[Kyle D]

Currently, my pup is on Wellness Core large breed puppy he is 4 months old and is an Alaskan malamute. My store is no longer going to be selling large breed puppy core wellness and im not sure what to switch his food out with for large breed. Any recommendations?

[joanne l]

You can order it I think on chewy.com

[haleycookie]

Wellness core lb puppy is a quality food. What other foods does the store carry? Can you just order the wellness online? the regular wellness core puppy is also formulated for growing large breeds.

[Kyle D]

I dont really order much online and prefer to go to stores to buy what I need. They have the regular puppy but it has more fat and protein and the ratio to 1:5 and id prefer that to be lower around 1.2- 1.3 ratio and no more than 15% fat

[Kyle D]

What do you think about Instinct Raw Boost for Large Breed Puppies they do sell this there

[haleycookie]

Growing dogs need as much fat and protein as possible. So I wouldn’t restrict that until he’s around year and a half to two years depending on his activity levels as an adult. If he ends up being a house dog then I would suggest a lower calorie food perhaps or just better controlled feedings once he hits two years. If he has a job as malamutes sometimes have then a higher cal food is a must for his adult years.
Chewy is easy and you don’t have to drag the bag around they just drop it at your door and you bring it inside. They also have free shipping over 49$ which is nice. Otherwise I would just feed the wellness core puppy. Unless the store carries something else that appropriate.

Edit: email nv and see if the calcium ratios are right for a growing large breed. For some reason I think it’s been mentioned before that thier large breed puppy formula is way off.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by haleycookie.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by haleycookie.

[Kyle D]

Thank you lll have to look into chewy. i contact NV and they said 1.6 calcium and 1 phosphorus. I think that is just too much would you agree?

[crazy4cats]

Look for a label that specifically says that it is formulated to meet the needs of a large breed puppy. Try Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy food. It has been around for a long time, has a lot of successful history behind it.

[tk h]

instinct dog food raw. its expensive though . also check out “taste of the wild puppy ”

i used to buy Castor & Pollux when i was living in the usa . too bad i dont have it here so i switched to taste of the wild . in any case stay away from royal canin .

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by tk h.

[Kyle D]

Im making sure it has the AFFCO statement for the growth of large breeds on the dog food, but my concern is even with the statement if the ratio is too high typically I see 1.2:1 ratio as the most recommended and if that’s the case 1.6:1 seems like a big difference

[crazy4cats]

Have you seen these articles on the review side?,

/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

/calcium-content-analyzer/

[Kyle D]

I have taken a look at those and I can calculate the ratio of calcium to phosphorus which seems to be the ratio is what matter not necessarily the amount. Im just concerned with a ratio of 1.6:1 being too high even if it is within the standard guidelines

[crazy4cats]

Then go with your gut and find a different food. You’ll be mad at yourself if your dog has any joint issues. My dogs are 7 years old. I didn’t know about this issues when they were pups. Luckily, their joints are fine so far.

I’d stay away from grain free and buy a well known brand that has been fed successfully to a lot of large breed pups. Hope you find one you are more comfortable with.

[chris g]

I have been looking at pro plan and Taste of the wild as they both have a puppy blend for large breeds, even found a solid review on the two, https://thewaterfowlhunter.com/best-puppy-food-for-labs/ However, my concern is if the grain-free diet would be better to start them on when we start our new lab on it as soon as he comes home.

[anonymous]

Stay away from anything “grain-free” for now…..
Trust me. Go here for science based information http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2018/08/grain-free-diets-and-heart-disease-in-dogs/

PS: Check out Fromm https://www.gofromm.com/dog?specs=f_Life+Stage:Puppy!!-10!!

[Kyle D]

Really stay away from grain-free? Anyone else have thoughts on this?

[amy r]

Anon101 just an fyi it’s not that a food is grain free it is the peas or legumes that are being linked potatoes as well including sweet potatoes. In the study done by ucdavis fromm did not do well which surprised me as I feed fromm. It seems about 50% of dogs on fromm had low taurine levels. I reached put to fromm they do add taurine to their food. The gold grain inclusive line appears to be better balanced. My head spins with all the new info coming out.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by amy r.

[Spy Car]

When pet food producer “add taurine” it is in the form of a synthetic powder manufactured in China.

As an alternative, one can feed taurine-rich foods like beef heart.

In the current commercial dog food mess, people turned away from foods containing grains because carbohydrates in a canine diet and plant-based proteins are not optimal. To market to those consumers many manufacturers simply replaced carbohydrates and plant-proteins from grains with non-grain plants.

Some of those alternative ingredients may interfere with taurine absorption/conversion, but that doesn’t suddenly make “grains” a desirable dog food ingredient.

Canines did not evolve to thrive on eating cereal-based diets. There is no mystery why these issues keep cropping up. You have healthy dogs when they are fed a species appropriate diet. Otherwise, not so much.

Bill

[amy r]

I agree in part and when taurine is added one never really knows how much is being absorbed after processing. However I still maintain that grain free is not a “better” diet if dogs were eating their ancestral diet grain would be part of said diet. Curious what makes think that you are able to say that any dog who eats cereal isn’t healthy? Are you a dem or nutritionist scientist ?Seems to me the science is pointing in the other direction currently but either way that was a ridiculous statement for you to make We can agree to disagree and carry on. Do what feels right
for your dog.

[Spy Car]

Grains would not be a part of an ancestral canine diet. Canines were shaped by evolution to consume an animal-based diet with very low amounts of plant-based foods.

Feeding dogs kibble was largely a post-WWII phenomenon.

Carbs in a diet drastically reduce a dog’s stamina and aerobic capacity, do a number on teeth, encourage obesity, dry the coat, and contribute to general ill health and lethargy.

Have you ever seen a dog raised on a balanced PMR diet? There is no comparison in the condition. The only thing that’s ridiculous is believing one can feed a dog processed cereals and rendered meat “products” and think one won’t have serious health issues down the line.

Bill

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