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Hi All,
Our Goldendoodle is 70 lbs. and will be 1 yr this month. He’s still got some filling out to do. I’ve been using HDM’s list of foods for appropriate calcium levels etc. I also just found the grain free, potato free list.
Questions:
1. He has mild skin itching, paw chewing, nothing too serious. Wanted to see if a food allergy is responsible. As a younger pup he seemed to not handle potatoes well (diarrhea) not sure about that now. Do I eliminate all possible allergens up front and see if it helps or should I start with certain ones? I.e. Remove grains first, then chicken, then others? Or should I just go grain free, chicken free up front?
2. I believe HDM’s list is mainly for LB puppies? At his current age I don’t need to worry about the calcium levels anymore, right? I ask only because that opens up a larger variety of foods to choose from.
Thanks for any feedback.Hound Dog Mom,
Thanks for the time and effort spent on your research and list. We all appreciate it very much. Please know that your advice and expertise helps so many of us everyday. You mentioned you are going to vet school?? You will be an excellent vet one day. Keep working towards your dreams. 🙂BTW, nutro natural choice, dry is rated 4 stars on DFA. There isn’t a review on that particular formula but at the top of the nutro page it lists the large breed puppy formula as 4 stars.
I was looking into some grain inclusive large breed puppy foods and below is what Nutro emailed me, just in case anyone is interested. I did request actual or average %. They just sent what is already posted on their website, not very helpful…
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We value the opinions of our consumers and take their feedback very seriously.
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® LARGE BREED PUPPY LAMB MEAL & RICE contains a minimum Calcium content of 1.0%, and a maximum of 1.5%. This formulation contains a minimum of 0.9% Phosphorus, and a maximum of 1.3%.
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® LARGE BREED PUPPY CHICKEN, WHOLE BROWN RICE & OATMEAL contains a minimum Calcium content of 1.0%, and a maximum of 1.5%. This formulation contains a minimum of 0.9% Phosphorus, and a maximum of 1.3%.
After switching to Zignature dog food I thought I’d found the end to my dogs digestion problems. No more issues except for the frequent larger poops which I assume is credited t the higher fiber content. I then fed my doodle treats and we realized he is probably intolerant to potatoes, he then had another diarrhea and throw up episode. He was also having urinary issues. So off to the vet we went. Vet said the tests came back showing WAY too much protein in his diet. She said I was doing more harm than good. She said high calories and protein will cause issues. And denoted my argument about calcium levels. I debated with her back and forth on food and nutrition issues. She said I could rely on what I read online or go by a vet’s advice. Our vet has always been kind and honest about everything else. But she stood by Science Diet. She said she had visited many pet food manufacturers. She admitted the ingredients aren’t considered the best, but their research was top notch. She also has raised all 4 Mastiffs on Science Diet large breed puppy without issues. We debated for quite awhile on this. There are no other vets in my area that DON’T push SD so I’m not sure what my options are. If I go against the vets advice than any problems will be on me. I don’t know what to do. I can’t fight with my vet, I want my pup to be well taken care of. Any advice on how to deal with this situation? How do you tell the trained professional you don’t want to do what they say? Especially when the other vets you can go to would say the same? Ahhhhh help!
Sorry for all the questions…
I just bought the Swanson’s Ultra Soil Based Organisms. Yay! So excited. I just don’t know the correct dose to give to my puppy. The human suggested dose is 1 capsule per day. My puppy is 25 lb. 13 weeks old… On the bigger side. I think I’ll be able to break the capsules open and feed half doses if necessary.
My second question is about treats. We will be starting puppy classes soon and he will be getting lots of treats. We’ve been using Zukes but not sure how he does on them with all of his stomach issues lately. Is there a treat that can be fed often for training but don’t have to worry about giving too much, adding too many nutrients to overall diet etc.?
Thanks for all of the advice. It is a blessing to have somewhere to turn for questions like these.Thanks HDM and Pattyvaughn!
Saireah,
I am currently feeding Fromms gold large breed puppy. Love the company and quality. My pup has been having some gastro issues though and I am probably going to switch brands (unfortunately).Thanks HDM!
I started looking at price. The wholistic doesn’t really have enough strains in it. The Mercola is expensive. Swanson’s looks good but lists 72 trace minerals that are added in (doesn’t list individually). Do you think I need to be wary of the calcium levels if I am going to use Swansons? It’s much much cheaper.Hi everyone,
Just wanted to know if all think the following would be too much for a large breed puppy?
Quality kibble from HDM’s list
Mix with Trippett or mix with Grandma Lucy’s pureformance
Add wholistic pets digest all plus – pre/probiotic and enzymes
Would I need the probiotics if I am already adding Trippett?
Thanks in advance for your time and feedback.Hi Everyone,
Thanks for all of the great info on this forum. I have a 12 week old Goldendoodle. He is estimated to be around 65 to 70 lbs. I have driven myself crazy trying to find the best puppy food to feed him. I finally chose Fromm Gold large breed puppy as I was comfortable with the ingredients and the levels of calcium/phosphorus were low. He has been sick the past week, vet has him on a bland diet. I fear the issue might be his food and am preparing to switch if needed. I know HDM has a great list for food, but wanted everyone’s opinion on 2 things. 1. Is it ok to feed large breed puppy a non puppy food?
2. Is it ok to feed puppy a grain free diet?
I have been getting mixed answers from my research and don’t know what to do. Help!!
