# 2014 puppies, What is everyone going to feed them?



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

I notice that there are a lot of us getting puppies in 2014. I was just wondering what you are planning on feeding your new puppy?

My last GS puppy was fed Science Diet Large Breed Puppy but that was 13 years ago. I know there are much better foods around today. I do think I want a large breed puppy kibble just to make sure the amounts of calcium are not too high. 

So what should I fed him?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Fromm large breed puppy is a very good and affordable kibble. Much better than science diet.

I've got my 2013 puppy on earthborn holistic meadow feast and he's been doing well on it. It's an adult formula, but the calcium is fine for a LBP.


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## KayForbes (Jan 14, 2013)

I will be feeding Fromm again! I love it and the dogs do too!

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## GSD Dad (Dec 3, 2013)

We'll be rotating through the Acana Regionals formulas just like with our last puppy (now 5.5 years old). The new guy will get transitioned to their Ranchlands formula, since his breeder is weaning them in TOTW Bison & Venison. 


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

GSD Dad said:


> We'll be rotating through the Acana Regionals formulas just like with our last puppy (now 5.5 years old). The new guy will get transitioned to their Ranchlands formula, since his breeder is weaning them in TOTW Bison & Venison.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


It's a good kibble for an adult, but the calcium (2.3% is the minumum) is pretty high in that ranchlands formula. I'd be hesitant to feed that to a puppy.


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## Coastie01 (Mar 17, 2011)

Iams. It what I have always fed and never had any issue that have derived from food.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

I fed Iams to my Siberian Huskies until it was sold to Proctor and Gamble. All 5 of my dogs fell apart with the changes they made to their ingredients. Not a food I can recommend.


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## Coastie01 (Mar 17, 2011)

When did they switch over?


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

IAMS hasn't been a good food since the 90s.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Doesn't Iams test on animals too?

Not a puppy but we've recently had to cut back a bit in spending on food(sick cat and a lot of vet bills) so we're switching to Nature's Logic, I was rotating them between Orijen and Acana before but 'hoping' to sometime late this year or next finally make the switch to raw.


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## GSD Dad (Dec 3, 2013)

Lucy Dog said:


> It's a good kibble for an adult, but the calcium (2.3% is the minumum) is pretty high in that ranchlands formula. I'd be hesitant to feed that to a puppy.


The Acana Regionals is what our breeder was feeding prior to losing her wholesaler, so she recently switched to TOTW. Our first GSD from her has been on it his whole life and done amazingly. I've never subscribed too heavily to the "puppy food" vs "adult food" thing. Wolf pups don't eat different meat than the adults once they're weaned. ?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

GSD Dad said:


> The Acana Regionals is what our breeder was feeding prior to losing her wholesaler, so she recently switched to TOTW. Our first GSD from her has been on it his whole life and done amazingly. I've never subscribed too heavily to the "puppy food" vs "adult food" thing. Wolf pups don't eat different meat than the adults once they're weaned. &#55357;&#56841;
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Wolf pups also don't eat processed foods loaded with ash either. 

And I'm not talking about acana not being a puppy food. My current puppy is on and has pretty much always been on an adult food. And my other dog was never on any type of puppy food ever. I'm taking about feeding a lower calcium food (puppy or adult) to a large breed puppy that's going to be doing a lot of growing in that first year. Too much calcium is not a good thing.


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## GSD Dad (Dec 3, 2013)

Guess we can agree to disagree. I will stick with what has worked already for me and is recommended by our breeder. 


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Fromm LBP 


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## Okin (Feb 27, 2013)

I was really happy with Fromm. I still feed it to her but I'm thinking of adding in some raw maybe slowly making the change.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Does anyone know anything about Diamond Naturals Lg Breed puppy?

Acana and Fromm are out of my price range.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

My pup just turned 6 months so I hope he qualifies for this thread. 

His breeder had him on Purina Pro Plan Select when I got him, I tried to switch him over to TOTW Pacific Stream for puppy but we had some issues with it so I left him on the Pro Plan, his whole litter is on that kibble but now that he just turned 6 months old I am going to attempt TOTW Pacific Stream adult now.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Tulah is on raw


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

LaRen616 said:


> My pup just turned 6 months so I hope he qualifies for this thread.
> 
> His breeder had him on Purina Pro Plan Select when I got him, I tried to switch him over to TOTW Pacific Stream for puppy but we had some issues with it so I left him on the Pro Plan, his whole litter is on that kibble but now that he just turned 6 months old I am going to attempt TOTW Pacific Stream adult now.



Absolutely everyone qualifies. I just posted it the way I did to try to get some activity. Usually food questions don't get a lot of answers.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

re: Iams

Lot of corn in it.  

Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Grits, Brewers Rice, Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Fish Meal, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E)Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Caramel, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Rosemary Extract.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Pups will be fed 50/50 raw and kibble (Earthborn) from weaning until they go home. Then whichever one we keep will be switched over to full raw as we do with all of our own dogs.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Chris Wild said:


> Pups will be fed 50/50 raw and kibble (Merrick) from weaning until they go home. Then whichever one we keep will be switched over to full raw as we do with all of our own dogs.


