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Puppy food question...

692 views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Castaway 
#1 ·
Hi! I'm new to this forum and was hoping you could answer a question for me about food. I'm getting my first golden in 2 weeks. We are so excited to bring her home!!! She will be 8 weeks old and the breeder is currently using Exclusive Puppy food. They don't sell that anywhere close to me, so after researching it, I'm thinking of starting her on Acana's Free Run Poultry Dog food. This food states it is an "all life stage" food, so it is appropriate for puppies. I know I should get puppy food for large breed dogs, so I was wondering what you think of the "all life stages" instead of it specifically mentioning it is a large breed puppy food. The woman at the pet store has a golden puppy and said this is what she uses. It is also grain free and has never had a recall. Thanks in advance!! If you don't use this brand, do you have any recommendations? Below is a link to the food.... And I also included a picture of my sweet girl :)


https://www.chewy.com/acana-heritag...NA&utm_term=&gclid=CLnyrMD_3s4CFQ-QaQodAacKDg
 

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#3 ·
Congratulations on your new puppy! I have found that many "all life stages" dog foods don't actually have appropriate calcium content for large breed puppies. They might be appropriate for regular puppies, but their calcium content is often too high for large breeds.

I used dogfoodadvisor's link here: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/, at the bottom of this page, they have an analyzer where you can plug in the calcium content and determine if its within the range that is recommended for large breed puppies. I also wanted a grain free puppy food, but there aren't a lot of grain free "large breed puppy" foods out there.

For what its worth, Fromm's Surf and Turf is grain free, and has a calcium content that is appropriate for large breed puppies. Thats what I give my Piper!
 
#4 ·
You got a beautiful puppy!

One very important thing to remember is you want to have a slow growth diet for you puppy. The longer they can maximize their puppy stage of life, the healthier they will be in adulthood.. and less prone to having skeletal/joint problems..

you are on the right track of choosing the right brand/organic/grain free..but just as important is to check the nutritional labels..you want to make sure its not high in minerals/calcium for your puppy.
 
#5 ·
I hope the breeder gave you some food to tide you over through the transition period. It's very important to do a slow transition when changing foods.

When Holly came home, she was on Orijen Puppy from the breeder. It was a bit too rich for her, so we switched to Fromm 4-Star line, which is an all-stage food. I also switched Cassie at the same time, so that both dogs were on the same food.

Both girls do very well on the food. Holly had a healthy puppyhood, and stays in excellent shape - lean and muscular. Cassie was never a foodie, but now she runs to the dinner bowl. The flavors that my girls get are not the grain-free kind... not sure I'm convinced either way about that just yet. But with the Fromm 4-Star line, I can change flavors without needing to transition, so if I decide to go that way, I can select a grain free flavor.
 
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