[Lorelee H]

Hi guys!
I’m new here — just found this forum. Thank goodness for you all!

I have a 13 month old labrador retriever, large, stocky English lines, currently weighing around 87 lbs. He was neutered 3 weeks ago.

His breeder had him on Purina Pro Plan puppy and I kept him on that until he was diagnosed with acid reflux. He is on a daily Pepcid and per vet he has been on Royal Canin prescription high energy food for several months. No more problems with reflux.

SO, my first question (if you made it this far!): I’d like to transition him to another food. Vet (of course) suggests that he stay on Royal Canin prescription or Hill’s or an over the counter Royal Canin.

I’ve checked out Fromm, Acana, Wellness, Orijen. Also the food sold at Costco (my last lab was on their lamb and rice and did great).

Second question: Should he be on the puppy version OR the adult version?

Thank you SO much for your advice!

Lora (and Truman!)

[Pitlove]

Hi Lorelee-

Others may have different opinions, but I feel it is best to keep a large breed puppy on a puppy formula that is correctly formulated for a LBP until 18 months of age. Most are done growing by then and it gives an extra cushion of safety to make sure they are still growing slowly. However, a lot of people switch to an adult maintenance food at a year old.

Also just wanted to mention, now that he has been neutered, watch his calorie intake even more carefully. Neutered dogs can gain weight easier because of hormone changes and one of the worst things for a LBP while they are growing is to gain weight.

[Cannoli]

Fromm, Acana, and Origen are all great foods. When my pup was under 8 months old these were part of my rotations. He did great of them. None of these companies ever had a food recall.

But then I realized that I can home feed my pup the same meats that Origen provides at the same price so I dropped the kibble part. Why pay so much for processed food when I can pay the same amount for fresh meats,fruits, and vegetables.

In regards to your second question I concur with Pitlov. Although Origen does do a freeze dried version of their foods that is for all life stages.

[Susan]

Hi, have a look at the Royal Canine vet diet kibble Guaranteed Analysis that he’s doing well on & pick another kibble with same ingredient used brown rice, the low fiber% & low protein% like the Royal Canine vet diet has, the Protein is 23% & the Fiber is 3.2%….
My boy gets acid reflux, so I have to watch the fat% & Fiber % & carbs cant be too high, I have to keep fat % around 10-14% fat & fiber 3-4%…..

I just looked at the Australian Pro Plan Large Breed puppy Ingredients & Guaranteed Analysis & I think the fiber was too high at 6% fiber & the Protein was high at 28% these two things can cause acid reflux & the bad ingredients, so when looking for a new kibble stick with a lower fiber % around 3-4% & a lower protein % around 24% like the Vet diet kibble he’s eating has…..
Wellpet makes some good brands
“Wellness” Puppy large breed
“Holistic Select” Puppy Large Breed Lamb & Oatmeal, Brown rice, fiber is 3.50% Protein 23% very close to the Royal Canine he’s eating at the moment…
“Holistic Select” Grain Free Adult/Puppy Salmon & Anchovy Sardine meal, Protein is 28%min, Fiber is 6%max both higher like the Pro Plan was, so maybe the grain free might cause acid reflux??
Eagle Pack” Puppy Large breed Lamb meal Oatmeal brown rice
Here’s the Holistic Select site you can see ingredients & guaranteed Analysis… I know the Holistic Select & Eagle Pack is easy to digest like the Royal Canine claims to be …also Holistic Select is 100% guaranteed money back so if your dog has any health problems… also email the kibble company & they will answer any questions you may have…
http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog

[Lorelee H]

Thank you SO much!!!! This is what I needed. There are SO many options and I wasn’t sure what could possibly be causing the reflux. I think I’m going to try the Wellpet Holistic based on the breakdown.

Thank you everyone!

[Jenn H]

I also keep my pups on LBP food until 18 mon. Another option is a food for all life stages. Just be sure to continue keeping calcium levels to 1.5% max.

After your dog has a meal try to make him chill out for about 1/2 hr. I have trained my dogs to chew on a marrow bones or Nylabone type chew toy. This allows the food time to digest (which prevents reflux), helps prevent torsion and cleans teeth.

If your Lab is anything like mine (and I guess all Labs) he probably inhales his food. Try a slow feeder. And add warmish water to kibble.

[Lorelee H]

Thank you! He actually has bilious vomiting syndrome — which means he vomits bile on an empty stomach. Early morning, middle of the night, if any meal is even a half hour late (and he eats three times a day!). The Pepcid seems to help, as does the food with lower fiber, etc. He does eat pretty fast. 🙂

[Jenn H]

Ah now I see your problem.
Adjusting feeding times can be tremendously helpful.
If you ever go to feeding him only twice/day try giving his last meal as close to bed time as possible. (Although I would probably do it 1/2 before bed. I personally like to see my dogs after they eat. Losing 2 dogs to torsion will make you crazy lol that.)
Immediately after he does his business in the morning feed him his first meal.

Is he on anything to increase frequency of sm intestine contractions like metoclopramide? And an anti-vomiting drug?

[Lorelee H]

Thank you, Jenn. No, he isn’t on anything to increase the frequency of small intestine contractions or anti-vomiting drugs. I didn’t know anything about those! I am militant about his feeding times and he does eat right after going out in the morning and I split up his evening meal and he eats the last half before bed. I sort of wonder if we will ever give up the mid-day meal… Torsion freaks me out! I’m so sorry to hear about your 2 dogs. 🙁

[C4D]

Hi Lorelee,

I have Labs, gotta love ’em! If you do choose another food, make sure you do a slow transition. The slow feed bowls and adding some warmed water will slow down the eating time. I actually add some canned too and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the kibble to absorb some of the water. That way it won’t expand in their stomach as much. I also never exercise them for @ least 45 minutes before or after feeding and have never had bloat in any of my dogs.

In regard to the acid reflux, have you tried feeding small snacks prior to bed? This worked for a foster I have that would vomit bile in the early morning. I also give a midday snack when I can.

[Jenn H]

I don’t know a whole lot about that particular problem. I do know there is a couple of drugs that can be helpful. It seems like you have are managing it well. Maybe ask your vet to give you an anti-vomiting med (maropitant is one) just to have on hand in case you ever need it.
You just want to keep that bile down otherwise it may cause pain. Sounds like something more akin to bile reflux ( some drs don’t know about that or believe it exists, but it does).
1 of my girls has been dealing w/ the general diagnosis of inflammed bowel for more than a yr off & on. I am just now transitioning her off the i/d cans. It’s been 3 months since her last problem. After 1 wk I have only worked up to 1/2 can of the new food. That’s how slow I’m going w/ her.
She also has a limited ingredient kibble. She gets very little of that though. I think the canned has been better for her. (More expensive, but I’d rather spend it on food than vets.)

The torsion with my dogs happened 1st to a 2 y/o pup during the night. I was a teenager, but it has always been a huge worry for me.
My other guy was very anxious and he was pacing right after eating. I had fallen asleep due to pain meds I just took for a tooth infection. I will always feel guilty about losing him. I did get him to a vet in time for surgery. But it’s a long story.
Anyway I will not let my dogs move anymore after they eat. And they get little sips of water after exercise.
I also have horses so these rules always applied to them. I guess I wasn’t too worried when it came to dogs until that first one.

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