The rescue I'm getting my boy from is feeding a mix of raw and TOTW. I don't feel comfortable doing all raw but will continue with raw toppers occasionally.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Don't use "toppers" as you do not want to mix raw and kibble in the same meal. If you're going to do a partial raw, partial kibble diet you need to split it out into separate raw meals and kibble meals.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Chris Wild said:


> Don't use "toppers" as you do not want to mix raw and kibble in the same meal. If you're going to do a partial raw, partial kibble diet you need to split it out into separate raw meals and kibble meals.


What's the reasoning behind that? Is it because they're digested at different rates? Whole foods are digested faster than processed kibble, right?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Lucy Dog said:


> What's the reasoning behind that? Is it because they're digested at different rates? Whole foods are digested faster than processed kibble, right?


Yes. Kibble has a lot of filler in it intentionally as digestion must be slowed for the dog to be able to absorb all of the nutrients. Raw digests much faster, and the fact that it does digest much faster is part of the reason that dogs don't have problems with the bacteria in raw. Feeding both together means that the kibble will slow the digestion of the raw and while that may not be a problem for an idividual dog there's no reason to risk it.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Legend was 12 weeks yesterday and is eating California Natural Lamb and Rice (just the normal one, not puppy). I'm looking to switch Legend and Indy to something similar but not as pricey.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

BowWowMeow said:


> IAMS hasn't been a good food since the 90s.


Yep!

Sorghum was one of the ingredients introduced when P&G bought it. Any other dog food kibble have Sorghum ?


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## Corvus Laeus (Nov 28, 2012)

Tiberius is 4 months today. 

I have him on Blue Wilderness Large Breed Puppy, but will be switching him to RAW just as soon as I work out the logistics and find a place to put a chest freezer... :crazy:


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

GSD Dad said:


> The Acana Regionals is what our breeder was feeding prior to losing her wholesaler, so she recently switched to TOTW. Our first GSD from her has been on it his whole life and done amazingly. I've never subscribed too heavily to the "puppy food" vs "adult food" thing. Wolf pups don't eat different meat than the adults once they're weaned. ?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


There have been known issues with puppies and the adult formula TOTW. If you contact the manufacturer, they will tell you to not feed the adult formula TOTW to puppies. 

Do what you want as far as feeding but there have been several threads on this.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Chris Wild said:


> Don't use "toppers" as you do not want to mix raw and kibble in the same meal. If you're going to do a partial raw, partial kibble diet you need to split it out into separate raw meals and kibble meals.


Uh oh is that for adults too? I've been putting raw eggs and chicken livers on Buddys food to boost protein.


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## 3dognite (May 28, 2003)

My baby was on Nutrena at the breeder (ew, not good I know) and we've transitioned to the Kirkland Signature. We mix the chicken and the lamb and have had really really good luck with it. It's the only food my old GSD would really eat well other than homemade food.

Odin gets some knox gelatin on it, and he also gets other stuff like greek yogurt, sweet potato, pumpkin if we have some extra, some leftover meats and veggies. After having had GSD's with serious digestive problems in the past, I've decided--based on some recent research--that I'm going to feed as much of a varied diet as possible simply to help alleviate formation of food allergies.

My baby is almost 5 months...I've read mixed reviews on feeding puppy food, large breed puppy food and going to adult food. The breeder fed either the Nutrena Loyal puppy or adult, depending on which was available at the dealer he bought from. Odin's weight is pretty good, around 40 pounds and he isn't skinny, but he's not fat either.


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## 3dognite (May 28, 2003)

shepherdmom said:


> Uh oh is that for adults too? I've been putting raw eggs and chicken livers on Buddys food to boost protein.


I would like to know this too...sometimes I'll feed yogurt or raw eggs and other stuff, should I feed it separately from his kibble?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

No worry with eggs, yogurt, or even small things like a chicken liver. This applies to large amounts of raw.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Delta is on Blue Wilderness LBP... I will switch her to raw once she's at the house with us and we have the ability to feed both dogs raw.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Chris Wild said:


> No worry with eggs, yogurt, or even small things like a chicken liver. This applies to large amounts of raw.


Good to know. Glad I'm not making my boy sick.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

What about natures recipe easy to digest for all life stages? I've used that for puppies before but they were not lg breed.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Currently feeding Orijen Large Breed Puppy - probably will until a year old. Calcium is max 1.7% if I recall correctly. I spent a few hours in the store reading ingredients and calcium levels. I wouldn't feed more calcium than this, personally.


I enjoy eating by DJetzel, on Flickr


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

We fed Fromm LBP to our last pup and she loved it. Her stool was very soft however. There may have been other factors but I am considering TOTW Grain Free High Prairie for our next pup arriving in March. 

