[Newfs]

RescueDaneMom really thank you for your response. It is very helpful. 🙂
In that case, buy for the young, or any of the feeds Enova or Farmina with low content of grain. In Poland it is available Farmina grain-free, but costs nearly 97$/12 kg. So much for food, unfortunately I can not pay.
Once again, thank you
Newfs

[mfulton7]

Hello again! Our dobie Gemma is a few days shy of 7months we have been feeding her the Fromm Four Star and only feed the flavor suggested on this list. She’s been on this for over 6weeks now and she looks gorgeous. I hadn’t realized until a week ago I had been feeding her to much per day and noticed she has been eating my other dogs portion as well. I cut her back all this week to the amount recommended and started feeding my other dog his food in his crate so she can’t steal it. The bag recommends for a dog that will be 60-80lbs eat 3-3 5/8 cups per day. Now we also had her spayed 2 weeks ago. Someone told me spayed dogs are supposed to eat less so they don’t put on extra weight is that true? I’ve been trying to feed her right at 3 cups or a little over that. Does that seem right? I split it up into 2 cups in the morning and then 1 cup in the evening or 1 1/2 twice a day. She still seems hungry after. Any thoughts, opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[theBCnut]

Never feed solely based on feeding recommendations. There are quite a number of factors that affect how much any given dog should eat, so the only way to really determine how much your dog should eat is based on her body condition. You should be able to see where her last ribs are and the tops of her hip bones. She should have a nice tuck up and should have well defined muscles. Our old Dobie would eat until she exploded so desire for more food was NEVER a good way to tell if she should have more food.

[mfulton7]

Ok makes sense. We definitely can’t see her ribs or hip bones. I’m assuming we’ve been over feeding. I have no doubt in my mind that she would eat until she exploded. No matter how much we fee her she still acts hungry. I guess I’ll continue to feed her as the bag suggests and adjust her amounts if I notice she’s losing weight etc. Thanks so much theBCnut!

[goldenmom]

I know elk antlers have calcium in them so are they ok to give my large breed puppy?

[Jazz Lover]

My lab is not digging the chicken neck. I hope he doesn’t become ill.

[MastiffLove]

Hello everyone!

I would love some help in figuring what would be the “best” diet for my dog. Alot of you here seem to have alot of knowledge about this subject and i want to give the best diet to my dog so he will be in top health, shape and growth so he can live a great life without issues due to his diet.

On the 9th of April i am getting my Englsih Mastiff His dad is 220pounds and his mom is around 185 pounds he will be 8 weeks old he is one of the biggest of the litter. I am mentioning this so we can have an idea on an average he could possibly weight once adult and i want to promote growth and size without risking ANY health issues due to exessive or poor feeding.

I’ve been reading for quite awhile and theres so much information to consider that i’m getting overwhelmed with info lolll.

He is currently being fed with First Choice Puppy Medium and Large Breeds (4stars on the reviews here) and i will switch him to Orijen Puppy Large once i feel he feels confortable in his new home (most likely after 3 weeks he’s been here) .

I have read on here that mixing a puppies diet with diferent brands and types of food is a good thing also mixing dry kibbles with canned food is good and/or adding home food to his meals will supplement for whats missing.

But here are my questions:

1.Should i keep him on Orijen after his “switch” has been done until he reaches a certain age/weight or should i right away start “mixing things up” to best his diet?

2. Would any supplements or additives be used as a mixing ingredient to his kibbles?

3. Orijen has a Calcium (min/max) of 1.2/1.5% as wirtten on the 13kg (28.6pnd) bag enough or too much calcium? And could it be clarified, is it per portion served, over the whole bag, in one kiddle alone and such…how does those precentage work? so i can in the furture know what i’m dealing with.

4. Could someone give me a good idea on how to proceed thrue all of this like weeks old you do this, at a certain weight (considering hes not over or under weight and such) you start adding those kind of things…so on and so forth.

I understand theres alot of factors to consider like activity levels, too fat too skinny, etc. and so i will be monitoring his weight and growth weekly thrue his first year so i can spot anything different at a certain event like using a certain type of food or supplement etc. So try to be positive in giving as much detail as you can…i want to learn and i love precise and detailed info.

