[Triet S]

Hello !
– After read this instruction /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/. I have question about this sentence. Please, explain to me what is it mean.
“Don’t use nutritional supplements when feeding your large breed puppy any commercial diet.””

– My Akita Inu 7months puppy get a curve back. What should I do for her now ?

[pitlove]

Sally- Awesome! I’m glad you found another option. You are very welcome for mentioning the calcium to calorie ratio!

goldenstar- I understand where you are coming from and I wasn’t suggesting that you take care of your animal in a way that makes you uncomfortable. At the end of the day, how anyone chooses to feed or raise their dog has no impact on my life. I have a passion for nutrition and large breed puppy growth so I enjoy discussing it with others and passing on information I’ve learned from nutritionists. I agree that food plays a big role in health, but I do feel there is more to health than that as I said. Have you considered having a homecooked diet formulated by a veterinary nutritionist for a large breed puppy? You may also wanna check out BalanceIt.com to see if they have a premade free recipe that is safe for LBP’s.

[Kim B]

Mike,
I have giant schnauzer puppies, the breeder now uses Victor Active Dog & Puppy Formula.
First pup is 10 months old, new one is 8 weeks old. I want to know if this is a quality product?

When I got the first pup, tried Origen but it was too rich for her – Black stool and then diarrhea. Ended up trying 2 others with the same result and then ended up with Hills Diet Ideal Balance large breed puppy chicken and brown rice. Appears to be doing well, and shiny coat. Should I switch my new pup over?
Victor is rated 5 star but is not listed anywhere on editor’s choice. The Hills Diet Ideal Balance
was listed as a secondary or alternative choice for puppy foods?

How can I feed the right food when breeder tells me one thing, trainer says another, vet does not suggest a specific dog food only says no to certain brands and watch calcium level, and your forum says something else…Very confused and frustrated. The first 6 months are the most important for development and I am again unsure what is best. I know kidney issues are prone to this breed so a diet that is too rich can stress the kidneys over time. Please help!
Kim

[pitlove]

Sally- You’re welcome!!

Goldenstar- Unfortuntely Golden Retrivers are prone to cancer. Personally Im not sure how much science there is behind that whole argument that kibble can cause cancer. I think some dogs have higher risk factors for it for many different reasons that we may be totally unaware of. Breed certainly can play a role, as does breeding.

When I started my quest to learn about canine nutrition a lot of what I started reading on here and other Internet forums scared the heck out of me. After about a year of feeling like at every turn I was gonna shorten my dogs life span because of this and that, I stopped and took a deep breath and relaxed. I think some people over analysis the world down to the finest detail to the point where they can’t even live a fully happy life. I do not want to live that way. I feed my dogs kibble, some canned ocassionally. But really there is more to a healthy dog than the food they eat.

I follow a family on YouTube with 3 huskies who had their first husky pass away a few years ago. She was sick on and off her whole life because she was a puppy mill dog (they bought her from the pet store in an attempt to rescue her). They live in Michigan and they sled their dogs, camp with their dogs, do agility with them. I mean the way they treat their dogs is beyond amazing. That husky lived to be 11 years old and yes she ate kibble her whole life. I firmly believe the way they took care of her played a bigger role in why she lived so long.

[pitlove]

Hi Sally-

Yes the calcium to phosphorus ratio for Stella & Chewy’s seem to be fine, however you also have to be concerned with the calcium to calorie ratio. If that is too high, the food is not LBP safe dispite having an appropriate calcium to phos ratio.

To Jacob-

Rotating diets is not a bad thing. If you feel better switching from grain inclusive to grain free that is fine as well. I wouldn’t go overboard personally. I would pick 2-3 brands that have LBP safe foods and you could rotate those and then build more variety once you see the eating habits of the dog.

If I had to pick 3 grain free LBP foods Nulo Puppy would be my first choice since Nulo is one of the few companies that staff a full time veterinary nutritionist, second choice would be Fromm Prairie Gold Large Breed Puppy and lastly would be Orijen Large Breed Puppy.

I used to be very swayed by the grain free trend. I firmly believed that if you fed your dogs grain you were a terrible pet parent. Then I got a grip on reality. My dogs (even the one with allergies) do much better on a grain inclusive food. I also have a Chocolate Lab, who was found as a stray. No allergy issues at all. I think there is a place for grain free diets and they are beneficial to those dogs that need them, but I find that the vast majority of pet owners who want to feed grain free don’t even really know why they want to. They have just “heard” it was better and didn’t stop to question that authority.

[Salz]

Cannoli- thank you so much for your input. I’ve fed Orijen for a long time and really do trust their product. But I also am keen on understanding that some foods just aren’t right for certain dogs.

I went ahead and contacted Stella and Chewys to get the Calcium and Phosphorous percentages for each formula AS FED. Once I calculated the ratios, I concluded that every formula except the Turkey had a Calcium to Phosphorous ratio of 1.5 to 1 or lower which to my knowledge is safe for large breed puppies (The Turkey is 1.9 to 1). The S&C rep also helped me calculate some basic feeding guidelines for my puppy which I thought was very thorough and considerate of her! I picked up 2 packages of S&C yesterday and switched Jax over cold turkey from his turkey and rice. He’s had completely solid stools for the first time in weeks and has already began to act like himself. It could be coincidence or it could be the food but either way, I’m glad I did the research and will continue him on this food!

[pitlove]

Hi Jacob-

Basically here’s the thing. Companies like Hill’s and Purina have put in years of research into the topic of proper growth and nutrition for large breeds. Royal Canin to an extent but not as much as the other two. In reality these foods are better to use because of how much research is backing them.

Also in reference to All Life Stages foods; no they are not all appropriate for large breed puppies. A lot of companies will not provide a nutrient analysis on their website so you will have to do some leg work and contact them and ask for their MAX levels of calcium and phosphorus in their All Life Stages or growth diets.

Dr. Tim’s Kinesis and NutriSource Large Breed Puppy are 2 excellent foods that you can purchase through chewy.com. Dr. Tim’s has been feed trialed as well which is important.

Fromm would out rank Royal Canin for a lot of people simply because they like the way the ingredients look. Both will let the dog grow properly. RC is just a bigger company that does feed trials and conducts their own research so from the view point of a veterinary nutritionist, RC beats Fromm.

