Food for large/giant breed puppy
 

Hi all,
I am trying to switch foods for my giant/large breed puppy.
He is an Akbash (like a great pyrenees) x Black lab, he currently weighs roughly 35 pounds at just under 12 weeks of age so I am not sure if that is considered giant or large breed.

Anyways I know that there are special food requirements when it comes to the growth of large puppy (to prevent joint problems) so I was wondering if anyone has any experience in this and can give me a few suggestions on what food to feed him?

I also heard about Now Fresh dog food does anyone know that brand and know if their large puppy food is any good?

Thanks

I personally would recommend you to feed Raw - that is all I feed my pups, well when I travel or am visiting family if having my meat is not an option I feed them freeze dried (Primal) or dehydrated formulas (just recently got some NRG food).

It is whatever you are comfortable with, but whatever you choose, do make sure that it is a good quality food ([U]human grade[/U]) and always read the label carefully! - packaged in the US/Canada its not the same as MADE in the US/Canada.

Many companies now days don't think its important to put on the package where the food is made (which many times is china). CBC had a marketplace report on this last year when dogs were dying from those chicken treats, I'm sure if you look on their site it should be on their archive.

Here is an interesting read I came across a few weeks ago -

[url]http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-truth-about-dog-food-and-supplements/[/url]

I was thinking about raw feeding but it is not what the rest of my family is comfortable with.

I never thought of dehydrated food maybe I will look into that.

As for the Now large breed puppy I did end up going with that food and Oskar seems to be doing good on it. It is grain free and made in Canada which I like.

Thanks

[QUOTE=animal_love;1057890]I was thinking about raw feeding but it is not what the rest of my family is comfortable with.

I never thought of dehydrated food maybe I will look into that.

As for the Now large breed puppy I did end up going with that food and Oskar seems to be doing good on it. It is grain free and made in Canada which I like.

Thanks[/QUOTE]

You know my partner was not comfortable with feeding raw either, but when he started doing his own research and seeing how our puppy's health improved he came around. But yes there is other healthy options to start with as well. And you living in Calgary I would assume you have much more sources for good pet stores :) I only have one good one here.

[QUOTE=Jull;1057903]You know my partner was not comfortable with feeding raw either, but when he started doing his own research and seeing how our puppy's health improved he came around. But yes there is other healthy options to start with as well. And you living in Calgary I would assume you have much more sources for good pet stores :) I only have one good one here.[/QUOTE]

I was cooking food for Marty for awhile but I was worried about my dog getting a balance diet , I was told to add a supplement to his food but Marty was not eating it. If you feed a dog raw food does the dog get a balance diet?

[QUOTE=Barkingdog;1057911]I was cooking food for Marty for awhile but I was worried about my dog getting a balance diet , I was told to add a supplement to his food but Marty was not eating it. If you feed a dog raw food does the dog get a balance diet?[/QUOTE]

Yes I agree I was worried about that, so I started doing alot of research, they need to have not just meat but also bone, organs. I also give raw vegetables and some fruts, and add suplements like fish oil, kelp.... There is alot of books to help you create a balanced home made raw diet. I would recomend "the barf diet" by dr. Ian Billinghurst

I think I will talk to my family about it again and see what they think.
He's doing well on what we are feeding him now so I'm not too concerned, I think I will just keep the raw in mind for later on. I think with the raw I wouldn't do too great with the whole balanced diet thing so it might not be the best choice for us.

[QUOTE=animal_love;1057931]I think I will talk to my family about it again and see what they think.
He's doing well on what we are feeding him now so I'm not too concerned, I think I will just keep the raw in mind for later on. I think with the raw I wouldn't do too great with the whole balanced diet thing so it might not be the best choice for us.[/QUOTE]

Glad to hear you will keep the raw in mind ;) there is also other options to get you started, for example I feed my guys spring meadows meat patties, they already have the meat organs and bone grind together... I Wouldn't feed my guys supermarket stuff, and my current organic meat supplier has a limited variety by the time I have to place my order.

Oh I actually think I saw those meat patties at one of the stores near us!
Thanks for the info :)

You can get Urban Wolf which is mixed with raw or cooked meat. It provides all the things you might miss making your own raw. My dog did really well with it. Right now she's on Honest Kitchen dehydrated. They also make a mix that you add to raw or cooked meat. I used to get chicken carcasses from the butcher already ground up and then I would just add liver or some extra meat plus the mix and make my own patties. I would also buy chicken quarters when on sale, grind them up bones and all and add the mix.

Ooh interesting so then is the honest kitchen dehydrated a dehydrated raw food not a kibble? (sorry if that was a dumb question)

If so that might actually be an ideal choice for us!