[Darren S]

I have a Bullmastiff puppy on the way. Im looking for recommendations on puppy food? Don’t want to do a raw diet. Thank you.

[Naturella]

Darren,

This thread here should help: /forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/#post-47810

It has great info on large and giant breed puppy nutrition, as it is very important to balance the calcium and phosphorus ratio right. On page 17 or so there should be a document you can download with acceptable foods for large and giant breed puppies.

Good luck with the new pup! 🙂

[Heather D]

Hello members. Thank heavens I have found this site though have done nothing this morning with regard housework as just been reading.
We have a Spanish Mastiff crossed with a German Shepherd, rescued from a filthy pen some 4 weeks ago when he was just 6 weeks old. Riddled with parasites internal and external. Has been to the vet’s three times now but doing very well.
previously we had a couple of English Pointers so I was aware of the growth/calcium issue and they were reared to be 14 years. Dusty the bitch, spayed, died with skin cancer. We live in Spain and she was mostly white and was a momkey for lying in the sun with her legs splayed and stomach bared to the sun, she contracted skin cancer and sadly had to be put to sleep aged 14.
Bracken her pal, though not from the same litter, died just 6 weeks after Dusty with a heart attack.
They were reared for their first 18 months on Hills prescription for large breeds and did really well with it.
Now to our new little, well quite big puppy.
He couldn’t tolerate Hills so the vet advised Eukanuba food for large breed puppies and I give him two small additional feeds of cooked turkey each day to add to his protein as the dry food is 26% and wanted to increase it. He is tolerating it well, but I want him to have the best I can afford, and buy. We are pensioners and though not destitute we have to budget.
Spain is not known for it’s care of dogs, and sadly, living in the heart of Andalucia away from the Costas most dogs are raised on dry bread, yes dry bread and anything else they can find. These are the conditions our puppy Max was born into. Locked in a large fenced and gated pen, the owner coming only once per week to bring a sack of dry bread rolls and fill their water bowls. So we have adopted the family and go each night to feed and water through the fence.
The parents and the 2 other pups are doing well, and the owner as a thankyou gave us Max.
There are just 2 pet stores within a couple of hours drive that do sell some varied brands.
We want the very best for Max and from your lists I just don’t know if I am going to find any of the foods you mention.
My question is, sorry after this ramble, if I cannot find any you mention will Max be ok continuing on his Eukanuba for large breed puppies along with his cooked turkey, and are there any other things I can give him to supplement if he has to stay on this diet?

[Heather D]

Well what a disappointment this has been. Paid to join the forum, something I have never had to do before and not one answer, not even a welcome, let alone an answer, though I can live with that.
By joining this forum I thought I was doing the best for Max, a place where I could discuss with other animal lovers, run by professionals, and I am ignored, or should I say Max a 10 week old puppy’s plight is ignored.
Please how do I get my money back, this forum is not for me.

[aquariangt]

It’s a forum, not sure what you meant by “run by professionals” but forums are a place where people gather to discuss things. Looking at your previous post, you posted at 5:30 in the morning, that could easily be bumped down to the point where no one even saw it as a recent comment being so early, and not that many people are up and posting on the forums. No need to be rude-and attempting to guilt people doesn’t get you very far, anywhere in life really. (referring to this comment: “should I say Max a 10 week old puppy’s plight is ignored”)

Take a look at the above post that Naturella linked the list of acceptable foods for a large breed puppy, the most recent list in on page 15. Eukanuba is not a good food. That entire thread is full of good information. As opposed to asking “what food can I get around here” since most of us aren’t from spain, post what foods are available, and people can help you from there

[Heather D]

Hello and thank you for your reply. I can assure you I am not wanting to be rude nor am I wanting to put anyone on a guilt trip. Far from it.
Re the professionals, never having had to pay to obtain information from a forum or group leads me to believe that the people offering the advise must be professionals, ie earning their living from it.
I didn’t post at 5:30 in the morning, which is making me realize that this forum is in a different time zone from myself.
I cannot find anywhere in my post where I said ‘what food can I get around here’ I stated what food Max was on, and would he be ok on it. You are telling me that Eukanuba is not a good food, which shocks and troubles me as I don’t want to be feeding him a bad food.
I am very pleased though that I received a response, and for that I thank you.

[Cyndi]

I would suggest keeping him on Eukanuba and the cooked turkey for now. Next time you can get to one of the pet stores near you, write down the dog foods that they carry and post them here so we know what foods are available for you to buy and we can suggest something better. While Eukanuba is certainly not a great food, it’s certainly alot better than just bread and water. While you’re at the pet store, write down the canned foods that are available too. Canned food is better to feed than dry. Let us know what you have available and then someone can help you pick a better food.