Blue Buffalo is a tad shady of a company and I personally do not feel comfortable recommending them and I wouldn’t use their products again (I did when my pitbull was little).

[pitlove]

Hi Jeremy and Mike-

Congratulations on the new mastiff pups! They are wonderful dogs.

To you both: I would definitely caution against using THK as a sole diet for your growing puppies. The company itself is infamous for diets that are lacking in nutrients per AAFCO and the NRC. Using it supplementally is safe, but not long term by itself.

However, it does already sound like you both have decided to use a large breed puppy kibble base which is a much better idea. Tripett is a good choice for a canned topper since the calcium and phosphorus are very low and already balanced properly.

Most veterinary nutritionists recommend using a food from a larger company that invests in feeding trials. Obviously those companies being Hill’s and Purina. I do however understand that many do not feel comfortable using those brands. Dr.Tim’s Kinesis has also been feed trialed and is safe for large breed puppies.

Others that I recommend that meet the criteria for large breed puppies based on lab analysis are: Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, NutriSource Large Breed Puppy, Nulo Puppy(formulated by a veterinary nutritionist they have staffed), Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy, Solid Gold Wolf Cub.

[Mike P]

Hey all. Just like Jeremy, I too have been reading this thread for a few weeks now. I too just brought home my first English Mastiff puppy. She is our second dog and our first is a rescue Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. (They are getting along well)

Jeremy.. I started on page one a few weeks ago and have read so much and there are some great advisors on here. Hound Dog Mom and Pitlove are really great along some other regulars. HDM even put up a couple lists of recommended foods and from what I can tell, it seems go me, it is a good idea to rotate a 2-3 and see what you puppy does well with.

Our mastiff puppy (Lola) is on Eagle Pack large and giant breed puppy food right now as the breeder was feeding her that and I didn’t want to totally shock her system. I assume the transition to a new home and different dog was going to be enough.

I also bought a bag of Fromm Gold Holistic large puppy food and will transition her to that next. In the future I plan on trying both Earthborn Coastal and Meadow feasts, Annamaet Salcha, Wellness Core, and Kirkland Signature ND Salmon.

There is also some that are adding a little wet food to their pups eating plan. Like Tripett. Also, some are going completely raw.

In my opinion, it comes down to what works well for you and your puppy.

To quote HDM “The best thing you can do is monitor his/her weight and adjust the food intake accordingly. So many factors can affect the calorie requirements of a dog including size, activity level, age, breed, gender, whether the dog is spayed or neutered, temperature, level of stress, etc. etc”

[Jeremy G]

As everyone else, I’ve been reading this topic for the past week or so as I prepare for my first giant breed puppy, a purebred English Mastiff. Per the breeder she is expected to hot between 150 and 170 lbs, and we want to set her up for the most successful life possible! We’re currently feeding our Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix Honest Kitchen and she loves it. We’re feeling loyal to Honest Kitchen, but I’ve read a lot of really great things about Fromm Four-Star, and we keep going back and forth between the two. I like the idea of a food she has to chew, there’s something weird about dogs eating oatmeal (Honest Kitchen) to me.

I’m under the impression that these are both all life stages food, so does anyone have an opinion one way or another between Honest Kitchen: Love and Fromm Four Star Beef Frittata for our 7 week mastiff that comes home in a week?

[Shawna]

Hi Elyce M,

You are right to question this. There has been LOTS of science over the last 20 years that proves protein is not only not damaging to kidneys but the science has shown that protein does not further damage the kidneys of dogs that HAVE kidney disease. Protein does increase BUN in the blood and if BUN gets too high it makes puppy not feel well but it has no ill effects on the kidneys whatsoever. My favorite source of scientific information on this is “Mythology of Protein Restriction for Dogs with Reduced Renal Function” by Dr. Kenneth Bovee http://www.championpetfoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Myths_of_High_Protein.pdf

Something as simple as dehydration can cause elevated BUN but if creatinine is high on the blood work than that is an indicator of kidney disease. Elevated BUN AND creatinine won’t show up on blood work until the kidneys are about 75% damaged so an elevation of both should be looked at more closely by doing more testing – urine specific gravity as an example.

If your pup really is in the beginning stages of kidney failure than lowering protein isn’t necessary but feeding “high quality” protein can be very beneficial. It is also advised to feed a wet food over a kibble. It is also beneficial to look at foods that are lower in phosphorus than your average diet as phosphorus can begin to build up in the blood and once it does it CAN damage the kidneys further.

For what it’s worth, my puppy had kidney disease from birth and ate a HIGH protein raw diet (between 45 and 54% protein) her entire life. She lived to almost nine years of age and passed from complications not related to normal progression of kidney disease.

Seven years of age is not old for a Shih Tzu but they also now know that senior dogs require a diet higher in protein than their adult counterparts due to a decreased ability to digest. This is taken from Purina’s website
“Protein for senior dogs. Healthy senior dogs require increased dietary protein in order to maintain lean body mass. We formulate our senior dog foods to contain more dietary protein (compared to adult maintenance formulas) in order to ensure that your dog gets the appropriate levels of nutritious protein he needs.” https://www.purina.com/dogs/understanding-dog-food/is-a-high-protein-diet-best-for-my-dog

Most better quality diets already exceed the minimum suggested for seniors of 25% (minimum not suggested amount) but this is a science based paper discussing the increased needs of protein in senior dogs. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18656844

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.

[Pjmaxwellian]

95% sure my pup is a Black Mouth Cur, adopted in Nov. at 10 mos., now 17 mos., about 55 lbs. Had her on Blue Wilderness, first puppy then adult. She’s a pretty high energy pooch, good thing we have a fairly large fenced yard.

I’m done with Blue anything. A short while ago, she seemed to be moving at a slower pace, turning her nose up at food, then became lethargic, had diarrhea, slept all day. Went 24 hrs. without food, then gave her rice and chicken. She seemed like herself again within another 24 hrs. Decided to change her food sooner than planned. Was going to anyway, had one more bag to buy to get my freebie. My head was spinning after all the dog food research. So, I bit the bullet and bought a bag of Orijen Regional Red (still Canada.) She went nuts over it. Even the cat wanted it. I have the food and water bowls raised (plant stands are perfect) and although the cat does drink out of the water bowl, I’ve never seen her race to the dog food bowl at feeding time.

