Puppy Food? - Page 1

I am getting a new pup from Germany this week. I was wondering what some views are on what to feed. I already have a brand that I will feed. My question is does it really make a difference if a pup gets adult food as opposed to puppy food. I fed my other GSD puppy food until he was 6 months then I switched him to adult food. When he got around 6 months he started limping and getting soreness in his front leg. My vet and breeder suggested to switch him off puppy food. I guess what I am asking is does it make a big difference to just start a pup off on adult food right away?

Hello, Yes, be very careful with protein contents of foods. Too hight can produce inflamaton of the long bones (pano-osteoitis)This is very painful for any dog. I do feed raw and a little kibble. I recommend a natural brand of kibble. Be ware of the "meals" in dog foods and additives such as beet pulp (a filler) with no nutritional value. l) Wellness 2) Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul 3) Merrick 4) Solid Gold None of these can be purchased at pet smart or supermarket. Please do yourself a favor and learn to read the labels and indegredients. Good luck with your new pup. Any questions email me at Satlas5471@aol.com

I too have tested out lots of fods and found Eagle Pack to be a great one..I feed mine the large breed puppy formula... used to feed Royal canine, then Chicken soup, both great foods he just didn't like the taste I guess..

Hi,I also was wondering about the puppy food question I feed my litter "dog chow" by purina and would NOT recomend it to anyone! Has anyone else had that problem? I swiched my pups to Purina "Pro Plan" and in two weeks Could not belive the diffrence. Make sure you feed your dog a quality brand dog food I can't stress this enough. have fun with your new puppy!!!

I've been through a bunch of differt foods. Pedigree, Eukanuba, Nutro, Diamond, Black Gold, Royal Canin, and now Ultra Advantage. I stay away from the foods you get at the grocery stores and pet stores. They are either poor quality or expensive. I switched from the Black Gold to try the Royal Canin and didn't see any difference except for the price in food. I couldn't see keeping them on a feed that costs over $40 for a 35lbs. bag when I could get the same results with a feed that was under $20 for a 50lbs. bag. I am now feeding the Ultra Advantage Supreme Plus High Energy. I have 2 male DS pups left from my last litter and from 7 weeks old they have been on the adult formula (24/20 protein/fat content) and have the same results as the other pups from this litter that are on puppy food. The mother is also gaining weight and has a nice coat. My GSD is on the same food and she's keeping plenty of weight on for the winter, and her coat looks good. Jeff

Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it. I am currently feeding my 21 minth old GSD Canidae. He was originally on Eukunuba with GREAT results. Then for no reason I decided to switch his food. It tried Royal Canin, Wellness, and one other brand before Canidae. He would not eat anything but Canidae. I just dont like the results with Canidae. His skin is dry and his coat does not look good either. It is also difficult to keep his weight on with the Canidae.

do I dare get into this one again -- Large breeds require specially formulated foods designed for their fast growth rate. I hardly agree with withholding nutrition (protein) when they need it most. I believe pano is more genetic than "environmental" Dogs are carnivors -- they would prefer a rotten chicken to an ear of corn any day. In Germany, my understanding is that many breeders feed only a raw diet - and it is not always the best quality. Yet puppies I have purchased have come to me in excellent condition, (and without worms) We feed a raw diet exclusivey until at least 8-9 months and then add only about 25 percent "dry" food. To my thinking, it's not the non-nutritive value of beet pulp you have to worry about - it's the fermentation factor. Beets, rice, corn, tomatoes all ferment -- and in a breed with the boat history that we have - I'm not interested in furthering those odds. All "extruded" foods mentioned above expand to more than double their size when wet -- Better that happens outside the dogs stomach than within !! Yes, I use ABADY -- I have four (homebred generations) raised on this food - raw and dry - and have better hips, and no pano in over 20 years. There are othere good foods - but not many !!! A complete discussion needs to talk about things like ethoxyquin (sp) and other horrid stabalizers and preservatives that extruded foods contain, and the long term damage they do to organs like the liver and kidneys. Higher carb diets have their problems too !!

What is ABADY and pano?

ABADY is a premium line of Dog Food made by the Robert Ababy Co., New York. Mr. Ababy imported Bouvier's and found it difficult to provide a giant breed with adequate nutrition. He is, I believe, also a Chemist and so he set out to develop his own food. He has a large line of Raw Diets, (Frozen) dry meal, and extruded and canned products -- also a complete line of vitamins (I think they are still called Nutra-Vet) but they may have a new name now - which I have used on my birds and guinea pigs -- My guinea pigs were so healthy they provided me with 4-6 babies! TOO MANY -- I credit my bitches ability to carry and deliver a 16 puppy litter to this superior food also. There is more and more evidence that generational use of this food can decrease the incidence of pano and hip dysplasia. -- See "Pano" above - inflamation of the long bone in fast growing pups. I have been happy to use it for over 25 years - yes, it is very expensive -- but you can put the quality into the front end of the dog or you can pay the vet later ! I prefer to have the healhy dog from the outset.

Okay my turn for questions. I have been feeding River large breed puppy formula and she was growing incredibly fast. I got her at eight weeks at just under 8 pounds and by thirteen weeks she was 31 pounds and that was with round worms. I moved her to regular puppy chow to slow the growth because I was told that if she kept growing at that rate it would cause hip problems. Her growth has slowed drastically with the food change. Was I told correctly about her growth or should I give her back the large breed food? She did not and does not have any hip problems. After switching to the regular puppy food she has gotten skinnier and I can see her ribs (which could be from the worms as she is still being treated) but her muscle tone in her chest, shoulders, and legs is great. Thanks.