Innova Large Breed Puppy - Page 1

I have a 4 1/2 month old puppy and thinking to switching it to this food. He is on Natural Balance but I have a problem stool consistency. He is being fed 3x/day and adjusted to even lower what the manufacturer recommended with no success. I will be switching to adult food at 6 months of age. Any feedback on Innova Large Breed puppy will be highly appreciated. BTW... I searched the message board and nothing mention about this particular dog food. Duke

If it were my puppy, I would go ahead and switch to adult dog food now. The higher protien in puppy food can encourage rapid growth which can result in joint problems. We switch ours at about 8-weeks to a high quality adult food.

Agree with animules--too much protein in kibble is bad for growing bones and forming joints! 26% or less protein is what I stick with, and what my puppy buyers are required to stick with after 12 weeks of age. Until that time, puppy food is okay. Good luck!

I was feeding Innova to my male GSD, he was on it for about 7 months and then one day he stopped eating it. I had to switch food. He went for 4 days and would not eat it. When I switched him to his new food he ate right away. When he was eating it he did real well. But I have another GSD, he is 2.5 and he was on Eukenuba and doing great, the only problem was the Eukenuba was to hot for my new dog, it gave him dry skin and hot spots. When I switched both dogs to Innova the one who was on the Eukenub lost a ton of weight. It did not matter how much I fed him he just stayed thin. I took him to the vet and he said put him back on the other food, and it worked great. I probably did not help much with to opposite stories but I just wanted to let you know that it is different for every dog. If you want to switch then switch. Just keep an eye on your young pup. Shawn

Thanks for your reply. There are people who said switch it to adult food 8-12 weeks. There are people who said switch it to adult food at 16 weeks. There are people who said switch to adult food at 6 months. There are people who said keep it on puppy food at 14 months as long as you have control at what he eats. There are manufacturer's who said large breed puppy food to at least 18 months. Should I believe: On manufacturer who claim to have "extensive" research on dog foods. On kennel owners with what they feed their kennel line. On experienced owners with GSD throughout their life On petshops who recommends a certain type of dog food On vet clinics who is supported by manufacturer On what the WDJ recommends On what works best for my dog

As long as you feed a large breed puppy food you don't have to switch to adult food at a young age. I tried the innova large breed puppy to my pregnant bitch, unfortunately she wouldn't eat it. I thought highly enough of it to try it ,and I would try it again perhaps in the future. I think it is a good food.

I would say that you should go with whatever the breeder of your dog recommends, since they are the one who is guaranteeing the hips of that dog. If you have no guarantee, then do whatever you'd like. Let me just give you this link to read: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/58243.html

Thanks all. VomFelsenHof it did opened my perspective. Sometimes I think I would just release my puppy in the wild with the wolves, with a tracking device and get him back at one year and bring him to Cesar Milan's Dog Whisperer for rehabilitation :-)

I LOVE Innova! It is SO great!! Whenever I want to get some weight on them and improve their coat, that's the dogfood that does it. It's pretty pricey, but a really fabulous dogfood. Hard to get in my neck of the woods - a vet FAR away has to order it for me. My dogs gobble it up and I see a difference in 1 1/2 to 2 weeks! They also have an EVO line that is good and another one called EVO Red Meat (it's new)that is supposed to rival the BARF diet. I think if you can afford it and your dog likes it, you couldn't go wrong.The ingredients are top of the line and should produce a consistent stool. I also like Solid Gold check it out http://www.solidgoldhealth.com Those are my 2 favorites. I have 2 west german show dogs (Baron Ulf Haus Xandra Lucki Hund)in the database. Innova is their favorite aside from raw meat. :) Hope this helps!

Duke, Ask a question like this and you will get as many answers as there are grains of sand on a beach. There are lots of possibilities for why your dog has loose stools at this point. This has been discussed repeatedly on this board and others. I have prepared a FAQ that might be helpful to you. Food can be the issue, but it could also be parasites, or digestion problems , including lack of the necessary pancreatic enzymes, lack of or imbalance of the right bacterial flora, or feeding too much at a time. If you want more information, feel free to email me. I feed Royal Canin and have been very satisfied with it. There are other good foods too. There is no evidence that a proper pup food fed appropriately causes anything.....but lots of anecdotal comments. Bottom line, find a food that gives your dog a nice, shiny coat, clear eyes and clean teeth, and poop that is firm and dark colored. If the dog has a lot of gas, it is also likely the gut is off somehow. Good luck.