[Lacey F]

Hi! I know this forum doesn’t get a ton of traffic, but I’m hoping you guys can advise me. Thanks in advance!

I’ve got two very opposite dogs, a 16 year old chihuahua and a 13 week old giant mutt. The old guy is currently eating Purina and the young one is eating garbage kibble and bits (it came home with him)
Of course I want to get the pup onto something better. This weekend I’m going to start transitioning them both to diamond naturals. I know it’s not the best, but I can afford it.

What I’d love to do is have a few recipes I can mix up in a big batch, make meatballs or patties, and freeze them. Then feed both that along with the kibble. I feel like they’d like some variety. I’m happy to cook (as long as it’s not super involved) or do raw as long as it’s stuff I can get at a regular grocery store.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[pitlove]

Hi Lacey-

I kind of hate to complicate things given the title of your post, but your 13 week old giant breed has very specific dietary needs while he is growing that differ greatly from your 16 year old Chihuahua.

Large and giant dogs that will mature to over 50lbs are at high risk for bone growth disorders due not only to genetics, but improper nutrition during growth. Large breed puppies have difficulty absorbing calcium correctly. They require a food that has a controlled level of calcium to help them grow slowly. Most of the time a food labeled for “large breed puppies” will meet those requirements…sometimes they do not. Diamond Naturals does have a large breed puppy formula that is All Life Stages, so your Chihuahua could eat it, however some small dogs are sensitive to kibble size so you would have to get a bag and test it out.

Homecooking is not a bad idea, however the diets have to be properly balanced and when adding the challenge of owning a giant breed puppy, many will advise that a commercial diet that meets AAFCO should be fed during growth to make sure the dog is recieving proper nutrition. When your giant breed pup reaches adulthood you could begin researching homecooked meals. BalanceIt.com is a good place to start.

[Lacey F]

Thank you for your response! I was definitely planning to wait til he’s full grown before feeding him homemade food. I guess I didn’t put that in there 🙂 Sorry for that confusion. I know they don’t need exactly the same foods, but I was hoping there might be an option to keep things simple, rather than having a million different things for each dog. That may have been wishful thinking I suppose. I will say, the old man has never been picky about food and has done excellent on any food he’s ever eaten. Never any stomach upset or allergies. His teeth are still in perfect condition and he’s never seemed to mind eating bigger pieces (I always buy him small pieces, but he’s been known to steal from my inlaws husky’s bowl)

I guess I’ll just be buying two foods instead of one. That’s doable.

We’re REALLY hoping the pup doesn’t end up giant (wishful thinking again) but maybe stops at “real big” instead 🙂

[Author]

Posts