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Hi all! I am a frequent lurker of this forum, and wanted to ask for some input. I am a pretty knowledgable raw feeder, especially for large breeds, but am adding a new member to my family next week and wanted to ask a few questions.

My partner and I will be picking up an 8 week old Dane puppy next weekend, so I’m doing all I can to prepare for her arrival. I currently have a 1 year old Dobie/Rottie mix who has been on raw since I rescued him at 6 weeks. I did extensive research about Ca/P ratios, fat content, protein levels, etc, and have always had all of that on point with his diet. I kept him very lean at a young age and his growth has been spectacular. He’s still filling out a little and will continue to grow slightly, for the next six months I anticipate, but since we’re almost there I’ve allowed him to bulk up a little over the past few weeks.

I follow the BARF model and feed meat grinds, a veggie mixture, and added supplements a few times per week, but I have kept it pretty simple for him in his first year to ensure proper growth. With the new puppy, I want to start her off the same. My concerns lie in the fact that she is a GIANT breed. I’ve read a lot of articles on Dane forums about not starting a Dane puppy on raw until they are a little older because of their nutritional needs, and this has stumped me and caused some worry. I’m looking for anyone with Dane puppy nutrition experience, especially with raw feeding. Or, if anyone could point me in the direction of any helpful articles or websites, that would be great too. Thank you all for your knowledge!

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Susan- YES! I do plan to buy a ton of my current raw and make it last for as long as possible! And thank you for the suggestion, I will check out that website!

Cannoli- I know that raw is expensive no matter the route, I’m just looking for the cheapest-still-good-quality options. I don’t think I’ll switch to cooked any time soon, but thank you for that suggestion. Jax had lots of GI issues as a young puppy and the only option I’ve tried that’s been successful is raw. For a free dog, he’s ended up being very expensive 😉 I was mostly just curious if anyone has had success supplementing their raw with grocery store meat, with added calcium (since grocery store meat doesn’t contain ground bone for obvious reasons). Thank you so much for your help nonetheless!

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Gmcbogger38- When it comes to grains, it honestly depends on the dog. Earthborn is a great brand. What matters way more than grains with giant breeds is the Calcium levels and calorie ratios. If you’d like more information on those, let me know and I’ll be happy to help.

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Triet- the biggest difference (IMO) between raw frozen and dehydrated raw is that all of the moisture has been removed from the dehydrated. There is some heat used in the dehydration process so some consider it to be of less nutritional value. Dehydrated raw is easier to store ; all that is required for feeding is to add water and allow the moisture to seep back in. Frozen raw is just that; frozen raw meat that is usually thawed before being fed. I prefer frozen because it is less processed. Both are excellent choices.

As far as kibble, Orijen is great IMO for adult dogs only. All of the adults I’ve had have thrived on it, though I agree that there are other quality kibbles for a fraction of the price. If you are keen on feeding kibble, I recommend Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy.

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Thank you so much pitluv! That is wonderful information.

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Hey sorry to butt in here but I’m interested in this as well… The large breed puppy info on DFA doesn’t specify if the Ca/kcal can be lower than 3. I’ve always assumed that it should be between 3-4.5 but I wonder if slightly lower is ok…I know that some large breed puppy kibbles are definitely lower than 3g; I believe Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy is one of them.

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Pitluv- you hit the nail on the head. The way we treat our animals has so much more of an impact than anything else. My childhood dog, Hoagie, ate grocery store kibble all his life. But we took him running, camping, swimming, everywhere with us. He lived to the ripe old age of 14 and still chased the frisbee with his blind eyes and wobbly hips on his last days.

For me, dog nutrition has become something I am vastly interested in. And thank you so much for mentioning the calorie aspect of dog food because upon further research I’ve concluded that the calcium to calorie ratio in S&C is WAY too high for large breed puppies. Darwin’s, on the other hand, is within healthy range in all aspects (cheaper for mom, too!)

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Pitluv- Thank you for your input!

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Hey pals! Thought I’d share with you all some insight I’ve gathered about Stella and Chewys in regards to large breed puppy nutrition.

I contacted the company directly and received a nice chart of the calcium and phosphorous percentages for each of their formulas AS FED. After calculating, I concluded that every formula except the Turkey had calcium to phosphorous ratios between 1.2 to 1 and 1.5 to 1, which to my knowledge is safe for large breed puppies (the Turkey is 1.9 to 1). I have a 4 month old Doberman mix who has struggled with GI problems since he was a baby due to premature weaning from his mother. I started him on this food yesterday and he’s had solid stools for the first time in weeks. I will keep you all updated on his progress but I thought you’d all be interested in this information.

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Cannoli- thank you so much for your input. I’ve fed Orijen for a long time and really do trust their product. But I also am keen on understanding that some foods just aren’t right for certain dogs.

I went ahead and contacted Stella and Chewys to get the Calcium and Phosphorous percentages for each formula AS FED. Once I calculated the ratios, I concluded that every formula except the Turkey had a Calcium to Phosphorous ratio of 1.5 to 1 or lower which to my knowledge is safe for large breed puppies (The Turkey is 1.9 to 1). The S&C rep also helped me calculate some basic feeding guidelines for my puppy which I thought was very thorough and considerate of her! I picked up 2 packages of S&C yesterday and switched Jax over cold turkey from his turkey and rice. He’s had completely solid stools for the first time in weeks and has already began to act like himself. It could be coincidence or it could be the food but either way, I’m glad I did the research and will continue him on this food!

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