# TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?



## StormyK9 (May 11, 2009)

My 4 month old GSD has been having wet stool for the past month and a half. I've been feeding him Innova Large Breed Puppy. His coat looks great, and he has a lot of energy. The only thing is that his stool is constantly wet and NEVER solid. I did take him to the vet and had him checked, and hes negative on worms or anything else.

Out of all my choices(based on what I can afford and whats available to me locally), I plan to either switch him to Merrick or Taste of the Wild. From the people with past experiences with either one, is it ok to feed this to my puppy since it's not labeled for Large Breed Puppy? I've always gotten remarks from people when I first got my gsd saying "make sure you get him food specifically for large breed puppies".

If I get the Merrick, can I get just any one such as "Merrick Wilderness Blend Cowboy Cookout, etc etc or should it be the Merrick Puppy Plate (even though it doesnt state large breed).

For the TOTW, I plan to get the prairie diet if thats ok for a pup as well.

I appreciate any suggestions and advice! thanks!


----------



## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*

my opinion will be predictable on this. TOTW varieties all have about 2% calcium. i think its too high for a gsd pup. wellness core, which has the same level of calcium as TOTW warns against this level of calc til our pups are 1+ yrs old. ill just paste a section from their Q&A:

_I have heard that some of these high protein diets can’t be fed to large breed puppies. Why? 

Research has shown that large breed puppies should not be fed a diet that is over 1.3 – 1.5% Calcium or they run a significant risk of developing bone abnormalities. Many of the high protein diets on the market today are well in excess of 1.5% Calcium. We do not recommend any large breed puppies be fed our CORE dog diets, or any of the other high protein diets on the market today. In fact, we would conservatively say that puppies in general should not feed higher protein diets that exceed 1.5% Calcium. Again, this is why we feature a maintenance claim and promote the diet for dogs over 1 year in age. _

wellness could have called their grain free line an all life stages food per AAFCO standards, but IMO they took a more responsible approach than Diamond (TOTW) did on this issue.

some people feed TOTW to their pups, so it all depends on what you are comfortable with. as far as Merrick, i have no idea what their nutrient levels are, as their website isnt very comprehensive

it is not necessary for a food to be labelled large breed puppy. many people feed adult food to their puppy since their are plenty of them with appropriate nutrient levels (im not sure which ones at the moment).


----------



## VALIUM (Nov 15, 2007)

I had tried many foods with kenzo. I have to admit that I had the best result with Merrick Wilderness Blend. He was very picky and loved it, I was amazed. TOTW is high protein food. Merrick is in the middle, about 25% I guess which is ok I guess and not very high calcium content. http://www.merrickpetcare.com , you can check their website for further info. GL


----------



## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*



> Originally Posted By: VALIUMI had tried many foods with kenzo. I have to admit that I had the best result with Merrick Wilderness Blend. He was very picky and loved it, I was amazed. TOTW is high protein food. Merrick is in the middle, about 25% I guess which is ok I guess and not very high calcium content. http://www.merrickpetcare.com , you can check their website for further info. GL


where did you find the calcium/phosphorous levels in the merrick? i cant find any of that info on their website. thanks.


----------



## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

If you can get the Canidae Grain Free ALS at a reasonable price for your budget, I believe it has a calcium amount that is appropriate for puppies. I've had my older dogs on it and they did very well. Have recently switched them to Taste of the Wild just for a change.

My puppy is currently on Nutro NATURAL CHOICE® Small Bites Puppy Chicken Meal, Rice & Oatmeal Formula because that's what the breeder had him on. He has good stool and is doing pretty well on it. He does seem a bit itchy so I'm not sure I want to keep him on it much longer. I'm still researching what to use for him instead.


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*

There have been recalls on Nutro products, the most recent being cat food about 3 weeks ago. You can google for more info...here is one to start from consumer affairs:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html 
I would try to find another food asap!!


----------



## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

We alternate between Merrick campfire cookout and the Wilderness blend, he loves it, hes 4 not a puppy but Id hate to switch, fo a little variety you can add some warm water to it and then they really like it. As long as he is 4 mo or over, I would think it would be OK for him to be on the adult one.


----------



## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Are you sure you're not over feeding? For some dogs this means the amount of food in a meal not the amount of food over a day.

You might try feeding x3 times a day if he's doing well on the food otherwise.


----------



## meisha98 (Aug 27, 2008)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*

Lainey is 8 months now and I took her off the Nutro Large Breed to try the Wellness LB Puppy. She hated it. Tried the Merrick and she loves the cans. She'll eat the dry but only if I put water with it. I started with the Puppy Plate but now alternate that with Grammy's Pot Pie and Thanksgiving Day dinner. I think the key for her is keeping it bland. She doesn't seem to go too much for the gamier, stronger tasting varieties.


