[DogFoodie]

Good luck, Roger!

I can tell you this, my dog would definitely react to the RC Hydrolyzed Protein Food starting with the very first ingredient, brewer’s rice. My dog reacts to lots of different things, the least of which are animal proteins.

[Harley R]

hello everyone who knows anything one this-
I am sure you have said this many times but I would just like to be sure
I have a Great Dane Weimaraner cross who is only 13 days old. I have been bottle feeding him since he was 4 days. He is now drinking between 1.5 to 2 oz every 3 to 4 hours.
I do not know if that is info you need or helps in anyway but I have done lots of research as to what to feed him when he gets to eating dry food and i keep ending up with two different views on if one thing is good for them and if it is not good for him.
From what i can tell you know your stuff on dogs and I am interested to know what feed would be best for him.
We would also give him fresh meat every week and and in can food.
So with that what dry and canned food do you suggest for him.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Harley R.

[Gina]

Hello,
I am going to be getting a Golden Retriever Puppy and decided on feeding him Annamaet Salcha. It meets the requirements for calcium/ phosphorus ratio but I do not see anyone talk about this food in this thread. Do you think this is a good food to feed a LB puppy?
I currently feed Annamaet to my 4 year old dog (she weighs 48lbs) and she does amazing on it.
Thanks!

[Harley R]

Regina C-
most foods are not good for both puppies and adult dogs. The food my have what is needed for an adult but puppies require different ratios

[Gina]

Annamaet is ALS and it meets the calcium 1.13%/ phosphorus 0.96% ratio’s for a growing LB puppy.
Thanks!

[Pitlove]

Hi Harley- Look into Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy for your boys kibble. It’s highly recommended in the Dane community. My boyfriends brothers Great Dane has been on it since he was a puppy ( he’s on the Adult formula now ) and he grew perfectly. He’s lean muscular and very healthy.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Pitlove.

[Harley R]

Pitlove-
thanks for the input i will look into it

[Julie J]

our Oes is now at the 1 year mark so many say stick with puppy food another group say dont feed large breed its a scam personally if it has the ingredients I dont care what the colour of the bag is …. NOW big question what is the ingredients .. Ive been told no to the Iams she came on vet switched to royal canine then told NO corn so put on petcurian was going good up till month ago and now she wont touch it ,,,, not sure if a bad bag or ?? she will eat other samples of From tried it as a test Im not a fan of fromm so …is there a simple answer ……. what is best to feed to an average Oes at 1 year old she is great body condition right now I dont want to mess with that she is on the smaller side but so was the parents 60-70 at full age so she is on target of that any help or suggestion would be really appreciated I need to get food into her besides the fresh raw veggies that she absolutely loves…

[Erika B]

I have a cane Corso and I had switched him 4 times before u found the right food. I also had him on fromm and it didn’t work out. So I switched him to Acana pacifica all life stages, it’s fish based but the first 5 ingredients is meat. Check it out and their other products. He might have been allergic to chicken, but all I know it’s been working, his stools went from losely soft to nice and firm. Also, look into earthborne, they also have a bag that has few meats listed before getting into the rest of the ingredients.

[Julie J]

acana is high in ca;orie count and im not a real believer of no grain unless they already have allergy

[Erika B]

You can feed less of it and my pup has been having a slow steady lean growth weight… but it’s up to you and your preference.

[Pitlove]

Hi Julie- I agree that some large breed foods aren’t really well a “scam”, but they aren’t always formulated to meet the calcium needs for large breed puppies. A lot of people opt to feed an adult maintenance food with the correct levels of calcium, but I’m not comfortable with offering advice on an adult food. I don’t think it matters as long as the food has the controlled levels of calcium that is needed for optimal growth. I’d say that this point, since your dog is not a giant breed, you could switch to an adult maintenance or all life stages food and continue feeding to maintain ideal weight. I feed Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult to my pitbull and he does very well on it, but since you are not a fan of Fromm I will not suggest that one. My 5 or 6 year old Chocolate Lab is being transitioned to NutriSource Large Breed Adult and he really likes it. It is chicken based, but NutriSource seems to have good palatability. You could look at some of their other foods as well. They do make grain free if thats the route you’d like to choose.