[Heather D]

Cyndi, what a lovely friendly reply, thank you. Yes I will keep him on the dry and cooked turkey, though the cooked turkey is receiving all his attention and the dry none haha.
I worry for him as he is from a large breed and this early feeding is of great importance.
We are going to the pet store tomorrow. I will take the list I have printed from here and see if any of it is available, though looking at their website none seems to be.
http://www.tiendanimal.es/?gclid=CO-g1t2F-r8CFU7MtAodqH0AVQ of course it is in Spanish but my computer translates for me.
They have very little in the way of tinned food.
The last time we went I did notice some very expensive, more than the 47euros, we pay fo the Eukanuba, and was drawn to it as it said free range chicken, wild salmon and free range eggs. I cannot remember whether it had any grain in as I wasn’t aware that grain was a problem.
If it is rice, is that ok?
As it is one hec of a journey to this pet store, we live way in the mountains, then I would like to buy there and then.
With this in mind should I look for high protein, low calcium lenels and low calories, this would help me maybe more than brand.
Thank you.

[Heather D]

Oh just noticed, yes the forum is a different time zone. It says my last post was at 11:43 whereas it is 18:45 here in Spain.

[Cyndi]

I don’t know about what calcium and protein levels you need to look for, hopefully someone else can answer that. If you can’t find any food from that list, then keep Max on the Eukanuba, and you can include fresh foods to add to it, like eggs, or tinned sardines (or fresh) in water not oil, or plain yogurt. There are alot of foods worse than Eukanuba, so you are doing ok. You could always use fresh meat or poultry, cooked or raw, to make his meals healthier as well.

& Just so you know, just about everyone that posts here is from a different time zone. We are all from different states, some from different countries. I live in Ohio, USA and it is currently 12:51pm here. There are some people from across the country and some from Australia, so it all depends what time you post, who’s on here at the time and who sees your post. The majority of us on here don’t “ignore” people. We are all friendly and enjoy helping people out when we can. 🙂

[Heather D]

Hi again Cyndi, I will look see what they have and failing anything better will keep him on his Eukanuba with other delish foods.
My most sincere apologies to members if I have come across as a nasty person.

[InkedMarie]

Heather,
I haven’t had as much time as usual to read here but I know nothing about large breed nutrition. If you head over to the free part of the forum. I can’t recall which forum has it but look for the stickie, highlighted in yellow, with the list of appropriate foods for large breed puppies.
No one here is a veterinary professional. One gal is a vet student but that’s about it. You posted on a weekend so lots of people are busy. I highly suggest feeding a good from the list I spoke of. Hound dog mom spent a lot of time gathering info for the list.

[Heather D]

Thank you InkedMarie, I will try to locate the part of the forum that you are speaking of.

[Cyndi]

Heather, that’s the link that Naturella already posted at the top of this page.

Marie, Heather is in Spain and she said she didn’t recognize most of the foods on that list but she printed it out and will take it with her to the pet store near her. 🙂

[Heather D]

Hi, sorry me again. I have been onto the shop’s website and come across this food and wonder if this would be better than the Eukanuba. I have done the translation,

BREEDERS high end food for Large Breed Puppies.

Our breeders think is the only one with 100% ingredients fit for human consumption. It is a complete food for dogs 0-12 months old.

Most products are manufactured feed waste, what remains once have separated parts fit for human consumption. These ingredients have a lower quality.

Some feed ingredients, incorporate suitable for people, but Breeders is the only manufactured in Spain than it does on 100% of its composition. 100% premium ingredients . No features or use GM products.

“Breeders” is a brand sold exclusively at TiendAnimal, which offers a high-end feed at a very affordable price (up to half that of conventional brands). See for yourself our quality and you will be convinced.

Puppy food super premium quality at a super low price. This is because the direct sales allows us to avoid marketing costs, marketing and advertising that make up a large percentage of the feed costs of early brand names.

BREEDERS Cubs is a complete dry feed, in the form of extruded, balanced and very tasty dry kibble, made ​​from selected raw materials of high quality. Breeders is a food like no other approaches to what the animal would eat in your state natural.

It satisfies the needs of large breed puppies thanks to the extra size of your kibble as well as pregnant females or nursing. They think that a dog is puppy until it meets its first year of life , although in large breeds this time can be extended up to 6 months, even up to 2 years in giant breeds.

Key Benefits

Selected natural ingredients, origin certificate
High digestibility and energy efficient
Adequate protein and fat
Optimum calcium-phosphorus
High in DHA
Health skin and hair, thanks to the perfect balance of Omega 6 and Omega 3.
Promotes optimal growth, thanks to Natural chondroprotective

High digestibility. During the growth phase, the puppy’s digestive system is less developed than the adult dog. It is therefore important that the feed is especially easy to digest.

High in protein and fat. cub experiences a very rapid growth, stabilizing circa life. At that time multiplied 40 to 50 times their birth weight. To achieve this feat, you need a very rich in protein and easy energy to metabolize food.

DHA
DHA: docosahexaenoic acid
Optimal calcium-phosphorus ratio. Indispensable to form a healthy skeleton able to sustain the growing weight of the puppy.

High content of DHA. docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is important in the formation of the nervous system, particularly the brain. The brain content of DHA is related to learning ability and intelligence level of newborns and infants. It has been suggested the need to supplement with DHA the mother during the gestational period, and even before this, to ensure the supply to the normal development of the fetal brain. Evidence related to the greater learning ability of offspring from mothers previously supplemented with DHA.

