What food do/did you feed your puppy?

[.sarah]

I am not sure yet what I will feed my Lab pup. I want something quality-wise like Innova EVO, however it is waaaay to high in protein to feed a pup.

I was thinking maybe California Natural...

What have y'all fed or what are you feeding to your puppies and are you having good results?

[Jessika]

When I got Charlie his breeder had him on Diamond. I kept him on that for awhile before doing research on better foods. He had AWFUL gas while on it (I will never forget that!!). I don't remember poos though, but he was awfully itchy while on it, too.

Then we switched to Pro Plan Puppy. It was better, still had itchy skin, and the bad gas went away with their Lamb & Rice.

After doing more research I eventually switched him to Nutro Natural Choice which is what he is currently being fed (Their Chicken Meal, Oatmeal & Rice formula) and he is no longer itchy, does not have bad gas, and he used to have dandruff and it is gone!

Jamie.. well I don't know what her breeder had her on, since I didn't get her from the breeder, but her second owner had her on Royal Canin. I didn't keep her on it though and she started eating Pro Plan (because that's what I had Charlie on at the time). I didn't notice bad gas or being itchy though, she did OK on it but did poop a lot.

After switching to Natural Choice though which is what she's on now obviously and I am VERY happy with results. She used to be on their Lamb Meal & Rice formula but had REALLY bad gas but since switching to the Chicken Meal, Oatmeal & Rice formula the gas completely went away

[The Cat Factory]

I am feeding Chester Canidae, and he is doing really well on it.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I am getting a Dane puppy soon and will either feed Canidae, Fromm, Innova, Solid Gold or another super premium food. Nutro is not a premium food, but alot of dogs do great on it. IMO - you can get better foods than Nutro that are much healthier and have a better variety of meat in them. I see that Natural Choice for Puppies has one type of meat - chicken. I like to see a variety. It is so much healthier for your dog. There are many reasons as to why more than one source of meat is better, if you want to know I can post it.

I would start off with a super premium food that you can fit into your budget. Maybe even get some samples of different foods and see what the pup likes. Not every dog is going to eat a high quality food, just like not every dog is going to eat a lower quality food.

Good luck!

[lv4dogs]

Kaige has been my only puppy & he has had his share of diets too. lol

He came home with Pro Plan, I don't like Purina products so after just a few weeks on it (didn't want to have him go through too many changes the first few weeks here with me) I started to switch him to EVO. Sometimes my store was out of EVO so he'd get Innova adult, he seemed to like that a lot so I started mixing the 2 together. I did buy Nutro NC adult, lamb & rice twice (tried to save a little money) but he HATES is, we will NOT eat it. I don't understand because he will eat EVERYTHING else (including grapefruit, all veggies, pickles, you name it, he has not turned his nose up to anything but the Nutro).
He gets that in the morning and raw most evenings.

He seemed to handle the protein amounts pretty well.

Edited to add, that I did discuss EVO with the vet & the breeder, neither seemed concerned about the protein levels in it.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Edited to add, that I did discuss EVO with the vet & the breeder, neither seemed concerned about the protein levels in it.

You know I was thinking the same thing too. If people are feeding puppies raw, the protein levels are the same as in EVO. I dont see why feeding it to puppies is such a no no.

[.sarah]

You know I was thinking the same thing too. If people are feeding puppies raw, the protein levels are the same as in EVO. I dont see why feeding it to puppies is such a no no.

I was wondering about that as well.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I was wondering about that as well.

I sent Natura an email and asked about this. I will post the answer as soon as I get a reply.

[anna_66]

I fed Bon Diamond lamb and rice when he was first brought home (eww gassy!) but then changed him to Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken (no more gas!). We still weren't happy with his poos so we changed to Canidae and everything was good but they can't seem to keep it stocked here so now we're feeding Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Meal, Rice & Oatmeal. Small amount of gas every now and then and good poos

So honestly I guess it all depends on your dog! My girls do good on just about any food, it's just the big boy that we've had problems with


This is from the mastiff board I visit.



[B]

Feeding Large Breed Puppies
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca



In recent years, considerable controversy has arisen concerning the most appropriate diet for large breed puppies (mature weight greater than 60 lbs), particularly as these diets pertain to their ability to cause or prevent orthopaedic problems. In 1974 data was published based on research on Great Dane puppies that concluded that there was a higher incidence of hip dysplasia in puppies fed a high protein, high energy, high mineral diet. Despite a number of flaws with this work, its impact on the controversy remains. Veterinarians are confronted daily by clients who have been told by breeders that puppies should only be fed adult food. For some, the whole concept of growth as a distinct life stage has come into question.

The most rapid growth phase for a puppy occurs during the first 6 months of age. During this phase they have a greater protein requirement for the formation of new tissue, yet this protein requirement must still be balanced with their energy intake. Their energy requirements are up to 3 times that of an adults maintenance energy requirement (MER); from weaning to 3 months it is 2-3 x MER; 3-6 months 1.5-2 x MER. As a puppy matures beyond 6 months, the energy requirements gradually decrease to adult needs at maturity. This age of maturity varies, being as young as 8 months in small breeds or as late as 24 months in giant breeds. Puppies also have a greater need for essential nutrients on a body weight basis. Of all the food nutrients, energy (caloric) intake and calcium appear to play the greatest roles in the potential for aggravating existing skeletal disorders.

It is widely accepted that too rapid a growth rate can lead to a number of skeletal disorders in a number of species. Excessive energy intake in the canine can result in a more rapid growth rate resulting in an overweight puppy, as well as the potential for aggravating certain orthopaedic anomalies (e.g. hip displasia, osteochondritis and hypertrophic osteodystrophy). Excessive growth rates lead to an increase in both muscle mass and total body weight. These in turn lead to excessive stress forces on long bones which, in a puppy, are less dense and have a greater susceptibility to being remodelled. As bones of large breeds are relatively weaker than those of small breeds, they are inherently more susceptible to these stress loads.

