# Fromm Large Breed Heartland vs. Victor Yukon Salmon



## vfrank (Sep 12, 2016)

I posted a month or so ago about our White Swiss Shepherd puppy and issues she was having with loose stool. We ruled out parasites (which she has also been treated for), and also other infections. I was feeding her Fromm Large Breed Gold, then switched to Fromm Large Breed Heartland Gold, and more recently transitioned to Victor Yukon Salmon/Sweet potato. Her sire is allergic to chicken so I thought the Fromm Heartland might help, and it improved things a little, but still not great. The Victor Yukon seems to have done the trick, and the best news is that I called the manufacturer and they told me that it is 1.2% calcium/.95 phosphorus, so in the optimal range for large breed puppies. They also told me all the salmon is from Alaska. Her coat also looks great and she likes it. It's a little high in protein (35% max), with 15% fat, but the overall calorie per cup is not that high. Should I try mixing it with something lower protein, or just stay with the Victor Salmon? She has a great appetite and has been gaining weight steadily no matter what she eats, but she's got a nice waist and doesn't seem chubby. She's 18 weeks and about 45 lb currently, but her father is 100 lb (mother 70) and she has huge paws, so she probably won't be small.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Just keep with what you have been doing if it is agreeing with her. If you wish to add something maybe add some raw meat. I add ground beef or venison to my dogs evening kibble.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

cdwoodcox said:


> Just keep with what you have been doing if it is agreeing with her. If you wish to add something maybe add some raw meat. I add ground beef or venison to my dogs evening kibble.


I want to start a raw diet, but the whole raw chicken with bones thing scares me off. Do we actually give raw bones for them to swallow?


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

I agree with cd.Don't rock the boat!


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Julian G said:


> I want to start a raw diet, but the whole raw chicken with bones thing scares me off. Do we actually give raw bones for them to swallow?


I don't feed exclusively raw.! I have given my dog whole chicken legs when he was about 8 months old. He scared me with them. He would chomp twice I would hear the bones breaking then he would swallow twice and that was it. But I guess your supposed to start them off in a way that they learn to chew before they swallow. Do a search on here. There is plenty of info on it. Truthfully the whole thing kind of confused me. I just grind up meat and add to kibble. Kind of like a raw doggy meatloaf.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

cdwoodcox said:


> I don't feed exclusively raw.! I have given my dog whole chicken legs when he was about 8 months old. He scared me with them. He would chomp twice I would hear the bones breaking then he would swallow twice and that was it. But I guess your supposed to start them off in a way that they learn to chew before they swallow. Do a search on here. There is plenty of info on it. Truthfully the whole thing kind of confused me. I just grind up meat and add to kibble. Kind of like a raw doggy meatloaf.


So that's not really raw. I think raw is complete raw, no kibble. Could be wrong though, not an expert.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Julian G said:


> So that's not really raw. I think raw is complete raw, no kibble. Could be wrong though, not an expert.


You would be correct.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Julian G said:


> I want to start a raw diet, but the whole raw chicken with bones thing scares me off. Do we actually give raw bones for them to swallow?


Yes. Without the bone you would need to supplement another source of calcium. 

The type of bone is important. You wouldn't want to give nothing but beef marrow vones. They need to be softer / less dense bones. Back bones, Rib bones and Neck bones from larger animals tend to be best. Pretty much all poultry and fish bones are fine.


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## Pan_GSD (Oct 2, 2016)

Julian G said:


> I want to start a raw diet, but the whole raw chicken with bones thing scares me off. Do we actually give raw bones for them to swallow?


when i got my puppy he started on raw diet first thing
i followed the BARF method and i relied solely on chicken source
i had chicken meat, bones, gizzard, liver and heart all ground and fed him
he loved it

but that only lasted about 5 weeks until i started questioning the quality/freshness of the source of the meat
ever since then i've been searching for a reliable/safe source of meat supplier with no luck
he's been on kibble since

about a month ago, when my dog was 6 months, i gave him raw chicken leg (it was huge)
since i figured he was gonna make a mess taking a bite out of that thing, i held one end so he could pull meat out of it
within 5 seconds he was chomping down into the bone and the chicken blood was everywhere
i have never knew before this experience that there was blood inside bones

within just over 10 seconds, the huge chicken leg was gone, and the floor was a bloodied mess

it was definitely different than when he was a puppy, and i told myself, ok i'm not ready for raw feeding
and i switched my focus to COOKED food

now i add cooked meat source on his kibble (acana) and he does fine

he's never had any trouble with any type of food though, it was just my desire to feed my dog real food as opposed to kibble
but i have a feeling i might have to stay with kibble for the forseeable future


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Puppies have very specific needs for proper growth. I wouldn't mess with it unless/until you are very sure you will be feeding a balanced raw diet. You can add toppers to their food that are raw, but I would only feed a good quality kibble or pre-made raw to a growing puppy if you aren't very sure that what you're feeding is balanced.


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