P.S. I live in Canada Quebec both parents are American living here in case you wish to suggest some food brands please consider i might not have access to it other then by shipping.

Sorry for the loooong post i’m french and i try to be clear on what i’m concerned about.

[theBCnut]

Orijen LBP has too high calcium

A percent is a proportion, no matter what volume you are talking about. If something is 1% of X then it does not matter if you are talking about a single kibble or a ton of it, one part out of every one hundred parts will be X.

I know this is a long thread, but you need to read at least the first few pages of it and read the links. That will answer a lot of your questions and will provide you with a list of foods that have appropriate calcium levels. You will have to figure out which of them are available in Canada, I’m afraid. I believe the people who are on here regularly from Canada have small dogs, so don’t follow this thread.

Make sure that you feed your puppy to keep him lean/thin until he is completely mature at around 2 1/2 years old. This helps his joints to develop slowly and helps to keep the stress of carrying too much weight off of them until they are completely formed. Also make sure he doesn’t overdo exercise, which is another big factor in joint development.

Add fish oil. It’s anti inflamatory and the omega 3s in it are easily damaged in kibble.

Good luck.

[MastiffLove]

Hello again, so i’ve been reading, studying, analyzing and calculating like a madman since my last post. I am thinking of going with Royal Canin Giant Puppy since it has a low calcium % at 2.287/1000 kcal with a 0.82%:0.67% calc/phos ratio. I would add a canned topper or fresh meat to boost the proteins. Also to this, i was thinking of adding a probiotic formula and a dash of fresh fish oil and if the stool is too “soft” i’d regulate with pumpkin. Comments? Suggestions? Warnings? Praise?

Now question is, considering a rotation with added ingredients/supplements what would be a good starting schedule e.i. 3days on 4 days off for probiotic formula and so on….also what would be a safe amount of for each of em? What would be a good topper high in proteins?

p.s. Thank you for all your hard work and knowledge Hound Dog Mom.

[MastiffLove]

Omg i’ve just looked at the ingredients list…i am not going with Royal Canin…back to the research board!!!! lolll *sigh*

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
No, no, no – do not feed Royal Canin Giant Puppy just because it has a low calcium. I agree that the calcium should be lower than 1% to start but the food needs to be at least of decent quality. Royal Canin Giant Puppy has virtually no protein whatsoever and only junk fillers in the first five ingredients:
Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, wheat gluten, corn, corn gluten meal

You need to look over the list of foods that HDM put together at the beginning of this thread. If you’re going to continue feeding kibble, after six months of age you can move your pup to Orijen. In the meantime, find the lowest calcium, grain-free (or limited) giant/large breed puppy food you can. If a company doesn’t list their maximum calcium percentage, call them and ask.

Better yet, go raw!

[Sharon Buchanan]

GoldenMom ~ I don’t know what you finally decided on for feeding your new Golden but hold off on antlers. One – you don’t want to add more calcium to his diet and two – you don’t want to damage his teeth. Mystery just turned one and I’ve only recently gotten him his first antler. I feed him raw so he’s got the whole bone crushing thing down, though I watch him like a hawk when he’s gnawing on the antler.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
Don’t try adding too much to the kibble you feed. All those toppers add to nutrients already in whatever kibble you decide to feed, including perhaps calcium/phosphorus – which should be your primary concern until your Mastiff is at least six to twelve months old. Not saying you shouldn’t add anything, just be mindful of what they’re adding to the diet.

When feeding kibble, it’s unlikely that you’re going to find the perfect food for a large breed puppy. When I brought Mystery home, I’d already done several months of research on food. Although I would have preferred grain-free, I couldn’t find it with an acceptable calcium percentage. I put him on Innova LBP (which has since changed their formula and I’m not sure I’d recommend it now but it’s still better than Pro Plan, Science Diet, Iams and others). I moved Mystery to Orijen LBP when he was about nine months old and able to process excess calcium properly. Orijen will tell you that they shoot for their minimum percentage but as long as they think their maximum is acceptable (and they do hide behind the AAFCO guidelines), I wouldn’t have been comfortable with it in those early months.

