# Trying to figure out what to feed our soon to have new puppy



## J&J's GSD (May 11, 2015)

Hello,

We have recently put a deposit on a GSD puppy to be born in late May (we have owned GSD's in the past). I honestly have never put a lot of thought into what I feed my dogs. I am trying to turn the page on this, however money is of a concern. I have been researching dry puppy kibble and narrowed it down to Authority (PetSmart brand) large breed puppy food, Eukanuba large breed puppy food, and Royal Canin maxi puppy food. Honestly the Authority looks to have the best ingredients. Does anyone have any experience with these brand dog foods?

Also, I am interested in feeding this new puppy some raw meat. My thought was to mix around 20% raw lean (90/10 or 93/7) ground beef with 80% dry kibble. I've read mixed opinions on mixing the food. I've also read that replacing any amount of kibble with raw meat will be beneficial. So I guess my questions would be: is mixing the foods ok? and is using raw lean ground beef ok? especially with a new puppy?


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Hello, I have never fed raw, so can't help on that, sorry. Beside those foods, check out Fromm LBP Gold and Orijen LBP. Both have excellent ingridients..my boy grew up on Fromm, but recently switched to Orijen (larger kibble pieces). Good luck.


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

I got blue buffalo and so far it's been good for my pup


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

J&J's GSD said:


> Hello,
> 
> We have recently put a deposit on a GSD puppy to be born in late May (we have owned GSD's in the past). I honestly have never put a lot of thought into what I feed my dogs. I am trying to turn the page on this, however money is of a concern. I have been researching dry puppy kibble and *narrowed it down to Authority (PetSmart brand) large breed puppy food, Eukanuba large breed puppy food, and Royal Canin maxi puppy food. Honestly the Authority looks to have the best ingredients.* Does anyone have any experience with these brand dog foods?
> 
> Also, I am interested in feeding this new puppy some raw meat. My thought was to mix around 20% raw lean (90/10 or 93/7) ground beef with 80% dry kibble. I've read mixed opinions on mixing the food. I've also read that replacing any amount of kibble with raw meat will be beneficial. So I guess my questions would be: is mixing the foods ok? and is using raw lean ground beef ok? especially with a new puppy?



Hi J&Js and Welcome! :welcome:

I am not trying to be rude, but I would not feed any of the brands you listed. They either have corn, corn gluten meal, or by-products or all of those which are not very healthy to feed. Deeanneball recommended Fromms or Orijen which IMHO would be a wiser choice. Or even Orijen's sister food Acana. 

You can read about them all here:
*ACANA REGIONALS (grain free):* Acana Regionals | Acana Store locator: Store Locator | Acana

*ORIJEN: *Puppy Large | Orijen Store Locator: Where to Buy | Orijen 
*
FROMM'S FOUR STAR (grain free): *Four-Star Gourmet Recipes for dogs - Fromm Family Foods Internet locator: Internet Retailers - Fromm Family Foods 

As for adding raw, you could maybe give a chicken breast or thigh or several chunks of beef as a treat at a different time during the day. Your 3 feedings should be of the kibble you choose so that your puppy gets the appropriate vitamins and minerals that he/she needs. If you decide to go to go totally raw, that's a different story and needs to be researched on this blog.

Good luck and we expect to see lots of pictures of your new little Fur Baby!
Moms


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## BoyOhBoy!! (Apr 30, 2015)

Congrats on your new pup, J & J! Can't wait for pics!

Choosing a food for your dog is a very personal decision, and when I say personal I mean your pup, not you 

As far as mixing in foods, we sometimes give our pup chicken with his kibble, which is Fromm's. Our breeder also recommends chicken, beef, cottage cheese, local honey, bananas, and carrots on occasion. We will start that after I'm comfortable with the shift from the breeders food (Orijen) to our food (Fromms).

I have found that choosing your pets kibble may be a trial and error sort of deal. On Orijen, our pup was having continuous runny stools. He also would not eat unless we hand fed him. We started giving boiled chicken, rice, and pureed pumpkin. Once his stools were slightly harder, we began adding in Fromms. He is now on Fromms with occasionally added chicken. We will add the additional recommendations as his tummy matures. 

In the past I rescued great danes and mixed breeds. Our humane society often received dog food bags on donation, so, many times we fed what we had available, including 2 of those you listed. 

In my experience, when my danes were on Authority, they shed horribly and ate more than the recommended amount to maintain their (lean) weight. I would not feed my personal pets Eukanuba, though I don't recall any of my fosters having too much difficulty. I don't recall any experiences with RC.

My older dog is mixed and a failed foster. He has thrived on Blue Wilderness. He is a large dog (70 lbs), will be 10 in August and he still runs with me 3 times a week approx 2 miles each time. We had him in to the vet in early March for a teeth cleaning and the vet said he seemed no older than 4 or 5 based on his solid EKG, wear and tear on his teeth and lack of joint concerns  Before we moved where we are today, he was on Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, which he also did well on, as did my last dane before she passed. I tried putting my GSD pup on Blue, but much like the Orijen, he wasn't interested and had to be coaxed into eating it the one time I tried. 

So, I contacted a local (not a chain pet store) and after explaining the situation, the owner very willingly gave me samples of Fromms to try. Lo and behold, he wolfs it down and his stools have remained firm. 