[Julie J]

thank you Pitlove for the advice and suggestions doing the research and reading I have come up with different levels of calcium ……. to call them correct how would I figure out what is best for her…. she has nice muscle tone and puts it to the test daily!! I will have a look at fromm why do you like it so do they do good research and I will have a good look at nutrisource

[Hershy]

Hello- Is there an updated version of the Calcium safe Large breed puppy foods for pups under 8 months old? The one linked has Royal Canin Maxi-Starter as a 4 star food (I used to use it, but it is different now) On the regular list of dog foods it is shown as a 3.5 star food. I recently bought some (To get it, I now have to register as a breeder who will promote their food, and it is available only through RC). It is awful now! I had used it successfully for a few years for my pregnant mom, and then for her pups up to 8wks old, but after receiving it, and just sniffing it, I can no longer use it. My girl won’t touch it now. She ate it reluctantly when first opened, and eventually spit it up. I tried putting it with her other food, but no.

I am very disappointed since I felt I was on a pretty good program specifically for moms and baby dogs (relative to processed foods -I know they aren’t the best over all-I am trying to use the best I can afford).

Because I am no longer confident that the Royal Canin is a good quality food, I would be thankful if anyone can suggest for me a good mother and baby dog food to start them on, My dam is in her final trimester! I am very concerned for the nutrition of my dogs. The health of my dogs and pups is my greatest interest. I give them raw chicken from time to time to at least give them a nutritional boost, but the adult dogs we have are generally eating the Victor dog foods: Hi-Pro Professional (aqua bag); grain free (red bag and gray bag). We have been pleased with the better quality Victor products – a great value.

Thank you in advance for any counsel anyone can offer.

[A]

Good evening all,
I am going to be adopting with my husband a 16 weeks old pit puppy, she is already 40 lbs. I want to find the best large breed puppy food that will not stunt her growth but not cause her to grow faster then needed for her. Her parents are both 100lbs plus from what we were told.
We have looked at firstmate puppy and looked a tad into wellness.
Any recommendations?

Thank you!!

[Eric M]

I am looking for a top level food for my 6 month old GSD that has large kibble like the Royal Canine. The large kibble is easy to use during training. I have been feeding Orjien but she does not digest it well. She actual has four bowel movements a day with just 2 cups. She digest the Royal Canine well but I do not like the quality. Any suggestions?

[Pitlove]

Hi Eric- NutriSource Large Breed Adult Chicken and Rice is actually an all life stages formula that is safe for large puppies. The pieces are huge and it has high palatability for training. This food could definitely work for you.

[Pitlove]

Hi Anja- Wow a pitbull that’s 40lbs at 16 weeks? Sounds like you may have an American Bully. A few foods that you could look into are: Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, NutriSource Large Breed Puppy, Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy, Orijen Puppy Large and even NutriSource Large Breed Adult Chicken and Rice which despite the name is an all life stages formula with safe calcium levels.

[A]

Good morning pitlove,
One of my friends who is a dog trainer said the same thing right away. She’s a chunky but sticky short little thing.
Supposedly her parents were over 100lbs each but God only knows they could have been very over fed.
We did end up putting her on Fromm. I liked their ingredients and she does well on it so far.

We have our mastiffs on firstmate and love the brand. I recommended it to anyone.
Our one mastiff has liver disease and is doing amazing on the senior diet from them her levels are way better then when on the hepatic royal canine or hills.
And our vet has signed off and even said that its allot better.

Thank you!

[Hershy]

Hi, and Merry Christmas season!
Is there an updated list for Calcium safe large breed puppy food that I may have missed? Could someone link for me the latest version?
Thank you!

[Eric M]

Pitlove would ‘Now Grain free Large breed adult’ be better or equal compared to the ‘NutriSource Large Breed Adult Chicken and Rice’?

