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Old 08-03-2017, 01:18 PM   #1
Humphrey_hamster
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Default Help with giant breed puppy food?

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've posted anything and this one (clearly) isn't about hamsters. My parents and I recently adopted a 3/4 Newfoundland 1/4 Saint Bernard pup (6 months next week) we've only had him for a week and a bit. He came to us on Beta large breed puppy. We would prefer him on a different food. Any suggestions? I will keep you updated on not only his foods but also what's going on. We took him to his first puppy class on the Tuesday just gone I hope to post a couple of pictures of him soon
Thank you
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Old 08-03-2017, 01:29 PM   #2
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-...ed-puppy-food/

This should help for basic guidelines,just apply the information from that source to UK products(or if you're able to get certain US foods that are available in the UK then that might work nicely).

The basics of any dog food and treats(almost all applies to any pet though,except in the case of some animals like hamsters which can have corn and wheat)would apply though,so no corn or wheat(terrible for carnivores,not only an issue of allergies though,keep in mind this appears in different forms like maize and wheat germ or even spelt),no artificial flavors or dyes,no maltodextrin/dextrose/sorbitol/sucrose/etc and similar processed sugars and artificial sweeteners,no vague biproducts or meats(digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal of any sort,vague liver,etc),no propylene glycol,no sulfur dioxide,nothing from China and nothing irradiated(no rawhide either if you don't already know since it is despite any manufacturer's claims completely indigestible).

Last edited by AmityvilleHams; 08-03-2017 at 01:46 PM.
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Old 08-05-2017, 12:03 AM   #3
Humphrey_hamster
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

Thank you Amity. He is now on pro plan as suggested by the trainer. He eats more of it but he eats slower and he no longer seems as gassy, thank goodness I'm thinking of starting his own thread as well as humphreys as I have so many pictures and he got a paddling pool yesterday and may perhaps be going swimming in a lake today!
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Old 08-05-2017, 02:11 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

You can get hypoallergenic dog foods. Our farm dog is sensitive and the vet advised wheat free diet (but there are also other "free from" diets). I seem to remember the most popular good quality, hypoallergenic dog food among owners on forums is the one by James Wellbeloved. But it's not cheap!

http://www.petsathome.com/webapp/wcs...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Lily's Kitchen also make a healthy, organic range (also not cheap).

Not sure if they're suitable for puppies or not.

We had a Westie who couldn't eat any tinned dog food without getting diarrhoea and had to have all-in-one pellets soaked in water. Seemed boring but she was healthy on it.
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Old 08-05-2017, 06:55 AM   #5
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

I wouldn't suggest Pro Plan at all Lily's Kitchen as mentioned is a really good food,not sure if their dry food would fall into the appropriate calcium to phosphorus ratio range though!There are lots of other good brands too,but definitely stick to the higher quality foods(which would be corn and wheat free and meet the previously mentioned requirements unlike Pro Plan).Wainwright also looks good in general,but without knowing calories per kg it's hard to say for sure.

As far as slowing eating goes,Kong toys tend to work nicely for that(just make sure they're ones with two holes as with any toy since single holes create suction if you're not aware which is a very big safety risk for any dog).Slow feeding bowls can be worth looking into as well.

Keep in mind when investing into foods that this is the base for success.You might have to put a significant amount of money into food,but it's definitely worth it to have the benefits of a truly species appropriate diet.
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Old 08-06-2017, 09:51 AM   #6
barley
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

Have you considered a raw diet?

Great for sensitive stomachs, excellent for dental health, great enrichment for the dog and absolutely no nasties.
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Old 08-10-2017, 09:09 AM   #7
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Default

Serendipity, we actually had him on some jw but it seemed too rich for him. He currently has an upset tummy so is on boiled turkey and rice until his stomach settles. Amity, he has a kong toy, one of the ones you stuff food into. He has a puppy one as we were told that would be better as despite his size he is still a puppy! We were told the pro plan was good by one of the trainers at puppy class and it does have a very low vitamin d content, which is good for his breed. Why is it pro plan is bad? Is it something to do with the main ingredients or the quality?? I know purina has some pretty bad press and stuff. We have just stopped his jumbones as that seemed to upset his tummy as well jumbones are the brand 'pedigree' and seem to cause a lot of other dogs diarrhoea so that is probably the most likely cause

Barley, we considerd a raw diet, but were unsure how it would be for puppies, and if it would be too rich because the jw was.

He seemed ok ish on the jw turkey +rice but it was the fish+rice that seemed to upset his tum.

Last edited by Vectis Hamstery; 08-10-2017 at 09:27 AM.
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Old 08-10-2017, 10:43 AM   #8
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

It all comes down to ingredients,the quality of those ingredients,and how digestible those ingredients are.Chicken as a first ingredient might seem good,but you actually would need a meal based named protein source as the first ingredient(raw meat getting cooked in the kibble ultimately weighs far less than the meal form,therefore chicken really isn't the first ingredient in this case).It also would contain wheat,which is not easy for any dog to digest.Maize(aka corn)is also hard for dogs to digest.Animal fat being incredibly vague is something that should never under any circumstances be fed,same with digest.

Did you try pureed pumpkin and probiotics when he had an upset stomach with the higher quality kibble?If not,I wouldn't assume that he definitely can't eat that food.He might not have a very developed stomach and it'll take time,but between a rotational diet and a high quality probiotic and pureed pumpkin routine he will be much healthier in terms of digestive health.You could give raw green tripe as a treat as well,which in its raw form(not canned or otherwise heat processed forms)has digestive benefits.

Raw diets,if done properly,are the ideal solution for sensitive dogs!They're also the most appropriate diet for the species.

If he did well on the turkey + rice it might be that either he's sensitive to fish(or just the particular fish species used in that food)if the other ingredients are identical,or he needed probiotics and pureed pumpkin for the extra support.Keep in mind when looking at probiotics there should be no vague digest(or other unspecified biproducts such as derivatives,meat and bone meal,animal fat,animal liver,etc),no artificial flavors or colors,no unspecified preservatives(including E&C approved which can be BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin which are known to cause cancer),no artificial sweeteners or processed sugars(such as dextrose,maltodextrin,sorbitol,and fructose),no corn or wheat or derivatives of those,and no sulfur dioxide or propylene glycol.Purina's probiotic might seem to meet these requirements,but sadly the ingredients aren't completely true on Zooplus and it actually contains animal digest

I really couldn't find decent probiotics from Zooplus anyways.However,P@H do happen to have Tropiclean to an extent including a very good probiotic.

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...opiclean%2522#

The ingredients as they aren't listed on P@H:
Canola Oil, Pollock Oil, Coconut Oil, Salmon Oil, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Rosemary Extract, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Flaxseed Oil, Fructooligosaccharide, Hemicellulose Extract, Yeast Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

I know one of the ingredients might sound like a sugar,but despite having potential sweetening effects it actually does have a purpose and benefits(unlike other unnecessary ingredients you might see in other products).If you really had to you could potentially source a human grade probiotic with several probiotic strains that is equally high quality,as long as every ingredient is known and safe for dogs
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Old 08-10-2017, 12:01 PM   #9
Humphrey_hamster
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

Gosh! Thank you Amity, I will have a think and then will decide the best step forward
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Old 08-10-2017, 12:33 PM   #10
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Help with giant breed puppy food?

These four are listed as hypoallergenic on Lily's Kitchen - the dry food looks ok maybe - some of the others seem a bit rich

https://www.lilyskitchen.co.uk/search?q=Hypoallergenic
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