Anyway, she’s been on the food for nearly a week. Her energy level is off the charts, and she seems hungry a lot of the time, comes inside and first points to the food bowl, then the treat cabinet. Stools are just right. I was giving her 1 cup of the Red twice a day, but I think I have to increase it.

The main reason I’m posting, is that I love Orijen Red, hope they take a long while before it comes out of Kentucky. But, I can’t really afford it all the time. I’d like to alternate, maybe every 2 bags of something else, with a bag of Red. Does that seem like a good or bad idea?

I’m just buying 5 lb bags now, until I’m sure the new foods fit her. I like grain-free, no GMOs, human-grade quality, at a reasonable price if possible. I’m OK ordering online, but would be nice to find something also available locally. I’m not sure about Acana yet, would like to see more reviews/results on the Kentucky food. Castor and Pollux Organix was a possibility (I actually bought a bag of Salmon and Peas but haven’t tried it) until I became aware of the Purina connection.

I’ve been looking at Petcurian food, Now Fresh and Go! Not sure if I can get it locally, I’ll have to check. I do like the ingredient info on their website, especially their statement on human-grade ingredients.

There’s always Taste of the Wild. Could probably alternate every bag (of Red) instead of every 2 with the price of this one.

Guess I’m looking for something between TOTW and Orijen Red in price.

I could use some other opinions on my thoughts here, both on the rotation idea and a new brand.

Thank you.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pjmaxwellian.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Amy K:
If you are happy with your dry food I would continue to feed it. I would only suggest trying out a few brands to find other choices she does well on in case of a recall, formula changes, or distribution issues; you never know when you may need a back-up. I would also stick with similar protein, fat, and fiber percentages when trying a new kibble.

I feed a variety of canned foods in various price ranges. My budget friendly choices are Pure Balance stews or gravy tubs (Wal-Mart), Variety stews, Beyond grain free stews, Pro Plan Naturals, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, Triumph turkey or puppy recipes, BJ’s price club brand, and Tractor Supply stews or Sr. pate’. Costco also has a budget friendly canned, Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain. You have to buy a case which is under $20. If you don’t have a Costco membership Jet.com sells it for a little more, but still a great deal.

Other brands my dog does well on are Wellness Core, Red Barn Stews, Tiki Dog, Weruva, Eagle Pack, Fromm shredded recipes, Halo, Life’s Abundance, Holistic Select, Nature’s Recipe, Nutrisource, and Precise. I order Life’s Abundance directly from their website.

Good luck finding a new food!

[Mike Sagman]

Hi Nancy,

There is no one “best” puppy food. After all, how could there be a one-size-fits-all dog food that would be right for every puppy?

Also, be sure to keep in mind that any food that we rate 5 stars might only be 3 stars to your particular puppy. Dogs are a lot like us humans. What’s good for one of us may be terrible for another.

For example, some 5 star foods might be too “rich” for some dogs. They may contain too much meat for some animals. Those pets would probably do better with a 3 or 4-star food that contains less meat based protein and fat and slightly more carbs than another.

My best advice: Use dietary biofeedback to answer your question.

Buy a small package of any of our Editor’s Choice recommended puppy foods. And transition gradually over to that product. Next, monitor your dog’s response to that food. Are her stools normal? Does she like it?

Then, if necessary, adjust your choice. There’s no need to force any food on any dog. If a 5-star dog food doesn’t work for her, then move on… just like you would for any member of your human family.

Hope that makes sense. Good luck on your choice.

[Pjmaxwellian]

Here’s my Blue Wilderness experience:

Adopted a 10 month old Black Mouth Cur in November. Started her on Blue Wilderness Chicken Puppy, end of January changed to adult formula. Started researching dog food, and had my concerns about Blue Wilderness. Continued with it because my local pet store has a buy 10 get one free thing. I would have qualified for my free bag next trip. With the last bag I purchased, Gracie started turning her nose up at the food bowl, then a few days ago, diarrhea and lethargy set in. I could hear her stomach rumbling from the next room, sounded like a volcano. Noticed one odd thing about the food, there seemed to be an excess amount of the little bits, (Lifesource Bits?) It wasn’t like that in any previous bags. Anyway, didn’t feed her for 24-hours (breakfast to breakfast,) and gave her 1/2 pepto bismol tablet. The next morning, she was herself again, and she almost inhaled her rice and chicken breakfast. Her illness could be due to something she ate in the yard, of course, but the food is still suspect, and I was thinking of changing anyway, never did get my freebie.

More research, and my head is spinning. Lots of reports similar to my experience. Merrick seemed like a good choice at first, but a lot if folks unhappy with the formula change after the Purina acquisition. My cat eats Instinct and has been doing great on it, so that was a consideration. Orijen looked like the best option, if one can afford the Whole Foods dog food equivalent, crazy expensive. Well, bit the bullet and just picked up my first bag of Orijen Regional Red (made in Canada.) They only had the 5 lb bags which is fine to start with, but I asked if they had the larger bags. I was told, since the factory change from Canada to US, the new bags (formulas) are slowly arriving. Just when ya think you’ve made a decision, something else comes along to question it.

Going to stick with the rice and chicken for a few days, then start adding the Red and see how she does.

I’ve had 3 Rottweilers, wonderful dogs. Last one died last fall, along with our German Shepherd Mix. Both Humane Society adoptees, lived long lives. I’m getting older, and when the hips started to go on the 100+ pounders, got to be a little hard to help them get up and out. Downsized a bit with this pup, she’s about 55 lbs now, which I’m happy about.

Good luck with your Rottie!

[Haley H]

Imho, I would never feed any “meat by product meal”.

But to each their own. 🙂

Luckily I have a couple months before my puppy comes home. I would miss being able to go to any quality supply store and picking up a bag of dog food, and buying online as it is, can be a bit sketch. My family and friends have alllllll had phenomenal success and healthy longevity feeding Taste of the Wild (which I’ve been told is “trash”, despite dfa’s 5 star rating on some flavors). I know there is pea proteins and etc, but having giant breed dogs live to almost 14, for me, the proof is in the pudding. I *may* just resort to using this while supplementing with raw, freeze-dried, and home cooked…IDK! 🙂

Back to the drawing boards though, the wind has kind of been taken out of the SS Farmina sails.. not a bad thing certainly… I don’t mind comprehensive research. I enjoy it! 😉

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Haley H.

[Amateria]

Wow Susan you go all out when you respond haha.

