[crazy4cats]

Hi Belinda-
I’m glad the Holistic Select food is working out so well for your new pup. On top of the breed being perfect for your needs, he’s super cute too!

[Mary Ann D]

Denver Dog,
We’ve been feeding our Golden Doodle the Wellness Core Puppy food. He loves it!

[Alexus L]

So why is Earthborn Holistic rated 5 stars since it has exceptionally high calcium & phosphorus levels?
May God Bless, Alexus

[Amanda-Love J]

Hello! I’m new to being a puppy mom. My boyfriend and I recently got our own puppies. I have a cane corso mastiff/bull mastiff(dob 11/22/14), my bf has a doberman pincher(dob 12/1/14). As of right now they are eating a low quality food, Purina puppy chow. We’ve both been doing a lot of reading as to what we should switch them both to. Since they are both going to be large dogs, we were hoping to find a very good quality of food that would beneficial to the both of them. Any suggestions?

Also, my bf has a 12yo weimaraner, she’s 42pounds, and I have a 2yo pitbull/ridgeback or lab or Shepard something mix maybe? He’s 65 pounds. We have them both on Taste of the Wild. After a lot of reading on this site, I understand it did not make it on the list created by HDM, any suggestions on what might be suitable for our 2 current full grown dogs? Is there a possibility there might be a food that would be generally healthy for all 4 of our dogs, once the pups have matured more?

I have at the most 2 weeks of puppy food left… I’ve never been so excited about dog food being almost gone before…

Thank you for your time, any input is appreciated.

Amanda

[crazy4cats]

Hi Amanda-Love J-
Congrats on the new pups. Wow! Do you have your hands full or what? I’m glad that you are excited about switching foods. Here is a link with information about feeding large breed puppies: /best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
The most important factor when choosing a food for a Large Breed Pup is the calcium levels. Also important is to not over feed. There is a chart of recommended foods with appropriate calcium on this thread on about page 35 or 36. Also if you join the Editor’s Choice club, there are a few very highly recommended foods for your puppies on that list. I’ve heard Nutrisource large breed puppy and Wellness Core puppy food come up a few times from others as being good choices. After your pups are close to being full grown and their joints are done forming, you can switch to any high quality food.

Your other dogs can eat puppy or all life stages food as well, but you may have to adjust the amount fed as they are often higher in calories and fat.

Have fun with your zoo!

[Bralic H]

Ok, so I have St.Bernard/Great dane/Lab mix. He is just about 1 year old and roughly 95 to 100 lbs. I have been feeding him (Nature’s Variety Prairie Large Breed Puppy Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Medley Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag) from chewy.com. but the price just went up 20$ per bag so I am looking for a new food. I have several selected that are closer to my price range, but then I started to wonder, when should I be switching to adult food? He doesn’t seem to have grown much in the last few months, Would it be ok to order a large breed dog food instead of puppy? I want him to live a long and happy life, as him and my 3 month old daughter seem to be getting along great! His name is Wrex! This is him at about 2 months.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Bralic H.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Bralic H.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Bralic-
So you got yourself a tiny little guy, huh? Lol!I think I’ve read on here that it is fine to switch when they are at least 3/4 grown. So, you are probably fine to switch. You don’t need to, but I can understand if there is that much difference in price. Others can chime in on their thoughts. I mostly wanted to comment on how cute he was and probably still is. It sounds like a very interesting mix.

[david c]

i’m getting an irish wolfhound puppy in a week or two, i’ve had two wolfhounds and they were both raised on Iams. The first lived to she was almost 12yr and the second 7yrs and came down with a cancer called angiosarcoma but she had issues with changes in her stool regularly. I’ve been reading about dog foods and now i’m so confused about which food to use with all the different ingredents and so many different brands, brands that i never heard of or seen before in the pet stores in my area and i’m just wondering if i should just feed her real store bought food to elminate reading labels and all the guess work in what percentage of protein,fats, and carbohydrates exist and where they came from. Its way too much work. Can you feed a puppy home cooked food?

[Amanda-Love J]

Thank you crazy 4 cats. I’m still having a hard time finding a decent feed for my pups in my area. My bf and I are debating ordering food online to be delivered. This is really tough to figure out!

