# Adult for puppy



## KodySaber (Feb 19, 2012)

My 8 week old GSD is on Earthborn holistic W/bison meal (adult) which was recommended by the breeder. I picked him up two days ago,first day he done very well but today has mild diarrhea. Just concerned about the food or should he be getting a puppy formula??


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

Some will recommend puppy formulas (specifically large breed puppy formulas) for the first year or so of life, others will say its a sham and the puppy formulas are generally no different than the adult counterparts. In the end it's up to you to decide. Most adult formulas are ALS (All Life Stages) certified and are designed to be fed to any dog regardless of age. 

In my opinion, any puppy or ALS formula is fine as long for you GSD puppy as long as it isn't too high in calcium and phosphorus. As long as the levels of calcium and phosphorus are at acceptable levels, it is a good quality food, formulated for all life stages (for foods that aren't puppy formulas), and your dog does well on it you have found a good food for your puppy. 

Does your pup have diarrhea or just loose stool? Diarrhea may be a concern, loose stool not as much. Loose stool can be caused by lots of things - stress, over feeding, excitement, etc. What formula of Earthborn are you feeding? Is it the same as what the pup was getting from the breeder? A sudden change of protein source (from one formula to another) at that young age could cause digestive issues.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've never fed puppy food to my dogs.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Nutritionally... that formula is fine for your puppy. Is this what your breeder was feeding him?

The diarrhea might be caused by stress from being in his new home. Just keep an eye on it for the next couple days and report back if you're not seeing improvements.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

did you take your pup to the Vet?


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## KodySaber (Feb 19, 2012)

He was at the Vet yesterday at 3pm for his check-up, all was fine. The diarrhea started in the evening and all nite..Giving water and will get him back to the vet this morning.....Thanks for your help.....Terri


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## GSDkid (Apr 19, 2011)

I hear a lot about pups having the occasional diarrhea. My girl also had it when she was a pup. I think it's just a point in life when they're stomach is very sensitive. Try switching his food brands because some can be too much. For me, I had to switch from Wellness, blue buffalo and eventually to Nutro.


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## KodySaber (Feb 19, 2012)

Trooper is doing good now. Took him to vet and she put him on a special diet for a couple of days and said the adult food was fine.


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## GSDkid (Apr 19, 2011)

Look at the size of those paws! (It's probably due to the angle of the photo) but still, Look at those paws! lol. Great looking pup.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

I found a vet in my area who's specialty is large breed dogs. He highly reconmended to me a large breed puppy food and he never even mention his brand, Science Diet. He has been my vet since 1982.... A little canned pumpkin dog food would help the diarrhea. If your gonna take the gamble then get him some puppy vitys.


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## jimj (May 30, 2012)

We started out feeding Nutro for large breed puppies but it didn't seem to sit too well with her so we switched to Kirkland Natures Balance all stages. She's been eating it for a month now and is doing very well. 
We asked about puppy food before we changed and our vet said it's really not needed as long as we're using an all stages food.


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