# Large Breed Puppy Food Bottom Line??



## AliciaL (Mar 16, 2013)

Hi there - I have been obsessed with LBP food for about a month now.... I have NEVER had so much trouble making a decision in my life!! I really need some guidance regarding what is the best LBP food to ultimately go with. I have a 12 week old Saint Bernard who came home from the breeder on Kirkland puppy. The breeder said to keep him on this until 4 months and the switch to adult. I have read all the information about nutrients for LB puppies, as well as all the reviews of all the better foods. I am thinking of switching to Orijin LB, assuming he can tolerate it, but while I want the best for my baby, I also don't want to spend more than I need to. We are on a somewhat tight budget.... We will do whatever is necessary for his good health, but Kirkland does seem like a perfectly decent food. Ideally, I would like to find a happy medium - a better food than Kirkland, but not QUITE such a budget - buster as the orijin. Our puppy seems to be growing nice and slowly... He is about 26 pounds at 12 weeks. Overall he seems to be fine with the Kirkland, although his fur seems dull and he itches and chews on his feet. Can anyone help me find my way out of my dog food - fog? Thank you in advance for any suggestions!!


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Solid Gold Large Breed Puppy I like the WOlf cub Bison formula, our Bernese Mt dog boy is on it for 12 months now (actually all our dogs are on it for conveneince, I just dilute it for the other dogs)-- we have actually been on Solid Gold for almost 20 years now Love it, I think it is not as expensive as Orijin...


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## AliciaL (Mar 16, 2013)

Thank you - that does look like a good option!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

The solid gold option is a great one! Just flip over bags and read. I haven't had a large breed pup in a while so I don't know what's available any more, but you'll want the Calcium level to be no more than 1.5-7% It doesn't need to be a LBP food, specifically. Many don't actually have the correct calcium levels, ironically.


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## Emmett (Feb 9, 2013)

AliciaL

I've never owned a "giant" breed, but I would suggest you check out The Great Dane Lady's website. I can't copy the link, but you can google it and get there. She's done a TON of research on LBP food and her site has all that information for you to peruse, plus food suggestions. Having large, but not giant, puppies I read what she had and took one key concept away from it. With fast growing big puppies its all about the calcium/phosphorus, keeping max calcium below 1.5% became my goal. It was surprising when I started reading labels to find out how many LBP foods did not even come close to this number. Many times they basically just lowered the protein percentage without even being concerned about nutrient content.


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## AliciaL (Mar 16, 2013)

I know.... This is the most ridiculously confusing decision EVER! While I was looking into the solid gold, I got sidetracked by the Fromm. It looks to be in the same price range as Solid Gold. Any thoughts on this one? All of them are four star foods 
(Including Kirkland) on the rating website. Which makes me wonder if I would be spending more on the same quality. Maybe I am placing too much emphasis on the ratings....


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## Calmingapple (Jan 8, 2013)

We are first time dog owners and are terribly confused when it comes to dry food as well. While we don't own a large breed, we do have a 5 & a half month old Mini Eskimo on Kirkland grain free Natures Domain which she has done well on. However, she is now bored of her food (salmon and sweet potato). So I am on the hunt for another product to try her on. The current recalls for the ones we were concidering don't help (Evo, Innovo, etc). So for now, we are going to stick with Natures Domain... probably will try turkey next. We also live in Canada, so we have different brands here. I have never heard of Solid Gold. I am interested in which food you decide to stick with 




AliciaL said:


> I know.... This is the most ridiculously confusing decision EVER! While I was looking into the solid gold, I got sidetracked by the Fromm. It looks to be in the same price range as Solid Gold. Any thoughts on this one? All of them are four star foods
> (Including Kirkland) on the rating website. Which makes me wonder if I would be spending more on the same quality. Maybe I am placing too much emphasis on the ratings....


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## DaisyDC (Feb 24, 2013)

AliciaL said:


> I know.... This is the most ridiculously confusing decision EVER! While I was looking into the solid gold, I got sidetracked by the Fromm. It looks to be in the same price range as Solid Gold. Any thoughts on this one? All of them are four star foods
> (Including Kirkland) on the rating website. Which makes me wonder if I would be spending more on the same quality. Maybe I am placing too much emphasis on the ratings....


I can't speak to Fromm's Gold line, which is what their large breed puppy food is part of, but my medium size dog is getting their Four Star Grain-Free food and absolutely loves it. She's been on it about a month and is less itchy, less teary and less gassy, and looks great. I'd definitely recommend their food.

After poking around at ingredients and having been on another well-rated food prior to this, I'd say the ratings are a good guide on where to start, but you also have to take into account what works best for your dog, as well as what they find tastiest!


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## RedGermanPinscher (Jun 22, 2012)

You want to feed a Good high quality Adult or All Life Stages Formula: No Puppy Food, as most puppy food is not correctly formulated ( The differences between the Large Breed puppy foods and adult foods are usually marginal and the only real difference is the packaging and price) to meet the nutritional needs of a GBP puppy (which are more on the level of that of an adult dog that that of the average run of the mill puppy).... 

General rule of thumb is:

When it comes to Grain Inclusive foods (Again stay away from wheat, corn and soy * these ingredients are known to exasperate food allergies/intolerances) you want to stay with a food that is between 21-24% protein, Calcium/phosphate levels between 1-1.5% and fat content between 12-14%.. 

