# Which LBP food? Help me choose!



## King1122 (Jun 30, 2014)

My GSD puppy is 16 weeks old now. We started him with Wellness LBP, but he started getting very scratchy. We tried Canidae LBP, but as we started to switch the food he would pick out and eat all the Wellness and wouldn't eat the Canidae (he never ate the Canidae). So we tried Solid Gold WolfCub and we switched it over gradually, but he doesn't want to eat it. Also his poo is runny and grainy on the Solid Gold. I'm tempted to put him back on the Wellness, but I really don't want him to be itchy and miserable. He needs to eat though! I bought some of the Nature's Variety Raw Beef recipe as a treat meal for him and he loved that.

Wellness LBP 
Deboned Chicken, Whitefish, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Peas, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Salmon Meal, Tomato Pomace, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Tomatoes, Ground Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Carrots, Apples, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Salt, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Taurine, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein	Not Less Than	26.00%
Crude Fat	Not Less Than	12.00%
Crude Fat	Not More Than	13.50%
Crude Fiber	Not More Than	5.00%
Moisture	Not More Than	10.00%
Calcium	Not Less Than	1.10%
Calcium	Not More Than	1.50%
Phosphorus	Not Less Than	0.90%
Phosphorus	Not More Than	1.20%

Foods I am considering are all Large Breed Puppy formulas - Blue Buffalo, Blue Buffalo Freedom, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Orijen, Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost, and Fromm Gold.

Any advice on those or the Wellness. Any of them that your pup enjoys eating? Should I try grain free or no? Every one seems to give very different opinions. What ingredients raise red flags in the Wellness that may be causing his itching? Thanks for your help!


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

We used the Wellness when it was a new food and the pups did not do well on it. We switched to Wellness CORE and it has been one of the best kibbles we've ever tried. I would recommend it, as it seems your dogs already like the taste of Wellness. I would also recommend Orijen, Acana, and Innova EVO. Those are the 4 that worked wonders for us, and we tried just about everything in the higher end, grain-free line. Our dogs have been exclusively fed a raw diet for 4 years now, and all of their itching went away with the switch. It was hit or miss on the kibble. Good luck!


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## King1122 (Jun 30, 2014)

How expensive do you find feeding raw? I would entertain it, but I find it overwhelming and also feel it would be quite expensive.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

"What ingredients raise red flags in the Wellness that may be causing his itching?"
Oatmeal, rice, flax seed and most likely the chicken. I'd choose Grain Free and Chicken free products.

The Blue Buffalo and the Orijen seems to be notorious causing loose stool or diarrhea in GSD's. I would try Orijen's sister food ACANA. You could start with their Limited ingredients called SINGLES: http://www.acana.com/products/singles/ and then after a few months, if there is improvement, you possibly could move to ACANA GRAIN FREE: http://www.acana.com/products/regionals/ Store Locator: http://www.acana.com/store-locator/ 

Fromm Gold has grains. If you go with this one go for the Non Grain Four Star varieties. Four-Star Nutritionals for Dogs - Fromm Family Foods Store Locator: Find a store that carries Fromm 

Nature's Variety Raw Boost Instinct Puppy Formulas contain Chicken so if you choose this one, choose the grain free varieties. Instinct Kibble Products for Pets | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats Store Locator; Find a Store | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats 

Make sure that you read all labels of whatever you give him and that the treats you choose are also grain free and chicken free.

Raw is a great way to go, but takes some work and research unless you can afford to purchase a commercially prepared "balanced" raw product.

Good luck!

Moms


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## atravis (Sep 24, 2008)

There are comparably few grain free LBP formulas on the market right now- my best advise would be to pick something that sounds good to you and stick with it for a while and see how your pup does on it.

There's no reason NOT to try Orijen's LBP just because some dogs get an upset stomach on it. Every dog is different, don't exclude simply because someone else's dog didn't do good as its a great food.

Frankly, I see no reason why a 16 week old puppy would be expressing "allergy" symptoms. Most of what people consider "allergies" in dogs are actually developed sensitivities to proteins in their food, to which the odds of such a YOUNG dog having already been subject to are very, very minimal. A more likely culprit is an imbalance or lack of good fats and fatty oils in the diet, which are very important to skin condition. Sadly, most LBP foods are also very LOW in fat, which is such a nonsensical thing- this is why I like Orijen's LBP, which actually has reasonable amounts of fat. 

Wellness CORE's PUPPY formula is another good one, that also has more reasonable levels of calcium/phosphorous (which is also important to consider for a growing large breed- brands like EVO go upwards into the 2% range, which has proven problematic for developing large breeds as per studies done on the matter)

If you don't mind trying grain-inclusive, Holistic Select's REGULAR puppy food (not the LBP, also too low in fat) still has a perfectly acceptable cal/phos range, uses non-glutenous grains (which if you're still worried about the "allergy" thing, glutenous grains are the ones to be paying attention to as they are the ones that more often cause issues) and is generally a very easy food on the system. 

Supplementing fresh fish or a good fish oil is also not a bad idea.


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

King1122 said:


> How expensive do you find feeding raw? I would entertain it, but I find it overwhelming and also feel it would be quite expensive.


I did the math on feeding kibble for my pack, and determined that it was costing $1.88/lb. So then I sought out raw meats and supplements that would cost me less than $1.88/lb. I aimed for under $1/lb to help save money. I joined a local yahoo raw/BARF group/co-op that purchased bulk meat to drive the price per lb down to an affordable price range. From there I discovered a nearby human grade meat distributor that supplied all of the local restuarants, and they even had a "pet menu" of foods targeted to those who feed raw, like marrow bones and organs and muscles. It was a perfect setup for us, as I could put in an order and go pick up an hour later, any weekday. I had to purchase a stand alone freezer to store all of the boxes, but it was worth it in the long run.

Hope that helps! Good luck.


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## arctic (Jun 20, 2014)

Mine was "okay" but not "great" on Orijen Large Breed Puppy. Tear track on one eye constantly. Loose stool. 

But it did allow me to switch to Orijen 6 Fish without a hiccup because she was used to Orijen and used to a high-protein grain free kibble.

She's now doing great on Orijen 6 Fish and salmon oil supplement. 

I'm positive she smells far less than when she was on Arden Grange Chicken & Rice.

I'm somewhat sure she smells less on 6 Fish than on Orijen Large Breed Puppy, but it could just be my personal bias speaking.


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## Glacier (Feb 25, 2009)

I would definitely try the wellness core puppy, my pup does well on that and Acana(the fish formula). I'm hoping to get him on Orijen's six fish after we finish this current bag of wellness core puppy. My guys is allergic to chicken eggs, so I have to be careful reading the ingredient list.


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