[crazy4cats]

I understand being hesitant about ordering food online. I was very leery myself until I gave it a try. Now I order about half of my crew’s food online. I was worried about damage and expiration dates. But so far so good. I Order from Chewy, Pet flow, Amazon, Petco, Pet Smart and Wag. I’ve never had an issue. Many of them have great specials. I get emails pretty much everyday from all of them offering deals. In fact I just ordered a bag of Merrick from Petco for $10 off with an order of at least $50 with free shipping. How are all of your pups doing? Good luck with your decision!

[CircaRigel]

I order Holistic Select Large and Giant puppy Lamb and Oatmeal formula from Amazon.com. I also get Tripett canned food, the beef tripe and the tripe & venison. The tripe contains digestive enzymes that are helpful to his digestion. The Holistic select has the low calcium and phosphorus needed to control growth at a healthy pace, and even contains probiotics to help digestion- especially as the digestive tract is still forming. The probiotics help prime his tract for healthy digestion and prevent colonization of harmful bacteria in Galen’s virgin digestive system.

So far, his health has been fantastic! His growth is EXACTLY where it should be, his coat is healthy (and he’s beginning to get his adult coat), and his stools are well formed, with no straining and nothing loose. For Galen, at least, this is a perfect combination of foods, and I purchase all of them on Amazon. By using the subscription service for the Tripett canned food, I even get a discount. Since I have 5 things on subscription, the discount is 15%. Under 5 items, the discount is 5%… and that’s in addition to any sale prices and coupons.

[Earl W]

Hound Dog Mom,

In your spreadsheet you created you listed Wellness Core Puppy. This is not specifically a large breed formula. Is it still good for large breeds? I’m currently feeding my dogs Blue Buffalo wilderness and I want to change it to the Wellness Core but I’m worried that the formula doesn’t specify that it’s for large breeds Is it still okay? Thanks in advance for your answer.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Earl-
I’m not HDM, but I have the answer for you. Unfortunately, she doesn’t come here too often lately as she is in school. Yes, Wellness is appropriate for your pup. It has the correct calcium levels for a large breed. There are no guidelines for a company to call their food LBP. In fact most of them lower the protein and fat in their formulas where actually it has been proven that it is the calcium that needs to be monitored, not protein. Wellness is a great choice. Good luck!

[Earl W]

Thanks crazy4cats. I appreciate the response and Wellness Core it is!

[simmy]

Hound Dog Mom,

I saw that you are buying your bulk meats from a distributor (over 300 lb.) in NY. I was wondering if is it possible to share the contact with me, I am in NYC.

[Amanda-Love J]

Crazy4Cats,

My bf and I found a good brand at tractor supply, EarthBorne Hollistic, we have successfully changed over all 4 dogs. Every one seems happy and healthy! I noticed this pet store on Facebook had just opened. They carry all grain free products, high end food. My BF and I went and checked it out, skeptical, thinking it would all be over priced. They are actually cheaper and WAY more knowledgeable, the lady that assisted me was happy we were feeding Earth borne. so far so good 🙂 I will figure out how to post a picture of the crew. I’m glad I’ve found this site, and a nice pet store! Hopefully this food works out, if not, we now at least have other options.

[Cecile R]

