[Wolfhound Mom]

Hi there, I have 2 Irish Wolfhounds and I've been around the world with the dog food situation, but the main thing to do is make sure you DO NOT feed a very large breed ANY KIND OF PUPPY FOOD. Large breeds need to really grow much much slower than an average size dog, it helps them grow properly... it is best to feed a large breed food, but not large breed puppy. I'm sure there will be some out there that don't agree, but they get proper nutrition with adult food as well. Remember the large dog ages much faster than a average size dog, so at 1 year they can almost look like a much older adult dog.

I have been through many brands of food, the main issue for Wolfhounds (not sure about all large breeds) is they can't handle high protein... Way too much gas... I've tried some of the most expensive brands to more moderate... Solid Gold Wolfcub, Chicken Soup for the soul for large breed dogs, well, my girls have been eating Canadie for amost a year now... No issues at all, except I do have to change it up from time to time... sometimes I'll add Romano cheese on top, sometimes I make egg noodles and mix it and sometimes they just eat it dry... But now I have no skin issues, no gas issues, no stool issues... I'm very happy and I buy three 44 pound breeder bags which lasts me a month.

I had read many great comments about Canadie and some not so good, but my groomer stopped selling any other brand and only sold that brand and she loved it... she said that the All Life Stage feed was the best and any dog does really well on it... Well she was right and I've not switch over since. I read many things about dogs not keeping it down or gas or runny stools, but honestly it's been the only food so far that has not caused my dogs any trouble what so ever!

Just an important not... No wet food, keep it dry as much as possible! For treats I freez plain yogurt in ice cube trays and the girls think they are just fantastic, good for them too!

Don't let large breed dogs play rough with other dogs until they are at least 12 months old... they should not have free access to play and run around too hard till they are this age... No really long walks just yard or garden walks is plenty... I know it sounds crazy but just because they are large doesn't mean they are strong, they have big bodies to grow and it takes time to get there and by their sheer size they can cause extensive damage if they play too rough, jump up and land hard on their legs, climb up stairs or up into a high car... they need the extra help getting in and out.

Believe me, if you can stick to this you will see a much happier and healthier large breed dog that will live much longer than most people expect...

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Wolfhound Mom

Hi there, I have 2 Irish Wolfhounds and I've been around the world with the dog food situation, but the main thing to do is make sure you DO NOT feed a very large breed ANY KIND OF PUPPY FOOD. Large breeds need to really grow much much slower than an average size dog, it helps them grow properly... it is best to feed a large breed food, but not large breed puppy. I'm sure there will be some out there that don't agree, but they get proper nutrition with adult food as well. Remember the large dog ages much faster than a average size dog, so at 1 year they can almost look like a much older adult dog.

I have been through many brands of food, the main issue for Wolfhounds (not sure about all large breeds) is they can't handle high protein... Way too much gas... I've tried some of the most expensive brands to more moderate... Solid Gold Wolfcub, Chicken Soup for the soul for large breed dogs, well, my girls have been eating Canadie for amost a year now... No issues at all, except I do have to change it up from time to time... sometimes I'll add Romano cheese on top, sometimes I make egg noodles and mix it and sometimes they just eat it dry... But now I have no skin issues, no gas issues, no stool issues... I'm very happy and I buy three 44 pound breeder bags which lasts me a month.

I had read many great comments about Canadie and some not so good, but my groomer stopped selling any other brand and only sold that brand and she loved it... she said that the All Life Stage feed was the best and any dog does really well on it... Well she was right and I've not switch over since. I read many things about dogs not keeping it down or gas or runny stools, but honestly it's been the only food so far that has not caused my dogs any trouble what so ever!

Just an important not... No wet food, keep it dry as much as possible! For treats I freez plain yogurt in ice cube trays and the girls think they are just fantastic, good for them too!

Don't let large breed dogs play rough with other dogs until they are at least 12 months old... they should not have free access to play and run around too hard till they are this age... No really long walks just yard or garden walks is plenty... I know it sounds crazy but just because they are large doesn't mean they are strong, they have big bodies to grow and it takes time to get there and by their sheer size they can cause extensive damage if they play too rough, jump up and land hard on their legs, climb up stairs or up into a high car... they need the extra help getting in and out.

Believe me, if you can stick to this you will see a much happier and healthier large breed dog that will live much longer than most people expect...

