[gmcbogger38]

According to HoundDogMom, the list provided on this forum has the 2 Victor formulas I stated, on the grain inclusive list, as appropriate. If those are not appropriate they need to be removed off the list, as I have fed those formulas to my Saint Bernard puppy, and I’m sure others may have, as well.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by gmcbogger38.

[gmcbogger38]

Veterinarians actually do receive kickbacks for selling Hills products. My veterinarian does not sell nor recommend that food and she even confirmed the “kickback story”. Holistic veterinarians never recommend Hills, but my veterinarian isn’t even holistic, so that is one red flag for me. I spoke with a conventional veterinarian about nutrition (not my personal vet) and he shot down my questions about the low quality ingredients in Hills by saying “you shouldn’t look at ingredients only the guaranteed analysis”. Take that how you want, but from all of my countless hours of research that does not make me feel comfortable with that brand or any company that states the same thing.

Regardless, I do not find the food to be of quality ingredients. A food that is not expensive, but is better in quality that I have personally fed and recommend is Victor. I believe it is the Chicken and Rice and Lamb and Rice formulas that are appropriate for large breed puppies.

With all of this said, though, I truly believe that you should do as much research as possible and feed what you feel comfortable feeding.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by gmcbogger38.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by gmcbogger38.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks. I understand the requirements needed, I just was wondering if the poster who made the comment about Tripett being the perfect ratio, knew off the top of their head about the dry food.

[gmcbogger38]

Since Tripett is perfect for large breed puppies, do you think the dry food PetKind now makes would also be alright?

[gmcbogger38]

*If this was already answered in this thread please let me know.

I have a question regarding grains. I have read articles written by some veterinarians who say if you feed kibble only feed grain free. I have also read articles written by other veterinarians who say you should never feed a large or giant breed puppy strictly grain free because it affects growth. All 3 of my dogs are older and my Saint Bernard didn’t come into my life until she was about 2 years old, so I didn’t deal with this issue much. They eat mostly grain free, but do well on some grain inclusive formulas (I like to rotate).

I may be getting an 8 week old Saint Bernard puppy in a few weeks (currently being weaned onto Earthborn Coastal Catch). He is also smaller than the other puppies and I want to make sure he receives optimal nutrition.

Has anybody with giant breed puppies noticed any pros or cons feeding either exclusively grain free or grain inclusive foods for growing giant puppies?

[gmcbogger38]

Zignature is a great option for grain, potato, chicken free food (they have single source protein, limited ingredient formulas) that is not very expensive. Since you don’t want any poultry you could feed the lamb and the salmon/trout formulas they offer. Not sure if duck is considered a “poultry”, but if not you could feed that one as well.

[gmcbogger38]

No plastic bowl. I use stainless steel. I will definitely try the vinegar in water. Thanks for the tip!

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks for the tip! I know what you mean about the problems. My other 2 dogs can eat whatever and never have issues and the one dog is a princess and requires special detail lol. Thanks again!

[gmcbogger38]

I didn’t think about boneless versus bone in. Thanks! I will check out the premix for bone in meats. Thanks again!

[gmcbogger38]

The issues with Blue Ridge Beef have me concerned since I just bought 6 chubs to start feeding my dogs. How would they get 4D meat of quail, duck and rabbit? Are there farms who raise those animals and would rid the 4D meat to that company like beef and chicken? I could see rabbit being possible road kill, but I have never seen quail or duck road kill. If this sounds stupid I apologize, I am just concerned now with feeding my dogs Blue Ridge Beef.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks again for the tips! I have had my life take a 360 degree change for the better, so I’ll have a little more money at my disposal when choosing a dog food. I’ve heard a lot of great things with Victor Ultra Pro, so I want to try that and possibly also feed raw a few times per week. Still doesn’t hurt to save money, though!

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks again! I really appreciate the help!

[gmcbogger38]

I appreciate the food suggestions! I will definitely check all of those out!

[gmcbogger38]

Yeah Ol’ Blue. Just wanted to help support a local company lol. I may end up using that food choice as a last resort only for an emergency financial situation. I currently feed Victor and my dogs are doing well on it. I just want to find other affordable foods to be able to rotate with. I looked into 4health, but I’m not exactly keen on Diamond foods. My tractor supply sells a food called Sportmix Wholesomes that looks really decent for the price. It’s on sale $29.99 for a 40lb bag and contains no corn, wheat or soy. I’ll definitely do some searching on the posts here and find those threads. Thanks guys!

