Large Breed Puppy Food

[Magstar]

I am wanting to switch our 14 week old GR puppy onto a large breed puppy food. I just can't decide which one! What do people recommend?

I will just add that Oscar's front legs are a bit crooked and I am hoping that by having him on a large breed puppy food it will help in their development. My vet didn't give me much advice (just said keep him on a good quality puppy food). I have also emailed our breeder (weeks ago when we first noticed the problem) and they said that it is most likely what they call 'east-west feet' and will hopefully fix itself as he grows, but may end up with slightly east-west feet as an adult.

So I am really after a food that will be the best in promoting good skeletal development.

[Remarkabull]

I am a believer that dogs shouldn't eat much in the way of grain/cereal/corn products, but for the sake of convenience (and the fact that I have 5 dogs to feed) I use ProPlan Large Breed Puppy as a base. I also add to this raw mince and grated, raw veges. This is also what the breeder was feeding him when i got him. My Dobermann pup is very big (20kg at 17 weeks!) and he has no developmental problems. I think it's important to feed dogs raw, natural food, just make sure you are not giving them anything toxic. It is also great for what comes out the other end, easy to pick up and not as stinky as dogs that eat alot of processed food.

[Serket]

What is he currently on? Bit confused about switching to a large breed puppy food

We used ProPlan and then switched to Artemis, she did well on ProPlan and it's a bit cheaper than Artemis.

If you're concerned about his growth it might be best to just stick with a dry food and not mix things into it (since theoretically the manufacturers have calculated the balance of everything to provide a complete food), if you add things you'll be skewing the ratios

[Magstar]

At the moment he is just on supercoat with some mince and chicken necks as well. I thought swtiching him to a large breed puppy food would be better for him?

I was thinking if I get him onto a good dry food then I would stop feeding him any other meat (maybe some chicken necks still), so as not to stuff up the balance as you said.

Serket, did you use the large breed puppy Proplan, or just the normal puppy one?

[KumaAkita]

We feed Kuma on the Advance Puppy Growth for Large Breeds as recommended by our breeder. He is only on dry food with a tin of sardines once a week as a "sunday special". He does well on it and doesn't seem to have a problem. We did switch to ScienceDiet for a short period and he wasn't such a fan

So far he's beyond the growth charts for his age category - about 44Kg at 7.5 months!

[KitKat]

I'd drop the mince unless it has bone in it, stick with the necks and also consider frames etc. Royal Canin also has a GR formular but their maxi puppy is very good, Proplan does a very good large puppy as well, and Nutro and Eaglepack are also very good and seem to be getting more readily available.

Also do a search on this forum for Ester C to help with his legs depending on why they are a bit 'crooked' - it's readily available from the chemist.

[pixie_meg]

we feed Artemis large breed puppy here. If i remember correctly it had less grains in its ingredients than most premiums kibble brands.

[GoldenGirl85]

I have Lexi on RC Labrador Junior, the GR Junior variety isnt readily available in stores at the moment but they are practically the same from what I can see, she seems to be doing well on it. Im trialling her on a RAW diet atm, Guide Dogs QLD has had a RAW diet made to use with all their dogs and they are now selling it commercially, I figured I might as well give it a go because they were selling it cheap at their open day last week, I was considering putting her on RAW eventually but I didnt want to start until she was fully grown as I wasnt sure about what to put in the mix, but this is ready made

[Niques]

I use Nutro large breed puppy, as recommended by his breeder.

[GoldenGirl85]

I use Nutro large breed puppy, as recommended by his breeder.

I was talking to a Nutro rep about changing my dogs, and he said to me he didnt recommend Nutro for Lexi because she would be better off with a specialised large breed food

So either he knows something about their large breed puppy food we dont

or

He doesnt know much about the stock he is selling, but he seemed very knowledgeable on their other products

[Serket]

At the moment he is just on supercoat with some mince and chicken necks as well. I thought swtiching him to a large breed puppy food would be better for him?

I was thinking if I get him onto a good dry food then I would stop feeding him any other meat (maybe some chicken necks still), so as not to stuff up the balance as you said.

Serket, did you use the large breed puppy Proplan, or just the normal puppy one?

I used large breed puppy ProPlan, that's what her breeder uses and has always been happy with. I switched to Artemis large breed puppy at around 3 or 4 months just for personal preference, but she was doing fine on ProPlan, no issues.