Rusty is about 8-9 at this point, I don’t think we have his papers and so were not 100% sure if it’s 8 or 9 but he’s definitely getting old, I have ordered and received samples of Totw, they were pretty reluctant to send them to me because of postage charges, but I don’t live anywhere near a shop that stocks their samples, so they let me have 2 samples in the end, high praire I think and coastal(should be bison one and fish one).

He has done well on black hawk fish and potato, I wanted to add some oils to his food because of what I’ve read about them, they help me with my joints and nerve so I figured it would help with his joints and coat and it did.

But it also seems that after the dry and the blend he started to have more problems, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea in the end, I’ll make sure to tell mum to feed him the kibble once a week as a treat instead.

His teeth are generally awful looking, he does need a professional anaesthesia cleaning that’s for sure, he’s impossible when it comes to brushing, I’ve tried and failed like a pro every time, he’s super strong and he scratches me up real good so I stopped trying.

I will definitely be taking him to the vet for a more thorough check up, because he means the world to my mum, as in if she looses sight of him for 5 minutes she starts to panic and I would hate to see him die from something that could of been prevented(if it’s anything bad to begin with, could just be pancreatitis pains).

He’s also a white cream chihuahua 😛 and the puppy is white with tan spots she’s so gorgeous everyone always complements the way she looks when we’re out its super cute.

And for you Susan the kibble is just a treat, we actually feed homemade cooked, he’s always been on a chicken and rice with veggies diet, he does the best on this diet and hardly ever has flare ups, when he does it’s usually my fault because I try to add some variety to his food and some extra vitamins and minerals and than he gets sick and I don’t mean to, it just happens.

I think because of how well he did with black hawk if I feel like adding anything for his joints in the future I might add that and he did really well on the k9 natural venison freeze dried and super well on ziwipeak venison, I might just buy those from time to time as I know he did well on them, he’s gone through 5 ziwipeak bags with only two flare ups, so yeah I might just stick with that and stop trying new things that clearly aren’t working in his favor.

I’ll keep an eye on Anja while she’s on the supplement and kibble, she usually eats like 3 of them, she’s not a very big eater, but I hope she continues to do well on the blend, as I’d like to cure her leg drama before it becomes permanent.

Thanks for the help though, I wanted to be 100% sure about a few things and you guys cleared that up for me so thanks a lot 😀

[Martin G]

So this morning I woke up to him in his kennel with throw up everywhere. Has gotten 2 sets of shots. The only thing I did different was try to switch him off his old food so a 60/40 split. I took him to the vet and they gave him two shots one for infection and anther for the vomit. Also prescribed antibiotic
Said to feed white rice, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, and baby food mixed together. He’s not eating that and he’s not drinking anything so I gave him 3 syringes of plain yogurt. But he’s still now drinking anything. Please help

[Martin G]

Thank you for the great information!
I’m defiantly going to switch my German rottweiler’s food now.
ummm I feed now Purina one large breed puppy food and 3 table spoons of blue wilderness puppy wet food. do you think i should keep the same wet food switch that too or take it away all together? Also what is your number 1 food on your list?
btw my pup is 11 weeks.

[anonymously]

Orijen is the best (imo) Check Chewy.com. I would add a topper such as scrambled egg, lean cooked chopped chicken breast, broiled chopped chicken liver, a spoonful of tuna, cooked lean meat, etc. instead of the canned food and add a splash of warm water prior to serving.

Store the Orijen in the freezer or fridg as it has no preservatives. Nutrisca is good as a base too.
Try not to worry so much, he’s a puppy, they fill out more at 1 to 1 1/2 years old.

PS: Do not free feed, not a good idea. Good info over here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

Also, use the search button at this site for more info. But, take it with a grain of salt.
Dr Google is not always accurate. Another thing, some dogs are just naturally lean. I have a 10 pound dog that eats as much as my 20 pound dog, they are both healthy, active and fit.

[Martin G]

So i have a 11 week old German Rottweiler and he weights 21.5 pounds. I recently took him to the vet to get his shots and the vet told me even though he is only 11 weeks old for the structure he should be a lot heavier and also he just looked “too lean”. She then asked about his feeding schedule and the brands of the food I was feeding him. I told her he was eating purina one large breed puppy food and also every time i fed him I gave him 3 tablespoons of blue wilderness wet puppy food. I was feeding at the time 3 times a day. Now he has free range of dry food and 4 times a day I give him 6 tablespoons of wet food. Its now 1.5 weeks later and he is leaner than when i took him to the vet. I asked the breeder and she agreed with the vet. I’m thinking since he has free range of our 1 acre back yard and is running all day that is why he is lean OR the brand i am feeding. price point on food isnt a big deal the only reason why he is on purina is because that is what the breeder had him on. I was thinking blue wilderness dry food since he is eating the wet food already. Please help!!!

[Martin G]

So i have a 11 week old German Rottweiler and he weights 21.5 pounds. I recently took him to the vet to get his shots and the vet told me even though he is only 11 weeks old for the structure he should be a lot heavier and also he just looked “too lean”. She then asked about his feeding schedule and the brands of the food I was feeding him. I told her he was eating purina one large breed puppy food and also every time i fed him I gave him 3 tablespoons of blue wilderness wet puppy food. I was feeding at the time 3 times a day. Now he has free range of dry food and 4 times a day I give him 6 tablespoons of wet food. Its now 1.5 weeks later and he is leaner than when i took him to the vet. I asked the breeder and she agreed with the vet. I’m thinking since he has free range of our 1 acre back yard and is running all day that is why he is lean OR the brand i am feeding. price point on food isnt a big deal the only reason why he is on purina is because that is what the breeder had him on. I was thinking blue wilderness dry food since he is eating the wet food already. Please help!!!

[Haley H]

Hi everyone!
This is my first post, but I’ve been a constant on this page for quite sometime. I have a malamute baby coming home to me this July and I want to give him the absolute best!!

I’ve found a great local-ish supplier of green tripe, raw hooves, and all sorts of cow bits. I was all about tracheas and gullets until I read the study that links thyroidtoxosis to feeding gullets/trachea with thyroid tissues present. I asked my supplier if their raw tracheas and gullets had thyroid gland on them, they assured me that their sources removed thyroid glands beforehand.

I’ve looked all around the Internet, to no avail…I’m fairly certain the entire feeding of gullet is out…too close to the thyroid glands, however do you think the trachea, sans thyroid tissue, is safe to feed???