Mystery is now a year old and has been on a raw diet for about two months. We’ve transitioned two more Goldens in Korea with my husband and I’m working on four cats (the kitten didn’t need transitioning). If I were to get another puppy today, she’d go straight to raw where calcium/phosphorus is perfectly balanced among protein and organs in a whole-prey diet. And still I don’t add a lot to his diet. He gets coconut oil because of a skin condition, vitamin C and curcumen because of the high cancer mortality in Goldens (though the raw diet and minimalist vaccine schedule will help that as well), and garlic for pest control. I haven’t started adding any fruits & vegetables as I’m still researching their benefits (or lack thereof).

Good to see your note about not feeding RC!

[H2H]

MastiffLove~

I too have tried a lot of foods for my 8 month Dane. He is an incredibly picky eater and has a very sensitive tummy too boot. After trying Orijen, Fromm’s, Natures Variety (the types that are listed on the document that is within this thread), last week I finally found a food that meets the giant breed requirements, a food my puppy loves and finally we have firm poops!!! I give him a tablespoon of plain yogurt in the morning an Pure Vita chicken and brown rice. Within 2 days we didn’t need pumpkin anymore and while there are prebiotics in the kibble, the yogurt is a good probiotic. I’m very careful with treats but so far so good! Give it a try and like others recommend, don’t add too much to the kibble. Simple is best.

[MastiffLove]

thank you Sharon and H2H for your input. I am currently contemplating Fromm’s Frittata no grain formula BUT it has a low protein value. My main concern with this kibble is the price…90$ CAD FOR 26pnd bag…that’s a costly dog bowl considering i would add proteins to it.

So far i havent found a meat full dog food with low calcium here in Quebec other then Orijen. I’m still looking but it’s getting hopeless.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~
Fromm’s Frittata Beef has very little meat protein in it since the first ingredient is Beef, not Beef Meal. There’s probably more pork than beef in this recipe even though it’s listed as the number six ingredient. It’s nice that they’ve added Whole Egg but the other top three ingredients are starches. So, no grains but… If you can get it, I like their LBP Gold better. First and second ingredients are Chicken and Chicken Meal and the calcium/phosphorus is a bit lower but so is protein at 26%. Looking back at my notes, I’m showing protein should be between 29 and 30%. $90 for a 26#bag is outrageous. There just is no really good option for LBP kibble.

Be careful about feeding kibble and feeling like you need to supplement with additional protein. Kibble stays in the digestive tract longer than raw or home cooked food, creating a situation where that “real” food will become rancid. If you must, never feed them both in the same meal.

One of the neater benefits of feeding raw is that their bodies efficiently process that food and therefore, you have less waste. I was so surprised and absolutely delighted when Mystery’s poop went from stinky gigantic soft logs to what looks like it belongs to a miniature pup and the smell is only noticeable when I bend over to pick it up. Now that the cats are eating raw and home cooked, the litter box isn’t noxious anymore (and when I say noxious – I mean hope-you-can-hold-your-breath long enough to empty the litter box noxious). The cats had been on Orijen as well and my kitten was forever having issues with soft stools. All of that is a thing of the past.

It took me nearly a year to make the decision to go raw so yeah, I’m now a die-hard convert. Sorry about that if it isn’t a consideration for you – yet! 🙂

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~

I was reading over my notes from a recent raw feeding conference and it isn’t just meat that will throw off the calcium/phosphorus in your dog’s diet. Having spent the better part of a few months researching bone health before getting my Mystery, I had asked the question about how to ensure he wouldn’t get too much calcium on a raw diet – even though eight months later, he was now able to process excess calcium (he won’t be our last puppy).

“Calcium can go out of solution when feeding too many vegetables. Keeping normal acidity (low alkaline) in the digestion by avoiding veggies in puppies keeps calcium in solution and won’t deposit excess on the bones.”

That was the answer from Kymythy Schultze a certified clinical nutritionist who raises champion Newfoundlands. She has a wonderful book called Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats.

