[Shawn M]

Hi i am new to the site and recently became the owner of a 7 week old lab pup, I am looking for some advice on switching his food and never found out from the breeder what he brand he ate before I got him. I also bought some blue buffalo chicken and rice puppy food but am thinking of switching to natural balance after reading consumer complaints on the blue buffalo, any advice would be greatly appreciated

[InkedMarie]

Hi Shawn,
Go to the Diet & Health forum here (it’s right below this one) and read the yellow highlighted stickie for large breed nutrition. It’s a very long thread…I’d read the first couple pages then start from the last page and look for the list of appropriate foods for large breed puppies.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Shawn-
Congratulations on the new puppy! I have two lab mix dogs. They are about to turn four in the next few days. Large breed puppies have some special requirements when it comes to food due to possible joint issues from growing too fast, too much exercise, or incorrect calcium amount in their food. Here is a link that will explain this in more detail:

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

A couple of good choices in my opinion would be Fromm Gold Large Breed or Wellness Core puppy food. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[aquariangt]

Follow what C4C and InkedMarie said, that thread has a ton of good information. I agree with C4C’s brand recommendations, and would probably try Fromm first, since Fromm Gold is very tolerable for a switch. Odd the breeder didn’t hook you up with some food or information before. I wouldn’t stay on the fromm though, rotate through multiple brands on that list. Good Luck with the pup-and we like puppy pictures

[DogFoodie]

If he came from a breeder, you chould call and ask what they were being fed.

Was this a reputable breeder? I’m wondering since they let the pup go a little too soon. My dog just turned three, but I could still reach out to his breeder.

[Pitlove]

Everyone here is absolutely correct and took the words right out of my mouth. I would absolutely go with Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy. Much better company than Blue or Natural Balance and is correctly formulated for a LBP. I also like Precise Holistic Complete Large/Giant Puppy Breed Formula. My boyfriends brothers Great Dane did extremely well on that food and both are easy foods to transition to.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.

[Shawn M]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I finally got the breeder on the phone and found out he was started on pedigree puppy chow. After talking to him I called several hunting lab trainers who told me to try hills ideal balance and within 6 hours of first feeding the diahrea stopped and he was full of energy. Unfortunately it came back again this morning while he is at the puppy sitters, gonna try to mix in some pedigree tonight and see what happens tomorrow

[Pitlove]

Honestly, I would stay away from both brands. Ideal Balance is made by Hill’s which makes Science Diet which is known as a low quality food and Pedigree is even worse.

I would highly suggest looking online for a retailer that might carry one of those brands or ordering online for long term. I met a lady with a 5 month old lab with Pano because he was fed a poor quality food that was not formulated correctly for LBP’s. It’s not fun.

[Shawn M]

after reading more and more into the fromms and finding a local dealer within 5 miles of my place i decided i am gonna go with the fromms, good thing petsmart has a no hassle return policy or i would be out 75 bucks. Just have a quick question my little guy still has diarrhea and its explosive at times, could this be caused by switching foods and stress or should I take him to the bet to get him checked out, he had his shots on friday and his energy levels seem fine i am just getting worried about it going on for 3 days

[crazy4cats]

It could be from all of the above. It’s common for pups to have loose stools when you first bring him home. That is why it is usually recommended to feed it the same food he was already eating for a while until he gets settled in new home. However, after three days of being that bad, I’d take him to the vet to make sure he is not dehydrated. They can give fluids to him if he is. Also bring a stool sample for the bet to check for parasites and/or worms as well. I sure hope he gets better soon. Good luck!

Btw, Hill’s Ideal Balance large breed puppy food is a four star recommended food for large breed puppies on this site.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by crazy4cats.

[LexiDog]

After you get him checked by the vet to make sure there are no underlying issues, you can try adding a tablespoon of canned 100% pure pumpkin to his food to help with the switch. Just make sure it is NOT pumpkin pie filling they are usually right next to each other in the grocery store. I also agree that Fromm is a good dog food. I started my girl on Fromm Gold when I first got her 🙂

[Pitlove]

Ahhh C4C got me again and yes shes right. Ideal Balance LBP is on the Editor’s Choice list for LBP foods and it is 4 stars. I still would vote for Fromm, but if you are still interested in the Ideal Balance it looks like a decent choice. Heck you can feed both and get him started early with a rotional diet if you’re interested in that! Sometimes I let my hate for Science Diet and Hill’s cloud my judgement! 🙁

[C4D]

Congratulations on your pup! I’m a lab lover myself and I foster too! Everyone has given you some good suggestions. Unfortunately, diarrhea is often a problem when dogs/puppies make a transition to a new home. I would definitely get a stool sample as there may be a case of worms, coccidia or giardia that you’re pup is dealing with. The best test is to have it sent out to a lab for analysis, if you’re vet doesn’t do that routinely. If everything goes well it could be a case of stress diarrhea as he adjusts to his new environment. But as others have said, don’t let it go on for more than a day without seeing your vet. 7 weeks is very young, as DogFoodie said and young dogs can get dehydrated very easily. Good Luck!

[Shawn M]

Hey guys so I spoke with my vet today(thank god i had a good in with my cat who likes to fignt raccoons) and she said to not switch his food again, she said just make sure he drinks plenty of water and if the diahrea doesnt stop within 48 hours then to bring him in. She also suggested the pumpkin in the food which i will try tonight. I also used the calculate for large breed puppy foods on the you guys provided and found out the the hills is within the suggested areas for calcium calories and phosphorous so i think i will just keep him on that and see where it takes him. Thanks for all the advice and i will give another update within a few days to let everyone know how he is doing

[crazy4cats]

Hi Shawn, good luck with your pup and your silly cat! Let us know how it goes.

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