Hi Doglovers and forum members,

I live in Sri Lanka and feel that it is very difficult here to get quality advise on dog nutrition (or on dogs in general). I have a 4 months old Ridgeback/Great Dane mix (Tequila) and have done some research on the internet about how I should feed her and feel like the info is very different to what the vet here has recommended me to feed my puppy, so I was hoping that somebody could give me some feeding advise? It is fairly difficult to get proper pet food here, basically the only thing that is available is Pedigree and Eukanuba dry food and this is also really expensive.
We have 4 more dogs who are all strays in different ages which I have picked up from the street and adopted and they are happy to eat almost anything and don’t like the dry food much also, so I would cook for them brown rice with pumpkin or carrott and in the mornings chicken liver and in the afternoon the same with fish filet, sprats, or meat off-cuts form the butcher.
For Tequila I’m a bit more concerned as in no case I want her to get any hip problems later (especially as I feel the vets are differently qualified to Western ones)
Our vet has given me 3 different vitamin supplements with high Calcium content, but from what I have learned can a diet with high Calcium be harmful for large breeds – alright, I just stopped giving her those.
Up to now I have been feeding her the Pedigree Puppy dry food (Calcium approx. 1.1%) but will change this now to the Eukanuba Puppy for large breeds (Calcium approx. 0.96%). So far I have been feeding her 2 smaller servings of this in the morning and always mixed this with milk powder as advised by the vet and chicken liver. In the afternoon she’s getting the same food as the adult dogs as described above. Any opinions if this makes sense?
Tequila was fairly small and skinny when we got her (32cm and 6kg at 8 weeks), but looks healthy now to my opinion. She’s approx. 55cm high now and weighs about 16kg (she’s a bit more on the Ridgeback side, so I think this is okay for her age?)
Since she’s my first large breed I’m very concerned of doing anything wrong as I just want her to grow up healthily and would appreciate any comments and advise of people who are more experienced!
Thanks a lot in advance

[Bobby dog]

Hi Cecile:
Did you check out the links to all the articles on the first page of this thread? Here’s an article with more info on feeding large and giant breed puppies with references posted at the end that could help with your research.
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

Keep in mind the commercial foods you have access to are more than likely different from those available in the U.S. Looks like the Eukanuba is a better choice out of those two kibbles.

I can’t comment on the milk powder and chic liver mix other than maybe the milk powder would throw the calcium ratio off; IDK if it’s beneficial to feed or not. Hopefully someone else will pop in with more knowledge. Any extra foods should be kept at no more than 10% of his daily caloric intake to avoid nutritional imbalance.

If you are interested in more home cooked dog food recipes for your other dogs I can post the names of some books.

[BeachDogs]

Alexus L,

The calcium and phosphorus values in Earthborn Holistic foods are fine, well at least the three I recently checked by using the values from the manufacturers website and the Calcium Content Analyzer Tool here on DFA.

Meadow Feast: Calcium 1.2% and Phosphorus 1% with a ratio of Ca to P of 1.2 to 1

Coast Catch: Calcium 1.3% and Phosphorus 1% with a ratio of 1.3 to 1

Great Plains Feast: Calcium 1.5% <- on high end, but ok and Phosphorus 1.10% with a ratio of 1.4 to 1

This site recommends a minimum ratio of 1.1:1 and a maximum of 1.5:1

Anyone can correct me if I am wrong. I would want to know!

[Amanda-Love J]

I am curious now on the amount of food I should be feeding my pups. The lady at the pet store was very certain I’m over feeding all the dogs by a lot. They are eating EarthBorne Hollistic, coastal catch.

Bruno, 1/2 cane corso 3/8 bull mastiff 1/8 rottweiler, born 11/22, just over 40 pounds. Fed 3 times a day, 1 3/4 cups of food per feeding.

Zuessa, doberman pincher, born 12/1, just under 30 pounds. Fed 3 times a day 1 1/2 cups of food per feeding.

Bruce, Pitbull mix, 2 years old, 65 pounds. Fed 2 times a day 1 3/4 of food per feeding.

Dolci, weimaraner, 12 years old, 45 pounds. Fed 2 times a day 1 1/2 cups of food per feeding.

None of my dogs look fat, they are lean. All of the dogs are high energy, daily walks, lots of play time.

Suggestions?

[CircaRigel]

Just as people with different activity levels have different nutritional requirements, the same is true for dogs. The amounts you mention actually seem quite reasonable for the dogs you listed, especially if they are as lean as you say, and are active. You might be going a bit high on the two puppies, but not by much.

Of course, how much you feed also is going to depend on the water content and calorie content of the foods. Calorie dense foods should be served in smaller portions than lower calorie ones, and wet foods tend to have fewer calories than dry, dependent on water content.

The amount you’re feeding the Cane Corso/Mastiff is similar to the amount I feed my Shiloh Shepherd puppy, but as Galen is training to be a service dog, he gets more exercise than many puppies (He was born 11/20 and is around 44 lbs). Anywhere I go, he goes too. He’s expected to be 115-125 lbs full grown.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by CircaRigel.

