Any dog food experts around?
Does it really matter if the dog food bag specifically says "Puppy" or "Large Breed Puppy" in big letters on the front on it?
I mean, if an "Adult Weight Management" food is AAFCO approved for "All Life Stages" and meets the calorie, calcium, phosphorus, protein, and fat guidelines for a large breed puppy set out by experts, then can I use that for my large breed puppy?
The formula that is $20 cheaper and has the same core foundation as the "Large Breed Puppy" food. I just don't get it. It seems like it SHOULD matter since it's written in bold letters on the front of the bag, but I can't find a single reason that it does on the nutrition and ingredient list.
>>2141235
Large breed puppy food supports the slower growth rate of large and giant breeds. If you fuck up your large/giant puppy now expect thousands in vet bills.
What brand are you feeding? I feed Acana and have been really happy.
>>2141243
>Large breed puppy food supports the slower growth rate of large and giant breeds.
By regulating caloric intake and calcium to prevent problems further down the line attributed to rapid growth.
Calcium, and calories. See, that's the thing. Bear with me, science incoming ...
Calcium should be 3 grams per 1000 calories (roughly 1% and 1.5% percent), and calories between 3500 and 4000 per kilogram. Calcium/Phosphorus ratio between 1:1 and 1.5:1
These are the basic guidelines for large breed puppy food. And many, many, many foods that are not specifically labeled as "Large Breed Puppy" meet them. "Weight Management" formulas are even better, because the fat content is much lower, supporting the lazy lifestyles of large breed dogs once they get around 10 months or so.
Right now my guys eat Purina Pro Plan Focus Large Breed Puppy, but I am looking to change to a grain free formula because my older girl is showing issues of an intolerance or allergy, and I need to find out why. Money is also a concern, so I was looking into Kirkland Nature's Doman (only the Adult formula is available here, hence this entire discussion), which has 3.5 starts on Dogfood Advisor. ( http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/natures-domain-dog-food/ ) and is incredibly well priced ($33/35 pounds)
>>2141253
Oh, it's worth noting that the Salmon formula is lower in Calcium, which is the one we're looking at. Again, to slow growth. It's around 1.2%. The other 2 flavors are 1.4% and 1.6%.
Sorry to hijack your thread OP, but I have a question regarding dog food.
My Boston is on Open Farm Whitefish and he eats it but won't eat it all at once. Pretty much grazes all day. How can I tell he likes it?
Someone says blue wilderness sucks = post hits bump limit in 30 minutes
Discussion about food details not covered by ads on TV = crickets
/An/ in a nutshell
>>2141269
>Boston is on Open Farm Whitefish and he eats it but won't eat it all at once.
Frankly, if he eats it at all. You're doing fine. Probably shouldn't let him graze if you want to get a real good idea of how much he's putting down, but that's another thread and I'm not that guy.
Some dogs just don't eat as much as you think. I have 95 pound dog - currently passed out under the kitchen table - who eats maybe 1.5 cups a day. And she's only 1 year old. She loves the food, she just doesn't ... move. So she doesn't build up an appetite.
Hijacker here, does anyone have dogfood recs for older, little dogs w little mouths
>>2141312
This is not a question you want someone else answering for you. Especially on forums. Most people are swayed by advertisements and word of mouth and actually have no clue about nutritional science, which is evident by the replies to OP.
Find out the calorie/protein/fat/calcium/phosphorus balance you need for a senior small breed dog, then find a food that has them that fits your budget. The more you learn on your own, the more confident you can feel in your choice and why you chose it.
Grain free is good if you can afford it, because it can sometimes cause issues (such as allergies - most dog food allergies are attributed to grain) and it's nice to know that if something goes wrong, that's not the problem. But don't stress your budget over it.
dogfoodadvisor.com is a good resource for reviews of individual food, but they don't cover important stuff like calcium:phosphorus ratios for different size breeds. They mostly just parse ingredients, and gloss over large/small breed topics. But it's still a good source of info.
>>2141312
I recommend euthanasia.