I was planning on using the fresh or dehydrated tracheas to serve part of my puppy’s meals in. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Ian Dunbar’s positive reinforcement methods, and also his idea to allow the dog the opportunity to work for their food…something crucial to all working breeds imho. So I was going to use both forms of trachea, filled kongs, and stuffed raw horns, hooves, and bones instead of using a bowl at all for food. I know this is another topic altogether, but I’m curious to hear what everyone here thinks.

I was planning to do a 25/75 kibble/RF plan, where his kibbles are fed in the morning, his midday and evening feeding being raw, with kibble occasionally used as training reinforcement. I have read lots of the opinions on combining RF and kibble, but a study done (I’ll share the link here), shows via x ray, that the rate of digestion largely has no effect on a dog when it comes to raw versus libble, being that raw food actually takes longer to digest because the dog’s body is working to utilize ALL goodness.
LINK: https://therawfeedingcommunity.com/2015/01/08/digest-this-kibble-may-actually-digest-faster-than-raw/

I may transition him completely to raw by age 2, but I’m not entirely willing to risk messing up his joints or growth feeding strictly raw from the time I get him (which will be 8 weeks)

I’m super excited to be here, obsessed with canine nutrition, and eager to talk to someone who can follow what I’m thinking about right now…no one in my life really cares much for my research and pontificating. LOL.

[Debbie G]

After reading Dogfoodadvisor, I now have my 11 yr old 91 lb lab on Orijen senior food and my 12 week old 15 lb puppy (have no idea what breed) on the Orijen puppy food. I was in a pet store and the were trying sell me on feeding them raw food and said that dry kibble is hard on the dog’s kidneys and actually worse for their teeth since the starch turns to sugar on their teeth and that’s what creates plaque! Since I wasn’t sold on switching food brands again, they convinced me to buy a carton of raw goat’s milk to add to their dry food. They said dry food should be soaked in a liquid (even if it’s only water) because then it’ll expand the food before the dogs ingest it. I saw that the Orijen dry food didnt expand at all (which I’m thinking is good?) I’t’s expensive and I want to know if this is just a new thing to sell to customers.

[Kathryn A]

I am struggling with my 3 mo old foster puppy (dachshund) having diarrhea. Tested neg for all parasites. I had been feeding her Wellness Small Breed Puppy but the diarrhea was terrible, tried the Wellness Complete Health puppy and the diarrhea continued. Tried to supplement the probiotics with a little organic pumpkin, and it didn’t work. I was shocked this didn’t help considering the probiotics in the food as well.
The vet prescribed her RX food made by Purina and I do not want to continue feeding her this, although it has helped with the diarrhea, I hate Nestle/Purina anything.
Any suggestions for a different food?
Thanks!

[Susan]

Hi, change vets & see a vet that’s knows about IBD SIBO EPI etc has she been tested for SIBO? have a look at the fat % & fiber % in the food she is doing well on…. ring Royal Canine & find out what % is the Soluble fiber, Insoluble Fiber & Crude fiber % in the wet tin food, did you try the matching kibble to the wet tin food she’s doing good on?? …. Have you tried limited ingredient kibbles & cooked meals? Have you tried boiled chicken breast, not boil till chicken pieces are like leather, get 1 chicken breast & cut up into small bit size pieces & just before it boils the pieces are normally cooked, take off stove drain water, boil the jug & rinse the chicken pieces with boiled water, the fat & white froth comes off then I put chicken pieces in cold water to stop the cooking process, also boil 1 potato & 1 sweet potato… same cut into bit size pieces… I freeze the Sweet Potato pieces in meal sections, same with the chicken pieces, I freeze in 1/2 cup sections & 1 cup sections…You cant freeze the potato it goes yuk I have found so I cook enough boiled potato for 2-3 days & keep in the fridge, I add 1 cup chicken pieces, a couple pieces of potato & a couple of pieces of sweet potato about 1/4 cup each to 1 cup chicken, put the chicken & potato & sweet potato in the blender & blend for a few seconds, stop when everything is all blended, put 1/2 in the fridge & warm the other 1/2 in micro wave if you have taken out of fridge for about 10-15 sec make sure it isn’t hot, now add 1/2 a can of her wet tin food she does well on & see when you add the chicken pieces, sweet potato & potato if she still does firm poos….maybe start with just the potato first no sweet potato just in case later if poos are firm then try adding some sweet potato… every thing you do has to be limited ingredients & only 1 thing at a time or you wont know what is causing the diarrhea…

My dog gets real sloppy yellow poos from the vet diet Royal Canine Low Fat Intestinal cause it has Maize & boiled rice in it, boiled rice can irritate the bowel causing diarrhea…
Have you tried “California Natural” Lamb Meal & Brown Rice?? it has just 4 ingredients but cause you have a puppy you should have your dog on a puppy large breed Lamb & Rice kibble…. here’s the California Natural web site… a few dogs with IBD do really well on the limited ingredient California Natural, I’m pretty sure its money back guaranteed if it doesn’t agree with your dog….

I really think you should be seeing a specialist that deals in IBD in dogs, she may need to be put on Tylan Powder or Metronidazole or a steroid…. Tylan Powder is excellent & firms poos over night but you need to put the Tylan Powder in empty capsule cause its very bitter & dogs can stop eating cause of the taste it leave a metal taste in their mouth, it’s online how to get a shoe box & put small holes in the top of the empty shoe box, so you can put the Tylan Powder into the empty capsules, you add about 1/8th -1/4 teaspoon into capsule & must be given with a meal once a day if once a day doesn’t firm poo, then give twice a day breakfast meal & dinner meal but I only gave at Dinner meal..

