[Duke The Boxer]

Yup and i thought i was overwhelmed when i started to look for the correct puppy food. Hahaha i have a couple that i want to try though orijen,eb, pet pantry, dr tim grain free, and some NV formulas. ugh but there is so many others and so many more that i want to learn about. Also some of the fromm formulas.

[BlueEyedGirl]

Hi – In case anyone else was curious about any of the Petcurean Large Breed Puppy dry kibble, here is the breakdown for Calcium & Phosphorous per 1000 kcal.

Calcium: 334.908 per 100 kcal

Phosphorus: 235.542 per 100 kcal

I will be adding it to our rotation here! (they unfortunately do not have a large breed puppy formula in their Go! foods)

She also offered directions on how to access the breakdowns per 1000 kcal for all of their formulations on their website.

from their email:
Here is a quick instructional on how to find the nutritional breakdown for each of our recipes on our website:

http://www.petcurean.com > click either “for cats” or “for dogs” > select recipe you would like to view and then click “view recipes” > Select food which you would like to view and then click “more info” > scroll down to the bottom of the page > Click “Guaranteed Analysis” > Click “Download Nutritional Profile”

I hope this helps! Take care and Happy Holidays!

[theBCnut]

I’m missing something here. Your numbers don’t make sense. For a large breed puppy, a food needs to have less than 3.5mg/1000kcal. Your numbers are nowhere near that low.

[Duke The Boxer]

Yeah the petcurean formula that I saw on their website the large breed formula I calculated at 3.7g /1000kcal.

[BlueEyedGirl]

Ok – I am not understanding something here Patty (Math was never my strong suit).

The numbers she gave do not in fact match what is on their website (the data on their website is dated July 29, 2011.)

According to the PDF on their site, Calcium is 374.723 per 100kcal while the Phosphorous is 227.364 per 100 kcal.

With the ratios she provided, I understood that to be 3.34/1000kcal but I see now that I misinterpreted that.

What I am puzzled by is why if the Calcium and Phosphorous ratios play such an integral role in feeding these large breeds, is the Now LBP Dry Kibble formula given five stars on the Dog Food review page on this site?

(from the Petcurean NOW Fresh page Food Summary Review on this site)

Now Fresh – Four Stars
The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

Now Fresh Puppy
Now Fresh Adult
Now Fresh Senior
Now Fresh Large Breed Adult
Now Fresh Large Breed Senior
Now Fresh Small Breed All Ages
Now Fresh Large Breed Puppy (5 stars)

Now Fresh Small Breed All Ages was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

[theBCnut]

The rating on the review side is based on the guaranteed analysis and the ingredient list, not on whether or not it’s good for LBPs. Thank goodness for HDM!!

[Duke The Boxer]

patty have you tried this brand or have heard about it? Obviously it is not one of the foods on HDM’s list but some of their formulas looks pretty good. i like how this formula has a good amount of glucosamine in it. please let me know your consideration.
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/joint_health.html

PS
I should also add that Duke is doing good on Coastal Catch but he is still having random regurgitation of his food a couple hours after eating it. It was happening towards the end of the wellness core bag and im still transitioning with the wellness core and the CC. Please if any one if you ladies not just patty can please maybe give their 2 cents to come to some leads for figuring out why he is doing this. he is going to the vet tomorrow to get reweighed for his demodex medicine and i will mention it to the doctor.

[theBCnut]

I haven’t seen it, but a few people on here really like it and recommend it.

[Duke The Boxer]

Thank you. What do you think could be the problem with duke throwing up? A local natural pet store recommended coconut oil in his food. I give him enzymes and probiotics every means so idk

[theBCnut]

IDK. Does he gulp his food? That’s the most common reason, swallowing a lot of air when they eat too fast makes them feel like they have to regurgitate the food. Does he want to re-eat it immediately? Do you wet his food? And I mean cover the food with water. That can help with the air swallowing, if that’s what it is. Do you add apple cider vinegar to the kibble? 1/2 teaspoon per cup of kibble. If it is acid reflux, that may help, and it definitely helps with digestion in my dogs.

Coconut oil is great, but I don’t know if it would help with that.

[Duke The Boxer]

No I don’t add any water to the food. Just some omega 3 supplement and the probiotic and enzyme. The thing is he doesn’t throw up immediately. It will be like 1-2 hours later. And it is undigested food. I do have cider vinegar at the house so I will try that.

