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Thanks everyone! I will look in to Chewy.com as well as see if my Petco carries the Innova brand. 🙂

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Duke The Boxer, I just saw your post. Now I’m unsure what to do! I guess I should just assume that the Wellness Core Puppy formula is the only safe option in that brand?

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Thanks Sharon! I just noticed that the Wellness LBP food that I purchased (still unopened so I could return it) does NOT say “Core” on the package… just Wellness LBP. I assume that this is the grain inclusive formula and the Core is the grain free formula? I did not see a Core Puppy or Core LBP at the store, just the regular Wellness Puppy and LBP. The Core formula is the one recommended on the list, correct? But if I understood you right, the regular LBP formula does have the correct calcium levels, it’s just lower in protein than the Core? I’m sure I have other options than Wellness, but my options are limited unless I order online. I’m in a small town and Petco is my only option to buy locally. He’s been on the NV Prairie LBP for a few months and he likes it, but his poop is always mushy. He seems to be healthy otherwise, but picking up mushy poop is no fun. 🙂 I have tried the NV Instinct in the Rabbit formula and he didn’t like it. I also tried the NV Instinct LID Turkey and he ate it fine but his poops weren’t much different than on the Prairie. Maybe it’s just the NV brand that doesn’t sit well with him, which is why I thought I’d rotate to a different brand this time and see what happens. He didn’t have mushy poops when I got him, but the breeder was feeding a mixture of Eukanuba and Pro Plan Select adult foods… which I didn’t want to continue with. Should I try the pumpkin first before I change foods? Does the pumpkin “fix” the problem or do you have to continually use pumpkin in order to maintain? The other food options at my local Petco are Halo’s Spot Stew and Pinnacle (other than the NV and Wellness brands). I might be able to find Innova but I’m not sure. Any preferences between those brands? If I were to order online and could therefore get any brand, would that change the preferences? Thanks again for any and all help! I’d like to find a few brands I can rotate through that he likes, does well on, and doesn’t give him mushy poop!

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Hello everyone! I have been using the list of recommended food for my standard poodle puppy (who is now 7 months). He has been on Instinct Prairie LBP kibble and consistently has loose stool on this food (yes I switched slowly and he has had time to adjust). I plan to start switching him to another kibble and am able to get Wellness Puppy and LBP kibble at my local Petco. I only see the Wellness Puppy on the list… is the LBP new or was it intentionally left off the list due to higher than recommended calcium? Does anyone know? Thanks!

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Rescue Dane Mom and Pattyvaughn, when you say 30% is a personal limit for some are you meaning 30% is the minimum protein percent? Do most on this site agree that you can’t have too high of protein for a large breed puppy? I’m trying to be aware of the calcium percentage and have been referring to HDM’s list. I just want to make sure that I’m not missing some other important detail. I have a Standard Poodle puppy who was 16 weeks on Monday. The breeder advised that I feed him a 50/50 mixture of Eukanuba Adult and Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach (which is also an adult formula). She said this mixture worked best to ensure that the puppy didn’t grow too fast and his bones and muscles/ligaments would grow at the same pace. She said she’d been using this formula with her puppies for some time and had fantastic results. I met the parents and grandparents of my puppy as well as older siblings from a previous litter and all were very healthy, active dogs. She does all her “testing” before she breeds any of her dogs and they all have good results, so it’s hard to argue with her approach. I was still hesitant to feed a puppy and adult food, however, so I chose NV Prairie Large Breed Puppy and switched him over. I hope I did the right thing! He has been on this NV formula for a month now and his stool is still fairly soft. It has form when it comes out, but it is too soft to pick up right away… if that makes sense. I’d like to start rotating him with a few other foods, but want to make sure I have the calcium and protein thing down first! Another question on calcium… I know a food should be no more than 3.5 g calcium, but on the list everything looks like it’s hovering around the 1.0 mark. Obviously there must be a piece I’m missing here… Thanks for the help!

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Thanks for all the info guys! I’ll try to find some good deals online. I guess that is a better option after all than paying $80 a bag or not even trying some of the great options out there. I appreciate all the help!

