# Best dog food for an English Mastiff?



## Jullie P (Feb 16, 2012)

Our mastiff just turned 6 months and we have her on Purina Puppy Show with mother's milk in it. Is this a good dog food for her? After she gets out of the puppy stage, should we stick with Purina or move to a different brand? Thanks


----------



## Chumleys MOM (Mar 5, 2012)

I have been told to stay away from anything from local grocery store ect. I buy my Rottweilers food from Tractor supply it is called 4Health, and He has a healthy weight, very energetic and his coat is beautiful. It is a higher end dog food, without the high cost. you should check it out.


----------



## Jullie P (Feb 16, 2012)

Do I need to wait until she's out of that puppy stage or can I switch her now? We had her on Kirkland's with Lamb and Rice from Costco. We live out of town and Costco is on the other end and it's a 40 minute drive just to get there. We don't go to that part of town very much, so we went with Purina. Tractor Supply is a lot closer, so I will check into that. Thank you


----------



## Chumleys MOM (Mar 5, 2012)

you need to mix the foods together to transition their diet start with more the puppy food currently being used, then gradually introduce the new puppy food of choice, it should take about a week to do the transistion over.
good luck


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Jullie P said:


> Our mastiff just turned 6 months and we have her on Purina Puppy Show with mother's milk in it. Is this a good dog food for her? After she gets out of the puppy stage, should we stick with Purina or move to a different brand? Thanks


 
Get her off that ASAP! It's WAY too high in protein and fat! I reccomend a good 'all stages' food rather than puppy food. Purina in general is junk food (imagine feeding McDonalds to yor kid everyday) If you're on a budget and looking for a good food, Kirkland Lamb and rice or Chicken and rice is how I would go; no by-products, meat is the FIRST ingredient and no wheat, corn or soy (most common allergens for dogs) as well as not having some of the cancer causing preservatives Purina and other 'grocery store' brands use.


----------



## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm not a fan of Purina, at all. I, too, would switch now.

4Health is a good choice (and economical). Diamond Naturals & Chicken Soup are also good and reasonably priced as well and can also be found at TSC. 

Another option there is Taste of the Wild--more expensive, but grain free and an excellent food. 

dogfoodadvisor.com is an excellent resource. They rate all dog foods and give input on each food. I stay in the 4-5 star range dog foods and 5 star doesn't always mean the most $$$ either. 

Good luck!


----------



## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Jullie P said:


> Our mastiff just turned 6 months and we have her on Purina Puppy Show with mother's milk in it. Is this a good dog food for her? After she gets out of the puppy stage, should we stick with Purina or move to a different brand? Thanks


How's your pup look and acting etc. The sky's the limit as far as expensive food but Purina pro plan is reasonably priced food and let your dog's coat and health be the judge before you make any changes.


----------



## Jullie P (Feb 16, 2012)

She's very energetic, gaining weight fine and her coat looks fine. Thanks for the reply's. I'll discuss it with my husband and the vet to make sure we're making the right the choice. Thanks


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

FYI, vets are given VERY little training on nutrition, they regularly prescribe junk food (made by brands who sponsor veterinary 'nutrition' courses).


----------



## Jullie P (Feb 16, 2012)

I did not know that. Thank you


----------



## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

cshellenberger said:


> FYI, vets are given VERY little training on nutrition, they regularly prescribe junk food (made by brands who sponsor veterinary 'nutrition' courses).


Agree. Most recommend/push Science Diet--which is glorified Dog Chow, IMO--at a much higher price.


----------



## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

I would look into some high quality large breed puppy food. You want a food with the right amount of calcium (1.5% and under). Too much calcium is where you run into problems with large breeds.

I personally like Orijen and Acana. They're a bit pricey but both have Large Breed Puppy formulas. I hear FROMM Gold has a really good Large Breed Puppy formula. http://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/large-breed-puppy-gold

I personally would avoid any of the big name brands like Purina, Science Diet, Iams, etc... Too much money for what they're worth.


----------



## Goldens&Labs4Me (Jan 18, 2012)

Little Wise Owl said:


> I would look into some high quality large breed puppy food. You want a food with the right amount of calcium (1.5% and under). Too much calcium is where you run into problems with large breeds.
> 
> I personally like Orijen and Acana. They're a bit pricey but both have Large Breed Puppy formulas. I hear FROMM Gold has a really good Large Breed Puppy formula. http://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/large-breed-puppy-gold
> 
> I personally would avoid any of the big name brands like Purina, Science Diet, Iams, etc... Too much money for what they're worth.


I love the Fromm line. I use the 4 Star Ingredient line or the Grain free, but they produce an excellent product. My dogs do fantastic on it.


----------



## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Tractor Supply, and other farm supply stores, will have a nice variety of quality dog foods.

The farm co-op that I drive past every day has Taste of the Wild (my current choice,) Chicken Soup and Canidae and some other better brands that I have not tried. I've never understood why they carry better brands than the pet stores (including Petco and Pet Smart.) 

In a pinch, I'll feed Purina One Lamb and Rice but, if I feed it long term, Molly gets a chronically dry coat. The Costco we go to is about 70 miles each way, but I would stock up on Kirklands if I decided I couldn't afford the TOTW.


----------



## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

wvasko said:


> . . . but Purina pro plan is reasonably priced food. . .


I haven't looked at the dog food so this may still be true of the dog version, but I got a coupon for Pro Plan cat food so I went to Petsmart to price it, and ho-ly cow! It is NOT reasonably priced ($19.99 for 7 pounds!). I wonder if TSC has a better price. . .I do hate to waste a coupon. 

For a giant breed you don't want a puppy food, though a few (not most) "large breed puppy" formulas are OK. And you don't want anything too rich. . .I would probably go with 4Health or Diamond Naturals adult formulas. The Kirkland would be OK, too.


----------



## Jordan S (Nov 21, 2009)

I don't know if they have Canidae at tractor supply but if they do i'd say look into that.


----------



## AKDogTrainer12 (Mar 10, 2012)

I would switch her. Purina is not a great food. There are some better foods out there. Depending on where you are at and what is available look in to Taste of The Wild Puppy Food, Canidae All Life Stages, Wellness Large Breed Puppy, Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy or Natural Balance. Best of luck!


----------



## Jullie P (Feb 16, 2012)

Thanks guys! Now there is a recall on 4Health, Taste of the wild, Kirkland and Diamond products containing Salmonella. I switched her to 4Health and it seems to work really good with her. Hopefully they will have a different bag that doesn't fall into the dates that are contaminated. If they don't, what would be a good substitute to put her on until I can get her back on 4Health? Here is the link to see all the food recalled...http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/05/diamond-pet-foods-etc-recalls---2012/.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Jullie, the recall is because Salmonella has affected humans, dogs with a HEALTHY immune system are not being affected. I've fed Kirkland through the whole recall and have had no problems (and I'm feeding TOTW to my pug), I handle the food as if it were raw meat; make sure I don't use the same measuring cups for dog food and human food, clean all areas where dog food has been placed with disinfectant, wash hands thoroughly after handling dog food to prevent cross contamination.


----------



## Jullie P (Feb 16, 2012)

I called the 4Health Dog food company and they said that my bag was not contaminated. Thanks for replying


----------