[Amanda-Love J]

Thanks for your reply Belinda. The only time they are feed a little less than listed is their breakfast. They all get just a little less. But if you could see the circles they do on the couches and around the house, the pups are very high strung.

I’ve done a lot of research on how much I should feed them, but the lady at the pet store said I was over feeding and I should stick to the feeding guide lines on the back of the package. The guidelines are for dogs, not puppies. I tried explaining to her that and she kept insisting I would have over weight dogs sooner than later.

Any other advice is welcome, thanks again.

[CircaRigel]

Just because she runs a pet store doesn’t mean she’s an expert, and you’re right, the “guidelines” are generally for adult dogs, not growing puppies. Growing puppies need more frequent meals (3-4 a day). Provided your pups are good weights for their frames and not growing faster than is appropriate for the breed, I can’t see that you’re doing anything wrong. I mentioned my pup in my original reply as an example, and his current weight is right in the middle of the spread of all of his siblings… and the feeding guidelines I follow come directly from other breeders of Shiloh’s (breeders who have eliminated hip and elbow dysplasia from their lines, both genetic and growth related).

[Brandy S]

I have a Saint Bernard puppy she is 8.5months and weighs 81.5lbs she is healthy for the most part however I would really like to get a food that she likes and is not alergic too Science diet is off the table I have tried the following foods and the only one she likes is Beniful (not the best choice) Blue Buffalo giant breed puppy, large breed puppy from science diet (she had a bunch of respiratory stuff), eukanuba large breed puppy(she did not like this food at all), wellness puppy formula (not the large breed the fish one she does not like it much) and Beniful puppy(this food is not the best for her but she likes to eat it and will eat about 4cups a day). She is a picky eater I have thought about cooking her diet but I dont really have that kind of time and would like to keep food out for her. She will only eat when she wants I have tried the daily feeding twice a day and she starved herself. I love her bunches but I am at a loss for what kind of food to give her that wont be not eaten or that will make her sick. Thank you, RebaSaintMom

[cassandra v]

Is there a reason the phosphorus levels were left out of HDMs recommended foods?
I have an 8 week old GSD I was looking into natures variety Instinct rabbit meal (an all-life stage food). It is on her list but many people on forums say the ca levels are too high for a pup. (I called they are closed). I thought I was set on the food, but now im confused again! Anyone verify the Ca levels recently?

[Madelon H]

Hound dog mom – please help!!! After reading everything and researching food I’m still confused and stressed and my husband is threatening to divorce me! I have a 12 month GSD who is solid black. I’m very protective because we got him from a great breeder but he had issues when he was little – despite giving medicine from breeder he had a parasite and horrible diahrea after treating parasite. I switched his food to royal canine gs puppy (recommended by my vet) and his stools firmed up and he’s done great. His trainer recently said RC is crap food and recommended Merrick – after researching I both agree and disagree. I talked to the breeder and she said she likes RC because they have not jumped on the advertising bandwagon of trying to list ingredients that consumers want and because they have prescription food they actually DNA test their food. So I’m still soooooo confused – thinking of switching him to Fromm large breed – please help – what do you recommend? I just want him to be healthy after his horrible start in life – I even spent the money to have him tested as a puppy for that genetic digestive disorder because I was so worried – $500 later it was negative 🙂

[C4D]

Hi Madelon H,

I’m not Hound Dog Mom, but I do agree that RC is not a very good food. Your dog’s stools firmed up because it’s a bag of food whose main ingredient is rice. This is HDM’s list of dog foods that appears earlier in this discussion:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit

[Madelon H]

Thanks c4d but it looks like the list is for puppy food and I’m trying to find adult food – any lists for that?

[crazy4cats]

Hi Madelon-
My pups had a rough start also. They both had a terrible case of giardia that was extremely difficult to get rid of. Is that what your pup had? They had several treatments to get rid of it and I believe due to that they developed either a leaky gut or colitis.

