Pro Plan Or Other Brands?

[Guest hankodie]

I know this topic is probably discussed a lot on here but I'm due to switch my 14 wk old GR puppy onto adult food and I'm a little lost on which brands I should be looking at. He is currently on Pro Plan puppy kibble but I need to switch him over to an adult formula over the next couple of weeks. My other dog is on a special home cooked diet for her health issues so I really don't have much experience with dry dog food

His breeder has recommended any adult formula that has 24% protein and 14-15% fat. She said we can continue to feed Pro Plan if we wish, it's really up to us but the most important thing is to switch him adult food by 4 months so he doesn't grow too quickly.

Just wondering if I should continue feeding him Pro Plan or if there's a similar brand that might be better for him? Cost isn't really an issue but I find that the more premium brands (Taste of The Wild, Canidae etc) might be a little too rich for him, at least in the first year of his life.

He's also currently getting bones, raw mince etc along with kibble.

Any and all help is appreciated, thank you :)

[LisaCC]

I personally really like Proplan, raised my lab on Proplan Large puppy then switch to adult around 9 months, 11 years ago by breeder recommendation. Now Nova is on Proplan large breed puppy too, with recommendation to keep feeding it until 12months.

If looking for similar I've heard Advance is good too? The other brand I was looking into was Eaglepack, but it's only just become readily available where I am, and so far Nova is going great on the Proplan so my theory is why change something that is working?

[Guest hankodie]

Thanks Lisa :) Eagle Pack and Holistic Select were the other 2 I was looking into. Hank is doing OK on the puppy kibble - stools are normal and coat looks good but then again I don't have anything to compare it too. Decisions decisions :laugh:

[fluff1234]

I feed holisitc select, we switched from pro plan as I dislike it.

I was told to keep him on puppy food until at least 12 mths and maybe longer, for large breed dogs, so he doesnt grow too quickly?

I would think he is too young for adult food yet.

Edited September 8, 2013 by fluff1234

[Guest hankodie]

thanks fluff1234 :) Yes I've read good things about Holistic Select and they seem to have good ingredients in their food.

My breeder has strongly advised in her care sheet to switch to adult food by 4 months as golden puppies can gain too much weight on it and grow too rapidly. I guess it just depends on the breed as well as what your breeder and vet advise - I know lots of people keep their puppies on puppy food for longer. I'm going to follow my breeder's advice as best as I can as she's been breeding goldens for a very long time and has lots of knowledge and experience regarding their hip/joint issues. She's also included lots of informative veterinary articles about growth rates and puppy food, including an article from her own vet who is very reputable in Australia.

Edited September 8, 2013 by hankodie

[LisaCC]

Good choice Hankodie :) I always go with the breeders recommendations as they know what their lines do well on. What does she feed her adults?

[WreckitWhippet]

I raise my pups on adult food from weaning, so my advice to you is to pick one that comes close to your desired protein v fat levels and go with it.

I've raised pups from weaning on Canidae, Proplan and Royal Canin but the Canidae is the only one I've used that falls within your desired limits.

Canidae ALS 24% and 14.5%

[Danois]

The focus should not be just on protein to fat ratio. You also need to consider the phosphorous and calcium ratio.

[Guest hankodie]

Good choice Hankodie :) I always go with the breeders recommendations as they know what their lines do well on. What does she feed her adults?

Thanks Lisa, I agree good breeders usually know what's best for their pups and I'm not going to dispute her advice as Hank comes from generations of good hip and elbow scores, I don't want to mess with that. Good question - I think she feeds them Pro Plan, but she did say we were welcome to feed another brand. I might ask her and she what she thinks :)

I raise my pups on adult food from weaning, so my advice to you is to pick one that comes close to your desired protein v fat levels and go with it.

I've raised pups from weaning on Canidae, Proplan and Royal Canin but the Canidae is the only one I've used that falls within your desired limits.

Canidae ALS 24% and 14.5%

Thanks WIW - I've read good things about Canidae, do your pups do well on it?

The focus should not be just on protein to fat ratio. You also need to consider the phosphorous and calcium ratio.

Very good point Danois, I didn't think of that - I might ask my breeder just to be safe. I think as long as I steer clear of the high performance/concentrated adult foods I should be OK.

[espinay2]

Pro plan performance is an all life stages food and suitable for growing large breed puppies.

I don't know about the adult foods but the eagle pack and holistic select large and giant breed puppy are also ones I would highlight for those wanting to feed a dry food to large breed pups do the adult may be worth a look.

What does your puppies breeder recommend?

Edited September 9, 2013 by espinay2

[Guest hankodie]

Pro plan performance is an all life stages food and suitable for growing large breed puppies.

