Commercial Puppy Food.. Need Help! - Page 2

Meat protein is the only substance that carries the full group of Amino Acids which are critical for the base of and continuing good muscle growth.


Bobbie

Correct Bobbie You cannot rear any thing healthy on a diet of Carbohydrate and a little protein alone
 Proteins contain as you say so much and until there is 100% sureness that it does harm to a growing Pup then folk best forget those who say it is harmful to Pups.
Me i will also feed a good protein diet to growing Pups combined with as  little grain content as possible steamed Oats are fine plus Vegetables and Fruits in the Kibble all the other added bits go hand in hand with a top Kibble that along with a squirt of Salmon oil and a Vit E capsule is good, Plus Hokamix Joint Powder you should then rear a healthy Pup
Not over feed is a 100% must, No one should then encounter any problems at all, Least wise i never have in all the years i have had Pups from 8 weeks old never a problem and i never think about them not growing on normal
Still wating for this break down of Protein in a Raw diet 
The one thing i do not want to see in any Kibble for a Pup is an excess of Calcium 
Steve1 

Taste of the Wild has lower protein and is grain-free (32% for High Prairie formula, 25% for Pacific formula) and is supposedly for all life stages...I don't see any mention of the calcium/phosphorus levels in the ingredients list. That is what you should be more concerned with, as high protein is not proven to cause any negative effect in healthy dogs and will not affect growth. However, a calcium/phosphorus imbalance could cause negative effects in a growing large breed puppy. If you contact the Taste of the Wild people and they know the calcium/phosphate phosphorous ratio (and it is acceptable), I would go with that food if you are still concerned about protein.

I also second steve1's suggestion of Acana large breed puppy...it has the correct calcium/phosphorus levels and a lower protein content. Though it does contain grains, I think that the piece of mind you get from purchasing their food makes up for it.


edited to change phosphate to phosphorous, and add bit about acana.

I'm actually looking into purchasing Innova Large Breed Puppy Food, but its only 4 star rated as the Innova Puppy is 5 star rated? This is so frustrating, as I've been sitting on the computer researching for the past 8 hours.

I went through the same thing with my other dog (non-gsd), who I've had since 14 weeks. There seems to be a lot of contradictory info out there...and often the foods that look the very best are not recommended for puppies because of improper calcium/phosphorous and/or protein levels. It can be really frustrating!

I eventually decided that there is a complete lack of evidence for high protein affecting growth...however, there IS evidence to suggest that improper calcium/phosphorous levels and overfeeding do impact the dog negatively. Calcium and phosphorous seem to be able to affect bone growth directly, whereas overfeeding hurts the joints... Probably rehashing what you already know, but anyway I decided that it was best to go with proper calcium and phosphorous regardless of the protein level. It did feel scary going against what my vet was telling me, but my dog certainly doesn't exhibit any ill effects from high protein. That was just my anecdotal experience :)

Anyway, about Innova large breed puppy, it seems to mostly be made of grain which is why the low rating. Perhaps if you added meat to the diet? You might also want to take a look at Wellness Super5mix large breed puppy.

edited to add: Another thing about Innova large breed puppy...the MAX calcium is set at 0.9% which would really scare me. The very minimum you are able to feed a pup without them experiencing problems is 0.8%...I would not trust the food unless is also stated the MIN calcium on the nutrient breakdown.

Calcuim level of 1.25 is perfectly okay for growing Pups but that is the limit i would like, as i say i have not had any problems with three Pups on there joints although that problem is not soley related to feeding but is part of it
Whatever food is fed and i guess folk will go with the one they like, I will more or less gurantee that more Joint and Growth problems with Pups is because the Owners feed them too much food, If you can get hold of loose skin at any time on a Pup then it is being given too much food that will cause faulty joints because the Pup will have to carry that unwanted weight around on Joints not strong or mature enough to take that weight
Steve1

Steve, I'm getting a bit confused. You told me before you were feeding your dogs Acana and then you stated you were feeding your dogs Orijan. Then in another post (In a previous thread) you stated you were looking for a food for the younger pups which have about 28% protein, I'm getting lost. Out of all the foods which one wold you recommend? How much do you feed your pups every day?

 Also Orijin has 1.8% max calcium and 1.4% phosphorus and 42gram (not as important) of protein.