I don’t think that RC is a terrible food. But I do think it is too expensive for what it is. Also, most that frequent this site believe that there is no perfect food and it is best to feed a variety. You don’t have to give up the RC, you can keep it in your rotation. So far, after my pup’s rough start, Victor grain free joint health, California Natural pork and peas and Merrick grain free duck have worked the best with their sensitive tummies. The Victor is budget friendly while the others need to be on sale for me to purchase!

Where do you typically buy your food? You could alway print off the list of 4 and 5 star food lists from the review side of this website and take it with you to the store or have it by you when you search for a food on the computer.

Once you get set on your kibble, I feel it is best to add a more species appropriate food to it, such as, canned or fresh foods that are less processed. I feed canned, eggs, sardines and lightly cooked meats to my dogs’ meals.

Good luck!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Madelon H]

Yes Doc had giardia and a bladder infection – I think we did three rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it and when he tested negative he still had diahrea which is when I put him on the royal canin GSD – it was a stressful time. He comes from an impressive blood line and is truly a gorgeous dog. I’m reluctant to change foods but feel the royal canin is too expensive – I have a lab/collie mix who is on royal canin satiety because she was a fatty patty and she’s done great on it – I like royal canin for their prescription food. Doc is my first large breed dog and I know GSD tend to have sensitive tummies which is why I’m nervous about switching – royal canin GSD claims to have things in the food designed to be easy to digest and help with the sensitive stomach issue. Shortly after we got Doc we lost my boston terrier Bugsy – it was the worst time of my life – I had him for 14 years and in his last three years he had to have an eye removed and then suffered two major strokes which required hand feeding him and teaching him how to walk again – his head was permanently crooked – he was the sweetest most loving perfect dog ever – I tell you all of this to say Doc – which I was reluctant about getting but my husband wanted – helped me and my 12 year old son get through the roughest time and has brought us so much joy that I want the very best for him. I don’t like the idea of feeding human food – don’t think it’s really safe for us 🙂 and I don’t want to rotate because of stomach issues – I’m really thinking of fromm right now.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Madelon-
I am very sorry about your loss. Bugsy sounds like an amazing dog! I’m glad that Doc is helping you through your rough times. While I don’t agree with “human” food being bad for dogs. That is what this forum is about, sharing ideas and opinions. If you think what they put in human food is bad, can you imagine what may be going in to dog food? I’m not talking about giving your dog pizza. Just an egg, fish, or plain lean lightly cooked meats with their kibble. But you would definitely need to be comfortable with it. I think that Fromm is an excellent brand. Just take the transition Veerrrry slowly! Please let us know how it goes if you decide to do it. Good luck. I wish you and your family well. I know how stressful it is! We struggled through it too. No Divorces!!! Lol!

[Madelon H]

Thanks crazy4cats. I actually never thought about or knew what dog food was made of. After my trainer said rc was not good I found this website was appalled to learn what is in some dog foods which is why I want to switch foods now that I am “I formed”. My pet store is petco but I don’t think they carry Fromm so I’ll probably order it online

[C4D]

UGH! C4C, My original foster failure had giardia too. The rescue insisted that he was fine and just had a nervous tummy and I told them that even on boiled chicken, rice, pumpkin and slippery elm I only got stools that had to be hosed down, not even firm enough to scoop. 🙁 The only thing that finally got him through it was Metranidazole. I use probiotic Kefir and pumpkin in every breakfast on everyone and all the new rescues, and found Diatomaceous Earth on a rotational basis to be a godsend.

[Trout-lily]

Hi all
As if two rounds of giardia wasn’t enough, our 1 year old Berner has started to chew the wood trim in the room we’re keeping her in during the day. Deer antlers, dried sweet potatoe wedges, nylabones, Kong treat blends, and long walks don’t seem to keep our darling from destroying the trim. I don’t want to go the rawhid route, but it seems it’s a texture thing with her. My husband treatens to put her back in the crate but she is 75lbs and is completely done with potty training. Any advice on what to give her to occupy her time?

Thanks!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Erin-
I wouldn’t go the rawhide route. Especially, if she is being left unattended. I think they are too dangerous. I have two 80lb lab mix dogs and the only thing I would feel comfortable leaving them with unattended would be a stuffed Kong. They have attempted and have been successful at swallowing too many things they shouldn’t. I still crate my boys when they will be left alone for more than an hour or two in the house and they will be 4 years old in July. They go right in them when we leave for work in the morning… for a treat of course! I really don’t like the fact that they are in them for so long at times, but it is much safer for them and my house.

