Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO Food Forum => Food Discussion & Information => : lulu February 04, 2006, 12:55:20 PM
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okay, i just got my 6 week old golden retriever. the breeder we got him from suggested we feed him iams, which is what she was feeding him. im not a big fan of iams, and know there is a lot better dog food than that. so, i got one bag of iams puppy food and when it is almost finished, i am going to start switching him to something else. i'd prefer solid gold but i cant find it where i live. so, my second choice is natural choice. what i am wondering though, is should i feed him puppy food for a while or go right to the large breed adult food? what are the pros and cons of feeding pup food and the pros and cons of feeding adult food, if there are any? i know that all the protein in pup food isnt good for large breed dogs but it my pup going to miss out on any needed nutrition if i skip the pup food?
any advice would be appreciated. thanks.
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I just don't know for golden retreivers.... but for the giants (I have Newfs) the breeders all recommend against puppy food since it has too much protein which can make them grow too fast. That could damage their joints, so the slower the better. Maybe ask your vet?? I do know, though, that you need to change the food over slowly so her tummy doesn't get upset....and since she's SO young, it might be better to wait a month or so to do any food change, but again, ask your vet. Sorry I can't be of more help!!
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Lulu, were the parents of your pup very large dogs? If they were 90 lb goldens and you expect your pup to get that big someday, maybe consider feeding an adult dog food during puppyhood to keep the growth rate slow and steady. There are some great ones on the market like Natural Balance that have feeding recommendation s for adults and/or puppies on their dog food bags. That's what I have fed my pup Nigel (the Venison formula) since he was just over 2 months. He is a Bloodhound mix who will probably end up 100 lbs or so full grown. He has done really really well on that food, nice slow steady growth. His siblings who were fed puppy food have ended up with some joint problems already and they are only 11 months old, and I know they were growing faster than him. One of Nigel's brothers was 10 pounds ahead of him at 6 months old!!!
If on the other hand the parents were smaller goldens, more in the 60 to 70 pound range, I bet you would be fine using a puppy food or one of the "large-breed" puppy formulas.
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most brands offer a large breed puppy food, which you can feed until they are about 1 year old (depending on dog)
Leah
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We've been jumping around from brand to brand for our 2. But our vet and a dog food specialist definitely said that it was essential to be feeding large breed puppy food to large or giant breed dogs. Your golden retriever definitely needs a large breed puppy food. Now as far as brand goes, we have tried Diamond, Iams, Purina ONE, Purina Puppy Chow, Authority, Eukanuba, Ol' Roy, and Science Diet to name a few for our girls. What I've found to be the best nutrition-wise but have not tried are Eagle Pack, Pro Plan, and Nutro. They contain a good amount of protein (28%), glucosamine, and selenium in them, which is important for keeping large breed dogs' joints healthy. It can prevent hip dysplasia. But these brands are somewhat pricey. Our price range lets us buy Eukanuba and Purina ONE, which also have excellent protein levels and contain selenium and glucosamine. Eukanuba helps our Saint also avoid mushy stools. Authority Large breed Puppy is a really affordable brand with glucosamine in it. I recommend it, but our 2 didn't care for the taste. Maybe your pup will like it. Any dog food, no matter what age dog, should have at least a 22% or 23% protein level and for large dogs, contain glucosamine or selenium. It will pay off in the future to feed your dog a good puppy food now!
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. But our vet and a dog food specialist definitely said that it was essential to be feeding large breed puppy food to large or giant breed dogs.
If you must feed a puppy food, be sure for a large breed to feed a quality large breed puppy food. For a Giant breed, feed a good quality giant breed food.
Brands I prefer are: Solid Gold, Canidae, Eagle Pack Holistics, Chicken Soup For the Dog Lovers Soul, Premium Edge, and Innova-although Innova is a bit rich so can cause loose stools easily.
For more information regarding dog food, check out http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
and
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/puppy_feed_program_and_guidelines.htm
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We've been jumping around from brand to brand for our 2. But our vet and a dog food specialist definitely said that it was essential to be feeding large breed puppy food to large or giant breed dogs. Your golden retriever definitely needs a large breed puppy food. Now as far as brand goes, we have tried Diamond, Iams, Purina ONE, Purina Puppy Chow, Authority, Eukanuba, Ol' Roy, and Science Diet to name a few for our girls. What I've found to be the best nutrition-wise but have not tried are Eagle Pack, Pro Plan, and Nutro. They contain a good amount of protein (28%), glucosamine, and selenium in them, which is important for keeping large breed dogs' joints healthy. It can prevent hip dysplasia. But these brands are somewhat pricey. Our price range lets us buy Eukanuba and Purina ONE, which also have excellent protein levels and contain selenium and glucosamine. Eukanuba helps our Saint also avoid mushy stools. Authority Large breed Puppy is a really affordable brand with glucosamine in it. I recommend it, but our 2 didn't care for the taste. Maybe your pup will like it. Any dog food, no matter what age dog, should have at least a 22% or 23% protein level and for large dogs, contain glucosamine or selenium. It will pay off in the future to feed your dog a good puppy food now!
