog than a lab puppy will end up. I think his 5 lb Castor & Pollux Organix lasted about a week.
I really hope to not have to go lower than 4 stars, but she really is on a limited budget <sigh> I’m really open to any suggestions as to a good yet cheap food!

[Mom2Cavs]

If you are not adverse to shopping online, then most foods are available online. Some offer free shipping and often there are sales.

If I were you, I would first go to my local pet stores (or stores where you will be purchasing your pups food) and look to see what they have. Talk to the clerks (note that some will be more knowledgeable than others, so beware of this) to see what they recommend. Tell them you are looking for a 4-5 star type food for a large breed puppy that has no corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, menadione. There are puppy foods and there are all-life-stage foods that will work. Let them know if you want to feed grain or gluten free. They ought to be able to point you in the right direction. Then you can read the labels on bags and If you find something there you are interested in then come to this site and look it up to see how it’s rated, etc. You could then ask on the forum who makes it, any recalls, etc.

One important thing to note is that you are getting a large breed puppy and they need special nutrition in order to grow correctly. I don’t have large breeds, but there is a thread on this forum that lists appropriate large breed puppy foods. You must use a food with the correct amount of calcium to phosphorus ratio. I believe it’s no more than 1.5/1.0….and this is dry matter, not as fed. I know that’s probably confusing, too, so it’s nice to just have the thread that does list foods that are appropriate.

I know this response seems jumbled but I am writing things down as they come into my head LOL….sorry about that. I hope it helps you some. 🙂

[Nancy M]

My daughter got a 6 week old mini-Aussie puppy, just 3 days ago, from a “breeder” who had just weaned this puppy, that day. The pup was starting to eat kibble (Diamond, small breed puppy formula), to which some supplement has been added to guard against coccidiosis.The puppy had received 3 days of wormings and then the first puppy shot on the day she got him.

Not an ideal or even recommended situation to begin with, but as it has gone, I now have the puppy for the next 4 days, while my daughter works as a nurse, because he wakes up every 2 hours with what has progressed from loose, semi-formed stools, to bloody, runny stools.
Looks and sounds like the supplement didn’t work! He is currently being fed the kibble, 3-4 times a day, last feeding around 8 or 9 p.m. He’s so small, he’s maybe eating a scant tablespoon each time, at most. Trying not to over feed him. Offering water frequently.

I will be taking him back into the vet as early as possible today (even though getting a clean bill of health/fecal the day she got him), as I’m quite sure coccidiosis is the culprit here……or it could be something with the food as well. Hopefully the vet can start an effective treatment immediately.

In the meantime, what can all/any of you suggest as a feeding routine and diet for this little fella. I’m not an advocate for any Diamond foods, or raw (especially right now) but I especially feel there is something that would be much easier on his very delicate system right now (besides mama’s milk, I know).

Please give recommendations as soon as you can, please! It would be much, much appreciated!

Thanks very much!

[pugmomsandy]

I ended up mixing foods because I couldn’t decide what food I wanted to use since there’s a million kinds out there! So after 3 years of trying things out, my staples are Nutrisource (grain free and small/med breed puppy), Nature’s Select (local) only the grain free or Hi-Pro formulas, Brothers Complete, Merrick (local), occasionally Nutrisca (some issues with their chicken from China and possible farmed salmon) so I just get their Lamb food, Vital Essentials freeze dried nibblets and I’ve thought about Victor because they are local too (made in Texas). For cans, I use Merrick, Wellness Stews, Weruva, Nature’s Logic, Hound and Gatos and sometimes Nutrisca lamb. Dehydrated foods I use are The Honest Kitchen, Addiction (with Big Dog Natural), Sojo’s (with Big Dog Natural) and I make my own raw food with duck, goat, tripe and organs and supplements and they eat whole raw sardines and sometimes RMB (raw meaty bones) like necks, pork ribs and chicken legs. All foods have their pros and cons and not all dogs do well on certain foods. For me, these work. I am thinking of boycotting Dogswell though. Too many issues with their treats and they use chinese chicken. Actually, I think I’ll scratch them totally off my list now… and Sojo’s uses some dried veggies from China so that’s going to have to go too when my bag is gone. It is frustrating sometimes trying to find good foods with good ingredients. I’ve probably used about 20 different kibbles in the past 3 or 4 years (my dog is 6 now). He’s such an inspiration for me to make homemade!! I lub him so much!! He has his own freezer full of goodies!

