Organdonor

My new daughter, Kimber, is coming home from the breeder this Saturday. Yay! She's currently being fed Purina... and I'll be changing that. I plan on letting her continue on the Purina for about a week as she acclaimates to her new home. The new food will be introduced over two weeks, with the ratio of Purina to the new stuff increasing ever so slightly over that span.

I've been pouring over the forums, and can up with a few questions that I didn't see answered (not that they haven't been, I just didn't see them... bleary eyed from reading late into the night.)

1. When transitioning to a new food, how much of the new food do you purchase? I'm a bulk buyer, and was planning on picking up the the largest bag of the new food (still to be decided, TOTW, Blue Buffalo Lg Breed, or NVI.) Do you folks suggest buying a smaller bag, to see how she tolerates the new food, or should I go with the big bag food, and go through it all, and then make up my mind? I know there may be diarrhea from the stress of the new home, so perhaps I shouldn't immediately attribute it to the new food... perhaps give it a full bag to see if it clears up once she settles in.

2. Not open a brand-thread... but should I worry so much about feeding large breed puppy food? My eye is towards the Calcium level, making sure it's under 2%. Am I just as well off with a regular puppy food or all life stage food, as long as the CA levels are lower than 2%? I'm not as concerned about the protein levels, given the conversations on here about how that concern is over-hyped.

Thanks in advance!

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mmctaq

First, congrats on the new puppy!

What size bag will depend on some factors...

What is the return policy of the store? Some stores will take food back and fully refund it with no questions asked. What kind of storage do you have available? Kibble should either be used up within a period of three or maybe four weeks, or stored in the freezer.

If you are considering Blue, you might give a second look to the Blue Wilderness puppy... it is a better food than the regular Blue.

I think your under 2% calcium level goal is still a little excessive. I would be a lot happier with 1.5% or less.

I would not hesitate to begin transitioning a pup to a new food five minutes after it walked into my house... how used to anything can an animal that's only a few weeks old be? LOL! I think a lot of digestive issues are the result of overcaution and restricting diet componants... if I was going to be feeding kibble, I would feed a variety of different kibbles (staying within the highest level of quality I could) and also lots of extras (scraps and such).

Please regard your new puppy as a puppy, not as your child! Given guidance, she can develop into the best dog in the world... as a "child," she will never be successful or sure of who she is.

Shelbs

Hi there!!
My puppy is on Purina Pro Plan Adult. 26% protein and less than 1.1% calcium. Comes very highly recommended by my amazing breeder. She doesnt recommend a protein content any higher than that for a pup.

Organdonor

I have a large freezer, so I can store extra down there. Do many stores let you return opened bags? The only situation I could see me returning it that early would be if she refused it completely.

Sigh... if only you could see the spreadsheets I've been compiling (I'm bored at work.)

I actually aiming as close to 1% as I can get, but it's been difficult, giving that not all of the kibble manufacturers give an exact percentage. For instance, some of the Merrick's say "1.3% MINIMUM." Well, that's not confidence inspiring. I'm been leaning towards TOTW, which lists it as 1.4%. Even though it's not labelled as large breed, it has the same 1.4% that the Wellness Super5Mix "large breed" has! Are there any other nutrients the Large Puppy might have compared to a regular puppy food, since these two have the same CA level listed?

Don't you worry... I've raised my last two puppies as members of the pack, not the family. They know I'm alpha, and I'm well versed in reinforcing that role. I simply referred to her as my daughter because the nurses I work with have been telling me I'm as excited about her coming home as I would be one of my actual kids

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acarr1983

When I got my pup I got the smallest bag I could when I decided to transition. She was on 2 cups a day so I did 1 and 1/2 cups of the food the breeder used and 1/2 cup of the new stuff.. I mixed it all up and divided it by 3 (3 meals a day). I did that for a week. Then i went to 1 cup of the new stuff and 1 cup of the stuff the breeder used. I mixed it up and divided by 3 (3 meals a day). I did that for a week. Then I went to 1 and 1/2 cup of the new stuff and 1/2 cup of the old stuff..3 times a day...I did that for a week. Then I went to 2 full cups of the new stuff.

I know it seems like that took a long time, but I wanted to make sure I did change her super fast and upset her stomach since they say the move home can already be dramatic for the puppy.

I use Innova puppy food currently and it is GREAT. The first ingredients on the bag are: turkey, chicken, chicken meal, whole grain barley, whole grain brown rice, peas, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols a source of vitamin E), herring, flaxseed, apples, blueberries, carrots, pumpkin, eggs ect. ect. ect. It may not be the best, but they say really look at the first 4 or 5 ingredients on the bag to make sure it is good quality food. The calcium is 0.9% according to their Nutrient Analysis. If you want you can check them out. I mean I really like them thus far and so does my Duchess..

Pet Products - Healthy Dog Food, Natural Cat Food, Gourmet Dog Biscuits ? Innova Holistic Pet Food

Hillside

If by NVI you mean Nature's Variety Instinct, the protein levels are going to be a bit too high for a young pup. With large breeds, I wait until they are at least a year to a year and a half before I go with any of the real high protein foods.

Out of your selection, I would go with TOTW and I would get either the small or medium bag to try it out.

Beaumont67

Organdonor - congrats on a future puppy, very exciting times to come.
- and Yes, I refer to my dobes as my children too...he-he...just the care and attention, they enjoy in a rather spoiled life

I have been selling pet food, for over a decade...and after the first year, stopped selling puppy specific ones.
The foods I select:
Dog Kibble NOT Containing: Animal By-Products, Poultry Fat, BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Corn, Wheat, Soya, Sugar, Salt, Brewers Rice or Beet Pulp
I use All Life Stages (ALS) on pups from Day1 now.
- and given my purchase quality is premiun (holistic/organic)...I switch "cold turkey" instead of EVER transitioning with a lesser quality / regardless of normal manufacture recommendation
This is my favorite: Lamb and Rice Formula - Holistic Blend

Following is a great Dog Food Review link:
Dry Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Advisor
^^^^ I will only feed 4 or 5 star ALS kibble, and that includes all treats / no raw hide bones, no pigs ears, no jerky treats (aka China made).
To start, I would only buy a small bag, at first.

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------------Kelly & (Amy - RIP @ 11.7 y/o)

acemommy

Hi Shelbs - do you use the pro plan adult food for large breeds? I have an 11 week on and need to find a good food for him.

Shelbs

Hi I'm so sorry for my verry late response!! NO I do not use the large breed formula. Dobes are not large breed dogs and they do not need to eat large breed dog food. I simply buy the adult formula. Hope this helps Sorry again for the late response .



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