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Thanks guys! And no need to apologize, apriliamille. I appreciated your comments. If I am rotating at the end of each bag, then it will make it easier to try some brands I can’t find locally. I’ll just order a bag when I buy something at Petco and it will be waiting for me to use when needed. I could possibly rotate in one of those $80 NV Instinct Rabbit formulas… just as long as I’m not buying that every bag! (Wow, that’s steep.) When rotating, I assume I should buy the biggest bag of food so my pup has a decent period of time on it, right? Or does that matter? Also, do I need to rotate chicken to chicken formulas or can I switch chicken to lamb or chicken to rabbit (fish etc)? Is there a limit of how many different proteins (and possibly carbs) you should have in your rotation? Thanks!

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Thanks! I was leaning towards the NV Prairie so that makes me feel more confident in my choice. 🙂 I will look in to where I can find Earthborn. I think I will start with NV Prairie however because it is easily available. Any thoughts on whether to use Large Breed Puppy or Puppy? Or a mixture of both? They are both on the list. Also, how often is it recommended to rotate food? When I rotate, is it best to stay within a brand, or does that not matter as long as the new food is introduced properly? If I start with NV Prairie can I rotate to Earthborn? Thanks!

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Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the help! I am an hour away from Idaho Falls, and further from Rigby and Hailey. Idaho Falls is doable. My question now, I guess, is… since I can get Nature’s Variety Prairie, Halo Spot’s Stew, Pinnacle, Innova, Avoderm, and possibly Wellness Core (if the local Petco will order the puppy formula in)… is Earthborn Holistic really that much better that it’s worth the two hour round trip drive to get it? And if I decide to go with one of the brands I can get in my own town, what would the top two be out of the ones I just listed? Thanks everyone, this is really helpful!

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Also, any ideas why Merrick isn’t on the recommended list? My older standard poodle loves their food.

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Thanks! I just got back from Petco (the only pet store around… I live in small town Idaho). I’m not able to find the majority of the recommended foods on the google document in my area. I know I could order online, but I’d really like to find something local that works. I tend to be scatter brained with all the kids and pets running around my house and I’d hate to run out of food and have to wait on shipping! Our Petco carries the Nature’s Variety Instinct line, which would be my first choice, but I’m pretty sure my hubby would croak if I bought an $80 plus bag of dog food. I looked around at what else they might have and they do have Wellness Core but not for puppies. The options I was able to find are Nature’s Variety Prairie options, the Halo Spot’s Stew options, Pinnacle options.. they might have the Avoderm options, and I think I can find Innova around here as well. Of these options, do you have any recommendations?

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Patty, is there any brand you would add to the “top 5” HDM listed on page 36?

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Thanks! I forgot to ask about training treats. This puppy is very full of himself and is going to need a lot more training than my last standard. I don’t want to undo any good I’m getting from the right food by using poor training treats. This pup is highly food motivated so I’m sure I’ll be using treats alot. I always cut them in to tiny pieces but I’d still love to know if there are any particular brands/types recommended to go along with these feeding guidelines. Thanks!

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I just saw that HDM gave her “top 5” kibble favorites on page 36. Was this a breed specific recommendation or does it apply in general? Any changes to this list considering I have a 11 week old standard poodle puppy? Thanks!

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Hello everyone! I’m new and found this site while trying to search for answers for my 11 week old standard poodle puppy. The breeder sent me home with instructions to feed him adult food not puppy food. She feeds a 50/50 mixture of Purina Pro Select for Sensitive Stomach and Skin (salmon) and Eukannuba Adult Large Breed. My vet disagrees and told me to only feed a large breed puppy food. I’m glad I found this site! I haven’t read all 37 pages of this forum but did read several pages on either end as well as looked at the document link on page 15. My head is swimming (numbers/stats/percentages make my brain hurt). I will be spending days on here trying to get a grasp on this subject, but meanwhile I wondered if there are any recommendations for this breed? The document listed foods by alphabetical order… is there anyone willing to give me a top three or five choices in the grain free and grain inclusive categories? Also, the breeder said to free feed to avoid bloat. Is that the consensus here or are scheduled feedings preferred for puppies? Thanks! I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed!

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