----------



## Jacobysma (Jun 17, 2009)

My older dogs are on Merrick's BG (before grain). We chose it initially because we wanted a food for our 10yr olds and a puppy. After we got Jacoby he had extremely loose stools, we did multiple test 3 times to make sure he didn't have an internal issues, all were neg. We changed him to Merrick Puppy Plate along with California Naturals Puppy Chicken and Rice (they also have lamb/rice). His stool became much more normal with that combo (he is now 6mos 65lbs). I am also going to be changing my older dogs to TOTW because the last bags I have bought they changed the Kibble size and maybe taste because the older dogs won't eat it as much as they were before. The california Naturals is a bland food that was recommended because of that and his poopy issues


----------



## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*

Hi Stormy, I have had the exact same problem with Lulu since we brought her home. I started her on Nutro large breed puppy (ick, what a mistake!) she hated it and we had to mix with the wet food for her to eat. So I did a bunch of research and even called my vet and finally did settle on TOTW prairy. I asked them about the calcium levels and the vet said that the food is a great food and as long as I'm not giving supplimental calcium than the levels will be fine for her. She also loved the taste of it and didn't have to mix canned in. 

Her stools did harden up for awhile but then a week or so later, cow pies again! I had it tested again and the vet said there was a little bacteria in her stool and that she probably just got into something in the backyard and it wasn't serious and put her on Metronidazole again for the loose stools. I have also noticed that she used to gobble down her food and now, though she will eat around 2-3 cups a day, she only picks at it and she doesn't eat as much as she did even a month ago. Is this normal? The vet said she is very healthy and she acts very healthy so I am just keeping an eye on it right now. Her stools are still a bit loose even with the meds though so after this round is done I will take her back and see if we can figure out what is going on with her digestive system or if it's just a puppy thing!

I did get a bag of the wetland formula of the TOTW to mix with her prairy formula so she can have a little variety. I am planning on feeding raw once I get a freezer for the garage as well.


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

Has anyone found the calcium content in Merrick foods? I checked both bags (we're phasing off of puppy and to the wilderness blend), their website, and the dog food analysis site with no luck. I also tried googling.


I know it was asked further up but i'm not sure if it got answered.


----------



## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

Here is a fairly comprehensive list (includes Merrick and TOTW) of dog foods and their calcium/phosphorous levels:
http://members.cox.net/zhena/CALCIUMDRY.html

The only one of the high protein diets I would consider feeding a puppy would be Blue Wilderness. Although it's not grain free... the calhos ratio is 1% : .9% which is great.


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

This may be a silly question since i'm kind of in disbelief if it's true but.. is the "actual DMB % calcium" referring to the calcium content then? If so that puts Merrick puppy at 2.72% and the wilderness blend at 2.59%?

Or does DMB refer to something else? I'm drawing a blank.


----------



## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*

It stands for dry matter basis, I think. And yes I believe that's what it means.


----------



## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

*Re: TOTW & Merrick ok for puppy?*



> Originally Posted By: VomBlackThis may be a silly question since i'm kind of in disbelief if it's true but.. is the "actual DMB % calcium" referring to the calcium content then? If so that puts Merrick puppy at 2.72% and the wilderness blend at 2.59%?
> 
> Or does DMB refer to something else? I'm drawing a blank.


yep. crazy high calcium for a large breed pup, anyway.


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

Wow, I guess I had figured it would be fine for him but I was starting to get really frustrated with the fact that I couldn't find this info on their site.

He's almost 5 months and he's been eating Merrick since he was 8 weeks.









He had his hip prelims at 4 months and everything was great, if the calcium content were to cause any problems do you think they would have shown up by now or..? 

I have about 10 pounds of the puppy/wilderness plate mixed..I may just go out and get a different kind of food now instead and donate it or something.


----------



## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

I decided to give Merrick a call, maybe i'm being a bit too paranoid but I don't want to feed a food that could potentially be harmful to my dog's growth.

The person I spoke to said the calcium content in the Puppy Plate is 2.45%, which is slightly lower but still obscenely high I thought. I mentioned that I have a large breed puppy and that the recommended amount was more around 1.2% she said that the other nutrients and everything in the food balances it out and makes the 2.45% calcium safe for all sizes.

..how? I asked her multiple times to explain how the other ingredients in the food could make the calcium content "balance out" and be comparable to the 1.2% that's acceptable for a large breed puppy and she kept changing the subject, and then mentioned that if I found a puppy food with a lower calcium content it was probably bad quality and made with corn.







I mentioned Wellness as an example and her response was "I don't know".

I guess they keep getting calls like mine and I asked why they didn't put they info on the bag or even their website and she said they didn't have to, so they don't. I even mentioned how Wellness warns their customers on the high calcium content on one of their foods and how it's made for dogs over a year in age, but she says they don't need to so they don't.

Can anyone make sense of their explanation for it being so high? I guess i'll have to print the ingredients out to take to work and have the vets pick it apart..i'm just not seeing how 2.45% can be okay even with high quality ingredients in the food.


----------



## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

Lulu did great on TOTW for awhile, it is a really good 6 star food, but now she is refusing to eat again and runny stools GRRRR from everything I have read on the B.A.R.F. area of this board (raw feeding) I am going to go raw with Lulu, it seems like the absolute best thing to feed her AND it will cost about the same as the kibble.


----------



## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Jake was on raw while with me, he left at 8 wks, came back at 12 due to changes in circumstances. kibble gives him the runs. raw he's fine. He's been back on raw every since.


----------

