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Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
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  • #19195 Report Abuse
    marty0203
    Participant

    I have recently adopted a 2-3 year old English mastiff and I currently have a 5 year old great dane/lab mix. Both dogs are over 100 lbs and I am currently looking for the best dry dog food to feed both of them. My head is spinning after trying to figure out how much calcium, phosphorus and other minerals are ideal for joint health, in addition to the correct amount of protein and fat. If anyone could give me a few suggestions, I would greatly appreciate your help. Also, if it helps, I live in Wyoming and sometimes the selection can be limited, which is why I need a few options. 🙂 Thanks!

    #19196 Report Abuse
    Cyndi
    Member

    Found this for you, hope it helps. I think there were other topics somewhere in the forum on the same subject. I’ll post more links if I can find any more…

    /forums/topic/large-breed-dog-food-help/

    #19197 Report Abuse
    Cyndi
    Member

    This might help too

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

    & I’m sure if you have any other questions, the more knowledgeable people here would love to answer them… Good luck! 🙂

    • This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Cyndi.
    #19199 Report Abuse
    marty0203
    Participant

    Thanks Cyndi! I appreciate your help b/c most articles I’ve read up until this point only discuss puppies and I am in need of advice for adult dogs.

    Thanks again!

    #19200 Report Abuse
    Cyndi
    Member

    Your welcome! There is a very knowledgeable woman on here, Hound Dog Mom, who owns 3 large breed dogs, bloodhounds. So, most of the information is from her I believe. Hopefully you find what you’re looking for.

    #19201 Report Abuse
    marty0203
    Participant

    It looks like my options in this sprawling metropolis are 1. Wellness Core and 2. Infinia. From DFA’s review and ratings the two look pretty comparable. Does anyone have advice either way on these two specific brands for my Adult English Mastiff and Adult Great Dane/Lab?

    Thanks!

    #19205 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    There are a few places on line that you can order from and get free shipping. Look for Chewy dot com and Petflow dot com.

    #19206 Report Abuse
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Thanks Cyndi 🙂

    #19207 Report Abuse
    Cyndi
    Member

    No problem! 🙂 Hope Gus is doing ok today! (& you too!)

    #19208 Report Abuse
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Hi Marty –

    Calcium and phosphorus levels are really only a concern for joint health during the growth phase. Once large/giant breed dogs reach two years of age their joints are fully developed and at this point they’re either dysplastic or not dysplastic. Calcium and phosphorus levels obviously need to be in balance with each other (between a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio of C:P) but this is true for all dogs, not just large/giant breeds, and isn’t a concern as long as you’re feeding a balanced commercial food (where balancing C:P ratios come into play are with homemade diets). I personally feel that a diet high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrates is healthiest and most species-appropriate for healthy dogs. My three bloodhounds eat between 45% and 55% protein, 30% and 40% fat and <15% carbohydrates at each meal. If feeding a dry food, I would search for one with no less than 30% protein. I also would not limit yourself to only one brand – variety is important. I no longer feed dry dog food, but when I did I switched brands and protein sources at the end of every bag and I added different canned and/or fresh food toppers daily. I would recommend finding a minimum of three foods your dogs can eat (preferably different brands with different protein sources). Patty had a wonderful suggestion with online ordering if selection is limited where you live – some other sites that have a big selection and offer free shipping in addition to the two she posted are Wag.com, Doggiefood.com and NaturalK9Supplies.com. There are several supplements you can give your dogs that help to promote joint health and/or have anti-inflammatory properties. If your dogs don’t have any orthopedic conditions or arthritis a basic glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM supplement would be fine to start off with. Some other supplements good for joint maintenance are hyaluronic acid and esterfied fatty acids (like cetyl myristoleate). Some whole food supplements that are beneficial for the joints are eggshell membrane, velvet elk antler, sea cucumber, green lipped mussel and shark cartilage. Raw meaty bones (especially those high in cartilage such as trachea, chicken feet and gullets) are very rich in naturally occurring chondroitin. For dogs experiencing pain/arthritis some natural anti-inflammatories include high doses of omega 3 fatty acids (up to 300 mg. per 10 lbs.), turmeric, boswellia, tart cherry, yucca, bromelian and white willow. Generally human supplements are cheaper and higher quality than supplements marketed to dogs, adjust the dosage accordingly (a good rule of thumb is a 25 lb. dog would get about 1/4 of the recommended human dose, 1/2 the human dose for a 50 lb. dog, 3/4 the human dose for a 75 lb. dog and full human dose for dogs >100 lbs.). Also – as you may already know – the most important factor to maintaining healthy joints and staving off arthritis in large and giant breed dogs is maintaining a healthy body weight, it’s very important that large/giant breeds don’t become overweight as this adds a lot of stress to the joints.

