# What age should I stop feeding my dog puppy food? What about a RAW Diet?



## Mwguy101

I have a 9 month old German Shepherd. At what age should I stop feeding him large breed puppy food. He is on large breed puppy food from Bluebuffalo. He has constant diarrhea and loose stool. He has been tested for everything under the sun. The vet thinks he might be allergic to something in the food. This would make 3 high end foods he can not have. Should I go a raw food diet or try one of the brands sold at walmart. It seems like the high end foods sold at the pet sore are not working.


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## GSDAlphaMom

Many dogs don't tolerate BB well, same for Wellness and Orijen. I would not resort to a Walmart food. There are many good foods in the mid price range. I would find something else as it's probably the food. Be sure and do a SLOW transition to any new food. Oh and move him to an adult food.


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## zyppi

My pups all skip puppy food. 

I feed orijen six fresh fish.


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## BlackGSD

My puppies are off of puppy food by about 10 weeks at the latest. If the breeder was feeding puppy food, I buy a small bag of it, make sure they are eating well after I get them, them immediately start switching them to an adult/ALS food.


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## BlackGSD

How much do you feed him a day? Over feeding is the #1 cause of loose stool.


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## Germanshepherdlova

I fed my dogs puppy food until they were a year old. My GSD had diarrhea all the time until I switched him to a lamb and rice kibble.


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## Acejin

Sorry I`m using this thread but I think my question is related to this topic.

What is the difference between puppy food and adult food? 
I never looked into the differences between them and it will be nice to know.


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## ILGHAUS

I tried puppy food for one dog and he did horribly on it. All before and the two after never were fed a puppy variety.


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## sable123

Mwguy101 said:


> I have a 9 month old German Shepherd. At what age should I stop feeding him large breed puppy food. He is on large breed puppy food from Bluebuffalo. He has constant diarrhea and loose stool. He has been tested for everything under the sun. The vet thinks he might be allergic to something in the food. This would make 3 high end foods he can not have. Should I go a raw food diet or try one of the brands sold at walmart. It seems like the high end foods sold at the pet sore are not working.


Try Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach.


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## Salix

Mwguy101 said:


> I have a 9 month old German Shepherd. At what age should I stop feeding him large breed puppy food. He is on large breed puppy food from Bluebuffalo. He has constant diarrhea and loose stool. He has been tested for everything under the sun. The vet thinks he might be allergic to something in the food. This would make 3 high end foods he can not have. Should I go a raw food diet or try one of the brands sold at walmart. It seems like the high end foods sold at the pet sore are not working.


It depends what he's eating, what Blue Buffalo variety. Denver's tried the BB with menhadden fish and oatmeal, adult food, at 10 months. On menhadden fish and oatmeal his stool was runny, then firmed up quite a bit. 

Then I found the Wilderness BB and put him on salmon. He couldn't hold his stool and diarrhea all over when I got home from work. It caused him gas at first and he would pass gas and the runny stool would explode. Yes, explode as it happened even while I was walking him. 

I know my dog has very sensitive digestion and I didn't want to cause any more trauma so I decided, tough as it was, to stick this one out at least till the end of almost two weeks. After which he adapted very quickly and his stool is now firm and passes easily, no straining, no diarrhea. 

Sometimes you just have to stick with it if you're already inbetween changing diets. Any problems lasting more than two weeks max is severe and should be discontinued. 

You should also watch what he's chomping or consuming when you're not looking. Denver has been sick with giardia in stagnant water playing in a park after licking a bit of stagnant water. Anytime your dog has been off leash and you haven't paid full attention, you can add potential stomach upset to your list of why he's got runny stool.

Denver had severe severe severe diarrhea for more than two weeks on a raw food diet. I would not go this route unless you are 110 percent committed to feeding the freshest and the best, not to mention proper preparation and storage. For me the risk is simply too high and I am not comfortable without the added vitamens and supplements that come with a food like BB. I prefer keeping it simple and thankfully BB's Wilderness Salmon does that.

Denver also has an easier time passing stool and sometimes it is slightly runny or goopy if he has a LOT of water to drink especially in the summertime when it's hot.


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## Mwguy101

BlackGSD said:


> How much do you feed him a day? Over feeding is the #1 cause of loose stool.


 
I feed him 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening.


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## chelle

BlackGSD said:


> How much do you feed him a day? Over feeding is the #1 cause of loose stool.


Sorry to go off topic, but I think I made this mistake. I was so worried after he lost some weight with the coccidia, I think I upped his food intake too much. Okay. Good. Now I know.


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## janm

*Puppy vs. Adult food*

Lily is our first shepherd, but our fifth dog. All other dogs lived to be at least 12, with our most recent, a lab/shepherd mix, living until 14. Hate to say it, but they were fed nothing special, Purina Dry. No health issues, no bowel issues..nothing. I am trying to feed Lily more nutritious foods on the market, but she is picky. I will switch to adult food and try some other higher end brands again. She even "picks" the people food. She won't eat an egg white unless it has a comparable amount of yolk with it..I guess there's a reason she was named Queen Lily. UG.


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