Then again, I might chicken out and go back to Fromm.


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

Pup arrives in about 1 week... breeder has him on Xkaliber green tripe mix, so I bought some to try out for a little bit. Looking to make the switch to 100% raw as soon as it's all gone


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

endless5 said:


> Pup arrives in about 1 week... breeder has him on Xkaliber green tripe mix, so I bought some to try out for a little bit. Looking to make the switch to 100% raw as soon as it's all gone



Never heard of that. Sounds yucky.


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## Hessa (Dec 24, 2013)

I actually need input. My pup turned 7 weeks yesterday. Have had her for 5 days now, and I'm feeding her Kirklands Natures Domain. Bag says it's all life stages, but I'm sure it's geared more for adults. Anyways when I read these threads and I see puppies eating adult dog food I think, "okay nothing wrong with what I'm doing", but then I realize these pups are 6-8 months old not 7 weeks. So being this young should it be puppy food or does it still not really matter? 


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Raw food diet with added probiotics and omega fatty acids - my healthy puppy program.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Hessa said:


> I actually need input. My pup turned 7 weeks yesterday. Have had her for 5 days now, and I'm feeding her Kirklands Natures Domain. Bag says it's all life stages, but I'm sure it's geared more for adults. Anyways when I read these threads and I see puppies eating adult dog food I think, "okay nothing wrong with what I'm doing", but then I realize these pups are 6-8 months old not 7 weeks. So being this young should it be puppy food or does it still not really matter?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Anyone? I'd like to know the answer too. Is natures recipe all life stages ok for young puppies as well as older?


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## bill (Nov 8, 2013)

Anyone heard of" A.N.F. advanced nutrition formula. We feed this over 30 years ago; when I was learning how to train p.p.d. it was 30 percent protein; smelled like sweat feed. Main ing. Chicken; dogs loved it small firm stool; didn't eat as much. I haven't seen it in years. Bill


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

endless5 said:


> Pup arrives in about 1 week... breeder has him on Xkaliber green tripe mix, so I bought some to try out for a little bit. Looking to make the switch to 100% raw as soon as it's all gone


That is what Paisley is currently eating 


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

DJEtzel said:


> Currently feeding Orijen Large Breed Puppy - probably will until a year old. Calcium is max 1.7% if I recall correctly. I spent a few hours in the store reading ingredients and calcium levels. I wouldn't feed more calcium than this, personally.
> 
> 
> I enjoy eating by DJetzel, on Flickr


Aww so cute!


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> Never heard of that. Sounds yucky.


Smells yucky  dogs seem to love it though! 

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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

mspiker03 said:


> That is what Paisley is currently eating
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


How is paisley liking it? I just got my order delivered a few hours ago, solid as a rock 



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## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

My pup is now 17 weeks old, he was on kibble when I brought him home at 9 weeks......I switched him over to raw diet (first time experience), but I wasn't confident that I was giving him the correct balance of nutrients he needed so I switched to Blue Buffalo brand Chicken and just bought a bag of the Blue Lamb....I have a lot of venison in the freezer and use them for all my marker training, mix it in with the kibble (cooked venison) ...Also feed him a little Blue Brand canned food with his kibble at times....Just a small amount....

My wife likes cooking him scrambled eggs a couple times a week....

Anyone see anything wrong with this or something I should cut out OT change?..(minus going back to raw, I plan to in the future though)

I'm feeding him the Adult Blue Buffalo, I'm assuming this is okay....


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## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

Chris Wild said:


> Don't use "toppers" as you do not want to mix raw and kibble in the same meal. If you're going to do a partial raw, partial kibble diet you need to split it out into separate raw meals and kibble meals.


Would it be okay to add beef broth from roast I boil to his kibble and also, would it be okay to mix a little cooked venison in with the kibble....Or would this cause problems with digestion, being kibble takes longer to digest(I think) ...and what about the occasional scrambled egg? I want him to grow steady and safely...My former GSD had to be put down at 5.5 years old due to cancer..She also had severe HD and ED....Rookie mistake on my part when I picked a breeder.....Nut she was a GREAT dog!


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## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> Aww so cute!


Sorry for so many questions.....You wouldn't recommend going over 1.7% calcium for a puppy? This is the kind of information that is very valuable to me....What about Phosphorus?

On my Blue Buffalo Brand it says 1.3% min calcium...


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

endless5 said:


> How is paisley liking it? I just got my order delivered a few hours ago, solid as a rock


She loves it (and so does my older dog who gets it for one meal each day). Green tripe is like doggy crack! But Paisley would eat anything...

I was actually "lucky" enough to visit their facility and bought 120 lbs home in my super large cooler!!!


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Jmoore728 said:


> Sorry for so many questions.....You wouldn't recommend going over 1.7% calcium for a puppy? This is the kind of information that is very valuable to me....What about Phosphorus?
> 
> On my Blue Buffalo Brand it says 1.3% min calcium...


