[Dog<3er]

I've been researching food for my 11-week-old Newfy girl, and I'm seeing a wide range of recommended servings among various brands. For my pup's age and weight, Fromm's recommended serving comes to only 800 kcal/day. At the other end of the scale is Innova, with 1400 kcal/day. Most of the others I've looked at are in the 1000 to 1200 kcal range.

I know it's important to control calories to avoid too-rapid growth in giant breeds, but I haven't been able to find any actual numbers. I'm also trying to keep calcium low, but the percent-calcium numbers can be misleading; three cups of 0.7% calcium food will actually have more calcium than two cups of a 1.2% food.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Phil

[Lunareclipse]

Feed raw so you don't have to guess? I'm sorry. I don't know the answer to your question and that was the best I could come up with.

[lange]

I would guess the difference is whether or not they are empty calories verse good, filling quality ingredients. Usually the better quality brands have smaller servings sizes as well so I'd guess there's some relevance with the calories in that aspect. I really like this guide for helping distinguish quality products & possible issues in commercial kibbles (you may have already run into this site before in your research): Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

There's also a lot of contradicting info on when to switch big breed puppy's to adult food too! Like all things health related, there are no clear cut answers. I switched my girl to adult food at 8 months old. I plan on doing the same with any future pups I get.

[dogs rule]

Very good point about the good calories verses bad calories.
If you were to have a chocolate bar say at 750 cal. verses a potatoe & salad at 800 cal., which would be the healthier of the two?
Compare your labels, do the research,and ask other large/giant breed dog owners what they feed their dogs.

I buy Nutrience Large Breed and Nutrience Large Breed Puppy. They both have a rating of 4 out of 5 stars for ingredients and nutrition. I have never had any problem with this brand.

If you do feed raw, and there are a few here that do, they can tell you that there is a lot more guessing and more work involved with feeding raw.
You would have to make sure that your girl was getting all the right amounts of vitamins, minerals, protien, calories, and list goes on.
I'm in no why saying that feeding your dog dry kibble means you care less, ( I couldn't love mine more) you would need to be very careful. You just need to buy the right brand for your type of dog.

I must say though, when I lived in Newfoundland, there were plenty of Newfies around and they are just beautiful.
Enjoy her.

[lange]

I'm always curious to hear the difference in price on feeding raw verse quality commercial foods too...I realize it depends on your area, dog size/appetite, what you feed...but I like numbers.
Kuma is getting even hungrier with age so I've been wondering if there's anyway raw would be cheaper...really doubt it though. Plus, I won't feed her poultry which ois the cheaper end of raw?....

Ok Im just rambling..sorry..

[Dog<3er]

Thanks Lange, yes, I have been to that site. Dogfoodadvisor.com is another good one.

From what I've read both Fromm's and Innova are both regarded as being high-quality kibbles. Their guaranteed analyses and ingredient lists are almost identical. Also from what I've read, calories are calories when it comes to weight gain. Of course I want to avoid "empty" calories, but when it comes to bone and joint issues, rapid weight gain and excess calcium are what you want to avoid.

Feeding raw does make sense to me, but keeping track of calories and nutrients that way does seem daunting. Add in the fact that I live with a vegetarian and two squeemish daughters, and a strictly raw diet is pretty much out of the question.

I've emailed both Fromm and Innova to see what their reasoning is. I'll post what I find out.

[chiclet]

I looked at the one site and looked at the product description for one and saw that it says intermittent or supplemental feeding only for cans! I better check my cans because I use lots of canned food.

[Lunareclipse]

Originally Posted by lange

I'm always curious to hear the difference in price on feeding raw verse quality commercial foods too...I realize it depends on your area, dog size/appetite, what you feed...but I like numbers.
Kuma is getting even hungrier with age so I've been wondering if there's anyway raw would be cheaper...really doubt it though. Plus, I won't feed her poultry which ois the cheaper end of raw?....

Ok Im just rambling..sorry..

You go to a farm and buy whole chickens, pheasants, turkeys. Those are easy to butcher yourself, or if you don't have the heart to kill them, the farmer will generally do that for you. You feed them feathers, intestines and all.

For pork or beef, you can buy a whole cow or pig and have it butchered at a local shop. The farmer will probably even drive it to the butcher if you can't. It is cheapest to do it that way.

You can also put your name on a deer list for your county. If someone hits a deer and reports it, if the person who hits the deer doesn't want it, the game warden calls the first person on the list to come pick it up. So you can get a free deer there that you can either butcher yourself or send to a butcher.

I don't like buying meat for my dogs at the store because a lot of it in injected with brine or some other types of dyes and flavoring.

[smooches]

I have had large dogs for years and years, now only one with my pack of Chinese Cresteds. I feed raw, but when they get the occasional kibble, I feed Eagle Pack. Quality ingredients and low calcium, as you said, you do not need them to grow too fast.

As for a raw food diet - if you feed bones, chicken frames, thigh bones, etc your dog will get all the calcium she requires, and from a natural source. She will need vegetables and fruit as well to have a well balanced diet.

I feed bones two nights per week, the other five days they get RAW minced chicken frames or fish or special pet mince made specially by my butcher + a dehydrated dog food (add water). I have raised my rottie on this and she has fantastic healthy joints, good weight, plenty of muscle, shiny coat, etc. She is almost 9 1/2 years old and in wonderful condition, she appears half that age.