[Debbie S]

I have a 6 month old goldendoodle that is currently on nutro large breed puppy chicken.
she was on proplan puppy when I got her and I knew that was not a great food. I did not know that nutro was not that great either. I want to switch her but find all this confusing.
I thought the high protein foods were for more active dogs. I had a slow transition with her from proplan she seemed to get loose stools easy. any advise is appreciated.

[Pitlove]

Hi Debbie-

With a growing large breed the first and foremost important thing is that the food is nutritionally sound and secondly that it provides the proper calcium levels and a proper calcium to calorie ratio.

Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy may have ingredients that most on this site deem less than desirable, however it is a nutritionally sound food that is feed trialed on large breed puppies and provides the correct calcium levels, along with the proper calcium to calorie ratio.

Using consumer reviews to judge the quality of a food is going to leave you more confused about which food is right for your dog then when you started. Emotion plays too much of a role in most pet parents choice of dog foods and they can be swayed very easily by a nice looking ingredient panel and not question for a moment if the food even provides the proper nutrition for their pet, assuming that if the ingredients look good the rest will fall into place. Find a food that your dog does well on and enjoys eating that meets the needs of a growing large breed.

If you still do not wish to use ProPlan or Nutro, some other foods that I can suggest are:

Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy
NutriSource Large Breed Puppy
Precise Holisitic Complete Large & Giant Breed Puppy
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy
Hill’s Ideal Balance Large Breed Puppy

[Bonnie Y]

We have a 15 week old chocolate Labrador puppy who was started on Purina Pro Plan Puppy by the breeder. I knew that this was not of the quality recommended for a fast growing puppy. After “much” research, I slowly transitioned her over to Kirklands Signature Super Premium Puppy Food, but I did not like the smell of the food and she was experiencing loose stools often. Back to the drawing board… I researched ALL the puppy foods and have chosen Natures Valley Instinct Raw Boost Large Breed Puppy (grain free) which is a 5-star rated food on Dod Food Advisor. She is doing GREAT, with her coat becoming shinier, her stools consistent, and her energy level and growth rate exactly where it should be for her breed and age. She tends to eat quickly so I started to “float” the food in warm water which slows her down greatly. The puzzle bowl I purchased caused her frustration so she scratched at the food rather than eat it, splattering it all over the kitchen. UGH !!! The two types of kibble in this puppy food can easily also be used for rewards during training periods. Natures Valley presently has a special sale, online for a $10 reduction for the 20 lb bag, which has been price matched by the local retailers. This has been very helpful since this puppy food is a bit pricey, but I feel well worth it at this stage to avoid future health and bone concerns since she is growing so quickly. I suggest no matter which new puppy food you choose, take a week++ to transition your puppy slowly to the new food, mixing the old food with the new, less & less daily with the new food as the week progresses. I feed her 3 times per day, 1 cup per feeding, which is recommended on the package. Good luck and I hope you experience the same success we have had with our puppy.

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