[Helen G]

We have an 8 month old boxer. He has been eating Fromm’s gold large breed puppy but he poops a lot and his stools are softer than they should be. I’d like to try a new food to see if that resolves the issues but am not sure what to look for…more/less grain, more/less calcium, more/less/different protein? At about 4 months old, the vet suspected he had hypertrophic osteodystrophy. His HOD symptoms have disappeared, as the vet said they likely would, but he is still growing. He is 75 lbs and a 4 on the body comp scale. I’d really appreciate any suggestions for new hard food to try?
P.S. We also have a 12 year old female boxer who eats the senior/reduced activity Fromm’s and does very well with it.

[Pitlove]

Have a look at NutriSource Large Breed Puppy. The quality very similar to Fromm, however it’s my go to recommendation at work for dogs who have loose stool or any other GI issue. Fromm is usually easy on the GI tract, but I find NutriSource is even better.

When choosing a food for a LBP, you can’t forget that overfeeding plays a huge role in orthopedic disorders, not just controlled levels of calcium/phos. Protein makes no difference in their growth and neither does grain or grain free, so really it comes down to feeding controlled levels of calcium (which Fromm has) and not overfeeding. The Hill’s website states that Boxers should not exceed 80lbs at mature weight for males while other sites say 70. Does his vet feel he’s at a good weight?

[Helen G]

Thank you. I went to my local dog store and asked about NutriSource. They didn’t have it in stock and I had just enough Fromm’s to begin transitioning him to something else. The owner recommended Nature’s Variety limited ingredient diet and he seems to be doing well with it…so far (still in the transition stages).
With regard to overfeeding, I followed the guidelines on the LBP Fromm’s bag and reduced it a bit because I supplement kibble with about an ounce of ground beef and an ounce of turkey for dinner. Vet thinks he looks healthy. We believe he might have had a grandparent that had some mastiff which might (if we’re right) explain his size. Is there another way to determine the proper amount of food?
I really appreciated your reply!
Thank you for your help.

[Pitlove]

Just monitoring his appearance and use the Purina Body Condition System to make sure he’s keeping a healthy weight. That’s the best way to know that he’s recieving the correct amount of food. It sounds like you’re doing everything right and yes if he has Mastiff in there that explains the size! I hope Natures Variety works well for him!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Pitlove.

[DogFoodie]

Which NVI LID are you using? Last I knew, only the rabbit had appropriate calcium for a LBP.

[Dina Kouveliotes]

My German Shepherd, Ziva, also could not tolerate Fromm Large Breed.

Ziva hands down does the best on NOW Fresh Large Breed by Petcurean
It’s the only food that does not cause GI issues for her.

I also add coconut and ground flaxseed daily in her meals. Sometimes eggs, parmesean cheese, salmon, Stella and Chewy patty, pumpkin, sweet potato,etc just to mix things up since I cannot rotate her kibble. I tried Orijen and she cannot tolerate more than a 1/2 cup in her meal of any flavor. It’s a bummer.

I highly recommend trying NOW Fresh Large Breed. It was a lifesaver.

[Author]

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