In response to these concerns, the conclusion has been reached by some that the best preventive solution is to feed only maintenance food to large breed puppies. Feeding a balanced, yet lower energy dense food, will not negatively affect a puppy’s adult size, rather the rate at which it achieves this size. However, puppies have less digestive capability and hence require a highly digestible food. Simply feeding more of a less digestible adult food will often "overload" the limited digestive capacity of a puppy leading to nutrient deficiencies. Because they are less energy dense, some adult foods contain more calcium than is required on an energy basis. Excess calcium can produce deficiencies in other nutrients (e.g. zinc) as well as potentiating other disorders such as osteochondritis and wobblers syndrome.

A more appropriate solution to feeding a large breed puppy an adult food is to feed appropriate amounts of a growth diet to maintain a normal growth curve for that breed. Free choice feeding, as is often recommended on pet food labels, is imprecise and should be avoided until a puppy reaches its mature skeletal size. It should be remembered that feeding guidelines provided by the manufacturer are averages only. Owners should be counselled to tailor a puppy’s intake to the individual needs and activity level, always striving for a lean body weight (ribs easily felt). Puppies should be weighed regularly and their energy requirements calculated accordingly. Based on the energy density of the particular food, appropriate amounts can be fed in proportional feedings.

Additional considerations for owners are the frequency and intensity of exercise, as well as the need for vitamin supplements. Guidance from their veterinarian and common sense should prevail in encouraging owners to avoid exercising their puppy excessively. However, daily exercise is important for the proper development of bone structure, as well as for assisting in the maintenance of lean body weight. Vitamin or mineral supplements should be avoided with large breed puppies. Ultimately, the ideal way to avoid bone disorders is through appropriate breeding practices. Veterinarians remain a primary source for new owners to seek advice on the proper selection of breeders and their puppies.

[.sarah]

Thanks Anna! My vet reccommended Innova Puppy, and so far that looks like the best choice. I also just started feeding my girls RAW food at night & kibble in the morning, and I was wondering if anyone knows how much RAW a puppy can have? I'll probably give it to him 2-3 times / week.

[Logan]

My kids are older.......Honey is 7, Lilly is 6, and Zipper is probably 11 or so (we don't know, for sure). After the loss of Murphy in December, we knew we needed to alter the eating habits of our Golden Retrievers. We had been adding extras for Murphy, as she was thin, and a senior girl, and had been adding the extras to the Goldens as well. We have moved to Iams Weight Control, since her death, and they are doing GREAT!!!! None of them have been weighed, but I feel that they have probably all lost weight, and are much more healthy. And they eat, willingly..........something that surprises me, actually, after supplimenting their food for so long.

We're going to stick with the the Iams "blue" for a while..........

Logan

[.sarah]

Never mind about feeding RAW to puppies - I have figured out the general rule to feed.

I am thinking I will go with RAW food and buy everything on sale. Winn Dixie and Albertsons *always* have sales on meat!

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Never mind about feeding RAW to puppies - I have figured out the general rule to feed.

I am thinking I will go with RAW food and buy everything on sale. Winn Dixie and Albertsons *always* have sales on meat!

Raw is the BEST food you can feed a dog! Let me know how it goes - I would love to feed raw, but knowing the size of a Dane - I might go broke every payday!

[.sarah]

lol ... well, I imagine my food bill is twice as much as yours will be because I have 4 large dogs. The new pup will probably be 80ish lbs. Nova and Luka are both 70 lbs and Mandy is 57. If it gets too expensive I'll probably feed raw only a few times a week.

No word from Natura yet?

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

No, Natura hasn't emailed me back but the website does say...

Here is what I found about raw diets:

The case for raw

* Provides a fresh diet, without preservatives

* Raw bones are not dangerous. They are soft enough to bend easily and
break well for the dog to digest

* Clears up long-standing allergies

* Fewer visits to the veterinarian for health reasons

* Eliminates dog odour

* Naturally cleans pets' teeth

* Produces much less stool, and stool is firm and disintegrates easily

* Mirrors what a dog would get in the wild

* Develops jaw, neck and shoulder muscles

* Pets have more energy

* Reduces arthritis

* Better weight control

* Pets live longer

* Bitches manage pregnancies better

* Better weight and survival figures in puppies

* A healthy pet fed on raw food manages the bacteria found in raw meat

The case against raw

* All health claims are anecdotal, not the result of long-term research

* Concern about the nutritional balance of these diets. It can be difficult
to formulate a balanced homemade diet in the best of circumstances

* High protein and very high fat diets (fat contributes 40% to 70% of
calories)

* Can be low in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese and
magnesium

* Can have unbalanced calcium : phosphorus ratio

* Can have excess vitamins D, E, zinc and magnesium

* Questions about quality of ingredients

* Concerns about health

* Raw bones are dangerous for the pet

* Secondary hyperparathyroidism

* Dermatosis (zinc)

* Anemia (iron)

* Orthopedic conditions (Calcium/vitamin D)

* Bioavailability (excess zinc)

* E. Coli/salmonella often found in raw meat

There is so much you can screw up in a raw diet, not to mention the E. Coli/Salmonella that can be present on the meat. That means that it would be in your dogs mouth, in the food bowl, in his feces etc. I would be scared that my daughter would get E. Coli or Salmonella from playing with the dog, letting him lick her face etc.

I would advise using Grapeseed Extract. It kills all of these bacterias, therefore making it safer to feed raw.

Good Luck!