[gmcbogger38]

I also just noticed their food that is labeled for puppies and small breeds actually has chelated minerals. This is the food with 28% protein. I guess with the chelated minerals that might be the best one. It also has 18% fat. Is that too much for a giant breed adult (3yrs) dog?

[gmcbogger38]

Years ago we had a Jack Russell who had terrible skin problems. We tried Dinovite and it completely cleared up her issues. Now, I have a Saint Bernard who has been having chronic ear problems and she has a odor that won’t completely go away when bathing her. Now she hasn’t had a bath in a couple months and she smells even worse. I have tried expensive high quality grain free and potato free dry foods and even raw (homemade with no grains, etc) and nothing has worked for her. I am finishing up a grain inclusive food right now and so far I have noticed improvements in her from being on grain free (seems opposite of what should happen). I will be putting my dogs on Victor dog food, since I have read some good reviews about it. I will give the food about a couple months and if I haven’t noticed her ears and eyes clearing up I have thought about trying Dinovite again. Now, my hesitation with it is the cost so I am wondering if anybody else has a suggestion of a supplement similar to Dinovite that might be cheaper please let me know. Thanks.

[gmcbogger38]

I have used Chewy.com probably 10 times ordering food and other items and never had any issues. I love the prices and the 2 day shipping.

[gmcbogger38]

I used to give my dogs Trifexis with no issues. Then when I got my 3rd dog she would vomit up every dose of Trifexis. After 6 doses I gave up and haven’t used it since. I haven’t talked to my veterinarian yet, but I need to find something else to give my dogs. I have tried the all natural route and it ain’t working so great for me.

[gmcbogger38]

Red Barn products are not my favorite. I don’t think they are bad necessarily, but I do believe there are better products. As far as natural chews go, I really like Barkworthies and Merrick. Barkworthies makes good bully sticks, duck feet, chicken feet, tripe chews, etc. Merrick has some cow ears, bully tails, etc. You just have to feed what you feel comfortable with.

[gmcbogger38]

I actually started looking into Nature’s Logic and thought it seemed like a good food, so I will definitely look into that one more and try it out. Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

Sorry. I started off with ACANA (not potato free) from Nutro and that is when I started seeing issues. Thinking it was yeast, I then switched them to a grain free and potato free food. I have tried several high quality brands, and even raw, but nothing is helping. So, I wondered if the ACANA with potato could have triggered allergies and if that would even be possible? I then wondered if switching them back to a grain inclusive food would help, since they did fine before with grains. I mean my ultimate question is this: is it possible that some dogs do better on grain inclusive foods? It just seems like everyone says grains are bad.

[gmcbogger38]

I never thought I would want to order online until I found chewy.com. Great prices and free shipping over $49. I’m not a fan of any of the foods you listed. With that said, Wilderness is probably the best one you listed because it is grain free. Have you thought of switching up the protein every now and then? That will help prevent allergies and also keep him interested in his food. Also, you don’t necessarily have to feed a puppy formula. As long as the food is made for all life stages you can feed it. That may open up other options for you.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks guys and that was a great article. Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

Question about rotating kibbles: I know it is probably personal opinion, but do you guys recommend rotating within one brand first or just rotating to different brands?

[gmcbogger38]

That’s part of why I don’t want to put them on a pill. If you don’t skip any doses and the dog still gets heartworm, that would mean the product failed and you wasted your money with it. And the reason the product would fail would be because of the resistance to that particular medication. Such a tough decision, but I appreciate the comments. And I appreciate not being called an irresponsible owner for asking this. Other places I have been called that lol.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by gmcbogger38.

[gmcbogger38]

Look into Victor. They have grain free and grain inclusive foods for a really good price and higher quality than Natural Balance, in my opinion. Victor is even sold at feed stores. You can go to their website to find a retailer near you.

[gmcbogger38]

I know of 1 dog who still got heartworms while taking heartgard. And the owners are anal about keeping him on it on a regular basis. They said heartgard was paying for the treatment, though. You can look on Dr. Karen Becker’s website Mercola Healthy Pets and she has a map of the United States and the risk of heartworms for each area color coded on the map. It tells you which area you live in when to start and stop giving the medicine.

[gmcbogger38]

Victor Grain Free is a good food for the price. For example, 30lb bag of their grain free joint formula food is only $49.99. They have a fish formula that is grain free, a performance formula that is grain free and a grain free high energy formula. They do have 40lb bags of joint and high energy, but they aren’t grain free. The 40lb bag for joint health is about $42.99. The grain free also ranks 5 stars. Victor is sold at most feed stores and some pet boutiques, but not online (from my own research). If you rather order a food online I would check out chewy.com. Free 1-2 day shipping for orders over $49. Oh, the prices I mention about Victor are from my work. Some feed stores may be cheaper.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

Halo, from what I have heard, has small kibble.