That's what this thread is for, questions and hopefully some answers from experts who know more than I do.  

I read on the internet something about it should be a 1 to 1 ratio but I am not at all confident that is correct.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Found this link on calcium levels if it helps. 

Developmental orthopedic disease in large-breed puppies - DVM

and other link on LBP food

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/jcoates/2013/march/what-is-puppy-food-for-large-breed-dogs-29893#.UtdpaJ5dU_8


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## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> Found this link on calcium levels if it helps.
> 
> Developmental orthopedic disease in large-breed puppies - DVM
> 
> ...


Thank you much!!


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

mspiker03 said:


> She loves it (and so does my older dog who gets it for one meal each day). Green tripe is like doggy crack! But Paisley would eat anything...
> 
> I was actually "lucky" enough to visit their facility and bought 120 lbs home in my super large cooler!!!
> 
> ...


120 lbs...I got some catching up to do lol. Can't wait to get started!! Might even take a drive up to their facility if my pup likes it as much as paisley and stock up! What does the other meal consist of if only 1 is the xkaliber?



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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

shepherdmom said:


> That's what this thread is for, questions and hopefully some answers from experts who know more than I do.
> 
> I read on the internet something about it should be a 1 to 1 ratio but I am not at all confident that is correct.



I JUST went through this looking for a new food yesterday. I was told you want the ratio 1:1 or as close as possible and preferably neither over (or that much over) 1.0


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Liesje said:


> I JUST went through this looking for a new food yesterday. I was told you want the ratio 1:1 or as close as possible and preferably neither over (or that much over) 1.0


There is dog food out there with 1% max calcium!? Please share! 

I flipped over almost every bag in the store last week and couldn't find any less than 1.3% min. ;(


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

This article includes a great explanation and a little chart on what the calcium and phosphorous levels should be for various ages, and also the ratio. 

Calcium & Phosphorous Requirements for Dogs

In short, you want over 1% calcium for pups, but not too high. And the ratio should be a little bit higher than 1:1.

IMO when shopping kibbles, this is the single most important thing to look at for puppies. Well, other than basically good ingredients of course. Most foods marketed as All Life Stages are correct for pups, but not all. It is also important to find out what the MAX calcium level is. Sometimes this is listed on the bag, but sometimes it is not and you have to inquire with the manufacturer. If the level listed on the bag looks ok, but there is no max listed, be careful as while it may say something like 1.5% (often listed as the MIN) it may actually go much higher and that could cause problems.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Liesje said:


> I JUST went through this looking for a new food yesterday. I was told you want the ratio 1:1 or as close as possible and preferably neither over (or that much over) 1.0


What one did you choose?


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Chris Wild said:


> This article includes a great explanation and a little chart on what the calcium and phosphorous levels should be for various ages, and also the ratio.
> 
> Calcium & Phosphorous Requirements for Dogs
> 
> ...


Thanks you for the information.  The link was very helpful.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

endless5 said:


> 120 lbs...I got some catching up to do lol. Can't wait to get started!! Might even take a drive up to their facility if my pup likes it as much as paisley and stock up! What does the other meal consist of if only 1 is the xkaliber?
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


If only you could see Paisleys display as she hops and bounces to her crate to eat...I think she is part kangaroo!

Leyna gets your general raw meal - chicken parts, beef, duck, etc. I will eventually be changing Paisley to this and just use one of their other tripe blends as part of the meal.

My only advice is to separate and cut up the roll partially frozen. It helps with the smell. Although, the xkaliber doesn't seem as bad as the tripe only or the tripe/gullet/trachea blends.

I will also say that leyna and her brother/littermate (Levi, RIP) really love all of the green tripe products when they get them.


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## Epear (Jan 15, 2014)

I feed my 13 week old puppy, Max, Earthborn Coastal Catch. All stages food and he seems to love it. No problems whatsoever.


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## JessePinkman (Jan 13, 2014)

I have been feeding my puppy Now! Fresh Large Breed Puppy dog food. It can be expensive but also contains New Zealand Mussels (Green Lipped Mussels)!

The calcium % is at 1.3%min (not sure the max), with the phosphorus at 0.8% min.

Overall he has an extremely shiny and healthy coat and no problems thus far! 

Hes on his second bag at 4months old, not sure how long I will keep him on it.


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## MrsFergione (Jul 7, 2013)

Fromm gold puppy and raw meat 50/50 with nupro joint supplement. Same as our female but she gets adult food. Once we move in May 100% raw but we don't have room for an extra freezer right now.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

shepherdmom said:


> What one did you choose?


None  Couldn't find one I was happy with for the puppy, so he's eating the same thing he was before: California Natural Lamb and Rice ALS (a limited ingredient diet) and the large breed puppy version was on sale, so he'll be getting both. I can't find the large breed puppy one on their site, maybe it's on sale b/c they're not making it anymore. My previous dogs have eaten the ALS version from 8 weeks on with no problems. It's just getting expensive so I was looking for something good quality but cheaper for my younger dogs (the older dogs are the ones with more sensitive systems that benefit from the limited ingredient diet and up until this point it's just been easier to feed everyone the same thing).