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by pugmomsandy.

[pugmomsandy]

You can always ease them into a 5 star food too by going with something that is slightly better than what you’re feeding now but not being drastically different. If you’re feeding a 1-star food, go with a 3 or 4 star grain-inclusive food, then maybe a 4-4.5 star grain free food, then try a couple 5 star foods. I actually feed 4.5 and 5 star foods. I do keep a grain-inclusive food in my rotation but it is gluten free (Nutrisource small/med breed puppy, Nature’s Logic and sometimes Nature’s Select Hi-Pro). Basically, I avoid wheat, rye, barley (gluten grains). Barley is easily contaminated with other gluten grains during processing at the plant. Rice, millet and quinoa are gluten free. This is just one way to transition to a better food. If they get digestive upset, then don’t increase the new food amount until they are regular. Transitioning can be quick or take weeks or months.

[dzdubz]

Hi,

I have a beautiful 5 month old German Shepherd puppy, that has consistently had very soft stool/diarrhea since I got her. I was feeding her Orijen large breed puppy formula, and recently switched to Acana LBP, with no noticable change to her stool.

I’ve searched for advice but have not found an answer anywhere. My dog walker thinks her diet is too high protein and that Shepherd’s have sensitive stomachs. On her advice I’ve tried adding white rice and carrots, but neither has shown any effect.

Could you please help me with any suggestions for food or some kind of supplements that I can give her? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Dave

[Monica]

This is of great concern to me as well as Ihave received various stories of protein levels verses calcium/phosphorous ratios. I am feeding my almost 6 month old Alaskan malamute Acana Pacifica for about a month now. This week he was diagnosed with growing pains. Could the food be contributing to this. Is he growing too fast? He did have a growth spurt of 4 lbs in a week but prior to this only gained 2 pounds in the previous 3. Fed Acana the whole time.

[RescueDaneMom]

11 pounds is about 5kg so using the formula she would need 220 calories minimum. Since she is a growing puppy I would double it which puts the calories at 440 which would be between 3/4 and 1 cup per day. Sounds to me like you’re right on target with your feeding. Sometimes you have to use your best judgement. The feeding guidelines on the bags aren’t always appropriate for your individual dog. If I fed my dog what the bags tell me to he would be extremely overweight. It looks to me that you need to feed on the high side of the bags suggestion. Good luck! 🙂

[RamblinRose]

My red heeler will be a year and a half next week. About 4 months ago he started to shed weight, and the amount of food it took him to maintain a certain weight kept increasing until we got up to 6 1/2 cups a day. At 5 cups I thought “well he is pretty active maybe this is normal” but at 6 I obviously realized he needed a diet change. I had been feeding him Beneful since he was a puppy, but as soon as I read about it I promptly spent my entire check on a bag of the BB Freedom. I’m not sure if I’m in the right forum for this, but has anyone else had this issue? Exactly what kind of food should I be feeding my dog? We live in a suburban setting, he is very active but not herding cattle so his nutritional needs are different from a working dog. Is BB Wilderness to high in protein? I know BB is a good brand I just don’t know if it is best for him or if anyone had any other suggestions for me. The pet store has isles and isles of high quality dog food, so I am lost.

[mix123]

Hi All. I have a 4 month old frenchie. When we first got her she was on Acana Puppy so we kept her on that up until about a week ago. We were giving her a cup a day. Her poops were pretty runny and she was pooping alot. Last week they got really bad with lots of gas. So we put her on a bland diet for 2 days of pumpkin, chicken and rice and her stools firmed right back up.