[MastiffLove]

Sharon,

Thanks again for your reply!

After talking about all the dog food kibbles and other food types we can give to our puppy and reading and watching videos on http://healthypets.mercola.com/ (thanks HDM) me and my wife decided that we will go raw! It might end up being more costly in the end but at least we will know for sure what is precisely in his dog food and we can have a better control on his diet plus it just makes sense to feed him that way …you don’t find kibbles in the wild!

I’ve ordered Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats Cookbook, Probiotics, Krill Oil and Spirugreen Superfood, that way i’ll have everything on hand for whatever needs our dog has. (just mentioning what i bought so far, still more to come for a complete diet like Coconut Oil and such).

I am currently researching for a meat manufacturer that provides food stores to get the best price, luckily for me there are several in my area.

We have bought the breeders kibble (1st Choice Large pup) for the first 3 weeks, then i was thinking of switching him to Orijen (i know the calcium lvl is a bit high) for the next 2 weeks to get him on a better kibble. Then mix Orijen and Raw to finally end up to only raw.

Should i switch 1st Choice and mix it with raw after the first 3 weeks and increase the raw dosage and skip Orijen entirely?…i don’t know, it would be a faster way to get him on a better and proper food balance but he would be on 1st Choice longer and honestly i really dislike the ingredient in that kibble.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~

YAAY for you, more so for your dog!!! In addition to Dr. Becker’s book, get Kymythy’s book too. Amazon has it on Kindle so you can start using it right away.

If you’re going to go raw, I’d just go for it. Pups aren’t addicted to kibble the way adult dogs who’ve been raised on it are. There will be no need for a transition period. When I decided to transition Mystery to raw, I thought I’d feed raw in the morning and kibble at dinner. A couple days later it occurred to me, if he’s eating the raw in the morning, why not just feed raw for dinner too? I pitched the kibble. So far, I haven’t had any problem feeding Mystery any kind of meat. Unless there’s something inherently wrong with your pup (what’s his name?), everything should be considered fair game (NPI), just keep an eye on him as you introduce new food. Supplementation should be done on an as needed basis.

Since he’s a pup, keep it as simple as possible. I fretted over all sorts of stuff – for no good reason. Mystery’s first few meals consisted of an organic whole chicken that I brought home and cut up myself. It was about five pounds and lasted two days. The liver, neck and gizzards were included so he got those as well. You’ll hear a lot about “balancing over time”. This simply means that you’re to feed 80% muscle, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organs (the balance) over a period of a few days or so. You don’t have to make sure every meal is balanced, just perhaps the week’s meals are.

Mystery’s first couple of weeks weren’t entirely balanced at all while I was trying to locate sources of raw food. When I finally made the decision to go raw, I knew I didn’t want a bunch of frozen patties and chubs. I wanted to feed whole slabs of meat. I’m still working out local sources for purchasing a half a cow here, 20 chicken there, some rabbit… A number of folks here suggested a company that ships whole foods so I started there but the shipping is expensive which is why everyone needs local sources. Do some Google searches for raw food co-ops in your area.

The cost for raw food is definitely more expensive than cheap kibble, however, the tradeoff is that you won’t have as many vet bills to pay because your dog will have an awesome immune system. You will learn though, to shop for deals, look for co-ops, find a friend to share a cow – yeah, you might want to start looking for a freezer so you can spend less by purchasing in bulk.

I could go on, but I’m going to suggest a few more places you will find helpful. One is the LBP raw thread (just two pages), where you’ll find some newbie questions answered: /forums/topic/feeding-raw-non-commercial-to-large-breed-puppies/. I would also point you to Facebook, something I had no use for until our eighth grandchild was born – okay, the kids kept beating me up about joining, but I now use my page mostly for raw nutrition exchanges with others who are likeminded. There are a number of raw feeding groups – search “raw feeding”. Some are better than others. Search for me – I’m currently using the same image of Mystery for Facebook that I use here, and I’ll share my opinion on which I like and which I don’t. I’ll also check with some Canadian “friends” to see if they’re near you and can help you resource food.