I got this one for my pit bull (she's almost 2) and will be switching Legend to it once he grows but the pet store guy did not recommend it for a puppy (and these people actually know their stuff).
Adult dog food - Fromm Family Foods


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## Montu (Oct 9, 2012)

I currently feed my adult Orijen Regional red and 6 fish....I was thinking of feeding this to the puppy as well but I may feed the puppy formula for a while.

thoughts?


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

mspiker03 said:


> If only you could see Paisleys display as she hops and bounces to her crate to eat...I think she is part kangaroo!
> 
> Leyna gets your general raw meal - chicken parts, beef, duck, etc. I will eventually be changing Paisley to this and just use one of their other tripe blends as part of the meal.
> 
> ...



omg lol, this is making me excited just thinking about how excited my pup will (hopefully) get to eat

What you're doing with Leyna is exactly what I was thinking of doing down the line too, use the xkaliber as base. add in a chicken wing here, a breast there, some liver there, some beef next time, and tada. was surprised to see that harvest meat have different game (ducks, geese, etc). will help! 

thank you for the tip! was hoping the xkaliber wouldnt small AS bad as only tripe. luckily it doesn't go through the chub bags. Was thinking to just cut up the chubs into 1 lb pieces and freeze, this way defrost as needed... 

Do you follow the 2-3% of adult weight rule for the xkaliber mix too? cant wait to try out all of the green tripe products.. not looking forward to tripe stuffed hooves though lol 

thanks again for all your help :hug:


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

Liesje said:


> I JUST went through this looking for a new food yesterday. I was told you want the ratio 1:1 or as close as possible and preferably neither over (or that much over) 1.0


Forgive me for asking...but are you planning on getting a pup from Adler Stein? I could have sworn I saw a pic similar to your avatar when Anne posted Siren's picture yesterday 

If so.. can't wait to hear how it goes! I'm looking to sign my (soon to be) pup into the training she has


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I am not but I do stalk Anne's dogs on Facebook and I did comment on that photo!


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

endless5 said:


> omg lol, this is making me excited just thinking about how excited my pup will (hopefully) get to eat
> 
> What you're doing with Leyna is exactly what I was thinking of doing down the line too, use the xkaliber as base. add in a chicken wing here, a breast there, some liver there, some beef next time, and tada. was surprised to see that harvest meat have different game (ducks, geese, etc). will help!
> 
> ...


Yes, I fed Paisley what I was feeding Leyna. I ended up decreasing Paisleys food a bit though to compensate for all the training treats (since I use dehydrated raw food which is a complete diet as a training treat, in addition to cooked steak). 

I also feed 3x a day - Paisley was 3 even meals and Leyna gets a small lunch snack. I started that when Leyna and Levi were younger because one of them often got the empty stomach bile pukies if they went from breakfast to dinner without something in between.

If you don't mind driving, you might want to call Paul at Jurassic Secret Emu to get on his dog food email/call list because he occasionally has dog food for sale. He is in Ramona(NE San Diego County). He usually sells it all to a bulk supplier but occasionally they don't want to buy.

I would think the tripe stuffed cow hooves would be an outdoor treat 


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Montu said:


> I currently feed my adult Orijen Regional red and 6 fish....I was thinking of feeding this to the puppy as well but I may feed the puppy formula for a while.
> 
> thoughts?


The regional red has too much calcium. The 6 fish would be fine- I almost got that for my pup, got the large breed puppy instead because the calcium is just a little lower, but I will probably rotate those two.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I was just doing some more dog food research... Wondering what "as fed" means in regards to calcium in a dog food? I keep seeing it under the puppy formulas on TOTW's website... 

Natural, Healthy, Premium Cat and Dog Food


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Liesje said:


> None  Couldn't find one I was happy with for the puppy, so he's eating the same thing he was before: California Natural Lamb and Rice ALS (a limited ingredient diet) and the large breed puppy version was on sale, so he'll be getting both. I can't find the large breed puppy one on their site, maybe it's on sale b/c they're not making it anymore. My previous dogs have eaten the ALS version from 8 weeks on with no problems. It's just getting expensive so I was looking for something good quality but cheaper for my younger dogs (the older dogs are the ones with more sensitive systems that benefit from the limited ingredient diet and up until this point it's just been easier to feed everyone the same thing).
> 
> I got this one for my pit bull (she's almost 2) and will be switching Legend to it once he grows but the pet store guy did not recommend it for a puppy (and these people actually know their stuff).
> Adult dog food - Fromm Family Foods


Thanks spent about an hour today in the pet food stores flipping over bags and looking at content. 

I'm kind of on the fence between Diamond Naturals Lg Breed Puppy and 4 Health puppy. Was also considering Natures Recipe Easy to Digest for all ages (have fed that to my adult dogs) but can't find a calcium content on that one.