[kms]

Just wanted to update and see if anyone has any thoughts on this. About a week ago, the vet put Augie back on anti-biotics (SMZ TMP). His diarrhea had gotton so bad that he was having it all night long. They also had him start back on Pro-Pectalin. After about 3-4 days on that (SMZ and Pro-Pect), his diarrhea got better and his stools became intermittently soft and formed – with occasional diarrhea/runny stuff. In the meantime, his stool had been sent to an outside lab. The results came back Saturday and the lab found a pathogenic bacteria called Campylobacter. They switched his anti-biotic immediately to a new one called Marbofloxacin and continued the Pro-Pectalin. He has been on that combination for 2 days and things are about the same so far. I read that Marbofloxacin is not recommended for large breed puppies under 12 months of age (can cause bone/joint abnormalities) so I called the vet. He said that this is true, but only in pets who have taken the med for longer than 14 days (his script is for 14 days). He also said it had the least side effects of all the anti-biotics that the lab recommended.

Does anyone know anything about Campylobacter and/or Marbofloxacin? Is it possible that this is what has been wrong all along?

As far as feeding, I’m still feeding NVI Rabbit, along with a theraputic dose of Mercola Probiotics (no pumkpin, no digestive enzymes, no treats other than his kibble).

[theBCnut]

Yes, it can be what was wrong all along, especially in light of the doses of probiotics you have been giving. I think if you hadn’t been doing that, it could have been even worse.

[Jenmarlew]

Hi. This is my first time posting and this has probably been mentioned somewhere else on this forum but… I have a 5 month old Bouvier. I feed him Wellness Core Puppy kibble as well as Wellness canned topper. The bag says 4 and 3/4 cups per day. I’ve also heard 1 cup per 10 lbs. (I think that was from the Vet). I just recently heard all they can eat in 15-20 mins. He’s about 40 lbs. or so and on the slim side for a Bouvier. I feed him the 4 cups a day plus topper but I’m wondering if I should increase the amount. He does seem to be really hungry but I worry about overfeeding and loose stools or him gaining too much weight. Any ideas?

[theBCnut]

The amount you feed of any food has to be based on the number of calories the dog needs and the number of calories in the food, so throw out any method of determining amount that does not take into account that some foods have more calories than others. Next, it is very important to keep large and giant breed puppies lean while they are growing, so slim is good as long as he isn’t looking emaciated. The 4 cups plus topper that you are feeding is very close to their recommendation, so I would say you are probably feeding very close to the perfect amount.

So the only question I have for you is:
When are you going to post a picture?

[lmnordrum]

PattyVaughn just posted about keeping the puppy lean. I will be picking up my 8 week old Giant Schnauzer puppy in two days. Breeder says that the puppy is chunky, and she is feeding Royal Canin puppy food. I’ll be changing that food to Wellness Core Puppy (and will switch gradually if possible, however its likely that puppy is going to like the new food better than the old–the cat even chewed into the Wellness bag to get that kibble.)

Anyways, my puppy is definitely not lean. Do I just work on feeding better food and let her the legs catch up with the belly? Puppies are like babies and you don’t put a baby on a diet. Since the breeder still has a couple of pups she hasn’t been measuring the food: she puts it out in a pan and lets them all go for it for a max of 30 minutes twice a day. I will not be feeding free choice for a set time period.

Whats the word on getting that puppy to slim down without starving her?

[theBCnut]

Sometimes you do put a puppy on a diet, but hopefully you will find that just stopping the free feeding and getting on a better diet will cure the problem. Also, some people just look at the size of the tummy and assume a puppy is fat when every rib is still showing, so make sure you are paying attention to the cover over the ribs. As far as not starving her, consider feeding less food at one sitting and feeding 3 or 4 times a day. Go to twice a day somewhere between 4 and 6 months of age.

[lmnordrum]

Puppy goes to the vet on Monday and I’ll ask for his opinion on her weight.

I don’t mind two or three meals; at issue is housetraining and how fast puppy will have to go outside. But that’s just part of having a puppy. (I have not had a dog in about 20 years!) So I’ll plan on 3 meals a day, measured out. For training I am planning on using low value treats like frozen peas or even pieces of kibble. The breeder uses Cheerios (which is oat and not corn.) Still on the fence about Cheerios.