What I’m sharing with you is nothing more than what I have gleaned from forum members here, a weekend-long webinar on raw feeding featuring holistic vets and nutritionists, and folks who attended the conference that have been feeding anywhere from a few months to over 30 years. Just wanted to be clear that I’m still new at this too. And if folks who’ve been feeding raw for 30 years still feel like they can learn something new, I’m happy to be in their company. The raw community is amazing!

[MastiffLove]

Hi Sharon! I will be looking into the facebook group after we get our puppy, Zeus is his name :), cause our teens don’t know about it yet and adding that group to our facebook will certainly give them a hint lolll

Someone wrote (i think it was you!?): “Last week I found a farm that grass feeds, no GMOs, but they do feed grains in the three weeks prior to slaughter (I’m still checking to see if that is standard practice and if not, why it’s done and whether it effects the quality of the meat (other than the tripe) – more questions for my conference list)”

What were you told?

[MastiffLove]

We will buy in bulk, meaning half a cow, lots of chickens (loose fat removed), half a pig (less pig since it has more fat)(will add organs to those) for a start and later on i will add more types of meats as i find farmers or producers around my area. I will make this food for my 8weeks old English Mastiff puppy BUT my wife’s parents are getting a Colley puppy in July and later on during the summer a German Sheppard puppy, also a friend of ours is researching for a good breeder of Great Danes. That being said we would be 4 different dogs on the same recipe.

1- Can i get Green Tripe from a meat manufacture(not sure if thats how its called)?

2- Can i grind necks?

3- instead of using pureed vegetable can i use a Supergreen powder mixted with the meat then freeze?

4- Should fruits be pureed? or chopped in fine pieces is ok? (like apples for example)

5- wy use Sweet potatoes, isn’t it a source of carbs? Should it always be boiled or can it be oven baked?

6- Thinking of buying in bulk therefore i would have the company to grind the meat including bones…would using:
URBAN WOLF Balancer give a too high output on Calcium and an unbalanced Calc./Phos.?
or
Should i use Dr. Harvey’s Formative Years for Puppies?
NOT to forget my puppy is 8weeks old!

7- As for Greens should i use Mercola’s SpiruGreen Superfood and/OR Swanson’s Sprouted Flax Powder mixed with Wheat Grass Powder?

8- Kymythy Schultze a certified clinical nutritionist said:” Calcium can go out of solution when feeding too many vegetables. Keeping normal acidity (low alkaline) in the digestion by avoiding veggies in puppies keeps calcium in solution and won’t deposit excess on the bones.”
(p.s.: thank you Sharon Buchanan for the quote!)
Would adding the product from Question 8 result in unbalancing my pups acidity?

9- i would mix everything up in large batches (some batch will have some ingredients and some will have different ones to “balance” it out in day on day off type of feeding), and separate in individual portion size for an 8 weeks old large pup in air tight sealed bags and then into the freezer. Doing so would i loose any efficiency of certain foods like greens and fish oil?

*** End comment: I was happy and felt like applauding Mercola.com for funding 300,000$ for the Washington State GMO Labeling Initiative, they are one of the companies, amongst many others, that i buy products from as supplements for my puppy raw diet. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cornucopia.jpg ***

[MastiffLove]

OMG! YAY!!!!! I found a farm/producer that produces Raw beef and chickens that i can buy in bulk with no additives and i can get it freshly grounded on Mondays and Thursdays. Grounded beef comes in 25kg bins and chicken in 20pnd boxes! They distribute those meats to sled dogs and people like me and you and also to fresh dog food producers in my area for the last 40yrs and are inspected regularly!