Comments anyone good bad? Which would you choose?


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

DJEtzel said:


> I was just doing some more dog food research... Wondering what "as fed" means in regards to calcium in a dog food? I keep seeing it under the puppy formulas on TOTW's website...
> 
> Natural, Healthy, Premium Cat and Dog Food



I saw that too. I was wondering the same thing. TOTW was one I was looking at in the somewhat affordable range.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I know a lot of people that stopped feeding Diamond products due to recalls and lack of QC. Fromm has never had a recall. Cal Nat just had the salmonella thing but there was never any found actually IN the dog food, and the amount of salmonella allowed to be found during the processing of HUMAN food is actually greater than that of dog food (which is none, even though healthy dogs can tolerate it).


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Liesje said:


> I know a lot of people that stopped feeding Diamond products due to recalls and lack of QC. Fromm has never had a recall. Cal Nat just had the salmonella thing but there was never any found actually IN the dog food, and the amount of salmonella allowed to be found during the processing of HUMAN food is actually greater than that of dog food (which is none, even though healthy dogs can tolerate it).


I wish Fromm was available at a store around here. One does carry it, but I won't give them my business and their selection is very limited. 

I know diamond products have had a lot of recalls in the past, but man... It was the only food Frag could eat for over two years... It will always be near and dear to my heart. :wub:


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

Well, just found out from my breeder my pup was born today (yay ) so a couple months to get my act together and a reliable source for reasonably priced food is at the top of the list. 

Anyone have experience with Chewy.com? I have a US address near the border so it would be easy to pick it up from there. Fromm or TOTW would be at least $20 cheaper per bag even with the exchange rate. Thanks


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Liesje said:


> I know a lot of people that stopped feeding Diamond products due to recalls and lack of QC. Fromm has never had a recall. Cal Nat just had the salmonella thing but there was never any found actually IN the dog food, and the amount of salmonella allowed to be found during the processing of HUMAN food is actually greater than that of dog food (which is none, even though healthy dogs can tolerate it).



Fromm isn't available locally, nor is California Naturals. 

Having anything shipped out here is iffy at best and with the extreme heat and cold we get I'm not wiling to take the chance.

I was leaning toward the Diamond as it is available in more than one place but maybe the 4-health would be better? 

On the Diamond recalls so far it has not been the plant that serves this area but the other one.


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

mspiker03 said:


> Yes, I fed Paisley what I was feeding Leyna. I ended up decreasing Paisleys food a bit though to compensate for all the training treats (since I use dehydrated raw food which is a complete diet as a training treat, in addition to cooked steak).
> 
> I also feed 3x a day - Paisley was 3 even meals and Leyna gets a small lunch snack. I started that when Leyna and Levi were younger because one of them often got the empty stomach bile pukies if they went from breakfast to dinner without something in between.
> 
> ...



thanks again for all your help  beyond appreciate it !


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

Liesje said:


> I am not but I do stalk Anne's dogs on Facebook and I did comment on that photo!


guilty of the same


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## endless5 (May 14, 2013)

FrankieC said:


> Well, just found out from my breeder my pup was born today (yay ) so a couple months to get my act together and a reliable source for reasonably priced food is at the top of the list.
> 
> Anyone have experience with Chewy.com? I have a US address near the border so it would be easy to pick it up from there. Fromm or TOTW would be at least $20 cheaper per bag even with the exchange rate. Thanks


I just bought a bunch of things off chewy.com. in general they have some great prices of treats, better than amazon... and grooming combs, shampoo, etc

fast shipping too 


congrats on your soon to be pup!


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

endless5 said:


> I just bought a bunch of things off chewy.com. in general they have some great prices of treats, better than amazon... and grooming combs, shampoo, etc
> 
> fast shipping too
> 
> ...


Thanks, I'm super stoked  On the site now and really should be working lol Looks great.


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

FrankieC said:


> Well, just found out from my breeder my pup was born today (yay ) so a couple months to get my act together and a reliable source for reasonably priced food is at the top of the list.
> 
> Anyone have experience with Chewy.com? I have a US address near the border so it would be easy to pick it up from there. Fromm or TOTW would be at least $20 cheaper per bag even with the exchange rate. Thanks


I have been using Chewy.com for a couple of years now. Great company to work with! Their customer service is top notch. Prices are great. Watch for sales because they have good ones and I use them to stock up on treats and canned food. I love that their automated shipping process is very (and easily) adjustable.

New puppy for me, hopefully, in March. I'll be feeding Wellness Core Puppy kibble and a variety of canned Core as a topper.


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

GrammaD said:


> I have been using Chewy.com for a couple of years now. Great company to work with! Their customer service is top notch. Prices are great. Watch for sales because they have good ones and I use them to stock up on treats and canned food. I love that their automated shipping process is very (and easily) adjustable.
> 
> New puppy for me, hopefully, in March. I'll be feeding Wellness Core Puppy kibble and a variety of canned Core as a topper.


