Author Topic: Feeding a BIG puppy  (Read 43565 times)

Offline dutch1204

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Feeding a BIG puppy
« on: June 07, 2005, 12:03:35 pm »
Hello!  I have a 6 month old American Mastiff puppy, Duchess, who is currently about 65 lbs and will top out between 120 and 180.  I am having a HECK of a time figuring out what to feed her.  The breeder used to recommend Diamond but now she recommends Iams.  I did try Diamond but Duchess does not eat it too well.  SHe seems to like the Iams but I am not impressed with the ingredients on the bag.  Can you guys tell me what you recommend.  I'll stick with the Iams if you think its OK.  Or let me know if you think there is something better (but not much more expensive).  Thanks.

Offline greek4

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2005, 12:26:21 pm »
I feed my OEM puppy, Science Diet Large Breed Puppy, it is more expensive than Iams but has more protein and less fat.
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline greek4

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2005, 01:35:54 pm »
My vet told me to use Science diet, but said Eukanuba, and couple other ones are good too.  He wasn't as excited about Iam, I just remember it was something about high fat content.

With mastiffs, you have to be careful with the the proportion of fat to protein in the food in order to maintain a steady growth rate.
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Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline TwoNewfies

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2005, 05:01:39 pm »
Hello!

We feed our 2 Newfs Solid Gold. I'm not sure what the cost of Diamond is, but Solid Gold is a great food, but runs about $40 for  the large bag I buy (not sure how many pounds that is...30 maybe?). Many dog owners I know are using it for their large and extra large breed dos. We have ours on the Wolf King adult mix, even though both our puppies.  It has a good ratio of fat, protein and calcium, as you have to be careful that it doesnt contain too high amounts of the above.....due to the concern of what the others above have stated.  My vet endorsed Pro Plan which I didnt like and we checked with other big paws owners and found Solid Gold. Good luck to you and Duchess!
Gina

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Offline moonlitcroatia

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2005, 06:43:37 pm »
We have always fed our dogs Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice Formula...even when they were puppies.  Greta's breeder, and our veterinarian, recommended this in lieu of a puppy food due to the extreme growth factor.  It is even more extreme for you with a mastiff.  My current vet recommends Science Diet, but we are stubborn and since our dogs have remained so healthy we do not see a reason to switch foods.

Perhaps consulting your veterinarian is the next step.  There are a lot of opinions out there and sometimes individual dogs simply do not like certain foods.

My littlest rottweiler, Betti, is a dainty eater.  Usually I have to add warm water to her food and I feed her the "small bites" variety made by Nutro Natural Choice.  Natural Choice is different from Nutro Max...which usually has stripes on the bag.

I read that the first few ingredients are most important, because that is what the food contains the most of...and corn is supposed to be a filler and bad for skin and coat.  Also, food with "bi-products" basically means there are all sorts of ground up innerds in the food...which is not good either. :-\
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Offline new2saints

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2005, 09:35:10 pm »
I am switching Bailey to Eagle Pack.  There is another post someone just posted yesterday about a top breeder and trainer who recommended it.  I researched alot and this food is highly recommended for Danes (even though Bailey is a Saint they have a lot of the same growth issues as a Dane).  She is a very picky eater, and I need to mix some canned with it yet, but I am hoping to wean that out eventually.  She has thrown up a lot less now, and her poops have been firm and they say that is a good sign.

new2saints

Offline mastiffmommy

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2005, 10:24:48 pm »
I am feeding Eagle Pack also, with such a big puppy you have to be careful not to overfeed protein. Whatever brand you choose, try to not go too much over 23% protein. The protein is what makes them grow in a faster or slower rate. Like greek4 said, it is also important to have a good balance between the protein and energy. But most of the too high energy values are in the food with too much protein. Your dog will get as big as his genetics were meant to make him, but if you can make him grow rather slow and in a even rate he will benefit a lot from that. Both hips, elbows and other joints take a lot of stress when our big babies grow. You also want a nice calcium level, too much can make them grow too fast, too little can make them knockle over, basically it is a fine line.

Even if you find a brand that is a bit more expensive than Iams, see to the whole picture. how much do you need to feed, how will the over all health be on the dog. A real good food has usually way less fillers than the little cheaper, and you can usually tell by how much you have to feed and how much they go poop. Especially when they are out of the baby stage.

Good Luck in finding a food that works for you

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline Saintgirl

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2005, 04:09:59 am »
Just a side note about IAMS/Eukanuba, I will not bring it into my house, not due to the nutritional factor but because of all of the inhumane testing that they do on dogs and cats! Testing food is one thing, inhumane testing is quite another. Want to see something scary, type IAMS animal testing in your search engine...
Leah, Hutch, and Abbey

Offline dutch1204

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2005, 07:14:20 am »
thank so much all of you.  Seems from what I've heard and read, the 2 top choices are Eagle Pack and Nutro.  I'll give them a try and see if she'll eat it.   ;D 

Offline lburrell

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2005, 07:15:38 am »
I agree with Marit.  Don't just look at the price of the food without looking at the serving size.  Many of the commercial brand foods appear cheaper....but you need to feed much more of it because of the fillers (which they just poop out anyway).  I feed Timberwolf Organics, which seems more pricey, but I feed so much less....that it really evens out and Jack is getting a really high quality kibble.  Jack is full-grown at 90 pounds and he gets just 2-3 cups a day (depending on if we supplement with fresh meat/veggies).  A 33 pound bag lasts about 5 weeks ($44 a bag), which I think is a reasonable amount to spend on feeding a large dog.

Good luck in your food quest.  It can be so confusing with so many different foods out there...all claiming to be the best choice for your dog. 

Lori

Offline dutch1204

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2005, 08:35:13 am »
I have heard about the acusations against Iams.  If they are true, it is heartbreaking.  However, I have found statements responding to the claims as false.  See below.  Who knows what to believe!

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/en_US/jhtmls/article/IT_Article_Page.jhtml?li=en_US&pti=WO&articleID=8
« Last Edit: June 08, 2005, 08:37:18 am by dutch1204 »

Offline NatsaintB

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #11 on: June 08, 2005, 08:35:19 am »
Lots of good advice ladies!  I think you even convinced me to switch.  One thing for sure is that we all love our babies enough to go the extra mile and make sure they are getting the best possible nutrution.  I wish I could get myself to eat this good!  Maybe that lipoma would disappear ???

Offline Saintgirl

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2005, 08:44:26 am »
Iams has awknowledged the accusations and has admitted to some of them, they did close down several of their research companies due to all of the mishap. I am not a huge PETA fan, but it seems that in this case however exaggerated their claims may have been, that they did stumble accross some truth to the matter.PLEASE don't think that I am trying to encourage anyone else to do the same, it is just a personal issue with me.
Leah, Hutch, and Abbey

Offline dutch1204

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2005, 08:46:41 am »
O hear ya, and I don't blame you one bit!  I would also hate to support a company that is inhumane and irresponsible.

Offline dutch1204

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Re: Feeding a BIG puppy
« Reply #14 on: June 16, 2005, 08:06:36 am »
Hey, do you guys know anything about DIAMOND brand dog foods?  Most of the feed store in my area carry it.  It sounds like it has all good ingredients but it is so inexpensive.  Not sure if there is a catch or if it is just not well known. ???