When you try any kibbles or wet tin foods make sure they have limited ingredients…. just 1 protein & 1 carb, another kibble & wet tin food brand you can try is “Natural Balance” Dick Van Patten limited ingredient but look thru all the formulas as some have peas only pick a formula that just has Potato & 1 single protein, that’s why the California Natural Lamb & Rice is the best it has no peas its just Lamb & grounded brown & white rice, feed for breakfast 1/2 cup kibble then wait 5-10mins & then feed 1/2 can of the Royal Canine that she can eat, what ever you try always add her wet tin food but I don’t like feeding wet tin or cooked with dry kibble together, my boy gets pain when I’ve added the wet tin & a kibble dry 2 together your girl might be Ok…. For breakfast I feed cooked chicken sweet potato, then I feed the 1/2 cup kibble for lunch, so you’d feed her wet tin for breakfast, then lunch try just 1/2 cup limited ingredient kibble for lunch, then for dinner her wet tin food do not give anything else that day, no treats nothing, just her wet tin food & the new kibble or the cooked meal……That would cost a bit buying the vet diet wet tin foods being a pup, they eat a bit, that’s why if you can, its cheaper to cook & fresher…..do 1/2 wet tin food & 1/2 cooked chicken/sweet potato also if sweet potato give sloppy poo, then try just the boiled potato, if it does work you will need to balance the cooked meal, I use DigestaVite Plus powder
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

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[Laura L]

She is currently on Blue Wilderness chicken and rice large breed puppy food (since March or so).
I do feed them separately but my old girl has anxiety so I need to be around or she wont eat and she is also very picky so I pick her bowl up (she prefers to eat late so when Libby goes into the crate I put Kenzies food down but I am not always successful getting it picked up in time. I may also try to find something my old girl likes better so she will be a little more enthusiastic about eating. I am going to keep a diary for a while too and jot info down.

[Pitlove]

I was told by many people to avoid chicken for my food allergic pitbull as well. It turned out beef was in fact the problem. In fact he does not do well on any red meat. Could be the same for your pup and that is why she is reacting to the Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, as it has lamb in it. We also switched off NexGard for the same reason (the beef), as per the vet.

Large Breed Puppy formulas are designed with a growing LBP in mind. They will not cause your pup to gain weight unless you overfeed. It is a tired old myth to feed a LBP an adult maintenance food, though a lot of breeders, dog clubs, and vets still recommend it. You are absolutely making the right choice in keeping her on a large breed puppy food.

No self respecting vet will suggest an allergy blood panel as they are notorious for being inaccurate. The only way to properly diagnose a food allergy is by a food trial either with a homecooked diet of a single novel protein and carb or the hydrolyzed protein vet diet. That is what we did for our pitbull and he is doing excellent now on a fish based diet that is grain inclusive. He does terrible on grain free foods.

[DieselJunki]

For an 18 month old I wouldn’t worry about having to feed him a specific large breed dog food. When he was a puppy feeding a food specified for large breed puppies would have been best but don’t panic if you didn’t. It’s just due to the fact that large breed dogs supposedly have slightly different nutritional requirements in their early growth stages. Now you can feed just about whatever you’d like.

Orijen is top of the line but extremely expensive, especially when you’re feeding 4 cups a day like I do for my big guy so I just can’t swing that type of price for a 26-28lb bag.

You mentioned you were a member of the Editors Choice here. There are loads of brands to look into there and they even have a Budget Friendly list. For my 100lb Ambull I feed Dr. Tims, Victor, and Wellness Core so far. I buy their biggest bag which is usually anywhere from 26-30lbs and change to the next protein source within that brand or change brands completely after each bag. I also top the kibble with some canned food every so often (when budget allows) and do fish oil on the kibble as well.

[DieselJunki]

If budget is an issue for you and Orijen is too expensive (as it is for me at the moment, trust me, wish I could feed it!) there are a few budget friendly dog foods out there like Victor, which I just ordered their Ultra Pro 42 Grain Free but they do have a puppy and active dog bag. Dr. Tims is another brand, one highly spoken of here although they don’t specifically have a puppy formula they do have an All Life Stages one.

All these can be found on the Chewy website. I live in CA, ordered Thursday and the food was here today even though it said it may be here Tuesday of next week. Very impressed with that.

I add fish oil to my dogs food everyday. Occasionally I’ll top my dogs food with an egg, a decent 4-5 star wet food with the gravy in it, or some raw meat if it’s gotten a little freezer burned in my freezer and I don’t care to eat it that way.

[Sue L]

Good morning everyone. I just joined today.
1 ) We’ve been feeding my daughters 16 month old shepherd/lab mix Rachael Ray’s Nutrish Zero Grain. Any feedback on that do food?
2 ) We’re about to pick up an 8 week old shepherd & are looking for the best puppy food we can actually find in a local store. Would appreciate all suggestions

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[Sue L]

Good morning everyone. I just joined today.
1 ) We’ve been feeding my daughters 16 month old shepherd/lab mix Rachael Ray’s Nutrish Zero Grain. Any feedback on that do food?
2 ) We’re about to pick up an 8 week old shepherd & are looking for the best puppy food we can actually find in a local store. Would appreciate all suggestions

[Mallary P]

My 9 year old Shih Tzu has always been a gem. Even as a puppy, she was never one to be destructive or chew on anything. She has recently gone to the vet and was given a clean bill of health. I feed her Fromm Surf & Turf and Acana Grasslands (switch off). Occasionally, she gets Weruva canned food. I’ve been feeding her this way for 2 months and it’s been great. But this week, she has started destroying the blinds. I have a sliding glass door and so far, half of them are shredded/torn off the track. There have been no changes in her routine and the only other thing she is doing is pulling the towel down off of my oven (does not shred it though). When I come in and survey the damage, she is my same happy, content girl. My boyfriend is moving but we don’t live together and he has not begun packing yet. I’ve been trying to think about what could be setting her off. Storms stress her out but we havent had any. I do have a new neighbor, but he seems to be pretty quiet. I’ll need to replace the blinds in my apartment, but I’m curious why there is a sudden change in her behavior. What could be wrong with my baby? Any ideas?

[Sarah H]

Hello all. I have been feeding my puppy the Fresh Pet rolls for a few weeks now and she absolutely loves the food! I had been mainly giving her the Fresh Pet Vital (both grain free and regular varieties) and occasionally buying a roll of Fresh Pet Select at the supermarket when I didn’t have time to get to Petsmart. Last week, Petsmart had an issue with their fridge and didn’t have any rolls, so I had to go to the supermarket. I really see no difference between the Vital and the Select and I just checked out the ratings here on Dog Food Advisor and I see that Fresh Pet Select has 5 stars while the Vital (regular and grain free) have only 4 stars! Is the Select a better food? Opinions?