[Pitlove]

Hi Eric- I couldn’t tell you because I’ve never used NOW so I’m unsure how big the kibble is. I’m currently using the NutriSource formula I mentioned and its some of the biggest kibble I’ve seen personally.

[Pitlove]

Hi again Anja- She sure does sound like a Bully! How cute! Pitbulls are wonderful dogs.

Great news about deciding on a food. Fromm is excellent. I personally have never used FirstMate but have heard good things about it. My pitbull was on Fromm, but he started being picky again so he’s now eating my other dogs food which is NutriSource and loves it even more than he loved the Fromm Gold. I’m pleased with both brands. Fromm is probably always gonna be one of my favorites because it’s the first food that helped his skin problems.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Eric,

I personally like Now and have used it myself. One thing in particular that I really like about it is that it doesn’t use meat meals, only fresh meats. It sounds like you’re looking at adult formulas, but if you were to be looking for a LBP, I’d just be sure to check the calcium and the C to P ratio. If memory serves, it might be bordering on high.

[DEBBIE R]

Help!! I am currently feeding my 6 month old yellow lab, Abbey, Wellness Core Puppy. I just read on the web that they add Green Tea Extract to the formula which can cause Liver toxicity. I need to change her food but I don’t know what to change to. Abbey weighs 55 pounds now and looks healthy. She has had bad gas for the last month and her stool does not always have good form.
I got Abbey after a devastating loss of my 16 month Lab Maggie, who went into kidney failure after an undiagnosed kidney disease. I would be devastated if I have damaged
Abbey. PLEASE HELP

[anonymously]

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, I hope you have a vet that you trust that can advise you.
If Green Tree Extract is in the dog food mentioned, I would assume it was in minute amounts that are considered safe.
PS: Have you read the ingredients on the bag of whatever bread you use for yourself lately?

[A]

Debbie

We have our presa girls on first mate and our bully pup is on Fromm.
They have been doing great on it, the vet said that our dogs are doing great on the first mate.
Our little presa has liver disease and has been doing a ton better on the firstmate then when she was on the hills diet hepatic.

We love firstmate and Fromm and haven’t had any issues. I have also looked into kasiks which is the sister brand to firstmate.

Thank you!

[Linda B]

Hi!
I understand that we need to watch the calcium levels in the foods our large breed puppies are eating as well as avoiding over feeding. My concern is treats… I’ve heard that freeze dried liver is high in calcium. Should this be limited as a treat for my puppy? I would imagine cheese is a big no no. I need to use a lot of high value treats, (as well as puppy kibble) for training purposes but I am concerned about the “hidden calcium” adding up.
Thank you for any advice!
Linda

[aimee]

Hi Linda,

You can find information to guide you in the USDA nutrient database. For example, while they don’t list freeze dried liver, there is an entry for raw liver. The Ca is reported as 5 mg/135 kcals which is 37 mg/1000kcals. For growth the safe upper limit as reported by NRC for Ca is 4500mg/1000kcals. In comparison then you can see that liver isn’t a high calcium food. However you may want to limit how much liver you use for other reasons.

For cheese… mozzarella they report 505 mg for 300 kcals= 1683mg/1000kcals So from a calcium standpoint cheese is fine to use as well.

It is recommended not to exceed ~10% of the total daily caloric amount from unbalanced sources. I have used a different complete and balanced food with an appropriate Ca amount as treats for training and I have placed kibble into a plastic zip lock and let it stay overnight in the fridge with a few slices of hot dog in the bag… kibble with a kick of flavor.

Good luck with your pup!

[Linda B]

Thank you so much!!! This is very helpful information! I really appreciate your taking time to share this with me!
🙂 Linda

[aimee]

You are welcome Linda! Happy training!

[S B]

H!
I have a 4 month old German Shepard, I’m trying to find a good large breed puppy food for him. I’m feeding him Whole earth farms puppy food but its not for large breed. I’ve done a lot of research. And don’t know what would be the best for him .