[CircaRigel]

Erin,
My Shiloh Shepherd is currently teething, losing his baby teeth. I find that he prefers bully rings over any rawhide and furniture, and many people say the same thing. You can generally find ones made in the USA, without corn, wheat, soy or preservatives at a reasonable price, and they’re fully digestible.

[Trout-lily]

thank you for your help on the chewing. I ended up finding the bully sticks at a local farm store and she loves them. I also found creative ways online on how to build a kong treat. So far, so good on the chewing!

Regarding the giardia, it’s not back but she’s getting loose stools. Our vet recommended ‘the science diet: I/D’ for 10 days with a tablespoon of yogurt, which really helped, but now that we’re transitioning back to the Earthborn Holistic: Coastal Catch her stools are getting progressively worse. The vet really zapped her belly with 2 different antibiotics, so is this food to hard on her tummy? Should I switch to the Holistic select or Fromm? I definitely know that little bag of SD I/D wasn’t enough to transition her verrryy sssllloowwlly back to the Coastal Catch, so I’m also wondering if this is our issue.

Thanks in advance for all of your help. I really don’t know what I would do without this forum as I work through issues with my first fur baby!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Trout-lilly-
I experienced the same ordeal with my pups, except they had way more than 2 rounds of antibiotics. Youch!!! They still have some issues with soft stools and they are almost four years old. They are doing much better. Here was and still is my favorite go to site for help with their bellies. http://www.dogaware.com/health/digestive.html

If she was doing well on the SD I/D, I would probably get another bag (or two) of it, get her back to normal and try the transition verrryy sssllowwly this time. LOL! Keep up with the probiotics. You could even try something other than yogurt that has more strains of probiotics. There are some suggestions on the link I shared with you above. Along with a probiotic you could try a small amount of canned plain pumpkin or what I liked even better was canned Fruitables digestive supplement during the transition.
On that link there are several supplements that are recommended for IBS, Colitis, Leaky gut and so on. I have used just about every one of them! I still rotate and they ARE helpful. The ones I’ve tried (and still use) are: Perfect Form, Gastriplex, Vetri-Pro BD, Phytomucil, and Seacure.

You might want to try to transition to a limited ingredient food at first. Good luck!

I wish you luck as I know it is stressful. But, I get compliments on how good my dogs look all the time when we are walking them. There is hope!!!!

[Ellen D]

I’m hoping there is a simple answer to this question. I have a very picky 15 week old labradoodle puppy. Right now, the only foods he will eat are Darwin’s raw beef recipe and my homemade food (following the Ottowa Valley Dog Whisperer recipe).

I’d like to get into 100% homemade, but I don’t have a meat grinder currently and would like to be sure of everything before I invest in one. I also don’t always have the time to sit and watch him eat his bones, so I’d like to have ground options for times when he doesn’t have my 100% undivided attention.

So, if I order chubs of pre-ground meats (such as Blue Ridge Beef, etc.) that has the correct ratio of meat to bone to organs, and mix that with my own fruit/vegetable and supplement blend (assuming I offer the correct supplements at correct dosages and add no additional calcium), then the inclusion of the ground bone should provide for the appropriate levels of calcium and phosphorus in the correct ratios, yes?

Last question – does any one have experience with Allprovide premade raw food? It looks to me like the puppy mix ha the appropriate ca:phosphorus ratio and has quality ingredients. It has 2.33g of calcium and 2.09g of phosphorus per 1,000kcal.

[Anonymous]

http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

Recipe for a homemade diet by a homeopathic veterinarian

[Tim M]

We are getting a female black lab puppy the end of May when she will be 8 weeks. I’m wondering what would be a good food to start off with.

As of right now we have a 13yr old beagle and an 12 yr old yellow lab. They both are on the Hills science diet z/d. Our beagle had gotten pancreatitis and we ended up switching to that food about 6 months ago as per recommendation from our vet. We just found out he has lymphoma and we don’t know how much longer he will be with us. Our lab has had ear infections pretty much his whole life but since we switched he has not had one. This is one of the reasons why I’m wanting something good to start off with.