Personally I gave bones (chicken necks, frames) maybe once a week when she was little, good for teeth and keeping them occupied, but I wouldn't be adding mince or other things to meals on a regular basis - teaches them to be fussy with just plain dry food as well. I did sometimes add sardines or a raw egg to the dry food though, but there was no necessity to do so.

These days she gets one or two bones a week (turkey/chicken drumsticks minus skin, chicken frames, no necks they're way too small)

[Mas1981]

If i had to go dry I would go with Holistic Select

[Magstar]

Ok I will definately stop giving any mince.

I don't remember seeing Holistic Select at our local pet supplies store. I will have a look though!

There are too many choices out these days!

[goldielover]

Magstar - most of the brands mentioned would be fine for your boy - Artemis Med/Large breed; holistic select; pro plan, etc. I switch my pups to the adult formula at around 5 months, and advise my puppy buyers to do the same, so it may be sensible for you to buy the medium sized bag (7.5kg approx) if that's what you decide to do. You really want a slow growth. I've raised litters on all 3 of the above and have been happy with them. I would be adding vitamin C at this stage also

Edited July 6, 2010 by goldielover

[Remarkabull]

Could anyone tell me why alot of you are say no mince? The mince i give my dogs is chicken mince from a local butcher and it include all of the chicken (meat, bone, cartlidge and tendons), I also add some grated veges (raw) to it and feed with Pro Plan. This is what his breeder feeds all of his dogs and they are all healthy and stunning. I have worked in the pet industry since i was a teenager and I have been to alot of seminars and done alot of personal research on commercial dog food and from what I have seen most of the dog food available (including the premium brands) is full of grains and corn (because it gives a high protein reading) and not alot of meat. Surely adding some good pet mince from a butcher is not going to do any harm and may in fact do some good?

[Diva]

dobesrock, I think there are a few answers. Some people who feed kibble don't add other things like mince beause they feel it makes the dog more likely to become fussy and refuse to eat the dry food on its own and that it's unnecessary anyway. I am not familiar with that issue because I don't feed like that but I don't dispute that point of view. Personally I think mince of the sort you describe, which has the bones in it as well, is good although probably not with all the benefits to teeth and jaw/neck muscles of crunching on whole carcasses etc. For puppies especially, people can get issues if mince is relied on and has no bone - I feed mince like that occassionally, but wouldn't want to rely on it.

Edited July 7, 2010 by Diva

[Magstar]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Goldielover, how much vitamin C should I give him?

I'll definately get the medium size bag of whatever food I end up getting. I stupidly bought the 18kg bag of Supercoat originally, so I still have plenty left! Oh well someone else can have it!

[Remarkabull]

dobesrock, I think there are a few answers. Some people who feed kibble don't add other things like mince beause they feel it makes the dog more likely to become fussy and refuse to eat the dry food on its own and that it's unnecessary anyway. I am not familiar with that issue because I don't feed like that but I don't dispute that point of view. Personally I think mince of the sort you describe, which has the bones in it as well, is good although probably not with all the benefits to teeth and jaw/neck muscles of crunching on whole carcasses etc. For puppies especially, people can get issues if mince is relied on and has no bone - I feed mince like that occassionally, but wouldn't want to rely on it.

Thanks, I don't have any issues with my dogs being fussy eaters either and they don't get mince every day, just a few times a week. They also get bones 2-3 times a week. I have never had a dog that has needed any dental work or in fact none of my dogs have ever had any major health issues. In fact every vet i have been to has asked me what I feed my dogs and tells me they are in great condition. I'm not against dry food, I myself use it, but knowing what I know about the ingredients of dry dog food I wouldn't want to rely completely on it for the complete nutrition requirements of my dogs.

[Nekhbet]

mince without bones through it will be unbalanced and cause mineral problems in the body. Dogs need fresh food, kibble alone is not much of a diet.

Try the Royal Canin Maxi puppy formula and if you want to give fresh give chicken carcasses or other meat on the bones.

[Magstar]

Ok, so I ended up going with the Proplan large breed puppy food. The guy at the shop said that it was one of the most popular brands.

Our local chemist didn't have any Ester-C, but they did have plain calcium ascorbate powder. Is this the right stuff to use? Is Ester-C pretty much just calcium ascorbate?