I have a photo taken last week and you can see the belly but I can’t figure out how to post it within this forum. Its quite a belly though! Here’s a link to pup on my Pintrest (which is in the process of being created): http://www.pinterest.com/pin/384494886908431455/

[theBCnut]

Very adorable!!!! And I would get the extra weight off of her over the course of a few weeks, but not many, she is very chunky looking. Just the home change may take care of that. Some pups eat a lot less for the first few days in a new home.

[Jenmarlew]

Thanks for your response Patty. I’ll keep him where he is. He’s not emaciated by any means, he’s just not bulky. He does have the really bad flatulence that Bouviers are known for. Any ideas for that? I was thinking probiotics, maybe yogurt? Or is there a supplement that is recommended?
I’ll have to figure out how to post a photo.:-)

[theBCnut]

Probiotics and digestive enzymes. Bad smelling gas is due to undigested proteins being worked on by anaerobic bacteria. Adding digestive enzymes helps ensure that your dog gets to use all the protein, instead of the bacteria getting it and probiotics help to rebalance the good bacteria in the gut so that there is less room for the bad bacteria.

[Jenmarlew]

Thanks!

[charliegn]

Any suggestions for large breed puppy food that has no chicken? Most of the ones on the list are chicken based and looking for something other than that.. lamb is fine. My puppy is almost 10 months old retriever about 60 lbs. is he old enough to transition to adult or all life stage food at this point.. that would be much easier to find a non chicken based appropriate food. We are in Ontario and can’t get all the foods suggested.. our other adult dog is on Acana and doing well.

[theBCnut]

Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast has no chicken and neither does Coastal Catch. You can definitely use All Life Stages foods for your pup. At his age, you are probably just fine no longer worrying about calcium levels. Sometime around 8 months is when large breed puppies are supposed to gain the ability to regulate calcium uptake.

[Sue’s Zoo]

Is anyone familiar with the k9instinct website? Looks interesting but would like more info before investing in their resources. Looks like a good site to help with feeding raw without spending a fortune.
http://www.k9instinct.com/

[plavoie]

Hi Hound Dog Mom,
I was hoping to refer to your listing of food for our large breed puppy and cannot view it. I’ve tried both links you listed. I remember Wellness core was on there. Was that puppy or all life stages?
thx

[RescueDaneMom]

Here is the link just in case: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit

It is Wellness Core Puppy.

[wallyworld]

Hi All,
Our Goldendoodle is 70 lbs. and will be 1 yr this month. He’s still got some filling out to do. I’ve been using HDM’s list of foods for appropriate calcium levels etc. I also just found the grain free, potato free list.
Questions:
1. He has mild skin itching, paw chewing, nothing too serious. Wanted to see if a food allergy is responsible. As a younger pup he seemed to not handle potatoes well (diarrhea) not sure about that now. Do I eliminate all possible allergens up front and see if it helps or should I start with certain ones? I.e. Remove grains first, then chicken, then others? Or should I just go grain free, chicken free up front?
2. I believe HDM’s list is mainly for LB puppies? At his current age I don’t need to worry about the calcium levels anymore, right? I ask only because that opens up a larger variety of foods to choose from.
Thanks for any feedback.

[theBCnut]

Calcium level should not be a worry anymore for your dog. It is best if you can eliminate all allergens at once and give his system a chance to calm down and then introduce one thing at a time to see what he can or can’t have.

[JulieS]

Hi I’m deciding what kind of food for a Golden Retriever puppy, do you think
BLUE Wilderness Large Breed Puppy food be a possible good choice? On their website they list the ingredients as,
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 37.0% min
Crude Fat 14.0% min
Crude Fiber 6.5% max
Moisture 10.0% max
Calcium 1.2% min
Phosphorus 0.9% min
DHA* 0.1% min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.5% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 2.5% min
L-Carnitine* 100 mg/kg min

Thanks, I’d appreciate any thoughts or experiences. I was hoping to find a food I can easily get & one not terribly expensive.

[theBCnut]

Here is Hound Dog Mom’s latest list on safe dog foods for large breed dogs. Pick one from it. Don’t use BB anything at this time.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?srcid=0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk&pid=explorer&efh=false&a=v

[JulieS]

Thanks Patty, may I ask why you don’t recommend BB?

[theBCnut]

Mainly because a lot of people have been reporting vomitting and diarrhea on BB lately, even with dogs that have been on it for a long time. So until whatever is going on is figured out or the number of complaints goes down dramatically, I recommend that people stay away from it or watch their dog closely.