Soooo happy right now i’m dancing lollll

[Arlosmom]

Hello, I’m looking for some advice and hope to find help here. I’ve read through the wealth of info on LBP nutrition here – thank you to all contributors! I just picked up our new Boxer pup (expected to top out at approx. 80lbs or so based on parents) and have had him home for just a couple days shy of 1 week. He is 9 weeks tomorrow. The breeder had the pups on Fromm Gold puppy supplementing with rice, beef, sardines, yogurt, pumpkin. Upon bringing him home, I thought I’d keep him on the food for a couple of weeks and the same regime. I have added toppers of Wellness and Trippet – just a spoonful. I planned on switching to Large Breed puppy Fromm and also wanted to pick another food from HDM’s list. I discovered yesterday that he is knuckling over – more pronounced on his left front than right but both seem to be effected. What I think it might be as that upon getting him home I instituted 2-3 very short walks each day (5-10 minutes max.) I have 3 other dogs so he has also engaged in play and my floors and the ground outside that he is on are all hard surfaces. I thought I should discontinue the walks immediately and have done so. Any advice is welcome – should I change foods right away? Information is conflicting – I’ve read that when this happens protein should be reduced and vit. C introduced?? Do you think the short walks contributed/caused this?? I can send pics as well but would need direction on how/where to post. THANK YOU in advance.

[Liz O]

I have been reading all the posts about LB puppies and even though I’ve looked at the list of reccomended foods I still have some questions. Why are some foods on the list but not others of seemingly equivalent quality and highly rated? I’m wondering about Simply Nourish Chicken & Brown Rice Puppy with 5 stars, calcium min 1% not on the list as compared to Innova Puppy with 5 stars on the list but from a company with recalls. I could give more examples as well. Blue Life Protection LB Puppy seems pretty good as far as ingredients or even other Blue formulas but they aren’t on the list. Is Wellness Core Puppy better than just Wellness LB puppy? I’m trying to find the best possible food for a Lab puppy currently on Acana LB puppy. With so many choices it’s getting a little overwhelming knowing what’s the best option. Thanks for any advice.

[theBCnut]

MastiffLove, post your questions in the raw feeding topic and maybe the right person will see them.

Arlosmom, he will probably need his leg splinted for a few weeks and he will definitely need his diet adjusted. Don’t wait on this or the damage could be permanent.

Liz O, when it come to calcium levels, the amount of calories in the food determines the actual amount of calcium that the pup will consume so if one food is lower calorie that another that seems equivalent, it might actually supply more calcium to the puppy. Also, the labeling laws only require a minimum to be listed. HDM contacted all of these companies and asked for their as fed calcium levels, which can be quite different. Some companies didn’t respond, so they wouldn’t make the list anyways, but many, many were just too high, including almost all of the LBP formulas. Just stick to the list.

[Sharon Buchanan]

MastiffLove ~

Sorry to take so long getting back to you, my laptop needed an overhaul and I’m just getting back to the forum.

I’ve moved your last two questions and will post my responses to them, here: /forums/topic/mastiff-puppy-rawing-to-go/.

[Boerboel Daddy]

Hi Hound Dog Mom.

My Vet shop recently stopped stocking Earthborn in favor of Acana. I loved the Earthborn but how good is the Acana grainfree formula? and is it suitable for Large breed pups?

I am currently feeding Earthborn Primitive natural. can i keep feeding my pregnant female this formula (2.4% calcium) until the pups are born and then switch to one of the low calcium varieties. What i asking is When do i switch to the lower calcium formula? she is Three weeks into her pregnancy

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Boerboel Daddy.

[cdubau]

What page has the most current update list from HDM? Thanks 🙂

[DogFoodie]

Hi cdubau,

It’s on page 15. Here you go: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

[theBCnut]

Betsy, you beat me to it. I was going to say “This one.” and post the link.

[cdubau]

Thanks!!! 🙂 got a new puppy!!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Boerboel Daddy –

You do not want to put mom onto a low calcium food. Growth of the fetuses during gestation and providing the pups with milk during lactation requires massive amounts of calcium. During the final 35 days of gestation, requirements for calcium and phosphorus increase by around 60%. During lactation, depending on litter size, bitches may require between 2-5 times as much calcium as is required for adult maintenance. When you wean the pups you can place them on an appropriate large breed puppy formula. So I’d say it would be fine to stick with Acana for now.