I agree with much of what you said but just because a large breed puppy grows more quickly than other sizes doesn't mean you don't feed puppy food. Puppy food is fine and recommended because if has a slightly higher percenatge of fat and more calories that growing pups need because they have a high metabolism and more energy than adult dogs. The thing you have to be sure not to feed a large breed puppy is a grain free food which generally consists of a high amount of protein. It's not necessarily the protein, but the overall richness and packed nutrition can promote your dog to grow very quickly. Higher protein diets are not the only reason but can cause dogs to grow at a more rapid pace so avoid grain free for large breed puppies. Puppy foods from non-grain free foods should be fine. Home cooked and raw diets are fine for puppies too because unlike most people think, these diets don't have the core amount of protein for one that dry foods do because raw and home cooked diets are predominantly moisture, which is natural. This brings me to wet food. You said to never feed wet food. Well, many believe that wet food is the best because it is a more natural form than dry kibble. Dry kibble is more processed and less like a dogs diet would be in the wild. A wet food closer emulates a diet a dog would consume in the wild (high moisture).

[Wolfhound Mom]

Thanks for responding... First let me say I'm no expert, but most of us will rely on a vet for answers and it's even amazing that vets can't even agree on many issues.

I guess we will agree to disagree on some of the areas regarding Puppy Food and Wet food... There is an ongoing debate regarding these issues. I still feel like a very large breed such as a Wolfhound or GreatDane puppy dont need the puppy food and that is not just my personal opinion, I've listened to many long time breeders. As for the wet food we can go back and forth about dogs eating like the wild dog ate, but there are fundemental problems with that theory... One, when they were in the wild, they ate many things, not just meat from a kill and they ate what their body told them they needed at the time and we have taken that opportunity away from them by domesticating them, they are not allowed to roam free. They don't have the opportunity to go out and forage for other types of food. When wild dogs ate kill, they had bones, cartlidge, hides...

Opponents believe that the risk of nutritional imbalance, intestinal perforations and foodborne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meat and bones would outweigh any benefits. The assertion by raw feeders that what is natural is better has also been criticized.
Few studies have been done to support the numerous beneficial claims of a raw diet.

One study that analyzed the nutritional content of three homemade diets (BARF, Ultimate and Volhard) and two commercial raw food diets (Steve's Real Food and Sojourner Farms) and compared it to the AAFCO standards, showed that nutritional imbalances occurred in multiple areas. Three of the diets had abnormal calcium-to-phosphorus ratios which can lead to hyperparathyroidism and fibrous osteodystrophy in puppies.

I guess my main point here is that there are those that have serious different opinions about what feeding program is best, I personally know someone who owned a dog that became very ill and had to have surgery because of a tear in the stomach from the raw food diet. While I'm not saying that happens to many or all, it's just my opinion considering the time involved and the health differences involved, feeding a good quality dry food works best for us.

I'm not looking down on anyone that feeds wet food vs dry food... I'm only giving my personal observations and opinions.

For every positive opinion there will be a negative opinion to compare.

Thanks for the good conversation, it's nice to share experiences.

[valerie]

I have tried many dog foods expensive and less expensive. We have always had German Shepherds. Ellie is the one we have now she is our fifth a beauty . she had problems with her eating then someone told me to try Chappie dried food I checked with our vet who is very good, also with our trainer . they both said the same if the dog will eat it and is healthy on it that is what counts , she came on in leaps and bounds since changing to it . I don't suppose many people will agree but it is great now no problems at all .

Valerie

[shandwill]

We fed our Dane/Shepherd mix Innova Large Breed Puppy formula until he turned two years of age, and he now eats Innova Large Breed Adult formula. Our new 9-month-old CO puppy has been switched over to Innova Large Breed Puppy food now, as well. (Both of our dogs currently weight 97 lbs.) At his yearly appointment last week, our vet said that our Dane/Shepherd mix looked "fantastic," "was at the perfect weight," and appeared to have "no joint problems whatsoever." Since he was a stray when he found us and was horribly malnourished, I am a BIG fan of Innova!

[Andrew]

I'm currently feeding my 8month old Jindo/GSD mix Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. It's grain free, and the Ca/Phosphorus levels are a bit higher than recommended for a puppy, but it's the only food that's given her Solid poops. :/

First had her on IAMS Puppy when I brought her home from the shelter, but learned about the ingredients, and immediately started transitioning her to Wellness Puppy. Was on Wellness puppy for a month, and never had consistant solid poops, so slowly switched her to Innova Puppy. Same thing with the poops, and finally tried TOTW, and voila, solid poops, and her coat is getting shinier.

I was told to get Orijen LBP or Orijen Puppy, but I can't stomach the fact I need to shell out ~$85-$90 for a 30# bag of that brand.