You may find that you have a specific food in mind, but be prepared to do more research and switch brands. The fact that you are looking to improve the food of your new pup is a great! 

I would also say that you would be surprised at the prices of the higher quality brands. What good was the price Authority when they had to eat more than the daily recommended amount, thus going through the bag faster? 

Don't forget to research your area carefully. I live in an AWFULLY small town compared to city I grew up in, so I was surprised to find such a well stocked feed store here. (They don't sell pets, ONLY food, treats, toys, specialty training equipment, and beds). Don't be afraid to ask for samples before spending big bucks on food. 

Anyhow, good luck! This forum is a great place to learn a lot, I hope to see pics soon!

Mom to Remi


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## J&J's GSD (May 11, 2015)

Ok, so after even more researching I believe that we are going to try Fromm Gold LBP. The only problem is that I don't know of anywhere locally that I can buy it. I guess I'm going to have to order it online. Does anyone have a website they recomend? I know that there are better dry kibbles however I'm already having a hard time paying nearly $50 for a 30lb bag of Fromm. Others I have seen that are $75-100 for 30lbs is just asinine, at least that's my opinion.


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## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag

Chewy.com is where I buy everything from. They have amazing prices and shipping is very fast.. I usually get my orders within the next day or two.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

J&J's GSD said:


> Ok, so after even more researching I believe that we are going to try Fromm Gold LBP. The only problem is that I don't know of anywhere locally that I can buy it. I guess I'm going to have to order it online. Does anyone have a website they recomend? I know that there are better dry kibbles however I'm already having a hard time paying nearly $50 for a 30lb bag of Fromm. Others I have seen that are $75-100 for 30lbs is just asinine, at least that's my opinion.


Good choice! 
Did you try putting your zip code in the store finder?
They usually sell Fromm's at Doggie Boutiques. 

Dog and Cat Food, Treats, and Supplies | Free Shipping at Chewy.com carries it.

Moms


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## BoyOhBoy!! (Apr 30, 2015)

J & J, do you know of any local quality pet food retailers near you at all? 

The reason I ask is because the retailer I found that offered Fromm's samples to me also let me know they can order almost any specialty food I wanted. So while she maintains stock of Fromm's, TOTW, Acana and others, she'd be willing to order Orijen if I wanted it. 

I see that your location is indicated as Maryland. When I put in a search for "specialty dog foods in Maryland" using google, here are some places I have found that might be near you (there are many more on the list too, including places in neighboring NJ and VA!):

Barons K9 Country Web Store : Natural Pet Foods, treats and more. We are your Pet's source for a healthy lifestyle!

Dogs and Company, All Natural Biscuits, Pet Supplies, Self-Serve Pet Wash and Retail Pet Store.

Felix & Oscar :: Pet Food... Naturally

Locations - Whole Pet Central

If you prefer to have a place that you can pick up the food yourself, ask questions, and see the products face to face then I hope one these work for you! If not, I think the link to chewy.com will be your best bet.  Again, congrats on your new pup!!

Mom to Remi


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## J&J's GSD (May 11, 2015)

Thank you all. BoyOhBoy, I don't live on that side of Maryalnd. I live on the "Eastern Shore", the Delmarva Pennisulla, about 20 miles from the Ocean. I did look on Fromm's website and low and behold there's a shop only 4-5 miles from my house. I've never even heard of them, doesn't help they are in the middle of no where. I've looked at Chewy.com, that's where I figured I was going to have to buy it from. I guess now I'll have to compare the price this local place has.


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

Bella67 said:


> Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag
> 
> Chewy.com is where I buy everything from. They have amazing prices and shipping is very fast.. I usually get my orders within the next day or two.


I second this - I feed the same food to my boy and he loves it, & use the same method of purchasing (through Chewy). 

The closest store to me that sold Fromm cost me close to $30 for a 5lb bag (and the store owner gave me flack for choosing to feed it to my puppy, because it didn't "sit well" with her Pomeranians), versus Chewy's very reasonable prices. I always end up pushing my order just over the $50 mark with a toy or treat for the free shipping


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## J&J's GSD (May 11, 2015)

So I checked out the dog food boutique today. They don't sell Fromm Gold LBP but do sell the Gold adult. They also sell it for around $46 (33lbs), plus I get a 10% discount for being a first responder, so that's $41.40! They said that they could special order the LBP but it would be extra. Since they were having a moving sale I bought some really nice soft and small training treats, a clicker, a dual handed leash, plus they gave me a ton of quality samples. I'll be using that place again. They didn't have a single product in their store that wasn't very highly rated and of the utmost quality.


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## lexiz (Apr 4, 2015)

The only issues that I've heard of with people feeding part raw and part kibble is if the meat has any bacteria, it will stay in the dog's system longer. Dogs naturally have a very fast digestive system, much faster than a human, to help them digest meat more effectively. However, when dogs eat kibble, it often has grains that are more difficult for the dog to digest, which takes longer to work through the digestive system. So, if diseased meat is mixed in with kibble, and stays in the dog's system too long, it can cause sickness. As long as you're feeding high-quality meat, it shouldn't be a problem! Also, I would look on dogfoodadvisor.com, because they have reviews for almost every type of dog food you can imagine.  Good luck!


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