Also it is actually too high in calcium for large breed dogs. Hound Dog Mom contacted all the companies that have 4 and 5 star ALS foods and asked them for their “as fed” calcium levels, as opposed to the minimums that are required on the label. Some companies didn’t bother to respond, so didn’t make her list. Some were too high in calcium. BB was one of those.

[AT]

New here…We are bringing an 8 week old Labrador puppy home next Saturday and I am trying to narrow in on food options. I have spent the last few days reading every single post in this thread and it has been quite an education – thank you to all of you who spend time here to help educate others!
My questions:
1. Our puppy will be coming home on Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Large Breed Formula and I want to transition him to something better as soon as possible. Would a few days after he is home and settled in be too soon to start a transition, provided he is not showing any signs of GI distress?
2. If price/cost is not a constraint, what off the shelf product would you feed a lab puppy? I am not up to a homemade diet at this point (might consider this in the future, but don’t trust myself to get up to speed in one week and to get it right during this crucial growth period). Most of the discussions I’ve read here involve rotating quality dry foods (with added toppers/supplements). Would this be the best way to start since our puppy will be coming home on a dry food?
It has also been stated that raw, canned or reconstituted is even better. I can see the raw recommendations in the document linked to several times throughout this thread. What do you consider to be the best of these brands? Would transitioning directly to raw be ok for our puppy; or should we go first to canned, then to raw?
Can anyone offer recommendations for the “best of the best” of canned foods for a large breed puppy? I figure I can call companies to calculate exact calcium/kcal, but could anyone offer the best brands/formulas to start my efforts? The fives stars listed in the library are:
By Nature 95% Meat (Canned)
Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix (Canned)
Dogswell Dog Food (Canned)
EVO Dog Food (Canned)
Fromm Gold Nutritionals (Canned)
Go! Fit and Free (Canned)
Great Life Essentials (Canned)
Kirkland Cuts in Gravy (Canned)
Life’s Abundance (Canned)
Merrick Dog Food (Canned)
Merrick Grain Free Dog Food (Canned)
Nature’s Variety Instinct (Canned)
Pet-Tao Dog Food (Canned)
Pure Balance Dog Food (Canned)
Tiki Dog Food (Canned)
Wellness Core Dog Food (Canned)
Wellness Stews (Canned)
Weruva Kobe (Canned)
Weruva Kurobuta (Canned)
ZiwiPeak Daily Dog Cuisine (Canned)

Thank you so much for any advice!
AT

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

[theBCnut]

I would worry that with how they make canned foods, you wouldn’t ever be sure of consistant calcium levels, someone who knows more may prove me wrong, but that’s my worry with going completely canned.

I would leave him on the food he came on for several days or do a very slow transition, like 10% change instead of the 25% that is usually recommended. If you decide you want to go to raw, I would add it as a topper for a few days, then increase the amount.

Nature’s Variety Instinct, Annamaet, and Earthborn are some of my favorite kibbles on HDM’s list.

And yes, start rotation right from the beginning, before you use up one bag already have the next so you can transition. Keep an eye on the stool to know how fast you can transition and in no time your dog will be like ours and need no transition at all.

[AT]

Thank you Patty, for your advice. Can I ask – what is it about the canned that has you worried? Is it just that it is a more perishable product? Would your concerns apply to a dehydrated product like The Honest Kitchen as well? I was really impressed with the glowing report DFA gave THK, and the Love formula is on HDM’s list.

Thinking about ordering smaller (4/5 lb.) “trial” bags of:
Wellness Core puppy
Annamaet Aqualuk
Earthborn Meadow Feast
The Honest Kitchen Love

Is it ok to begin rotation with these smaller bags (even though there might be only 2 weeks worth of product in each)? Or once the first small bag is accepted and used up, should I purchase another smaller bag of the same product to extend the first rotation a bit longer?

Thanks again,
AT

[theBCnut]

I’m answering all out of order. I love THK! I recommend rotating slower to start with, so you know what your puppy can handle. It may be fine to go that fast, but it may not. Take a week to switch foods, then stay on the food for a week, then take a week to switch to the next food to start with, at the fastest. It really won’t hurt anything if you go too slow, but it may if you go faster.

The way dry foods are made with the proteins added seperately from the fats, seperately from the…, seperately from the…, makes them fairly consistant. With canned, they can throw whole pieces parts in the pot and turn them into canned food with no idea how much of it is bone, fat, or meat, very inconsistant and can change a lot batch to batch. Like I said, I don’t know that for sure, but with how far off the GAs are on many canned foods, that’s what I expect.

