first "large breed" puppy--food?

CalamityJane · 06-01-2008, 11:11 PM

Hi all,

So now we have a new puppy, the first "large" breed pup we've had. We've had mini dachshunds for 15 years; before that, I had a Sheltie. Jack, our new guy, is 13 weeks old and is a Pyr/Malamute or Husky mix. He may be some other things too; but he is definitively going to be big.

We have been feeding him Purina puppy chow up till now. Please, no lectures, we do know better, but we had nine puppies to feed for 10-12 weeks, and this was what we could get easily and affordably. We've now placed most of the pups; that is another thread. We are keeping one, and want to feed him a better food. We have fed our mini dachsie Pet Promise for the past 2 years, and he has done well on it. (It may not be as good as I initially thought it was, though, and I may need to do some re-thinking on it)

I'm leaning toward Innova's Large Breed Puppy Food. Any comments, suggestions, advice, or something else I should consider?

Thanks.

Holst · 06-02-2008, 01:30 PM

What ever brand you decide to feed him, make sure it is for large breeds. Large breed food controls the rate that your pup grows and provides extra vitamins/supplements to ensure that his/her skeleton does not weaken or deform. Others on this site will be able to provide you with specific brand names, or just look around and search. There is more info here than can be imagined. Personally, we are using Diamond Naturals large breed for our giants. We used to use Eagle Pack until it was no longer finacially feasible. Good luck! Pyrs are a great breed, headstrong, but great. You will have your hands full. Keep us posted.

CalamityJane · 06-02-2008, 11:41 PM

Thanks for your reply. Boy, I did not realize just how bad the Purina was; I just thought it was OK, that you could do better, but I thought it was better than some. I just looked at the "dog food project" and read about reading labels. Reading the label on the Purina Puppy Chow just about made me sick, that we had been using it. Now I feel bad.

I continue to lean toward the Innova Large Breed. I'd love to hear any comments on this food by anyone who has used it. Or anyone who has another one to recommend.

Thanks.

DogsforMe · 06-03-2008, 02:05 AM

As long as you grow him slowly, & watch the exercise. Too much of each can have an effect on the proper growth of his bones & joints. Raw feeding, in particular raw meaty bones is considered the best for growing pups.

JenTN · 06-03-2008, 02:57 AM

I feed my boy Innova Large Breed Puppy and he has done really, really well on it. His poops are great and his coat is really shiny. He also has Wellness canned mixed in with it.

I believe Innova Adult is okay for a puppy as well, but not EVO. Canidae and other ALS (all life stages) puppy food are okay for large breeds.

I really can't say enough good things about the Innova LBP, we have had not problems, but I offered alternatives because all dogs do differently on different foods.

Ginny01OT · 06-03-2008, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JenTN

I feed my boy Innova Large Breed Puppy and he has done really, really well on it. His poops are great and his coat is really shiny. He also has Wellness canned mixed in with it.

I believe Innova Adult is okay for a puppy as well, but not EVO. Canidae and other ALS (all life stages) puppy food are okay for large breeds.

I really can't say enough good things about the Innova LBP, we have had not problems, but I offered alternatives because all dogs do differently on different foods.

I am on the same page as you--I did Innova large breed for my now two year old standard poodle,he grew at a wonderful rate (nice and slow)--I am getting another standard pup and am going to give her Innova large breed food until she is about a year and half--I will then switch her to Instict as well (Riley is also 75% raw fed and I am starting the pup on raw too)

CalamityJane · 06-03-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogsforMe

As long as you grow him slowly, & watch the exercise. Too much of each can have an effect on the proper growth of his bones & joints. Raw feeding, in particular raw meaty bones is considered the best for growing pups.

How much exercise is too much?

And thanks for your reply.

Ginny01OT · 06-04-2008, 09:14 AM

As a puppy I limited Riley on steps for about the first 6 months of his life --I took him for walks but would not jog with him--or ride a bike with him by side---I look at more the intensity of the exercise than the amount--but of course you are not going to take a puppy for such a long walk that they would get tired/dehydrated, etc. Also, in the summer our walks are shorter than they would be in the fall/spring and even winter

CalamityJane · 06-04-2008, 11:28 AM

Thanks for the info. So, in the summer, and it gets really hot and humid here, walking and some playtimes scattered throughout the day--does that sound about right? There are some steps on the porch, and we spend a lot of time in our motorhome which of course have steps. He has been going up the steps, there are 4 of them, but I am still carrying him down. He's getting heavier and heavier, and longer and longer, but I can still get him down the steps. Should I also carry him up, or at least help him up the steps?

SMoore · 06-04-2008, 01:40 PM

I fed Innova large breed puppy food for awhile until this place stopped carrying it, then i switched to natural balance all life stage food i think potatoes, she did okay on it but wasnt thrilled about eating but at this point she was almost a year old so went ahead and switched to solid gold, which is pretty easy to find anywhere.

I would have kept her on the innove large breed puppy though if they had kept having it available to buy. She loved it and did really well on it.

Ginny01OT · 06-04-2008, 03:02 PM

I would still carry her down the steps and once she starts going down herself, keep an eye on her--when my guy was a pup he jumped down from about the fourth step up, thinking he could and then he cried and limped--we freaked out--put ice on it, watched him, he turned out okay but it was not fun

amp9364 · 06-06-2008, 08:33 AM

I have a 5 month old bernese mountain dog and am currently feeding him eagle pack holistic select large/giant breed puppy food. I tried the innova and the artemis but both gave him really soft stools and really bad gas. He is doing really well on the eagle pack, his stools are much more firm and the gas is minimal. As far as activity, i let him go up and down stairs as soon as he learned how, mostly because we have a pretty long flight up to our bedroom where he sleeps and it would be dangerous for me to keep trying to carry him(and my back started to hurt!). He also gets 1-2 walks per day and that pretty much wears him out! Good luck!