    #19209 Report Abuse
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    OMG I just posted this huge long detailed response and it disappeared…

    #19211 Report Abuse
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Response #2:

    Hi marty0203 –

    Calcium and phosphorus levels really only affect the joint health of large and giant breed dogs during the growth phase. By the time a large or giant breed dog reaches two years of age it is either dysplastic or not dysplastic. For all dogs, calcium and phosphorus levels should be in balance with one another (between a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio of C:P) but this is really only a concern for those making homemade food, balanced commercial foods will have a proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus.

    I strongly feel that a diet high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrates is best for most dogs. My three bloodhounds eat between 45% and 55% protein, 30% and 40% fat and <20% carbohydrates at each meal. If feeding a dry food I would search for one with no less than 30% protein.

    I feel it’s important to feed a variety of foods. I no longer feed dry dog food, but when I did I switched to a new brand at the end of each bag and added a variety of canned and/or fresh food toppers daily. I would recommend finding at least 3 quality foods (preferable different brands with different protein sources) and switching every so often. If you can mix in canned or fresh food occasionally this is great too and canned and fresh foods are much more species-appropriate than dry food. Patty had a wonderful suggestion with recommending you check out online retailers. I live in a small area with a limited selection of quality pet products as well and, for this reason, do the majority of my shopping online. In addition to the sites she suggested, some others you may want to check out are wag.com, doggiefood.com and naturalk9supplies.com.

    Some supplements that promote joint health are glucosmaine, chondroitin, MSM, esterified fatty acids (such as cetyl myristoleate) and hyaluronic acid. Some who foods supplements that promote joint health are sea cucumber, green lipped mussel, eggshell membrane, shark cartilage and velvet antler. Raw meaty bones (especially those high in cartilage such as trachea, gullet and chicken feet) and naturally rich in joint health promoting compounds such as chondroitin. Turmeric, tart cherry, boswellia, yucca, white willow, bromelian and high doses of omega 3 fatty acids (up to 300 mg. per 10 lbs.) all help to manage pain and inflammation. If your dogs don’t have any orthopedic issues, a basic glucosamine/chondroitin supplement would be fine for maintenance. If your dogs have any symptoms of pain and inflammation you may want to consider a combination of some of the joint health supplements listed in addition to one of the natural anti-inflammatories.

    #19212 Report Abuse
    Hound Dog Mom
    Participant

    Looks like response #2 disappeared as well. I guess I’ll have to email Dr. Mike to see if they wound up in the junk folder. Grr..only happens to responses I put a lot of time into.

    #19218 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    It baaaccckk!!

    #19222 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    For online places that usually have shipping: PetFlow.com, doggie food.com, wag.com, chewy.com

    You can try petfooddirect.com as well but I’m not sure about shipping

    #19575 Report Abuse
    marty0203
    Participant

    Wow, what a wealth of information! Pattyvaughn & InkedMarie, I really appreciate your suggestion of getting the food shipped. The idea of no S&H costs makes the idea much more appealable and opens up my options. Now I have the possibility of integrating Orijen into their dietary routine.

    HDM – I had the benefit or viewing both posts – thank you! I appreciate you investing the time and going above and beyond with your post regarding my two pups’ nutritional needs. It appears that they are doing well on the Wellness Core and I will take your suggestion to rotate between a few different brands and adding toppers to their dishes.

    Thanks again everyone!

    #30532 Report Abuse
    Mikebevefit
    Member

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    #31326 Report Abuse
    davidmiller
    Member

    InkedMarie has provided good websites. I usually go to http://www.amazon.com/ or http://dogfordog.com/ for buying dog food.

    #31329 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    I’ve never done Amazon, David & I’ve never seen your other link. I will take a look!

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