[Kevin M]

I have one large Breed Dog and One Giant Breed Puppy (Junior) 11 Months. None of the editors choice foods have large/Giant Breed puppy, they are just foods for all ages. Moreover, I cannot find any of them with large kibble bites. My St Bernard can’t keep the small kibble in his mouth. Any suggestions?

[crazy4cats]

So, are you looking to feed them both the same food?

[zcRiley]

EVO Grain Free Red Meat Formula Large Bites Dry Dog Food

[Mike Sagman]

Kibble size affects palatability only. Nothing else. Kibble size has zero effect on the nutritional value of any food.

Calcium, phosphorus and calorie ratios are critical for a large or giant breed puppy and should take precedence over the size of the kibble.

My recommendation: Use the Custom Search link and select the Type 2 – LG Br Pup option and check the “Dry” feature. This will remove canned and raw foods from the list. I found 43 individual recipes that would be suitable for your Saint Bernard puppy.

And there are many more if you’ll select a recommended brand or sub-brand you like and choose one that meets AAFCO profiles for either Growth or All Life Stages AND contains the words “includes the growth of large size dogs”.

Another suggestion: Avoid switching to an Adult Maintenance food until your puppy reaches 24 months.

Hope this helps.

[crazy4cats]

The poster is looking for a large size kibble because his St Bernard cannot keep small kibble in his mouth. I thought that sounded silly to me until I saw my neighbor’s American Bulldog with this same problem.

I think that big dogs with large jowls have this issue and large kibble works a lot better. It’s not about the nutritional value. It’s about the food actually staying in their mouth. LOL!

If you go to the individual brand’s websites, sometimes they will show or describe kibble size.

[Mike Sagman]

I agree. Your observation about a larger dog’s inefficiency in eating smaller kibbles is correct. I’ve seen this myself.

However, since this thread is entitled “Editor’s Choice List Not Helpful”, I decided it would be more appropriate to answer this question from the perspective I used.

No website has the financial or human resources to actually visit multiple stores over a large geographic area, buy a package of every one of the kibbles available and then measure the size of the pellets.

What’s more, kibble size is one of the most inconsistent variables of each batch of dry dog food.

Bottom line… If a pellet falls out of a dog’s mouth while eating, the puppy can always pick it back up and try again. No big deal.

However, if a dog owner chooses a large (pellet size) kibble that contains excessive calcium, a genetically predisposed animal has a significantly greater risk of developing a crippling form of hip dysplasia.

Hope this makes sense.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by Mike Sagman.

[Mike Sagman]

EVO is an excellent suggestion. However, the product has been discontinued and is now being phased out by the company.

Hope this helps.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, definitely most important to make sure it meets the calcium requirements of a large breed pup over the size of the kibble. Agreed!

Looks like the poster is looking for both qualities. That is why I recommended that he check the websites of the Editor’s Choice recommended large breed puppy foods. Many will show a size comparison on them.

[Mike Sagman]

Thanks, crazy4cats. Excellent point and suggestion.

[Kevin M]

Yeah, exactly. It has nothing to do with the nutritional value. I understand that kibble size does not correlate to nutritional value. The issue is I have a 110 lbs puppy that can’t keep the small kibble in his mouth. So to eat it he throws it on the floor so he can use the floor to hold it. I also know you can look for type 2 foods, but few of them when you look on the package indicate they are for puppies. A number of them say A, all stages. I guess I can go that way. Someone in the chain recommended EVO, May try that. I just need to find something because going back and forth is not good.

[crazy4cats]

I can’t help to think that he looks adorable doing that. But, it’s not my floor! 😀

Did you check out the Editor’s Choice budget friendly brands for a large breed puppy? I have fed some Authority Large Breed adult food that was big kibble. I have 85 pound lab mixes and it slows them down a bit when they are eating. Not sure about their puppy food though.

Good luck!

[Kevin M]

Well if Evo is being phased out there that goes.

Thanks crazy for cats! I’ll figure something out. Until I started looking for the upscale brands large breed usually meant large bites.

His is a pretty creative dog… whatever gets it done right!?

[crazy4cats]

Have you checked out Fromm Gold? They have some large breed recipes. I’m feeding mine one of their weight management recipes right now. Dogs are doing well on it.

[Kevin M]

We are using Fromm Gold right now. I will look again.

[zcRiley]

Now that you’ve provided a bit more info…

Take your pet to a specialist to ensure he doesn’t have masticatory myositis. In the meantime, many dogs like to place their food elsewhere before eating. If he likes the floor, mimic it by raising a large tray so his neck isn’t straining downward (prevent choking), and spread out the kibble on the tray. Make it fun. Also hand feed & keep some in a raised bowl as well. It could be he may not like the food, so he just plays with it. With patience, you’ll figure it out.

[Kevin M]

Already did. Vet says a common issue with large jowls. Do have a high stand for his bowl. Trying too hard to get the food down fast to be playing with it. Will figure it out.

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