Great to know. Thanks! Hmmm...I'm seeing a good sale on bully sticks. 

Hopefully you join the March puppy club.


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## Montu (Oct 9, 2012)

DJEtzel said:


> The regional red has too much calcium. The 6 fish would be fine- I almost got that for my pup, got the large breed puppy instead because the calcium is just a little lower, but I will probably rotate those two.


Thanks, yea right after I posted I saw that regional red would probably be a no 

My dog now is kind of tired of 6 fish so I may just do the puppy formula then maybe switch to 6 fish later. 

thanks

oh and *FrankieC* 

Yes I use chewy and I like them exclusively, shipping is a little slow for me but the customer service is great.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Orijen's Adult formula is actually an All Life Stages food and perfectly suitable for a puppy. That is what my 2 year old girl eats and will be what the puppy will be eating as well if we are lucky enough to get one this year.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Ken Clean-Air System said:


> Orijen's Adult formula is actually an All Life Stages food and perfectly suitable for a puppy. That is what my 2 year old girl eats and will be what the puppy will be eating as well if we are lucky enough to get one this year.


Again like so many of the others not easily available where I live. If you had to choose between Diamond Naturals Lg Breed Puppy and Tractor Supplys 4-health puppy which would you choose?


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## readaboutdogs (Jul 8, 2001)

Thinking of switching to "victor". Had switched to diamond, but the victor is available closer and has good reviews on the dog food reviews site. Anyone else feed this before?


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## gurlonfire2004 (Jan 15, 2014)

I got Stormie on January 1st. She was on Progressive Puppy from the breeder. I have been switching her over to Blue Wilderness Large Breed Puppy (Grain-Free). She loves it and actually picks the Progressive pieces out, drops them besides her bowl, and doesn't eat them unless she is really hungry. She went to the vet today and weighs 20 pounds at 10 weeks (will be 11 weeks on Wednesday).


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## mjta (Sep 14, 2013)

Qiva is on Nutrisource large breed puppy, canned, and raw. 

She is at around 50% raw, 40% kibble, 10% canned. She has been doing very well on the diet. Once she is a bit older she will be on the adult grain free formulas from nutrisource.


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## Cpd494 (Jan 11, 2014)

I have been feeding my dogs Blue Buffalo and not happy with it..They seem to have a lot of gas..I switch to Fromm and order on Chewy.com great place..They have a lot of great feeds ..


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

Cpd494 said:


> I have been feeding my dogs Blue Buffalo and not happy with it..They seem to have a lot of gas..I switch to Fromm and order on Chewy.com great place..They have a lot of great feeds ..


Just placed my first order with them. Going with Fromm as well. My last pup loved it. As others have said, Chewy is great. They had my order shipped in less than a day. Good prices too.


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

My pup Maci, (now 8 months) was weaned straight to raw. No teething issues. No poop issues, No panno, No worrying about what brand to feed or if she was too skinny or too fat. No ear infections or constant scratching. No trips to the vet for bouts of diarrhea or growing pains. Just natural, healthy growth and development.


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## ammgood (Aug 31, 2007)

I'm getting a new puppy in one week. She was weaned by the breeder onto earthborn holistic grain free coastal Catch. We will continue feeding this brand when she arrives. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

ammgood said:


> I'm getting a new puppy in one week. She was weaned by the breeder onto earthborn holistic grain free coastal Catch. We will continue feeding this brand when she arrives.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Have you been able to figure out calcium levels? My SO works at a pet store and emailed their EB rep but never got a reply about levels. ;(


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

I don't recall the calcium but the Coastal catch and Great Plains are within limits for a puppy. I feed both to my dogs. Pup is on Fromm LBP


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Calcium and phosphorus levels for most (maybe all) the Earthborn foods are on the spreadsheet I made a while back. It is stickied at the top of this forum, but you a direct link is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AsBcSQ8_xK_ndDRkYWo3NmRSWEl4T1NuX290bG5ULVE&output=html


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

The spreadsheet only shows minimums? It's the max that we need/I'm worried about. Could easily be 2%+ and that wouldn't be good..


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## ammgood (Aug 31, 2007)

On Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch formula I contacted the company and got a reply finally yesterday. Their nutritionist advised the MAX Calcium for this food is 1.4%.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Well just an update, after 3 different grain free foods two at the rescue and one at home I gave up. Puppy doesn't like better ingredient food. Pudding poos are not fun. Science diet has raised plenty of my puppies and I know you are all going to scream at me but it works. As soon as I started mixing it in no more pudding poo.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

ammgood said:


> On Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch formula I contacted the company and got a reply finally yesterday. Their nutritionist advised the MAX Calcium for this food is 1.4%.


I just heard back from their rep through the store last week, too! All of the levels IIRC were within range for what I would feed a GSD pup - I was very pleased to hear! I will post all of the levels this evening if I can remember.