[Pitlove]

Hi S B- Take a look at Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy, NutriSource Large Breed Puppy or Precise Holistic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy. If you’d like to go the route of feeding foods that have been feed trialed with large breeds you could try Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy, Hill’s Ideal Balance Large Breed Puppy or Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy.

[Jenn H]

Thank you so much. I have GSDs. And my 7 month old has the confirmation of a show dog which has me so worried about his future.
I am so careful and militant about what & how much he’s fed. I can’t believe how much time I’ve spent contacting dog food people because they put the minimum only on most labels. I’m trying to find out how to change that and make it so the max be required.

Another thing worth mentioning with large & xlarge dogs is at 6 months they can be started on joint supplements. I prefer to give the types that don’t have extra vitamins & minerals. Just the usual ingredients for joints only like glucosamine,, chondroitin, HA, MSM, etc.

[Jenn H]

Saireah you’ll want to use the serving suggestions on the package as a guide.
Then weigh your pup regularly ( I weigh mine weekly). And make sure he has a fairly steady growth, but not too quickly.
For example, my guy has gained 2lb/wk pretty much every wk if his life. Some weeks he’s only gained 1 lb, but the next he’ll gain 3. These are usually when he has a noticeable yet tiny growth spurt.
It’s all about controlling the rate of growth. Not trying to get him as big as possible as quickly as possible.

[Jenn H]

Linda I usually use chicken liver as a training treat as well. What I do is subtract from his regular food. That way he doesn’t go over the daily recommendation of Ca.

[crazy4cats]

Hi SB-

I believe that the Whole Earth Farms Puppy recipe falls within the guidelines to be safe for large breed puppies. I’ve had good luck with this brand.

The foods that Pitlove mentioned are also great. German Shepherd puppies are adorable. Best of luck to you!

[S B]

How is Blue Buffalo wilderness? I’ve heard vary good stuff about it but also bad stuff. In the review on this website it said ” the concentrated version of this ingredient commonly known as caramel coloring has been more recently considered controversial and found to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”And there’s a lawsuit saying that blue buffalo has been lieing, it says they put by-products and corn in there food.

[InkedMarie]

You read about the lawsuit….why even think about feeding it? There are many many more good foods out there without issues.

[Pitlove]

Blue Wilderness was the first kibble my pit ever ate. He never really did that great on it and didn’t like it much, so I can’t say. Personally, I think there are much better foods out there (the ones I listed) that are not overpriced like Blue.

[crazy4cats]

Hi S B-
I’m not a big fan of Blue either. Especially after the recent lawsuit against them. I believe they are extremely overpriced and you can find something equal or better for a better price. Also, I wanted to let you know that the WEF puppy food was recently taken off the list of approved large breed puppy foods. Again, Fromm Gold, Horizon Complete, Orijen, Wellness, Eukanuba and Hill’s Ideal Balance all have puppy foods that fall within the guidelines.
In addition, Pitlove who has researched LBP foods recommends Nutrisource and Precise large breed puppy foods. Best of luck. Your new pup is sooo cute! Good job getting his pic loaded.

[Jenn H]

When Blue Buffalo first came out it was excellent. I was able to get 1 of my dogs off of z/d because he tolerated it just fine. The only reason I had gotten it was because another of my dogs had osteosarcoma and was getting picky about food (not sure if the treatments/meds/supplements made foods tatse different). He did very well on it also and liked it a lot.
Until about a year ago I had it in the rotation. The dogs still liked it and were fine. It wasn’t until someone mentioned to me that they were becoming a bit shady did I start digging.
Lesson learned. Before rotating back to any food I check them out again like it’s a new food.
Bottom line is I won’t use Blue Buffalo anything anymore. Any company that sells out, lies, is questionable, etc is not a food for my dogs.

[Jenn H]

I realize this post/topic is a few yrs old by now, but I saw Hound Dog Mom’s probiotics suggestions. Figured I’d add my 2¢.
Probiotics are so good for everyone. And I totally agree w/ everything said. Just remember that if your dog is on an antibiotic do not give the probiotic less than 2 hrs before or after giving the antibiotic. It can sort of cancel out the a/b.
My favorites are:
Wysong Pet Innoculant. Excellent. Very pricey though.
Nutri-vet Food Transitional Support packets. Conveniently available at PetCo and not expensive.
Goat milk
Fage yogurt

You should also rotate probiotics just as you would rotate feeding.