I don't know about the adult foods but the eagle pack and holistic select large and giant breed puppy are also ones I would highlight for those wanting to feed a dry food to large breed pups do the adult may be worth a look.

What does your puppies breeder recommend?

Thanks Espinay. On the care sheet she has just specified that we need to switch to "adult formula food", it says we can continue to feed Pro Plan if we wish but when we spoke she said it's up to us as long as Hank gets off the concentrated food by 16 weeks. Might shoot her a quick email with a couple of brands to see what she thinks.

[GoldenWei]

Thanks Lisa :) Eagle Pack and Holistic Select were the other 2 I was looking into. Hank is doing OK on the puppy kibble - stools are normal and coat looks good but then again I don't have anything to compare it too. Decisions decisions :laugh:

My golden babies are on Holistic Select (eagle pack) - and they have been since they were 8 weeks old. They are on the Adult large and Giant breed formula but the large and giant breed puppy version would also be suitable as it is still low in protein and fat percentages. I like holistic select as the calcium and phosphorus ratio is also correct. I hate puppy formulas as a general rule but the holistic select one is fine.

[fluff1234]

Fair enough :) I am certainly no breeder or expert, but I thought, was told and read that the large/giant puppy food slowed down the growth and its best to stay on it longer than 12 mths in larger breed dogs, so I am pretty confused LOL

thanks fluff1234 :) Yes I've read good things about Holistic Select and they seem to have good ingredients in their food.

My breeder has strongly advised in her care sheet to switch to adult food by 4 months as golden puppies can gain too much weight on it and grow too rapidly. I guess it just depends on the breed as well as what your breeder and vet advise - I know lots of people keep their puppies on puppy food for longer. I'm going to follow my breeder's advice as best as I can as she's been breeding goldens for a very long time and has lots of knowledge and experience regarding their hip/joint issues. She's also included lots of informative veterinary articles about growth rates and puppy food, including an article from her own vet who is very reputable in Australia.

Edited September 9, 2013 by fluff1234

[espinay2]

fluff1234 it can sometimes be a case of 'know your line'. Even within some breeds pups from different lines can grow differently (for example I have one youngster here that has grown very differently to my others and has required a very different approach to feeding even though she is the same breed - she grows in similar fashion to dogs in her sires line). That is why it is always asked what does the breeder recommend. They know what works for their line and are best placed to give guidance in the first instance s they will have a better idea of what works and what doesnt.

It is lso important to know that all puppy foods are not created equal particularly when it comes to large and giant breeds (even some of the ones marketed for larger breeds). Many are too high in calories and calcium for example for many larger breeds. While some of the current large and giant breed puppy formulas are ok to feed for longer to these breeds in most circumstances (those are mostly the ones mentioned in this thread), it is common practice to switch larger breeds to an adult food a lot sooner rather than keeping them on higher calorie/calcium puppy foods.

Edited September 9, 2013 by espinay2

[Guest hankodie]

Well said espinay. fluff1234 I would go with whatever the breeder advises because they know what the puppies do well on better than anyone else. It's also never a bad thing to try to keep a puppy as lean as possible while they grow, as I understand it this puts less pressure on the growing joints especially in large breeds.

My golden babies are on Holistic Select (eagle pack) - and they have been since they were 8 weeks old. They are on the Adult large and Giant breed formula but the large and giant breed puppy version would also be suitable as it is still low in protein and fat percentages. I like holistic select as the calcium and phosphorus ratio is also correct. I hate puppy formulas as a general rule but the holistic select one is fine.

Thanks goldenwei this is very helpful. I think I will try him on Holistic Select and see how he goes.

[fluff1234]

Thanks

Interesting to know. I have absolutely NO idea on animal nutrition :) just what i have read on forums and the net :)

I

fluff1234 it can sometimes be a case of 'know your line'. Even within some breeds pups from different lines can grow differently (for example I have one youngster here that has grown very differently to my others and has required a very different approach to feeding even though she is the same breed - she grows in similar fashion to dogs in her sires line). That is why it is always asked what does the breeder recommend. They know what works for their line and are best placed to give guidance in the first instance s they will have a better idea of what works and what doesnt.

It is lso important to know that all puppy foods are not created equal particularly when it comes to large and giant breeds (even some of the ones marketed for larger breeds). Many are too high in calories and calcium for example for many larger breeds. While some of the current large and giant breed puppy formulas are ok to feed for longer to these breeds in most circumstances (those are mostly the ones mentioned in this thread), it is common practice to switch larger breeds to an adult food a lot sooner rather than keeping them on higher calorie/calcium puppy foods.

Edited September 10, 2013 by fluff1234