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## Glacier (Feb 25, 2009)

I'll probably use the same brands as I use with my cats; Wellness, Orijen, Fromm, and Merricks. Crossing my fingers for a pup with an iron stomach, I like being able to switch my cats to foods cold turkey.


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## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

Raw. Cold turkey switch from when I pick the puppy up. 


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## AJmom (Mar 29, 2013)

Readaboutdogs. I had my senior German Shepherds on Victor and they did great on it.
I just was reading some dog food reviews this morning and Victor was one of the 5 star puppy foods they recommended. I am picking up my pup from the breeder tomorrow and I think I will slowly change him to Victor.


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

Good to know. I have my adults on the coastal catch and rotate with the Great Plains. May put puppies on if I need a reason to switch 


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## GS_ (Aug 27, 2013)

I started my girl on Royal Canin German Shepherd Junior when she was 7 weeks. Now she is 8.5 months and she has done really well on it... For training I use cheese, chicken or beef, she loves that


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## DobbyDad (Jan 28, 2014)

Taste of the wild for me. He likes steak.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I had to give up Taste of the Wild because my Dal developed Dalmatian Bronzing Syndrome so he has to be put on a limited ingredient, lamb and rice based kibble. 

So we are making the switch to Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice.


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## Serbrider (Jan 30, 2014)

Mine is coming home tonight and I'm going to feed her a balanced raw diet. Adding in some fruit, veggies, and blueberries for extra nutrients, but once she's about 6 months old, she'll be on prey model just like the rest of my animals... depending on how she does.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

AJmom said:


> Readaboutdogs. I had my senior German Shepherds on Victor and they did great on it.
> I just was reading some dog food reviews this morning and Victor was one of the 5 star puppy foods they recommended. I am picking up my pup from the breeder tomorrow and I think I will slowly change him to Victor.


Victor is a good food. It's not available around here but I have read about it. Just make sure whatever formula you feed has appropriate calcium/phosphorus levels!


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## AJmom (Mar 29, 2013)

I sent a message to them on facebook to see what the calcium/phosporus levels are on the Grainfree Active dog and puppy formula. I hope they answer.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> I had to give up Taste of the Wild because my Dal developed Dalmatian Bronzing Syndrome so he has to be put on a limited ingredient, lamb and rice based kibble.
> 
> So we are making the switch to Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice.


After recieving the wrong info, I had to switch Draco's kibble again.  However, I am extremely happy with the brand he is currently switching over to, he is being switched to Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe. 

I love Wellness it was great for Sinister and then I tried to cut back and save money so I switched Sinister over to TOTW, he has done well on that and I do like TOTW but IMO his coat looked much better and I felt much better when he was on Wellness Core so that is what Sinister is eating again.


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

Wellness Core is working fabulously in my house. Nyx is on the puppy formula and Abby and Huxley the original. Chewy.com had a great sale on the canned Core so I stocked up and I rotate through the different proteins as a topper. They eat with gusto, stools are small and firm, coats look good. 

Still flirting with the idea of BRB (raw) but with how well they are all doing - not sure it's worth the bother and extra expense.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

My puppy Zenna is doing extremely well on a rotation of chicken, turkey, beef, pork and salmon with added Nupro Gold/Kelp/Seameal (I rotate these), extra omega fatty acids, extra acidophilus probiotics, and coconut oil daily. She has the most beautiful coat right now. She has had no diarrhea, or any issues really, from day 1. I think this is my new "puppy diet plan" for all my future pups.


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## Bradnoc (Jan 9, 2014)

*my 15 week old GS puppy - picky eater?!?!*

My 15 week old puppy gets tired of her food within a couple time of eating a few bowls. Cant I hold off of changing the food, and if she gets hungry shell eat? Or just be resolved that she's a picky eater and work with it?

any thoughts?


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Since the ratio of calciumhosphorus should be 1:1, and calcium should not be too high, why do makers list "minimum" numbers for calcium and phosphorus. Shouldn't it be maximum?


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

I just cold switched Ruby to Taste of the Wild salmon and no distress or issues what so ever so that's it


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## wuneyewilly (Aug 24, 2011)

We feed our 5mo old Fromm LBP and supplement with: rotate salmon & cod oil, vitaminC, vitaminE, marrow bones, GreenTripe.com Excalibur, beef ribs, eggs, organic frozen peas/grn beans/carrots, cottage cheese or yogurt, etc. Our 2yr old rotates btwn 2 simultaneously of Fromm/Acana/Orijen and all the same supps with more raw. So far we have been extremely happy rotating various grain-free flavors from Fromm, Orijen and Acana.

How long does everyone feed 'puppy' kibble?


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## shemeld135 (Mar 4, 2014)

Breeder was feeding Varick Earthborn Holistic® Great Plains Feast so I kept with it and he LOVES it!

Great Plains Feast : Earthborn Holistic Pet Food


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