When it comes to Grain free those levels change a bit**** depending on the ingredients within the food but to give you a rough idea:

Taste of the Wild's High Prairie 
Protein: 32% Fat: 18%
Calcium: 2.1% Phosphorus: 1.4% (although they due now have "puppy formulas" and a couple of other formulas Sierra Mountain and Pacific Stream seem to work a little better for young pups) 

Pacific Stream Adult: Protein: 25% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.9%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.1%

Sierra Mountain Adult: 
Protein: 25% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.6%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.0%

High Praire Puppy: 
Protein: 28% Minimum, Fat: 17% Minimum
Calcium: 1.4%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.0%, 


Pacific Stream Puppy: Protein: 27% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.4%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.0%, 


EVO Red Meat Variety: Typically not for pups under a year
Protein: 44% Fat:23%
Calcium: 2% Phosphorus: 1.26%

****This is due to the higher quality of the products used and the fact that most of the nutrients are coming from meat (which is easier for a dogs digestive tract to digest and utilize) rather than grains/plant material.... 

Generally speaking, irregardless of the brand, you want to stick with a food that keeps all nutrients etc.. well balanced and uses ingredients such as ...named meat and meat meals *meaning they tell you what kind of meat is being used* as the first few ingredients followed by quality grains such as Oatmeal, Barley and Brown rice *this is for grain inclusive foods*. For Grain free quality foods the Meats are followed by Fruits and Vegetables such as Potatoes, Yams, Peas, Carrots, Cranberries and Apples.... All quality foods avoid such ingredients as Corn, Wheat, Soy, unnamed meat and meat meals as well as meat byproducts *All of which can be hard on the digestive system and are often the cause of food intolerances/Allergies* .... 

If you visit http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ 4-6 star foods are the ones you want to consider the most, 3 star foods are expectable and 1-2 star foods are to be avoided.


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## AliciaL (Mar 16, 2013)

Thank you all for all the help:wave:! I called the only Fromm retailer in my area to ask about this brand.... It is a high - end, boutique type store. She said that she though Fromm and the Kirkland were comparable! Frankly, I was surprised that she would be that candid, but that is what she said. She recommended Orijin or Petcurean, but that puts me back to the ultra- high end brands....Hmm! I will do more researching on the solid gold. That seems like a very good option.


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## Mozzie (Mar 19, 2013)

I know a lot of large breed people who choose to feed the regular Orijen Puppy formula due to the LBP formula's high calcium content. I must admit, I find the Orijen website is slightly odd. 

Taken from the sites FAQ section: "The ideal calcium content for large breeds is thought to be between 1.0 and 1.4% on an “as fed” basis, and it is also believed that calcium in excess of 3% on a dry weight basis can predispose to significant skeletal abnormalities."

However, if you look at the GA of the LBP formula they exceed their own recommendations with Min/Max Calcium of 1.5/1.7% respectively. FWIW the National Research Council has found the safe upper limit for calcium during growth to be 4.5g/1000kcal. If you calculate it out, Orijen's LBP is 4.6-5.0g/1000kcal.

Food for thought.


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## AliciaL (Mar 16, 2013)

I just thought I would add a quick update.... I FINALLY made the decision to try the Solid Gold Wolf Cub. I just ordered a bag from our local feed store and it will be here in a few days. I will post an update once we see how he does on it. Thank you all again for the suggestions and advice!


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

AliciaL said:


> I just thought I would add a quick update.... I FINALLY made the decision to try the Solid Gold Wolf Cub. I just ordered a bag from our local feed store and it will be here in a few days. I will post an update once we see how he does on it. Thank you all again for the suggestions and advice!


Yes I would be curious to know, my guys (Boxers a giant schnauzer and a Bernese Mt dog) all did, are doing well on it... we do supplement with cottage cheese, rice, alittle ground beef (old dog has chewing issues) and plenty of raw marrow bones and other Raw odds and ends that I come accross cheap (ex 3 lb bag of duck feet for 99cents).... But overall do like Solid Gold....


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## TRDmom (Mar 3, 2013)

Kirkland Natures Domain is a good food. My pup was started on that by the breeder, but I switched him to the food my other dogs were on (canidae chicken and rice). I also don't live near a costco. I do understand your concern about your large breed puppy and appropriate growth, not sure how ND would be regarding that (TRDs are medium, only about 40-70lbs fully grown).


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## AliciaL (Mar 16, 2013)

Hello again - I thought I would post an update on the saga of choosing a LBPF.... We have been transitioning our pup onto the Solid Gold Wolf cub for about a week. He has been itching less ( did I mention he was itchy on the Kirkland?), and his digestion seems to be fine ( no stinky smells or loose poops ), but he just doesn't seem to like the Solid Gold very much!! We are about to 60% Solid Gold in the transitioning process. It's actually pretty funny.... He takes a bite and spits out the solid gold portion like watermelon seeds! We will keep pushing it, but he needs all his calories just to keep a bit of meat on his very lean frame. I am at a loss as far as what to try next... Maybe wellness super 5, or Innova? Any thoughts? I am also still considering the Fromms...


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

AliciaL said:


> Hello again - I thought I would post an update on the saga of choosing a LBPF.... We have been transitioning our pup onto the Solid Gold Wolf cub for about a week. He has been itching less ( did I mention he was itchy on the Kirkland?), and his digestion seems to be fine ( no stinky smells or loose poops ), but he just doesn't seem to like the Solid Gold very much!! We are about to 60% Solid Gold in the transitioning process. It's actually pretty funny.... He takes a bite and spits out the solid gold portion like watermelon seeds! We will keep pushing it, but he needs all his calories just to keep a bit of meat on his very lean frame. I am at a loss as far as what to try next... Maybe wellness super 5, or Innova? Any thoughts? I am also still considering the Fromms...


we actually in the past had them on the wee bit formula --its bison- but a little higher protein, but the kibble is teeney (for our old dog) -- and might be more palatable, its for all life stages...


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