# Hip Joint Vitamins



## zainchaudry (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

I have a 5 month old german shepherd, he is long haired and big build, i can tell by his huge paws and the vet mentioned as well.

He has been on IAMS Puppy food for large breeds. He is given the amount of food stated on the packaging but i think he still stays hungry towards the end. I can not tell if its greed or he really needs extra food.

Also, When he was 9 weeks i started giving him joint supplements, but stopped when half of the bottle was done. He had no problems with the suppliments and had normal eating habits.

I am wondering if i should give him any vitamins for the time being as he is still developing and growing. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. I want him to grow up healthy and I dont think IAMS will do the job all by itself. 

Thank you

Zain


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

If you can, switch him to a better food. If he is on good quality dog food, there should be no reason to give him lots of extra vitamins. IAMS isn't the best food to say the least


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## zainchaudry (Jun 19, 2012)

Thank you for your response. I am reading threads here and there more than just one recommended food. Is there any that you might recommend ?, I see Royal Canin being repeated many times and reviews online are good as well.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Some foods that I like for puppies:
Acana
Orijen
Wellness
Earthborn Hollistic
Blue Buffalo
Solid Gold

Try to pick Large Breed Puppy formulas that have low calcium and phosphorus content so that your puppy doesn't grow too fast. Large breed pups should grow slowly and steadily so no extra stress is put on joints. Stay away from products that have wheat, soy, corn and a lot of artificial preservatives.


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

I agree with all of the above and would add Fromm to that list as well, though those are certainly not the only good foods all of the above would do nicely and certainly all much better than Iams or Royal Canin (overpriced crap in my opinion). 

I also would suggest not limiting yourself to puppy formulas. Any good All Life Stages (or ALS for short) food will do nicely. Just make sure you keep the calcium and phosphorus levels at acceptable levels. Look for the as fed or max level of calcium and make sure it is no higher than 1.6% or so and that the phosphorus level is similar, usually slightly lower.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I wouldn't go strictly by what the bag says about feeding quantities, OR by how hungry the dog seems. Look at his condition to determine if he's getting the right amount of food. He should be lean without being overly skinny. Adjust quantities as necessary. His growth should start to slow down over the next month or two. 

I agree with looking for a better food. What stores are in your area? Do you know what foods they carry? Online ordering is also an option. I had good luck with Orijen Large Breed puppy, but it is expensive. Keep in mind that if you do change foods, the amount of calories can vary quite a bit between brands, so you may need to give him more or less of the new food to delliver the same amount of calories.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Iams or Royal Canin,,,Both are terrible

Acana
Orijen
Wellness
Earthborn Hollistic
Blue Buffalo
Solid Gold
Fromm
Merrick
HORIZON LEGACY


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

It doesn't matter how hungry your puppy seems to be after eating. Some dogs will eat until they explode and still look hungry. What does matter is his body condition. You want to be able to readily feel his ribs but they shouldn't feel sharp and you shouldn't be able to see all his ribs from a distance. Lean is a good thing and chunky is bad.

You don't need to give any supplements to your pup. 

Iams isn't the best dog food out there, but he will grow up just fine on it if that's what you want to feed him. There are better ones if you want, but the important thing is that he does well on the food.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I fed the Fromm and have been VERY happy with the results. The Innova LBP is widely available and a lot of forum members have been very happy with it.

Yes, mine was ALWAYS ravenous. Still is. I had to slow down his eating by using a treat ball, putthing things in his bowl to slow him down or adding water. If I did not he would choke on the food he was eating so fast.

There is a sticky note on this section on things to consider when selecting a food for a puppy.


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## zainchaudry (Jun 19, 2012)

Thank you so much everyone. All the details helped. I chose Wellness and got the large breed puppy food. He has been much active since, and his stools have been so much better. He doesnt seem hungry as much and like many people said i was really feeding my pup junk.


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