# Food for a Giant Breed Puppy ...



## DMickey28 (May 25, 2010)

We are getting a Newfoundland puppy at the end of June. I did a search of the site and basically what I am finding is that for the Giant Breed, Puppy food is generally a No-No, correct? 

Or if you do, do Puppy food to end it at/before 4 months of age??? 

I would rather not do Puppy food at all if that's the case. I am not sure what the breeder is feeding them before but will find that out tomorrow and even see if I can request that she give my baby which ever food I pick out. 

How is the Natural Balance brand? I remember feeding that to my Corgi years ago and he it was the only one he could do on his tummy. I read a post by the Nutro Employee that was talking about the Calcium/Phosperous ratio ... I was always under the impression that Nutro was not a decent food. 

I know Wellness, Solid Gold but what other brands can you recommend? Preferrably something I can get at Petco or PetSmart and not have to order of the internet but I can probably handle doing that too ... I am just a bit scatter brained and don't want to risk running out and needing to order online vs. running to the store. Cost isn't too much of an issue because I know feeding a better food will end up cost the same if not less in the long run vs. a cheaper food ... I just want a good value too ... 

Thanks!


----------



## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

To answer your questions:

Most people recommend you switch at 4 months of age from puppy food to adult food because of calcium/phosphorus levels. If that is an issue for you, buy a small bag of puppy food for now and adult food later. Shouldn't last you long.
Or go with a all life stages formula to make everything easy (no food transitioning either). A good choice for ALS is Taste of the Wild.

Orijen has large breed puppy formula, and if u compare it to their adult formula, all the contents are pretty much similar, so it is kinda a marketing gimmick.

Natural balance is a decent brand, but you can get a lot other better foods for that price. It has ethoxyquin, which many people dislike since it is a suspected carcinogen. Natural Balance is also very heavy on grains.

Nutro is a horrible dog food with a absurb pricepoint. If you are going to feed Nutro Ultra, you are way better off feeding Innova or Orijen. Same price, way better food. Many people also dislike the synthetic vitamin K in nutro foods because it is known to cause problems (kidney/liver? I can't remember). Nutro is also now owned by Mars if I am not wrong, which is the company behind Pedigree, possibly the worst dog food you can find. I heard Nutro used to be good, but they are pretty much just all marketing and zero substance now.

Solid gold as ethoxyquin as well, but their manufacturer (diamond) is switching to ethoxyquin-free sources. So I do not know if solid gold will be ethoxyquin free or not.

Wellness is a really really good brand.
Blue buffalo too (available at both petco and petsmart).

It is best you buy food from smaller pet/feed stores, as it is going to be a lot cheaper most of the time. Petsmart food are relatively cheap too. Petco mark up their food prices by a lot. It's like ripping you off bad :/

Definitely if you want value for money, taste of the wild (ethoxyquin free now).
If you want premium food, orijen, innova, innova evo (evo is only suitable for dogs above 1 year old)
If you want premium food that doesn't bust your credit card, you can consider wellness and blue buffalo as well. I'd say they're on the same level as taste of the wild.


----------



## HORSEandHOUND (May 28, 2009)

Enhasa said:


> Solid gold as ethoxyquin as well, but their manufacturer (diamond) is switching to ethoxyquin-free sources. So I do not know if solid gold will be ethoxyquin free or not.


 Solid Gold is owned by Sissy Harrington-McGill NOT DIAMOND


----------



## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

HORSEandHOUND said:


> Solid Gold is owned by Sissy Harrington-McGill NOT DIAMOND


Solid gold dog food is MADE by Diamond. If you had bothered reading, I said manufacturer, not owner. 
Many companies outsource productions all the time, i.e. Wellness, Blue Buffalo, etc etc. List goes on forever.



wikipedia said:


> Today the company specializes in the development of foods which contain no preservatives or saturated fats, and are made of USDA Choice meats, and grains like rice, barley, oats and millet, instead of wheat, soy, or corn like most other manufacturers. They also have a line of skin treatments and shampoos.* Solid Gold Dry dog foods are made at the Diamond Pet Foods processing plant.*





wikipedia said:


> Diamond introduced Diamond Naturals in 2006. These products contain no by-products, corn, or wheat. They also manufacture Bright Bites brand dental treats, Taste of the Wild brand pet food, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul brand dog and cat food.
> 
> They also manufacture under contract, for other companies, at least some of the pet foods sold under these brands or business names.
> 
> ...


Many other sources too but I am too lazy to look it up at the moment.
If you are still in doubt, email solid gold support for an answer.
You can also email diamond pet food for an answer if you're still in doubt.

Another thing to note about Solid Gold. They claim their food are manufactured without ethoxyquin. Diamond on the other hand, says that ALL the fish meals used for all brands they manufacture, contains ethoxyquin. This is quite an old piece of news (3-5 months) that I read on other forums. Go google it. 
The 2 companies are giving conflicting answers but I'd trust Diamond more honestly.


----------



## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

First, let me say that I don't have large breed dogs. But I have read on all my forums, from people that do have large breed puppies, that you really need to watch the calcium/phosphorus percentage ratios. I think the acceptable ratio for a large breed pup is no more than 1.5%/1%. So look for this in the food you buy. This will help keep the pup's growth regulated. Someone with a large breed correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## BRule (Apr 22, 2010)

My sister and brother-in-law have a 7 month old Newfie and he has done very well on the Orijen LBP. The key is not to overfeed.

I have a 2 year old Miniature Schnauzer who has been on Orijen for a little over a year now and has done great.

Not only is Orijen a GREAT kibble but they offer 3 different protein sources for the adult formulas.


----------



## JonnyNutro (Mar 29, 2010)

I specialize in giant breed and large breed dogs and I have seven of them all different breeds. I have had excellent results using the Nutro foods. They DO have the Calciumhosphorous level correct for giant breed dogs. They are also the only company I know of which has a Large Breed Puppy, Controlled Growth Recipe in their Natural Choice line. Now, you have heard both bad as well as good about the Nutro foods. Whatever you do, love and care for your Newfie as a family member. My Newfie, Cash, is being taught water rescue (by myself) and he is loving his life. Newfies are characters, but great personalities! Cash makes me laugh a lot, too.


----------