[nattiej1976]

Originally Posted by Todd

I agree with much of what you said but just because a large breed puppy grows more quickly than other sizes doesn't mean you don't feed puppy food. Puppy food is fine and recommended because if has a slightly higher percenatge of fat and more calories that growing pups need because they have a high metabolism and more energy than adult dogs. The thing you have to be sure not to feed a large breed puppy is a grain free food which generally consists of a high amount of protein. It's not necessarily the protein, but the overall richness and packed nutrition can promote your dog to grow very quickly. Higher protein diets are not the only reason but can cause dogs to grow at a more rapid pace so avoid grain free for large breed puppies. Puppy foods from non-grain free foods should be fine. Home cooked and raw diets are fine for puppies too because unlike most people think, these diets don't have the core amount of protein for one that dry foods do because raw and home cooked diets are predominantly moisture, which is natural. This brings me to wet food. You said to never feed wet food. Well, many believe that wet food is the best because it is a more natural form than dry kibble. Dry kibble is more processed and less like a dogs diet would be in the wild. A wet food closer emulates a diet a dog would consume in the wild (high moisture).

from experience, I would NOT feed a large breed puppy food UNLESS its specifically designed for large breed puppies.

We got caught out on this one with Kato, the calcium content and protein content was too high for a large breed pup, and he ended up with all sorts of issues with his back legs due to rapid bone growth, (long story short, one bone in the lower part of his back legs did not fuse to the growth plate in his knee area, because the bone next to it grew faster and these bones did not even reach his growth plate) and because we were feeding a "all breed" puppy food drastically contributed to these issues. Even though we caught it early and changed his diet quickly, he still required some rehabilitation specialist visits, and special care to ensure his legs strengthened enough to see him through his adult life without major discomfort. Even still, his hock is a little twisted when he walks now, 4 years on since we learned this lesson the very hard way.

I would certainly agree on avoiding dry food as much as possible, another hard lesson learned recently, the carb contents of these are too high for dogs (and cats moreso) which can also contribute to diabeties later in life among other issues.

Originally Posted by Wolfhound Mom

I still feel like a very large breed such as a Wolfhound or GreatDane puppy dont need the puppy food and that is not just my personal opinion, I've listened to many long time breeders. .

I have to agree with you fully, they dont require puppy food, when we had issues with rapid bone growth with Kato, he went straight onto a light and mature food, under specialist instruction, as we had to slow down his rapid growing (particuarly in his poor little legs) so the bones had the chance to grow up and fuse into the plates around his back knee area.

[lucysdoghouse]

When Lucy was a younger adult we had her on Innova Evo. She did really great on it and had tons of energy. Plus when you consider the amount were half it was actually not bad when it came to price.

Now that she is older we have taken her off of it as she does need so much protein.

[babygurl2272]

I've always used kibbles n' bits. All 3 of my dogs love it, and its not that expensive, but its good for their health also. Correct me if I am wrong.

[CorkyMax]

Kibbles 'n Bits HomeStyle Chicken and Vegetable Flavor Dog Food - Kibbles 'N Bits Homestyle Chicken & Vegetable Flavor 17.6lb Bag - Epinions.com

Don't know the exact kind/flavor of Kibbles 'n Bits you use but prob. have about the same ingredients and in the same amounts. Compare your bag/ingredients with that listed in the link!

[WestieDude]

Originally Posted by babygurl2272

I've always used kibbles n' bits. All 3 of my dogs love it, and its not that expensive, but its good for their health also. Correct me if I am wrong.

I hate to break it to you, but Kibbles n' Bit is an absolute garbage dog food. The main ingredients of all their varieties is corn and soy, both cheap filler grains and leading allergens in domestic dogs. The only meat content is from "meat and bone meal" which is ultra-low grade, mixed-species rendered product that is banned for feeding to ruminant animals in most countries. The main use for meat and bone meal besides as an ingredient in low-cost pet food is as fuel for industrial kilns. To make matters worse, KnB foods are all preserved with BHA which has been proven in numerous studies to cause stomach cancer in several species of lab animals.
Your dogs like KnB because of the meat flavor provided by "animal digest", which the manufacturer lists as the source of the "meat flavor". This is the real horror story. To quote Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia; animal digest is...
A cooked-down broth made from specified or unspecified parts of animals (depending on the type of digest used). If the source is unspecified (e.g. "Animal" or "Poultry", the animals used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on

The vast majority of supermarket dog foods (Pedigree, Dog Chow, Gravy Train, Alpo, etc.) contain these poisons. So called "premium" supermarket brands like Iams and Purina One are made with higher quality proteins but still oftentimes contain BHA, by-products, and are LOADED with cheap grain fillers.

PLEASE....if you are struggling financially and can't spend a lot on dog food, look into Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul or Kirkland. They are good quality foods at a reasonable price. If you have a bit of money to spend on your BEST FRIEND, then please choose a high quality food such as Orijen, Evo, Instinct, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Artemis, Wellness Core, Go!, Karma, or Taste of the Wild.

Good luck, and be sure to pet your dogs for me

[reeskujo]

I usually switch my Akita's to adult food at 6 mths but I just did switch Seigi at 5 mths because the vet and I agree that his bone growth is to rapid and we want to avoid any issues...

I feed Blue Buffalo and and have great results with it.