# taste of the wild



## caurimare (Mar 18, 2011)

is somebody feeding this food to puppies , I been told and I have also read on here that it might be to high on calcium for growing puppies nut I just call totw directly and the lady o the phone told me that their formulas are fine for large breed puppies, I went ahead and express my concern about the calcium, she puts me on hold and checks with somebody else and comes back with the same answered "that their formulas were fine for large breed puppies" and I also mentioned it was a GSD.
so who is right? because I wanted to try it on my 7 months old.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

Well, imo, of course that women will say that, because she works for them. I personally chose to feed Marley a lower calcium diet until just recently when he turned 1. We tried a mix of Orijen and Acana....runny poops, Wellness CORE....eye boogies, Natures Variety...didn't love the taste. That was from the time we brought him home until just the other week. We are still in a trial period of TOTW so im not 100% it's the right fit for him. But like i said, IMO, id go lower calcium to aid in prevention of overgrowing bones too quickly. Good luck!!


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I use TOTW for adults. However, here is the email I received from the veterinarian for TOTW. She does NOT recommend it for large breed puppies:

_"The TOW formulas are approved by AAFCO to meet all the nutrient requirements for all life stages. AAFCO recognizes 3 life stages:_
_growth, maintenance, gestation/lactation. If a formula meets the nutrient requirements for all three of these stages it is given the "all life stage" approval._

_The large/ giant breed puppies have different considerations. This population genetically maybe predisposed to juvenile orthopedic disorders, like hip/elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis. These diseases have been found to be polygenic and multifactorial, meaning that several genes are involved and that other factors (like diet) affect the development. Clinical studies have shown that controlling the amount of calcium and energy in large breed puppy formulas will decrease the incidence of these diseases in that population. There are genetic registries, like the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and Penn Hip, that record pedigree information and tie it to hip dysplasia and other genetic disorders._

_If a puppy is predisposed for the juvenile orthopedic disorders, then a large breed puppy formula might be a better choice. (We make several different product lines, with different features and there are several choices for a LB pup formula- just not a grain free formula, if that's what you need) Other product lines are: Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Chicken Soup._

_Ca in the WL and HP is 2.1% and PS 1.9% (as fed). These are above what is recommended in the literature (.7-1.2%)_

_Hope this helps._

_Janet L. Rettenmaier, DVM, MS_
_Director of Veterinary Services_
_Diamond Pet Foods_
_Meta, MO 65058...."_


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

caurimare said:


> is somebody feeding this food to puppies , I been told and I have also read on here that it might be to high on calcium for growing puppies nut I just call totw directly and the lady o the phone told me that their formulas are fine for large breed puppies, I went ahead and express my concern about the calcium, she puts me on hold and checks with somebody else and comes back with the same answered "that their formulas were fine for large breed puppies" and I also mentioned it was a GSD.
> so who is right? because I wanted to try it on my 7 months old.


I started a thread about this last week and long story short called one of their vets on staff and she recommended NOT feeding puppies TOTW. Especially LBP's. She recommended waiting at least a year to start on TOTW. Any calcium % over 1.2 is frowned upon for LBP's. I have exhaustively looked into which brand to go with and have chosen Blue Buffalo. My reasons are the following:

1. It's a highly regarded food with quality ingredients. 
2. The price is reasonable for large bags.
3. Its readily available at Petco or Petsmart. I feel like this aspect of food choice is neglected. 
4. They have been completely vetted since the recall and I dont have any reservations in that regard.

I was also looking at Solid Gold wolf cub but the calcium level is 1.5%. Wellness was the other one that I was looking at.


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## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

lonestarag05 said:


> I started a thread about this last week and long story short called one of their vets on staff and she recommended NOT feeding puppies TOTW. Especially LBP's. She recommended waiting at least a year to start on TOTW. Any calcium % over 1.2 is frowned upon for LBP's. I have exhaustively looked into which brand to go with and have chosen Blue Buffalo. My reasons are the following:
> 
> 1. It's a highly regarded food with quality ingredients.
> 2. The price is reasonable for large bags.
> ...


I fed Wolf BB until he turned 1 and he is now on TOTW. He did well on both foods. I am going to leave him on TOTW because of his allergies, but I am considering going back to BB for my mixed breed dog; he seems to be getting heavier on the same quantity of food.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Someone needs to sticky this topic at the top of the puppy forum. This question has to be one of the most asked questions on this board.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

lucy dog said:


> someone needs to sticky this topic at the top of the puppy forum. This question has to be one of the most asked questions on this board.


agreed!


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