[RescueDaneMom]

I just wanted to say that I love THK too and have been using it for 5 years. There are 2 formulas on HDM’s list: Thrive (4 stars, has quinoa in it so not technically grain-free but still an awesome food) and Love (5 stars).

[crazy mom]

I know it has prolly been asked but I have a 11 month old Great Dane and a 1yr old Great Dane and 3 yr old blood houd. My Danes can’t seem to put weight on. We have up the amount of food and still having problems. They are on large beed exclusive. I have seen the list and I know it’s not on that list ,but we ran into some financial problems and with the large dogs had to watch what we were spending on food. We are going to switch the food I don’t know to what yet but I am not sure what to look for to put weight on my babies. 🙁 they were on TOTW but I saw a while ago that was not good either for my puppy and the big dogs and we were spending quite a bit on food.
Thank you

[dean ousterhout]

We have an Alpaha Bulldog Puppy that is 6 months old. She came to us on Purina Puppy Chow and had red itching bumps and hair loss on her back legs. We started switching to Wellness based on HDM’s list and long story short… we have been having diarrhea issues. We made some homemade food with venison, sweet potato, carrots, rice, and oatmeal and stopped both the Purina and the Wellness and that got rid of both the diarrhea and the red itching bumps.

Then we started ramping up the Wellness. 1/2 Cup at a time and after about a week we were back up to 3 cups per day plus 2 lbs of the homemade food at 2 feedings.

Now we have the diarreah back. Sigh… I guess there is something in the Wellness that is bothering her?

So… what to try next? I need something today… preferably that I can get at Petsmart… Any ideas? I am having problems getting to HDM’s list…

[InkedMarie]

Dean: this link should work:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFY183Q0NVRXlidWc/edit?pli=1

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi crazy mom- There are some affordable, high quality foods out there. I have an almost 8 year old Great Dane and I understand how pricey it can be to feed them.

Annamaet Ultra from HDM’s list is $70 for a 40 pound bag which comes out to $1.75/pound. It has 480 calories/cup so you’ll feed less of it than you would other foods which will also make it stretch further- a good bang for your buck. http://www.chewy.com/dog/annamaet-ultra-32-dry-dog-food/dp/41926

Annamaet Extra is also a possibility. It is lower protein at 26% instead of 32% (I prefer higher protein for my dog). It is $53 for a 40 pound bag ($1.33/pound). It is not as calorically dense as the Ultra at 425 cal/cup so you would need to feed a little more of it. http://www.chewy.com/dog/annamaet-extra-26-dry-dog-food/dp/41927

Dr. Tim’s Kinesis is good too. It’s $61 for a 44 pound bag ($1.39/pound). It has 415 cal/cup and 26% protein. http://www.chewy.com/dog/dr-tims-kinesis-all-life-stages-dry/dp/37810

Victor Select Chicken Meal and Brown Rice or Lamb Meal and Brown Rice are also affordable. The chicken is 391 cal/cup, 24% protein, and $55 for 40 pounds ($1.38/pound). http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Dog-Food-Chicken-40-Pound/dp/B00COVMFW4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1389619583&sr=8-6&keywords=victor+select+dog+food
The lamb is 381 cal/cup, 24% protein, and $59 for 40 pounds ($1.48/pound). This would be good so you can alternate proteins and not feed just chicken all the time. http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Dog-Food-Chicken-40-Pound/dp/B00COVSBL8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1389619583&sr=8-9&keywords=victor+select+dog+food

Those are all grain-inclusive foods. Grain-free cost a bit more and I don’t know exactly what your budget is. I think Earthborn Holistic is the most affordable and high quality grain free food out there. Meadow Feast and Coast Catch are on HDM’s list. They are both $47.99 for a 26 pound bag ($1.85/pound). The MF is lamb-based, 26% protein, and 400 cal/cup. http://www.chewy.com/dog/earthborn-holistic-meadow-feast/dp/36414
The CC is fish-based, 32% protein, and 435 cal/cup. http://www.chewy.com/dog/earthborn-holistic-coastal-catch/dp/36406

As far as your Danes putting weight on, as long as their not ribby it’s ok for them to be on the lean side. It’s better to be lean than overweight. You don’t want added stress on the joints.