Please don't be offended at what I am going to say here, but most of the foods you mentioned are VERY low quality. Second, most vets have had minimal training in dog nutrition, and I've found that their recommendation s for large and giant breeds are often incorrect.
High energy LARGE breed dogs should be fed a slightly higher protein and calorie level food than GIANT breeds. As a previous poster mentioned, if the parents were 90 lbs+ you definitely want to stick with a 24% or lower protein food. For the smaller 60-70 lb range, a large breed puppy food would be fine, but I wouldn't go over 28% protein.
There are foods in the same price range as Eukaneuba that are much better nutritionally. One of my favorites is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.
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Please, please becareful with large breed puppy food. I have 2 mals and the first one was a runt so it was ok to keep her on lg. breed puppy longer with Nala it made her grow too fast and we had a lot of issues with her joints. Right now price can not be an option for my two. I personally loved Solid Gold (you can order it online); however Tonka has IBD so she can't have it unless they come out with a duck/potatoe forumla. I have her on Pinnacle Duck/Pot. formula 2 red pot. each meal and yogurt. Nala is on Nutro Ultra Lg. Breed and has done wonderfully on it. The Pinnacle is ~$44 a bag, but that is all my Tonka can eat so unfortunately I had to go down in price for Nala, but still have a good food, she was around5 months old when we had to switch to adult food.
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Please don't be offended at what I am going to say here, but most of the foods you mentioned are VERY low quality. Second, most vets have had minimal training in dog nutrition, and I've found that their recommendation s for large and giant breeds are often incorrect.
Don't worry, not offended! But after spending a lot of research on the brands that are available in our area (or at least a 2 hour radius from home!), these are the best that we've been able to find and afford. I looked up the Chicken Soup for the Dog lover's soul. Turns out it's available nearby! I'll check it out! Thank you!
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Don't worry, not offended! But after spending a lot of research on the brands that are available in our area (or at least a 2 hour radius from home!), these are the best that we've been able to find and afford. I looked up the Chicken Soup for the Dog lover's soul. Turns out it's available nearby! I'll check it out! Thank you!
That's wonderful! I feed raw now, but my older Dane, Java, did wonderfully on CS.
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We've been jumping around from brand to brand for our 2. But our vet and a dog food specialist definitely said that it was essential to be feeding large breed puppy food to large or giant breed dogs. Your golden retriever definitely needs a large breed puppy food. Now as far as brand goes, we have tried Diamond, Iams, Purina ONE, Purina Puppy Chow, Authority, Eukanuba, Ol' Roy, and Science Diet to name a few for our girls. What I've found to be the best nutrition-wise but have not tried are Eagle Pack, Pro Plan, and Nutro. They contain a good amount of protein (28%), glucosamine, and selenium in them, which is important for keeping large breed dogs' joints healthy. It can prevent hip dysplasia. But these brands are somewhat pricey. Our price range lets us buy Eukanuba and Purina ONE, which also have excellent protein levels and contain selenium and glucosamine. Eukanuba helps our Saint also avoid mushy stools. Authority Large breed Puppy is a really affordable brand with glucosamine in it. I recommend it, but our 2 didn't care for the taste. Maybe your pup will like it. Any dog food, no matter what age dog, should have at least a 22% or 23% protein level and for large dogs, contain glucosamine or selenium. It will pay off in the future to feed your dog a good puppy food now!
Please don't be offended at what I am going to say here, but most of the foods you mentioned are VERY low quality. Second, most vets have had minimal training in dog nutrition, and I've found that their recommendation s for large and giant breeds are often incorrect.
High energy LARGE breed dogs should be fed a slightly higher protein and calorie level food than GIANT breeds. As a previous poster mentioned, if the parents were 90 lbs+ you definitely want to stick with a 24% or lower protein food. For the smaller 60-70 lb range, a large breed puppy food would be fine, but I wouldn't go over 28% protein.
There are foods in the same price range as Eukaneuba that are much better nutritionally. One of my favorites is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.
Ericka i have been thinking of switching from innova large breed puppy to either merrick or wellness. The thing im concerned about is i don't see a large breed formula for these. Do you have any suggestions about these or solid gold or anything else. I have been trying to research as much as i can but everyone says something else. i have a 6 month old pitbull who will be about 75 to 80 lbs probably. Thanks in advance!!!
Amber