[InkedMarie]

Ellen,
do some google searches on Blue Ridge beef. One, the guy who owns it also owns a rendering company; that alone makes me suspect. Two, its very cheap food. Thats a red flag for me. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

look at Reel Raw Dog. Good prices & free shipping. Depending on where you live, you get free shipping if you buy in 30lb or 50lb increments.
Hare Today is also good but no free shipping.

[Ellen D]

InkedMarie – thanks for the suggestion. I have done some investigating into the company, and while I have good friends who feed BRB products to the dogs they breed (and are very pleased with the product), I am still on the fence about it. I was really just using it as an example. I am most likely going to order from My Pet Carnivore, since I can literally see one of their dropoff locations from my living room window. Very convenient. I’m just asking about how much I have to worry about the calcium/phosphorus if I’m using meat ground with bones and organs all together. I don’t want to ruin his joints.

[Maria S]

Hello everyone!! ☺️

Im so glad I found this place to ask and share information about our lovely dogs, I just got a Great Pyrenees her name is Lulu and she is 8 weeks, I was reading some of the comments about what would be the best food and so far what I am understanding is that calcium has to be low correct? I looked through the list of leading foods and did a little research. I’m thinking to get her started on earthbone hollistics meadow feast, I just want to make sure that this will be ok for her since she still a puppy and is not market it as puppy food? Or are there any other suggestion?

Thank you so much in advance! Hugs and kisses from lulu as well!

[InkedMarie]

Maria,
Hopefully someone will come along with what page in this thread has the list of appropriate foods for large breed puppies.

[Ellen D]

I think this is the latest list.
Large breed puppy food list

[Pitlove]

Tim M- The link that Ellen just posted above is the link that you want to check out in terms of which food would be best to start your lab off with. Hound Dog Mom has done painstaking research to figure out which brands had proper calcium levels and calcium to phos ratios and this is her most updated list.

It consists of grain-free and grain-inclusive food options. I would definitely start there! Also you should know that all these foods are 4 and 5 star quality.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Hey guys,
was reading through the front few pages for some help with a question about pano. i kind of got most of my answer but i guess i still have some questions..heres the story

i work at petco as some of you know already and i had a customer today whos 5 mo lab has already been diagnoised with pano. her vet recommended a senior dog food that was low in protein because she explained that high protein can cause over growth in large breed puppies. i thought that sounded weird but i really didnt want to completely be rude and go against her vet (since im in a professional setting) but i did mention to her what i know from Hound Dog Mom about calcium levels etc. i read through some of the articles HDM posted and saw that the protein theory was debunked but some vets still hold on to that. why is that? lack of education about recent research or what? SHOULD a dog that already HAS pano be on low protein? or is that not true either? i guess i’m wondering if the low protein diet her vet recommended was because the dog already has pano and its no longer a matter of preventing it

[jher315]

Hi all! I’ve been coming to DFA website for years but this is my first visit to the forums. I have a 4 1/2yr old Bernese Mountain Dog. She’s been on Taste of the Wild for most of her adult life and we rotate meat sources within the brand. She has just whelped her first (and last) litter 2wks ago. She’s currently at her breeder’s home with the puppies – we plan to keep one pup from the litter. My husband is wanting to switch food over for both dogs due to the expense. One bag of ToTW is $50, so he doesn’t want to spend $100/mo eventually feeding two berner’s. I am trying to find another food that is reasonably priced but high quality. Having a hard time as I’m going through the list. Does anyone know off-hand a grain-free option that is under $50 for a 25-30lb bag? We usually buy locally at a small chain store (Chuck and Don’s) as they have reward programs for many brands (buy 10 bags, get 11th free, etc…)… but I’m willing to buy online also if that’s the cheaper route. Appreciate any input!

[OnyxMom]

Hello Jen!

I feel your pain about the cost, but honestly I’ve done my research on the dfa site and at pet food stores. You won’t be able to find a better food at a cheaper price. Totw gets five stars on the dfa website. I do however buy on amazon which costs me about 43/44 bucks a bag. Try that?

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