[Saig]

Hi All,
Thought I’d post an interesting link to the European Pet Food industry Site on Adult and Growth Nutritional requirements for Dogs and Cats for those interested:
http://www.fediaf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Reports/Nutritional___Analytical_Science/Nutritional_guidelines.pdf

[Brian K]

HDM – thank you soooo much for compiling this list! I just got a 6 week old lab puppy and want to make sure I’m feeding her the healthiest food possible as we just lost our beloved 9 yr old lab to lung cancer 🙁

I was wondering if the reason PetSmart’s Simply Nourish Source isn’t on the list because it didn’t make the cut or because you haven’t yet had a chNce to research it? I ask because it’s budget conscious as well as being listed on this site as one if the Top 5 Star Puppy Foods at /best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/best-dry-puppy-foods-5-star/

Much thanks in advance!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Brian K.

[theBCnut]

Not HDM, but foods that didn’t make the list fell into 3 categories. Their star rating wasn’t high enough for HDM to bother with them, they didn’t reply to her email and provide the info she requested, or their calcium was too high. That’s it. She emailed every company that has a 4 and 5 star food on this website.

[BaylorBear]

Anyone looked at Farmina LBP? Ratio of 1.5/1.0 seems out of balance and if I did calc right the C is 3.99 which is too high correct?

[theBCnut]

That would be too high if you mean 3.99g calcium/1000kcal.

[BaylorBear]

That’s correct, provided I did the math right.

1.5% C
1000 x 0.015=15
15/3753= 0.0039668
0.0039668 x 1000= 3.9668 g of C per 1,000 cals

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by BaylorBear.

[FinnyAndLolasMom]

Hi everyone- new member here, and I’m hoping for some advice about feeding my 12 week old Irish Doodle pup (Irish Setter mixed with Standard Poodle). Both parents are approximately 65 pounds, so I assume he’ll be considered a LBP.

Long story short- he came from the breeder on Adult Purina One Lamb and Rice, and I transitioned him onto Science Diet LBP food on the advice of our vet. He had terrible diarrhea and loose stools for a couple of weeks, and after some research, I found these forums and tried a couple of things and finally settled on Earthborn Holistics Meadow Feast. I was even doing boiled chicken and rice, but the diarrhea didn’t completely go away until I stopped the rice and got him completely on the Earthborn, which led me to think it might be a sensitivity to the rice/grains. He finally has great poop (Lol) and I’m really happy with it. He is too- he gobbles it up!

However, we went back to the vet yesterday and she insisted we have him on a puppy food and that an “All Stages” food is not good for puppies. I’ve read most of this thread, and been all over the site, and I think I’ve learned enough to doubt her advice, but she does have me second-guessing myself a little bit. The only thing that worries me is that he is really thin and a little smaller than his litter mates, so I want make sure I’m giving him enough protein, fat, and calories, while watching the calcium of course! I noticed EH Meadow Feast has the lowest protein and fat of all of their varieties, so I picked up their Great Plains variety (Bison and lamb) which has higher protein and fat content, thinking I would mix it with the Meadow Feast since the rest of the ingredients looked similar. THEN I noticed the Great Plains variety is not on HDM’s awesome list for large breed pups, just the Meadow Feast and Coastal Catch.

So, here are all my questions:
Is Earthborn a good choice for him? I’ve also considered Wellness Core, Fromms Gold LBP, and Merrick- might one of these be better?
Is the Meadow Feast enough protein and fat?
Should I stay away from the Great Plains- was the calcium content too high to be included on the LBP list?

Thanks in advance for your replies!

[aquariangt]

I don’t think that pup needs large breed food. And all life stages and puppy food have the same Aafco profiles, so you’re safe there as well. I like all 4 of those foods, overall, though fromms is the only one in my current rotation

[theBCnut]

I would play it safe and treat him like a large breed, there is no harm to a medium breed from eating a food that is appropriate for large breeds. Great Plains Feast is too high in calcium, but Earthborn is a good food. Your vet is lacking knowlege about AAFCO profiles, a food that qualifies for the Growth profile can be labeled for All Life Stages, therefore ALS foods are Growth foods.