[gmcbogger38]

I think Blue Ridge Beef is pretty decent if you are on a budget, especially if you live in the south where most pet boutiques will sell it, like where I work. I would mix the bone and muscle meat grinds with some sort of fruit/veggie dehydrated mix like Sojos or Honest Kitchen, or you could make your own mix. Most of their grinds, like mentioned above, do not contain organs. I think that is a little silly, but it is what it is.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by gmcbogger38.

[gmcbogger38]

Low fat food that I know is good for pancreatitis is Wellness Core Reduced Fat. It is grain free. It also contains 33% protein. They have a dry and canned version. Maybe it will help with the issue you are facing, too.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by gmcbogger38.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks so much!

[gmcbogger38]

Would you recommend adding a small amount of garlic in the homemade mix? If so, is there a ratio of how much to give per certain amount of body weight?

[gmcbogger38]

I actually bought the Soil Based Organisms from Swanson’s and took them myself and gave them to my dogs. I’ll just buy that again and get some more fish oil. Thanks for your advice. It really helps!

[gmcbogger38]

I do give fish oil because I don’t feed much fish as far as raw goes. I was giving them a probiotic I read about on this forum actually. Do you think Nupro would be worth giving to them for the skin and coat and digestive benefit or not worth the money?

[gmcbogger38]

Do you think adding a supplement will be necessary since they will be getting kibble? Or will they get enough from the raw I would be feeding?

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks for the advice! I will look into some other foods. Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, thank you!

[gmcbogger38]

I have a whole bottle of Nature Made fish oil caps. Will that be ok to give them?

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, thank you!!

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks for the advice! It is just that some raw feeders feed raw with a whole lot of supplements, some feed with less supplements and then others say no to supplements. I guess I just want to make sure I don’t over do it or under do it. I know I am probably over analyzing this, but I know that raw fed incorrectly can be detrimental to a dogs health. But since my dogs are still eating mostly kibble, should I just switch one meal per day with raw and then after a week or so switch all to raw? Or just fast one night and then start raw cold turkey?

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks a lot! I will definitely check out those books and that calculator is really helpful. Thanks!!

[gmcbogger38]

I talked with a co-worker of mine this morning and have decided not to go with the premixes. I found a local butcher that can order meat in bulk and it is not very expensive. He told me to feed 80% muscle, 10% bone and 10% organ. Is this a correct ratio? It’s not that I don’t believe him, but I thought I read somewhere else online to feed only 5% organ meat. Would a whole chicken (neck and insides included), a turkey neck and a whole fish be considered one single meal for a 115 pound dog? I have 2 other dogs, 60 pounds and 20 pounds, so I know I can just figure out the amounts to feed them based on how much I feed my 115 pound dog. I just don’t know how to formulate a meal. I know how much, in pounds, to feed based on the 2-3% of body weight and I know it is beneficial to fast them one day per week. I just don’t know how to plan the meals out right now and that is what is worrying me. Would I even need fish oil if I feed fresh frozen fish 2-3 times per week? Would I even need any other supplements or will the diet cover that?

[gmcbogger38]

Oh ok. I will definitely be giving digestive enzymes as well. Thanks again!

[gmcbogger38]

Ok. I want to get my feet wet with raw, so I want to rotate with premixes and add my own meat. Thing is the more I read about premixes the more it seems everybody’s dogs have more frequent stools from eating premixes. Will this not happen if I rotate?

[gmcbogger38]

Ok, makes sense. I have a bottle of Nature’s Made Fish Oil for humans, so I want to use that first, anyway. I work at a pet boutique and a co-worker suggested going to an asian market and buying a giant tub of fish oil for cheap, but I figured that stuff would go bad eventually. There are just so many different kinds available and it is hard to decide what is best, but I like the idea of rotating. I can’t believe I never thought of that myself. Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

I will be giving her probiotics and digestive enzymes, but haven’t gotten around to getting those. I need to do that soon. I will definitely try giving her the raw only and seeing how she does. Thanks!

[gmcbogger38]

One of my dogs has thrown up every time she has eaten raw meat except once. I’m not giving her a large amount, just enough for her to taste and get used to eating meat. Could it be the fact that her digestive tract is not strong enough? My other 2 dogs do just fine. I’m really hoping she can eventually eat raw because that’s what I want to switch them to. Right now I am mixing in the small amount of raw with kibble, so maybe that is her problem?

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