[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, Mine also had giardia and unfortunately, it took months for their tummies to get better afterwards for some reason. I had a hard time getting rid of it though. I would think about using another round of Panacur for five days unless you are absolutely sure that he is rid of it. You mentioned using Flagyl (metronidazole) which is an antibiotic and can cause their tummies to be out of balance. Therefore, I’d definitely continue with probiotics. Forti Flora by Purina worked well for us. It isn’t one that I’d use for maintennce. But, good for when they have diarrhea.

I used a lot of the supplements that are mentioned on the dogaware link that I provided above. Mostly Vetri Science Probiotic BD, Gastriplex as well as the Perfect Form I mentioned earlier. Some of them contain both probiotics and digestive enzymes, but also some healing ingredients as well. Only use one at a time until you see if it helps at all.

I fed them as if they had colitis, (yes, I have two littermates) adding some fiber and applesauce for the pectin. I would feed a moderate protein and fat food for now. Nutrisource large breed puppy food might be a good one.

There is hope, however. My dogs are doing well now. We can switch kibble and toppers up now without any digestive upset!!!! Woo Hoo! Best of luck to you!

[zcRiley]

Stop everything asap and go back to that puppy food. Don’t add water, can cause bloat. Puppy food can be given slightly pass the 1st year, it won’t kill her. If she stops eating that then it’s time for a full exam and blood work. Check for worms. Dogs may not like a certain ingredient in a kibble, especially if it upsets their stomachs. You can start rotating foods after you do an allergy panel to learn more about her food intolerances. Order food from Chewy.com, great selection of higher quality dry and wet formulas. Free fast shipping of $49 and over. I feed Zignature Zssentials now after my pups became allergic to Orijen Adult kibble.

[Tom H]

My one year old Clumber Spaniel went from being an excellent eater to a limited eater in the past 7 days. Up until 8 months of age, I fed her Orijen Large Puppy. At 8 months switched her to Orijen Adult dog. Feed twice a day, approx. 1.5 cups per meal. I add a little water to the kibble; originally started this practice to slow her eating down. Everything was great until a week ago (i.e., weight, appetite, poop, etc.). About a week ago she started sniffing her food and walking away. I’d leave it down for 15 minutes, then take it up until the next feeding time. After 2 to 3 days of this, I gave her Acana Duck and Pear (limited formula we feed our two Westies). She ate that fine for about 2 days and then started walking away from it. Tonight, I added a little Merrick classic canned food to her meal and she turned away. Again, I left it down for 15 to 30 minutes. No interest. I’ve owned dogs all my life. I’ve never had a dog walk away from quality food. I’m lost on what to do next. In my area we have big box stores (Walmart, Petco, Petsmart), but no place with higher-end food. (I mail order all my food which is fine until you need to conduct a trial/sample. I’m new to the forum world and would appreciate some suggestions on how to stimulate her appetite or what food to consider.

[S B]

Hi,
My 6 month old German Shepard is 43lb, that’s 15 pounds under weight! We have been feeding him 1/2 cup of NurtiSource large breed puppy food three times a day, now we are going to feed him 3/4 cup of food three times a day. Is there anything else I can do to have him gain more weight?

[stones]

How do you leave a comment under the Zignature dry dog food?. I entered my comment (which I posted below)and then I click the login with facebook and it brings me to the Disque signup page. When I try to signup with Disque, it keeps giving me the message “there was an error submitting the form” If you’re having difficulty, try repeating the action on https://disqus.com. I get the same message when I try to sign up under https://disqus.com.

Maybe someone would post this under the zignature dry dog food for me.

Ziignature Zssentials is listed for “all life stages” but those of you who have puppies, especially large breed puppies might want to do some more research before feeding this food to your dog. Per Aignature, the 100% dry matter basis for calcium is 2.19% and the phosphorous is 1.29%.

Feeding high calcium diets with excess calcium is often blamed for contributing to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs. There does appear to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and hip dysplasia, and overfeeding of calcium

I’m supprised this food is listed under the link for best dry puppy foods. People, please do your own research.

[Katrina T]

Hello!

I am the proud Mom of two dachshunds (Easley and Carson) and a random furry dog (Jasper) 🙂 (plus a smattering of cats)

Jasper and Easley are senior dogs and used to have another senior dachshund friend who had some really specific food allergies so they were all fed her diet… after she passed last summer we sought to switch them to something more their taste. The rescue we got puppy Carson from was feeding taste of the wild so we just kept him on that – and the big dogs started stealing his food. (so did the cats)

We have been considering switching EVERYONE to the brand as it seems to have gone over well – but wanted to get everyone’s opinion. It has 4.5 stars but isnt an editors choice? Is there a specific reason for this? Something I am missing?

I just want to make sure I am feeding them the best I can afford!
(unfortunately i am a vegetarian and making them food from animals on my own is out of the question – meat makes me sick)

Thanks in advance for any advice! 🙂

[Jen S]

I just went through this link (http://www.petmd.com/sites/default/files/bcs-dog.jpg) and she’s at about a 5. She has great waist definition, I can feel her ribs and spine running my hand along her. She has a very thin layer of fat. No saggy belly. She just got spayed about 2.5 weeks ago, so I’m guessing that will slow her metabolism. I just calculated her age in weeks and she’s 22 weeks, weighing about 42 lbs. For some reason I was thinking 2 lbs per week was good growth for puppies until about 6 months or so. I appreciate your help figuring out what to feed her. It can feel overwhelming trying to find the right fit; we’ve already tried a couple other foods until I stumbled across the Hound Dog Mom Google document outlining appropriate foods for large breed puppies. Neither of the ones we were using made the list. And as I was writing this, I just went back and checked the list and Primitive Naturals doesn’t make the cut either. 🙁 According to my calculations, the calcium content is 1.5:1 with phosphorus, so it’s definitely at the higher end of acceptable for large breed puppies. I can’t believe I goofed that – but I was reading so many different things the day I decided on Earthborn Holistics. Grrrrr….. I can’t waste the expensive bag I just bought, so we’ll finish it and then switch. Earthborn makes a Puppy Vantage, but it includes grains and a few more controversial ingredients. Oh the decisions. :/

[theBCnut]

I have a dog that won’t eat 2 meals a day, so I only feed one. When I started feeding raw, it was because I had gotten a special needs puppy and one of his needs was to lower the amount of carbs he was getting immediately. Since I didn’t want to fast an 8 week old puppy the way that raw feeders were recommending and my pup had a history of hemorrhagic diarrhea, I didn’t want to switch suddenly, so I did a slow transition to half raw and there has never been even a second of issue with mixing the two for any of my dogs. I’ve never experienced any problems with mixing my food either, and since humans also digest different foods at different rates, I assume that thing about not mixing them is an old wive’s tale. There are quite a number of regulars here that mix and don’t have any issues. I actually think mixing helps my one dog to digest his kibble portion better.

