# Clueless



## jdp2134 (Apr 9, 2008)

My food journey so far has been horrible. I tried raw and that is getting to be too expensive/ me not having enough time for it so i want to switch to a good quality kibble. What do you guys suggest, generally speaking, the kind of kibble i should try with my 9wk old puppy. I see a lot of good things about orijen but then i just read about calcium and phosphurus content and now im totally confused about it. I want his poops to be good and not too frequent and his coat very will maintained. Should orijen be a good starting point or should i use a different brand to start out with?

Jeff


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Just my $0.02 as a dog owner that has done my own research.
I would not feed one of the high protien/calcium/phos/cal/etc foods to a GSD under 1 year of age. Wellness suggested that I NOT feed Core to a pup and many of those foods do likewise.

If you're very interested in a food, email and see what they say 









Congrats on your pup!!


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## jdp2134 (Apr 9, 2008)

then what would you suggest i feed to get exactly the results im looking for?


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

based on the results i had found on many other large breed dog forums(including this one) when i was researching kibble for my puppy, i went with either canidae all life stages or innova large breed puppy. those seemed to be two foods that many people had success with feeding gsd, boxer, lab, and rott pups to name a few.

i like the calcium/phosphorous levels on them. the canidae is higher in calories, so one must be careful to not overfeed this. i had thought canidae was causing loose and frequent stools for my pup, but as soon as i cut the portions down, this problem was eliminated immediately and she gained weight at a slow but steady pace.

of course, no one food can work with all dogs, but i think canidae is a great place to start because it still is one of the most cost effective high grade kibbles. (i still get a 20 lb bag for $21 and many stores still sell the 40 LB bag for around $35)

i agree with barb on the calcium/phosphorous levels. im not so worried about the protein levels in and of themselves, except that the higher protein kibbles tend to have calc/phos levels that are higher.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

however, i do think the 40+% protein on the orijen is overkill and i have some paranoia about what research will tell us in 10 yrs about the effects of ultra high protein levels on growing large breed pups. the grain free, high protein kibbles havent been around that long. 

on the other hand, the orijen puppy large, to the best of my recollection, is the only grain free/high protein kibble that really keeps the calcium/phosphorous levels in check.


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## jdp2134 (Apr 9, 2008)

if i end up going with a large breed puppy kibble how long does he need to stay on that until the switch. Some people say to just start with adult food but i assume since we are dealing with higher grade kibble it is different.


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

Jeff,

If you do not have a freezer and are buying at a grocery store raw can get to be a pain and expensive quickly. But if you have a freezer and find the right places to buy from you will not spend much more than if you fed a quality kibble. With that said, there is nothing wrong with good kibble. Canidae would be a good choice, I also like the Solid Gold products. Feed adult immediately, and just try one and see how he does.


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## jdp2134 (Apr 9, 2008)

ya zeusgsd thats one of the problems and why its getting so expensive. well i went ahead and bought the innova LBP. Should i be concerend he didnt eat all of it but most of it? Is it ok to add pumpkin or egg or something or is that going to be too much nutrients i.e calcium or something or are these high end kibbles mad like that so you dont have to add anything? and just so im sure and im not overfeeding the recommeded amounth on the bag is for a per day. So for instance it says 2 1/2 cups of food does that mean per day so i break it up over the 2 meals he eats a day correct? Also when can i switch to an adult food, in year? 4 months? Also what are some signs i should look that he is rejecting the new food and how long should i give the new food a chance to "kick in"? Thanks guys you have been a big help!!

Jeff


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

yes...that's per day. So...like for my girls...they get 1 cup in the am...and 1 cup in the pm....


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

I think the Innova LBP is a good choice









If you're going to move your pup to one of the grain free foods that are not reccomened for pups - I would leave the pup on this food for a year.

Feeding our dogs is a lot of work







and I think feeding a pup is even harder. The research is hard to decipher and you can find information supporting all sides of any diet. You have to choose what you feel comfortable with and stay open minded for change.


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## jdp2134 (Apr 9, 2008)

well he literally spit out the Innova this morning so i bought some NB Potato and venison and he sorta ate that.

What are some signs that i should look for when he isnt agreeing with the food and how long should i keep him on the food until i think he doesnt like it? 2 wks? i hope he really likes something it gets rather annoying and he is really picky.

Also for some reason he wont eat out of the bowl but when i give him one kibble a time he eats so i need some tips to make him eat out of the bowl!! Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Jeff


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## EastGSD (Jul 8, 2001)

Here you go Jeff, I hope this link answers a number of your questions









http://www.eastgsd.com/kibblesense/html/problems.html


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## jdp2134 (Apr 9, 2008)

i like the forum eastgsd a lot of good info for new kibble people.


So my pup will eat NB out of my hand not like the INNOVA that he literally spit it out yesterday but he wont eat out the bowl!!! i put it on a plate he wont eat out of that i put it on a lid he wont eat out of that


Any tips to get him to eat out of the bowl? i mean i could pick it up when he doesnt eat and try again at dinner time but i dont want him to not grow and be underweight.


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