[david j]

Honestly I’ve had a huge struggle with my dog and his nutrition. Anything that my dog would eat, all the major brands, would make him sick. I have him on a prescription food form my vet and its 70$ per small bag!! Insane, so i did research and came across this video/product that explained a lot. The major brands like Iams and Pedigree put a lot more ingredients than they say. DONT BUY them. I recommend you watch the video i came across, it helps explain a lot. let me know what you guys think?? http://goo.gl/7AWYSK
And I agree on making your own treats/food, its the safest way to go, especially after watching all harmful crap they put in dog food. Thanks for all the info tho!!

[Julie]

Hello,

I am getting a goldendoodle puppy in a couple weeks and have been researching puppy nutrition. This thread has been very informative. Thank you, HDM for putting this resource together and everyone for your input.

Quick question, has anyone been able to download or print the list? I keep getting 404s/errors when trying to print, or am getting prints of part of the list. I’m using Safari, Firefox (Mac & PC), Chrome (Mac & PC), and even ol’ Internet Explorer (older version, unfortunately, as I still have to keep it around for testing). Anyhoooooo…any ideas? I’d *love* to download the PDF to annotate with notes and keep on my phone while shopping.

Thanks!
Julie

[FinnyAndLolasMom]

Thanks aquariangt and theBCnut for responding.
That’s what I was thinking- I just wanted to make sure. I figure it can’t hurt to play it safe, so I’ll be mindful of the calcium level and make sure we stick with something on the LBP list. Right now, the Earthborn seems to be doing the trick, so we’ll stick with it.
Thanks again,
Rachel

[theBCnut]

Hi Julie

I printed it easily the first time I tried, but failed the second time. You can copy/paste to the document of your choice. That seems to be the preferred method.

[Julie]

Thanks, BCnut, for your reply. I tried the copy/paste and didn’t retain the formatting. BUT!!! I did find a trick to make it work…

1. Open Chrome (I did this on my Mac, sure it would work on PC, too).
2. Click the folder icon to “move it to a folder” on your Google Drive. I had to create a folder on the drive (I don’t use this service, but have it since I have a google account) and saved it there.
3. Click the Google Drive icon (upper left corner)
4. Click on the folder > file name (Calcium.pdf) to open the file.
5. There’s a download icon on the bottom-right part of the screen. This didn’t work for me, it might for you. however, the workaround…
6. Click on the print icon just above the download icon (still bottom right part of the screen). When the print preview displays, there is a mini menu that appears at the bottom right with a file icon.
7. Click the file icon to save the PDF.
Victory!
This is a bit cludgy, but it worked for me.

[theBCnut]

Persistance pays!!

[Steve K]

HDM
What do you think about glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for a giant breed puppy?

[Jazz Lover]

Hi, could someone direct me as to how to most easily convert the suggested amount of calories into the correct amount of dog food for Jazz (1yr “today” neutered, male, blk lab / approx ideal weight 80lbs. Currently 87lbs.) Orijen shows 456 kcal/cup. My best figure is 3.5 cups/day. Also, at age 1yr am I to go w/ Adult or puppy recommend amounts?

I top food regularly, and an easy conversion could help me to best ensure he’s getting the right amouts 🙂 (Stell & Chewy, Merrick canned, sardines, chicken back… open to more ideas!)

BTW, he seems to be healing well after his Jan elbow dysplasia surgery. We are walking 5 days/wk 30mins-1hr each outing. He doesn’t seem to be limping while out walking, however maybe a “chubby-sway” is what my son calls it. (Hence, I’d like to ensure I’m feeding him correctly.) Although, at times when he gets up after lying/napping he limps. I feel as if his muscles are strengthening w/ walking. Sadly, no playing ball or dog park 🙁

Thank you

[Jenmarlew]

Has anyone checked out Nulo Medal Series to see if it is ok for large breed puppies? It gets 5 stars but I”m not sure how to calculate the grams of calcium per Kcal to see if it fits HDM’s formula. The Puppy Formula lists Calories as 3,652 Kcal/kg, 431 kcal/cup. Calcium is 1.0% (min) and phosphorous is 0.9% (min) if it helps. Is there another number needed that I should call the company for? I’m always on the lookout for new foods that don’t give my 9 month old Bouvier gas.

[Author]

Posts