I hope I helped with the food recommendations. If you can afford it, I would try alternating the grain-inclusive foods with grain-free foods. You could do Annamaet Ultra, Earthborn Meadow Feast, Dr. Tim’s, Earthborn Coastal Catch. That way you rotate protein sources (chicken, lamb, and fish) as well as protein percentages (32% and 26%).

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Dean-

Maybe your bulldog is intolerant of chicken. I find it interesting that all the problems went away on the venison. I would try a food that doesn’t have any chicken in it. The ones I think are available at Petsmart/Petco from HDM’s list are: Pinnacle Trout & Sweet Potato, Pinnacle Duck & Potato, Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit Meal Formula, and Nature’s Variety LID Turkey Meal Formula.

[crazy mom]

Is the victor “all life stage ” food? Thank you so much for your help. I would like to stay around 45 ish I can go more if I am not do it every week like we were on TOTW. I know that our feed store has victor. If I go between the victor chicken and lamb can I just change the food out or do i have to graduate it over time? thank you for all your help.
When we changed from the totw to our food now is when my 1 yr old Dane started loosing weight. 🙁
What about the giant breed dog foods, would those not be made for Great Danes?
🙂 thanks for all the help

[crazy mom]

also what about the victor select professional?

[RescueDaneMom]

crazy mom-

The general consensus is that puppies can start regulating calcium uptake at 10 months. Your Danes are both over 10 months so you don’t have to feed one of the foods on HDM’s list. The most important thing is that it is “All Life Stages”. Most of the “large breed,” “giant breed,” “senior” labels are just marketing and there is no real benefit to feeding those foods over a regular ALS food.

Victor is a good food. Most of their varieties are 4 and 5 stars. /dog-food-reviews/victor-dog-food/
The Victor Select Professional formula looks good, it’s rated 4 stars. The Hi Pro Plus is 5 stars. You would be ok feeding any of their varieties but I’d stay away from the Multi-Pro Maintenance and the Beef Meal and Brown Rice, both are 3.5 stars.

If you can, it is better to rotate different brands of foods rather than different formulas within the same brand. Any deficiencies or abundances in certain vitamins or minerals will likely be present in all formulas within a brand. If you can rotate different brands, you are more likely to cover all your bases because different brands have different vitamin/mineral profiles. Do you know what other brands your feed store carries? I could help you sort out some of the better ones to choose from if you like.

Edit- regarding transitioning, you may have to do it slowly at first. The more you change the food the easier transition will become. I changed foods after every bag and my Dane could switch cold turkey from bag to bag after awhile. That’s something you’ll need to watch your dogs for. If their stools start becoming loose then you might be transitioning too fast and need to slow it back down.

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

[Nellys Mom]

I have a 6 mth old chocolate lab, about 60lbs right now, and we have a 12 1/2 year old beagle/terrier cross( 22 lbs ) . Is there an “all life stages” food you would recommend for both. Would the TOTW be acceptable. I’m willing to rotate food but want to do that right as well, and be sure each food is acceptable. I can get the Wild Boar or the Smoked Salmon, both grain free from the Pet Valu store nearby. ??? any info would be greatly appreciated.

[dean ousterhout]

I am wondering how “The Honest Kitchen” food compares to a normal kibble in terms of quantity? At $10 per lb for a 10 lb box, this sounds pretty expensive, compared to Natures Variety at $2.33 per lb for 27 lb bag.

Does one cup of THK go farther than one cup of NV?

Thoughts? While I would like my dog to have the best, we do have a budget to work with.

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi Dean-

I love THK and have been using it for going on 6 years. You have too look at the food based on calories. THK Love has 514 cal per cup. NV LID Turkey has 444 cal per cup. You would not have to feed as much of the THK as you would the NV. A 10lb box of THK has 40 dry cups in it. To determine how long a box of Love will last you, figure out how many calories you will feed a day then convert that to cups per day. Divide 40 cups by the number of cups per day you’ll feed and that will give you how many days the box will last. I mix THK with raw at a 50/50 mix so I feed my Dane 1.5 cups THK per day. One 10lb box lasts me about 26 days. My Dane only eats about 1700 calories per day.

Overall, I’m sure THK will cost a bit more than feeding kibble but less than feeding all canned or commercial raw. You just have to decide if the extra cost is worth it to you to feed a superior food that’s made with whole foods and human-grade ingredients.

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

[theBCnut]

Hi Dean
THK is a dehydrated food that you are supposed to rehydrate. That makes it more comparable to canned food, but less processed.

[Author]

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