[ROBERT M]

Is “Merrick Grain Free Puppy Recipe (Dry) good fpr Large Breed puppy (Golden Retriever)?

[InkedMarie]

Go to the Diet and Health issues forum below this one. There is a stickie highlighted in yellow with a list of appropriate foods for your puppy.

[crazy4cats]

Here is the link for the large breed puppy appropriate dry dog foods: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit
I don’t think it has a yellow stickie. But it SHOULD! 🙂 Good luck!

[aimee]

Hi Robert M,

From their website they allow Calcium levels up to 1.7% in their puppy diet. This is equivalent to about 5 grams Ca/1000 kcals. Most veterinary nutritionists recommend that calcium for large breed growth should be about 3 grams/1000kcals. The NRC places the safe upper limit for Ca at 4.5 grams/1000kcals, which this diet exceeds.

It is not a food I’d personally feed to my large breed puppy. Personally, I look for a diet with a Ca less than 3.5 grams/1000kcals and a diet that has passed AAFCO feeding trials.

I raised my lab on Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy and couldn’t be happier with the results. Most times when I mention that I raised my pup on Pro Plan someone chimes in about how awful the food is.: )

It really is a matter of what you hold important to you when judging a dog food. I want to see that the company has veterinary nutritionists on staff and has raised large breed pups on the diet while monitoring growth and skeletal development. Purina went far and beyond the min AAFCO requirements for a feeding trial and I was impressed with the amount and type of monitoring the company did in regards to monitoring the growth and development of the Lab pups involved in the trial.

I’ve read extensively on nutrition and the one common factor I find is that nutritionists state you can not tell the quality of a food by looking at an ingredient list. The ingredient list of Pro Plan doesn’t look “real pretty” but since the ingredient list is of less importance to me than other criteria when I judge a food I didn’t hesitate to use it.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Aimee-
I’m curious if you kept your lab on the large breed puppy food or switched to a maintenance or all life stages food into adulthood?

[aimee]

Hi C4C,

All the Labs I’ve had have been on the low end for energy requirements. After puppy hood they have been on weight management/weight loss foods. I use a food that is a high nutrient / calorie ratio to ensure they met their nutrient needs when eating few calories.

[crazy4cats]

Thanks, aimee. One of my labs is on the low end for energy as well. I was thinking of feeding a senior food which has a lower fat content to try to keep him fit, but he is only 3 years old. I also add toppers which typically are a little higher in fat. You definitely answered my question! Thanks, again.

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