[Carrie P]

Try Fido Active Supplement to make your dogs even better and stronger. and no joint issues. this supplement is very effective and well proven.

[Darek N]

Hello there. I have a Golden Retriever and had follow Large Breed Puppy Food List. I try few different kinds of Fromm Four Star but he had loose stool so we settle on Erthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and Dr. Tims Kinesis. now that he is going to be a one year old should I change his food to something different or start adding some supplements for joints. I just want to make sure that I’m feeding him properly spatially that he is going to be a year old.
Thank you for any advise

[Jenn H]

There’s a lot of theories floating around about when to switch a lg breed puppy to adult food. Because my GSDs are very active and use every bit of fat & protein I tend to keep them on lbp food longer than a yr. Usually up to 18 months. Or I’ll switch to an adult food for all life stages and/or lg breed adult. I’ve had dogs take 3 yrs to finish growing. (Usually unaltered males.)
No matter what food they are fed I keep the calcium as close to 1.5% or less until I am certain they are finished growing.

It’s fine to start them on joint supplements as early as 6 months. My 8 month old has already been on them for 2 months.
I prefer liquid since more of it is absorbed, but I’ve also had really great results from NuPro.
Cosequin is another brand that has worked great for a lot of my horses. They now make a version for dogs.

Things I look for in joint supplements is:
***glucosamine hydrochloride
*promotes healthy joints
*enhances body’s ability to produce collagen & joint fluid
*helps body to repair joint damage
***chondroitin sulfate
***MSM
*organic form of sulfur that connective tissue needs for maintenance
*HA

Whole food supplements w/ a lot of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs):
•sea cucumber
•green-lipped mussel
•shark cartilage
•eggshell membrane
You’ll often find these listed as sources on labels of joint supplements. Especially the mussel & shark cartilage.

Take care to find out where ingredients are sourced blah blah blah like you would for dog food.

[S B]

Thank you for all the help with the food. I finally desided on NutriSource Large breed puppy food.

[Pitlove]

Great choice S B. Good luck!

[Alexis Y]

Wow! You guys are amazing in your knowledge! I have just added my first Irish Wolfhound puppy to our family 2 days ago. I originally started reading this forum because I want to ensure she receives the best food I can provide. Her breeders started her on wellness just for puppies canned food at the time of weaning. They suggested Wilderness puppy for dry food, but after reading the previous posts, that won’t be happening. Can anyone give me a good suggestion on what to feed her. Her stool is soft serve like and I’d love to remedy that if possible. She seems happy with the wet food, but, is there a benefit to wet vs dry? I’d prefer to feed dry food as I’ve always had better experience with dry with previous pups(none have been as large as she will be).
I live in a very small town and I’m not sure how experienced our vet is with this breed. Though she has always been great with my other babies, this little girl is a bit less common and a lot bigger(eventually) than my other babes have been.
I want to give this little girl the best beginning to ensure a long, happy healthy life.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Justin A]

I have an Irish Wolfhound pup as well (he’ll be 13 months on the 11th) and have been looking for a dry food that would give him firmer stool as well. My guy generally has “soft serve” like stool as you describe.

When I got him he had been on Purina Pro Plan Dry Dog Food, Focus, Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Rice Formula with the breeder and for a bit with me. This is probably when his stool was the firmest.

I wanted to get a better food for him and went with Whole Earth Farms Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food. I tried that for about 4 30lb bags worth but his stool stayed soft the entire time.

I then tried Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, roughly through 3 bags (33lbs I think) but didn’t see a change.

I am now on my 4th bag of Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food (30lbs) and I really haven’t seen an improvement.

I am almost now thinking it may be something else, like the various treats I give him or maybe the soft stool isn’t an issue (other than clean up!).

[Author]

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