[Jen S]

Hi! I’m new to this forum, but reading these pages of information has been tremendously helpful for me in choosing a proper food for my puppy. Reading the Google doc that Hound Dog Mom posted helped me choose Earthborn Holistic’s Primitive Naturals kibble and my 42 lb 5 month old chocolate lab puppy loves it! But I have a question: How much do I feed her? Meaning, based on the bag/chart, do I feed her based on her current weight or based on her ideal weight? For her current weight, it says she should be getting around 2 cups per day. But is that enough? Or should I feed to her ideal weight which I think is closer to 70 lbs? This is my first dog and I’m trying to figure this out. Their offices are currently closed for the weekend, but I left a post for Earthborn’s Facebook page as well.

[Jen S]

Hi! I’m new to this forum, but this article has been tremendously helpful for me in choosing a proper food for my puppy. Reading the Google doc that Hound Dog Mom posted helped me choose Earthborn Holistic’s Primitive Naturals kibble and my 42 lb 5 month old chocolate lab puppy loves it but I have a question: How much do I feed her? Meaning, based on the bag/chart, do I feed her based on her current weight or based on her ideal weight? For her current weight, it says she should be getting around 2 cups per day. But is that enough? Or should I feed to her ideal weight which I think is closer to 70 lbs? This is my first dog and I’m trying to figure this out. Their offices are currently closed for the weekend, but I left a post for Earthborn’s Facebook page as well.

[Scott M]

I have two 6 month old mastiff brothers. They have been on Authority Large Breed Puppy, which I have always considered a pretty good mid grade dog food. We recently decided to switch foods for our dogs, which was actually sparked by my interest in getting signed up with Chewy for home delivery since I am at Petsmart just about every other day buying food.

I have done a lot of reading on here, including researching the lady’s list that had ratings and calcium content of grain free dog foods. After researching, I found that ALL of the foods on that list cost 2-3 times as much as the mid grade food we currently use.

Our breeder suggested feeding a mixture of Authority and Purina Pro Plan as that is what she feeds her dogs. She is a respected breeder, but after all I have been reading, I’m not sure that is the best.

Here’s what I’d like to find out. I’d like to bump of their food to a much better dog food, but I don’t want to pay $2 per pound (we currently pay 78 cents). We are capable of paying whatever is necessary, but just don’t want to go too high end on the food unless it really, truly is necessary.

Is there a budget friendly great dog food (we feed kibble now) that would be a great match for our mastiffs?

[Alexis Y]

Wow! You guys are amazing in your knowledge! I have just added my first Irish Wolfhound puppy to our family 2 days ago. I originally started reading this forum because I want to ensure she receives the best food I can provide. Her breeders started her on wellness just for puppies canned food at the time of weaning. They suggested Wilderness puppy for dry food, but after reading the previous posts, that won’t be happening. Can anyone give me a good suggestion on what to feed her. Her stool is soft serve like and I’d love to remedy that if possible. She seems happy with the wet food, but, is there a benefit to wet vs dry? I’d prefer to feed dry food as I’ve always had better experience with dry with previous pups(none have been as large as she will be).
I live in a very small town and I’m not sure how experienced our vet is with this breed. Though she has always been great with my other babies, this little girl is a bit less common and a lot bigger(eventually) than my other babes have been.
I want to give this little girl the best beginning to ensure a long, happy healthy life.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Sarah H]

My 4 month old shih-tzu puppy has been eating Wellness Puppy (wet and dry) but I think she is getting tired of it. Instead of switching to another canned food, I was thinking of trying Fresh Pet. It seems to have good reviews. I see they make a Fresh Pet Select Puppy food that is sold in supermarkets (have to check to make sure they actually have it in mine) but that Petsmart where we usually buy our food only has one called Vital which says it is an adult dog food (although the instructions say you can give to puppies too). Any feedback on these?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Freddy-
Did you say you have two G/S pups? Are they litter mates? We have two golden lab neutered littermates. Wow, what a handful!!!! They are 4-1/2 now, and are doing great. But we also had a rough start. Two with loose stools and diarrhea is stressful! Have you checked out the website that I mentioned earlier? I printed the whole section on digestive disorders and refer to it often! It was like a bible for a while.

http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

I used and recommend the Vetri-Probiotics BD, Gastriplex and Phytomucil. Also, I used unsweetened applesauce due to the pectin in it. Instead of pumpkin, maybe you could try sweet potato. You might want to try one of the Victor lines. I think their chicken/rice and lamb/rice both are ok for large breed pups. Their food contains montmorillonite clay which some recommend for colitis.

One of the most recommended brands on this site is Nutrisource. Their large breed puppy formula would be worth a shot as well.

Have you tried feeding a little less food to see if that helps? My dogs are doing great on Pure Vita Turkey and Peas right now, but not sure if the calcium is correct for LB pups. Best of luck to you!

[Jenn H]

As always I agree with Pitlove.
I too am growing a monster GSD right now. He’s expected to be 100+. His mother is 90. Much too big for the breed, but that’s a long story…
My boy has gained a fairly steady 2 lbs/wk pretty much since he was born.
The most important things to remember:
-keep calcium 1.5% max
-make sure she gets plenty of protein
-steady growth, not fast growth
I had a GSD that topped out at 85/90 lbs and it took him 3 yrs to get there. He had 1 last little growth spurt to really fill out.
-thinner puppy is better than chubby puppy

I feed my guy 3x/day totalling 4 cups. He also gets 2 Tbsp pumpkin in morning. The food he’s on now seems to satisfy him. Pretty soon he’ll be getting a little more. The food he was on until 6 months required 6+ cups. He was still hungry.
He’s 8 mon 70+ lbs. Tall, long, lanky, skinny. Healthy as can be.
I’m sure your dog will be fine. Feed her LBP/all life stages food and watch the calcium.

[David D]

I just bought Evo salmon for my English Bulldog puppy. I thought it was puppy food. It has very high ratings. Is it ok if I feed it to my puppy it has a ton of protein and I heard that is really the only difference between puppy and adult dog food.
Thanks