Went to the dog food store and talked to the guy there and he told us that Acana and Orijen is too high in protein for most house dogs and usually only recommends it to people with farm dogs. So he recommended we try something with a little less protein. We went with First Mate All Life Stages BlueBerry and Chicken. We had already started putting her back on the Acana slowly by mixing it into the bland food diet we were feeding her. So we just started giving her a mix of Acana and the new food mixed with pumpkin for a few days. We have now switched her over completely to the First Mate and still mixing it with pumpkin and giving her some yogurt for a treat mid days. Seems to be going good.

http://www.firstmate.com/dog-food/grain-free/chicken-with-blueberries/

Here are my questions…

– The First Mate recommended feeding say feed a dog her size 1/4-1/3cup a day and the guy atthe store recommended the same. We’ve been giving her a cup…. Why do they recommend so low?
– Should we keep feeding her pumpkin?
– Is yogurt a good idea?

Thanks In Advance for the info

[Naturella]

Akari_32 (and everyone),

I am in the same boat – I am operating on a SUPER limited college student with no student loans (due to being an international student, I can only legally work only on campus, and only 20 hours/week, and I have them filled with my Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), which pays $730.00/month) budget, but I want to feed my Rat Terrier-Jack Russell-Chihuahua mix pup only 4-5 star dog food. So far so good – we scout deals on petflow.com, chewy.com, and amazon.com, as well as pet stores, and we have fed him Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy (1 small bag), Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy 11 lbs bag mixed with Vet’s Choice Holistic Health Extensions Original 4 lbs bag (got it for free at PetLand). When my boyfriend and I got him, he was about 4 months and 6 lbs, on Purina something (yuck), but we got him on Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Puppy, which was recommended to us by the PetSmart associate in case of allergies in puppies, and then we put him on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy. Toward the end of that first bag, we noticed that his coat had gotten shiny. We kept him on it, and then I discovered this amazing website, and learned about dog food rotation, so we have purchased his next food – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis Grain Free 11 lbs, and Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea 4 lbs, which we will mix and feed to him. Now he is about 7.5, almost 8 months, and he is about 11 lbs. Other foods I have on my list are Acana Regionals Grain Free (so expensive!), Back to Basics (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), Victor, Taste of the Wild, Orijen (so expensive!), Wellness Core, EVO (so expensive!), Innova Prime Grain Free, Earthborn Holistic Grain Free, Wysong Epigen 60 and Wysong Epigen 90 (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), and Timberwolf (so expensive, to use mixed with more affordable food), as well as any of the Grain Free 4- and 5-star foods on this website. I also feed him all-natural chews and treats, such as bully sticks, ears, tracheas, gullet strips, fish skins, Himalayan Dog Chews, and homemade treats of berries, pumpkin, peanut butter, and yoghurt. These, I think, also contribute to his beautiful coat and good health. He also gets an average of 1 dental treat/week.

So, the bottom line is, I want to monitor this thread for more ideas on good places (online or offline) to buy affordable high-quality dog food 🙂 .

Also, since I got him, I have been putting in hours/week researching this website and others, and educating myself on dog food nutrition. I was wondering if anyone knows of any dog/pet nutrition classes in GA, USA. I would love to be certified in this area and maybe own my pet food store (that would sell good pet food) one day.

Also, another question – we have our pup on Trifexis, for 5-10 lbs dogs, and recently (this past week) he started itching and scratching a lot. His skin looks good, but I don’t know if he is developing an allergy to something, or it is because his Trifexis effect is wearing off faster now that he is about/over 11 lbs, and they only gave him the 5-10 lbs pill last time at the vet. I have also used the FURminator tool (borrowed from a friend, they are soo expensive) on him twice, once a week for about 10 min, and I bathe him (Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond, and oatmeal puppy conditioner) once every 2 weeks.

Thank you, all!

[2dogmom]

Scott is great about returning emails too. He explained so much to me, I’m confident I made the right choice in picking Nature’s Logic for my new puppy.

Don’t feed added supplements and watch any other foods you introduce into their diets. It’s that combination along with combining certain minerals that throw off the chemical balance that cause levels to spike or exceed “standards”. I am glad there is no added D3 in NL which as stated above could result in over absorption. I get it.

Thanks everyone.