High in Omega 3. Adequate ratio of Omega 3 and 6 helps maintain a healthy coat, reduces skin irritation and enhances the development of immune function.

Breeders not stored in silos , but goes directly by packaging as production. Thus contamination by mites (causing many food allergies) and quality loss are avoided.

BREEDERS is an exclusive brand of Tiendanimal.

I Breeders Cubs 2

Features

Ingredients : Dehydrated chicken meat (35%), rice, chicken fat, corn, concentradp vegetable protein, hydrolyzed and dehydrated meat chicken, apple pulp, salmon oil, dried yeast, yucca extract, potassium chloride, chloride sodium.

Additives

Vitamin A 16,000 IU / KG
Vitamin D3 1600 IU / KG
Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) 200mg/kg
Cu (copper sulfate pentahydrate) 23 mg / kg
Trace elements:

Fe (iron sulfate heptahydrate): 200 mg / Kg, I (potassium iodide): 1.5 mg / kg, Co (cobalt sulfate pentahydrate): 1 mg / kg, Mn (manganese sulfate monohydrate) 70 mg / kg, Zn (oxide Zinc): 225 mg / kg, Se (sodium selenite): 0.4 mg / kg

Preserved with EC additives (potassium sorbate). With natural antioxidants (citric acid, rosemary extract and natural tocopherols (source of vitamin E).

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude protein 30%
Crude fat 14%
Crude fiber 2.5%
Crude ash 9%
Calcium 1.2%
Phosphorus 0.8%
Moisture 10%
Glucosamine 600 mg / kg
Approx kibble: 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm x 0.8 cm.

Use

Serve dry food guided by the table of recommended daily allowance. It is better to split the corresponding ration in two servings a day. These amounts are only for guidance, so they must then meet the energy needs of the animal, guided by the maintenance of optimal body weight. Always leave fresh clean water available to the animal.

Recommended daily

45 kg (adult weight) 60 kg (adult weight) 70 kg (adult weight) 90 kg (adult weight) 100 kg (adult weight)
2 months (old puppy) 320 gr 410 gr 450 gr 510 gr 540 gr
3 months (old puppy) 420 gr 520 gr 590 gr 670 gr 720 gr
4 months (old puppy) 460 gr 570 gr 660 gr 740 gr 790 gr
5 months (old puppy) 550 gr 660 gr 780 gr 880 gr 960 gr
6 months (old puppy) 620 gr 750 gr 880 gr 995 gr 1080 gr
7 months (old puppy) 620 gr 750 gr 890 gr 1020 gr 1100 gr
8 months (old puppy) 610 gr 750 gr 890 gr 1020 gr 1100 gr
9 months (old puppy) 590 gr 740 gr 870 gr 1010 gr 1080 gr
10-11 months (old puppy) 580 gr 720 gr 860 gr 995 gr 1070 gr
12-13 months (old puppy) 580 gr 710 gr 840 gr 980 gr 1060 gr
14-17 months (old puppy) 580 gr 700 gr 820 gr 960 gr 1040 gr
18-23 Months (old puppy) 560 gr 690 gr 820 gr 950 gr 1030 gr
24 months (old puppy) 560 gr 690 gr 820 gr 940 gr 1030 gr

[InkedMarie]

I didn’t see she was in Spain; maybe a Spain forum could help?

[aquariangt]

because of the corn and rice, I wouldn’t feed that food, though the calcium levels seem to be closer to ok. Is ordering online an option for you? chewy.com and petflow.com i’ve used though I don’t know about their international shipping, but there are people who order from amazon though that could get to you

[Heather D]

No unfortunately ordering on line for anything bulky is not an option. We have a PO box 35 kms away, as living in the deep countryside of Andalucia we do not have postal deliveries as where we live there aren’t any roads so the postal van will not venture onto the tracks.
Oh dear, I thought that I had maybe found something better.
I do thank you for your replies, and so sorry if I seemed nasty before xx

[aquariangt]

I did some googling (very difficult as I can’t read most of these websites) and found this site mentioned on another forum:

http://www.lacasadelasmascotas.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_productos.php&tbusq=1&ref=PSPe&md=1

seems like they are based somewhere down there, and Acana/Orijen are both great foods. Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond…not sure if i’d go with a diamond product that looks good on paper or something that is a poorer product. Nutro Ultra is fine I suppose, I think I’ve heard of people using Applaws in Europe. I’ve never heard of the other two brands

[Heather D]

Aquerienot, thank you for the research you have done, you got further than I have done. They are a plane journey away from me and though they do online I have nothing more than a apo box the size of a large shoe bo. However i am delighted to see that good dog food is finding its way into Spain. Many thanks xx

[Heather D]

Aquerienot and Cyndi, just to let you know that I have located the Orijen food for large breed puppies and am thrilled to bits. As I was filling the hopper with the new purchase a few fell onto the floor and Max was straight onto them, which he hasn’t done with the Eukanuba. It does smell very inviting though.The ingredients sound so very healthy, and no grain, so all good stuff.
I will introduce him slowly to it over the next week and hope that he tolerates it well.
Thank you so very much for your help

[Author]

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